Displaying items by tag: Debo Balogun

The Goodman's Centennial 2025/2026 Season continues with the Chicago premiere of Covenant, Chicagoland native playwright York Walker's "striking Southern gothic work" (New York Times) hailed as "blackout-and-blood-curdling-scream deliciousness" (New York Magazine). BOLD Artistic Producer Malkia Stampley is set to direct a cast including Debo Balogun (graveyard shift), Ashli Rene Funches (A Red Orchid Theatre's IS GOD IS), Jaeda LaVonne (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre's Twelfth Night), Felicia Oduh (The Nacirema Society) and Anji White (Fat Ham). Understudies will be announced at a later date. Covenant appears May 2 through May 31 (opening night is May 11) in the 350-seat flexible Owen Theatre. For tickets ($24 - $64; on sale Feb. 20), visit the Box Office (170 N. Dearborn), call 312.443.3800 or purchase online at GoodmanTheatre.org/Covenant. The Goodman is grateful for the support of BOLD Ventures (Production Sponsor), Tabet, DiVito & Rothstein (Corporate Supporter) and The Elizabeth Morse Charitable Trust (Lead Sponsor of IDEAA Programming).

"Covenant is about young love, the secrets we hold and the role faith plays when we are haunted by our choices," said director Malkia Stampley, who most recently directed a 2026 New Stages Festival reading and the critically acclaimed 48th annual A Christmas Carol. "While I personally connect with the religious themes in the story as a pastor's daughter, many will connect with the folklore nature of this story and the thrilling and chilling ride this story takes you on. The characters York built in Covenant will sweep away audiences and my goal is to tell this story honestly, organically, full of heart and grit."

Expect one devilish twist after another in Covenant, an "undeniably spooky (and) absolutely enjoyable" (TheaterMania) mythic and suspenseful new play. Johnny "Honeycomb" James (Debo Balogun) left his small Georgia town a struggling guitarist—and returned a blues star, to the surprise of sisters Violet (Felicia Oduh) and Avery (Jaeda LaVonne), their mother (Anji White) and their best friend Ruthie (Ashli Rene Funches). As rumors of a darker deal abound, it becomes clear that he's not the only one with a secret...or seeking salvation. This tense thriller explores the power of belief and the thin line between rumor and truth. Covenant premiered at Roundabout Theatre Company in 2023 to critical acclaim, earning a New York Times Critics Pick.

York Walker is an award-winning playwright and screenwriter from Chicago, Illinois. He is the inaugural recipient of both the Vineyard Theatre's Colman Domingo Award and the John Singleton Screenwriting Award. His work includes Holcomb & Hart (Victory Garden's New Plays For A New Year Festival), The Séance (Winner of the John Singleton Screenwriting Competition, 48 Hours... in Harlem), Covenant (Colman Domingo Award, Roundabout Underground, South Coast Repertory's Pacific Playwrights Festival, Fire This Time Festival) and Soul Records (workshops with Manhattan Theatre Club, the Vineyard Theatre and Roundabout Theatre Company). York is currently developing new works with Roundabout Theatre Company, South Coast Repertory Theatre, The Geffen Playhouse and Goodman Theatre. His contributions extend to the realm of television, having served as Story Editor and Staff Writer for two seasons on Dick Wolf's hit series, FBI. York is a graduate of the MFA Acting program from the American Conservatory Theatre.

Malkia Stampley is a twice Jeff-nominated director from Milwaukee and The Goodman's BOLD Artistic Producer. Her Goodman Theatre directing credits include A Christmas Carol, Primary Trust, In My Granny's Garden and New Stages Festival's Cephianne's Reflection and This Part of His Life Blooms. Select directing credits: No Such Thing (Rivendell); Girls on Sand (Northern Sky); Nina Simone: Four Women (Milwaukee Rep); The October Storm (Raven); Boulevard of Bold Dreams (TimeLine); STEW (Shattered Globe); Black Nativity (Black Arts MKE); The Gift of the Magi (American Players); Five Guys Named Moe (Skylight Music); Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grille (Farmers Alley); Exit Strategy (Northwestern).

Company of Covenant (in alphabetical order)

By York Walker

Directed by Malkia Stampley

Debo Balogun...Johnny James 
Ashli Rene Funches...Ruthie 
Jaeda LaVonne...Avery 
Felicia Oduh...Violet 
Anji White...Mama

CREATIVE TEAM

Costume Designer...Evelyn Danner 
Set Designer...Ryan Emens 
Lighting Designer...Gina Patterson 
Sound Designer...Dee Etti-Williams 
Music Director and Composer...Mike Przygoda 
Voice and Dialect Coach...Shadana Patterson 
Associate Director and Movement Director...Tor Campbell 
Illusion Consultants...Benjamin Barnes and Trent James 
Intimacy...Jyreika Guest 
Line Producer...Lena Romano

Original Casting by Trent Stork. Additional Casting by Lauren Port, CSA. Tyra Bullock and Lena Romano are the Dramaturgs.

ENHANCED AND ACCESSIBLE PERFORMANCES

Visit GoodmanTheatre.org/Access for more information about The Goodman's accessibility efforts.

ASL-Interpreted...May 22  at 7:30pm – An ASL interpreter signs the action/text as played. 
Audio-Described...May 23 at 2pm; Touch Tour; 12:30pm – Action audibly enhanced via headset. 
Spanish-Subtitled...May 23 at 7:30pm – Spanish-translated dialogue via LED sign.
Open-Captioned...May 24 at 2pm – LED sign presents dialogue in sync with the performance.

ABOUT THE GOODMAN

Since 1925, The Goodman has been more than a stage. A theatrical home for artists and a gathering space for community, it's where stories come to life—bold in artistry and rich in history, deeply rooted in the city it serves.

Led by Walter Artistic Director Susan V. Booth and Executive Director John Collins, The Goodman sparks conversation, connection and change through new plays, reimagined classics and large-scale musicals. With distinctions including nearly 200 world or American premieres, two Pulitzer Prizes, 22 Tony Awards and nearly 200 Joseph Jefferson Awards, The Goodman is proud to be the first theater to produce all 10 plays of August Wilson's "American Century Cycle." In addition, the theater frequently serves as a production partner—with national and international companies to Chicago's Off-Loop theaters—to help amplify theatrical voices.

But The Goodman believes a more empathetic, more connected Chicago is created one story at a time, and counts as its greatest legacy the community it's built. Generation-spanning productions and programs offer theater for a lifetime; from Theater for the Very Young (plays designed for ages 0-5) to the long-running annual A Christmas Carol, which has introduced new generations to theater over five decades, The Goodman is committed to being an asset for all of Chicago. Education and Engagement programs led by Clifford Director of Education and Engagement Jared Bellot and housed in the Alice Rapoport Center use the tools of theater to spark imagination, reflection and belonging. Each year, these programs reach thousands of people (85% from underserved communities) as well as educators, artists and lifelong learners across the city.

The Goodman stands on the unceded homelands of the Council of the Three Fires—the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi Nations—and acknowledges the many other Nations for whom this land now called Chicago has long been home, including the Myaamia, Ho-Chunk, Menominee, Sac and Fox, Peoria, Kaskaskia, Wea, Kickapoo, and Mascouten. The Goodman is proud to partner with the Gichigamiin Indigenous Nations Museum (Gichigamiin-Museum.org) and the Center for Native Futures (CenterForNativeFutures.org)—organizations devoted to honoring Indigenous stories, preserving cultural memory, and deepening public understanding.

The Goodman was founded by William O. Goodman and his family to honor the memory of Kenneth Sawyer Goodman—a visionary playwright whose bold ideas helped shape Chicago's early cultural renaissance. That spirit of creativity and generosity endures today. In 2000, through the commitment of Mr. Goodman's descendants—Albert Ivar Goodman and his late mother, Edith-Marie Appleton—The Goodman opened the doors to its current home in the heart of the Loop.

Marsha Cruzan is Chair of the Goodman Theatre Board of Trustees; Diane Landgren is Women's Board President; and Kelli Garcia is president of the Scenemakers Board for Young Professionals. 

"The course of true love never did run smooth." No, wait, that’s from A Midsummer Night's Dream

"I do desire we may be better strangers." Mmmm … closer, but this one’s As You Like It

" Many a good hanging prevents a bad marriage".  A worthy sentiment, but it appeared in Twelfth Night, not …

“Thou and I are too wise to woo peaceably.” Aha! There we go … Benedick says this to Beatrice during one of their incessant arguments in MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING. And if you don’t believe me, you can hear it yourself at Chicago Shakespeare Theater – and I very highly recommend you do just that! And don’t dawdle – when I was there last Sunday it was sold out.

A quick-and-dirty rundown of the story:  the beautiful Hero (Mi Kang) has just fallen ass-over-teakettle in love with the courageous young soldier Claudio (Samuel B. Jackson), who reciprocates immediately and enthusiastically. Accompanying Claudio is his senior military officer, Hero’s father Don Pedro (Debo Balogun); also aristocratic soldier and avowed bachelor Benedick (Mark Bedard). Benedick is an Old Family Friend who’s maintained a long-standing verbal battle with Hero’s shrewish [get it? shrewish? nod, nod, wink, wink] cousin Beatrice (Deborah Hay). There’s no questioning the authenticity of their dissension, but from the outset we sense the infatuation lurking just under their squabbles and know that this will be mined for all its chucklesome gold. After all, the most perennial subject of comedy is love, as the Bard knew very well.

Tom Piper does a fabulous job with the set, creating an ethereal fantasy world in the beautiful courtyard of nobleman Leonato (Kevin Gudahl). Lavish garlands festoon balconies and arches, defining the ambience without distracting from the action. A tree stands prominently at stage left and comes into frequent use; there’s even a swing! Several characters have occasion to hide behind its trunk and even up in its branches (clearly a very sturdy piece, that tree). Piper’s choice to design costumes in contemporary style provides another discordance to mirror the ever-present yet ever-changing infighting among the characters.

British actress Selina Cadell directs, exhibiting her long experience with and conspicuous mastery of both Shakespeare and comedy. The story is told cleanly; the pacing is perfect and miraculously the cast has thoroughly conquered iambic pentameter – though a screen displayed open captioning I didn’t need it – every line is intelligible.

The characters interact with the audience throughout. Realism is interchanged with physical comedy, as when Hay ‘hides’ within the audience by shielding her face with a program (and helping herself to her seat-neighbor’s drink!), and Bedard vows ‘I will live a bachelor’ to a member of the audience, shaking his hand on it. Though this physical contact with the characters was limited to the fortunate attenders in front-row seats, the cast regularly invited collusion from the audience as a whole. At one point they convince the audience is to join them in singing ‘hey, nonny’ and there were amazingly few holdouts. I almost never sing along but I did this time!

Bob Mason built a remarkably diverse cast. Between Debo Balogun as Don Pedro, Samuel B. Jackson playing Claudio and Jaylon Muchison taking several comic roles, this production is an excellent showcase for the Black male actors in Chicago.  

Traditionally Shakespeare’s romantic dyads are played by blooming fledgling players –cute kids. Mason choosing fully grown Bedard and Hay as Beatrice and Benedick deepens everyone’s experience. It’s unfair to ask adolescents – kids! – no matter how talented, to develop characters as complex as Hamlet, and inexperienced comediennes fall too easily into Three Stooges-ish slapstick.

It requires a woman well past menarche to fathom Beatrice’s temperament. She’s not so much choosing between different men as she is wondering aloud whether she needs a man at all. She pretty much decides ‘not’, a decision that the majority of modern women can at least understand, if not agree with. A woman must have traversed the estrogen-saturated third and fourth decades of life before she can begin to discern what an equal relationship is, let alone how to construct one.   Beatrice trusts that Benedick will help ease her pain, but it takes a terrific actor to convince the audience to trust him. Benedick in turn must check his Italianate machismo at the door and demonstrate his own vulnerability, not only to Beatrice but to a house full of cynical, overeducated twenty-first century women. Luckily these two actors are exceptionally skilled.

Act Two is markedly darker: Don Pedro’s illegitimate brother Don John (Erik Hellman) is a fellow with an axe to grind. Why? Maybe because he’s illegitimate, a motive as common as it is irrational; any road, his motives are unimportant to the basic story. Suffice to say he has it in for his legit sibling and maliciously chooses to attack him through young Hero. He plots with Borachio (Yona Moises Olivares) and Conrade (Colin Huerta) to disseminate a false story that Hero has been unfaithful to her fiancé Claudio, who’s unfortunately a gullible twit and falls for these unsubstantiated rumors.  

Fortunately, Hero’s suffering is (at least partially) balanced by the clodhopping Dogberry dropping one hilarious malapropism after another. I always have one favorite character (yeah, I’m a bad mom) and in this piece my pick of the litter is Dogberry, particularly as so wonderfully played by Sean Fortunato. Fortunato’s long face and longer body seem custom-designed for the rollicking physical comedy of this wonderful role (though actually he has a phenomenal range). Dogberry’s performance was enhanced by the antics of his constable Verges (Jaylon Muchison), who literally and hilariously dogs Dogberry’s footsteps, resulting in several collisions.

We all know a Dogberry – the nincompoop who sucks up with highfalutin’ speeches that lavishly display he has no clue what the hell he’s talking about. I can’t resist including a quote (no spoiler, promise!) from Dogberry’s account to his boss: “Marry, sir, they have committed false report; moreover, they have spoken untruths; secondarily, they are slanders; sixth and lastly, they have belied a lady; thirdly, they have verified unjust things; and, to conclude, they are lying knaves.” You have to pay attention though, as many of his drollest maxims are far briefer.

Unexpected but welcome was original music composed by Eliza Thompson, with cast members playing accordion, saxophone, drum, flute, banjo, and guitar. Sound designer Nicholas Pope used excerpts of Thompson’s score to indicate the passage of time between scenes, with lighting refinements imbued with the prevailing comedic zeitgeist – though how one makes lighting funny is a mystery to me. Fortunately, light designer Jason Lynch knows how.

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING is the original romcom and this production channels the spirit of the classic 1940s romantic comedies. Rosalind Russell / Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn / Spencer Tracy stem from Beatrice and Benedict as directly as the Sharks and the Jets are drawn from the Capulets and Montagues. The characters and their adventures are, after all, timeless. With uncanny prescience MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING examines major twenty-first century courtship issues: the disproportionate consequences for women, differentiating between humor and ardor, finding balance in inherently unbalanced relationships, even cyber-bullying! I’m not a Shakespeare scholar but I’m willing to bet the man never so much as sent a text message.

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING is arguably Shakespeare’s best comedy, and Chicago Shakespeare Theatre delivers just that, secured by the warmth, maturity and phenomenal talent of the cast. It’s good solid unadulterated Shakespeare and, though the physical comedy is uproarious, the shenanigans never overshadow the linguistic magnetism. This production of MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING is totally irresistible!

VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Running until December 11 at Chicago Shakespeare Theater 800 East Grand Avenue Chicago

Keith (Debo Balogun) and Ryan (Nate Faust) sit in their rolling chairs in the middle of Keith’s office. The lighting is highly florescent, and the two are discussing Ryan’s current status and ability to convince a bank to give him a loan. Tension is high, and with Ryan’s desperation only increasing, Keith is doing everything in his power to help him out. We have been watching the duo become closer over the last many scenes, and at this point in time, you may feel yourself leaning in – nervous for Ryan’s fate and just hoping the two friends can figure out a path forward.

Then the lights shift. The stage becomes brighter, birds start to chirp, and the two bring their rolling chairs downstage so they are sitting directly next to each other. No longer are we in Keith’s office. The rolling chairs now represent a bench in a park, and the two single fathers are watching their kids play together. Through their commentary, it’s clear that the kids are becoming closer, and learning to share as they move through the various slides and playground equipment. Somewhere in mid-conversation, we hear Keith gasp as he grabs his phone. Their toddlers are holding hands, and the fathers simply have to capture the moment before it’s too late. As the two giggle on stage, I could hear the audience surrounding me share in the joy – laughing and appreciating the sweet humor.

Sam Hunter’s play is about a lot of things. The ups and downs of fatherhood. The challenges of bureaucracy. The difficulty of building a better life for yourself when everything seems to be stacked against you. But at the heart, this is a story about a friendship that forms between two strangers – two men who not only share the status of fatherhood, but also a certain sadness from their lived experience. As you witness Hunter’s cleverly-written story, you might just find that the journey is at times gut-wrenching, but also full of hope – a balance that keeps you intrigued and eagerly awaiting more.

Written by Sam Hunter, A Case for the Existence of God follows the story of Keith and Ryan. The two men come together on the day that Ryan arrives at Ken’s office door for help obtaining a loan. While the relationship begins with some tension, the barriers start to come down at the realization that both have a young daughter back home. From there, a friendship forms, and we witness the slow building of trust as they learn how to better support each other through both the financial and parental challenges that follow.

Directed by Robin Witt, the play is fast paced. The piece may only be 90 minutes, but once this train of a play starts, there is simply no stopping it until the lights come down at the end. Witt’s artistic team aids in that endeavor – particularly through the work of Scenic Designer Sotirios Livaditis. The stage is entirely consumed by Keith’s small office – a space that leaves little space for movement. The intimate feel of the Edge off Broadway thrusts the audience right into the action – forcing us all into this tiny office that represents multiple locations as the two characters start to uncover each other’s secrets. The ending result? For better or for worse, we are on this roller coaster with the characters – and personally, I feel that helps make the journey.

Hunter’s play is a two-hander, and considering the actors never leave the stage, the chemistry between the two actors feels essential. Balogun and Faust rise to the challenge. If you’re like this writer, then you have also perhaps caught these Steep ensemble members in many productions over the years. Always talented, but these roles in particular shine. In collaboration with Witt’s direction, the performances are gripping, and with every twist and turn, I personally found it impossible to look away.

With standout performances, a smart production, and a story that tugs at the heartstrings, this is one you do not want to miss. Steep does not disappoint and from the looks of the standing ovation surrounding me at the end of this particular performance, I was not alone in my opinion.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

A Case for the Existence of God runs through September 7 at the Edge of Broadway – 1133 W Catalpa Avenue.

If shock is the intent, then the opening scene of ‘Zürich’ is right on. The set: a hotel room, cleverly separated from the audience by a glass wall, furnished with a bed, a couple of tables and a mini-fridge. In the first scene it’s a couple of complete strangers who had just spent the night together; the scene feels awkward, not exactly helped by the full-on frontal nudity. “She” is played by Sasha Smith (credits include TV shows Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, etc.) opposite Jeff Kurysz, whose many credits include Support Group for Men, Romeo and Juliet, etc. The opening scene would have been just as effective had Kurysz been wearing underwear, the choice for full-frontal nudity questionable as it did not succeed in heightening any point and seemed unnecessary in general.  

The play consists of five mini-acts taking place in five rooms of the 40th floor of a Swiss hotel; people interacting, reacting to each other, to the maid and, sometimes unknowingly, to the other hotel guests.

Things pick up a bit in the next few scenes; there’s an angry lawyer (Debo Balogun), a miserable maid incredibly well played by Elizabeth Wigley, accent and all. Then there are the two spoiled brats - an 11-year-old boy and his older sister, alone in the room, squabbling and looking for trouble while their parents are out on a walk. Cole Keriazakos and Maya Lou Hlava are both outstanding; they’re the highlight of the play and its invisible center upon which everything converges. Cole Keriazakos’ impressive credits include TV series Southside on Comedy Central, Chicago Fire as well as multiple national commercials, while among many of Maya Hlava’s credits are parts in Oklahoma (Marriott Theatre), Violet (Griffin theatre) and voiceover work.

In the end, the self-righteous old woman and her bitter male nurse are up to no good and things might not end so well, but who is to blame them?

‘Zürich’ touches on a few current topics, such as gun control, government and corporate corruption, “toxic masculinity” (is there such a thing?), but also revives some old ones, like, the Holocaust. Written by Amelia Roper, directed by Steep ensemble member Brad DeFabo Akin, ‘Zürich’ premiered in New York this past spring.

A little trivia: founded in 2000, Steep Theatre is housed in a storefront space that was once a small grocery store called Grocerland; it belonged to a Greek immigrant, who happens to be my husband’s late grandfather. The store had undergone a nice makeover after having been abandoned for over 35 years, and is now a wonderful cozy little theatre in its own right.

Located at 1115 West Berwyn Ave, just steps from the Berwyn red Line stop. ‘Zürich’ is being performed at Steep Theatre through November 10th. For more show info visit steeptheartre.com.