After a long and successful starring run on the popular TV series he also produced, “CSI- Las Vegas”, William Petersen has returned to his hometown of Chicago (Evanston) to perform as a member of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company. Sometimes you go to the theatre hoping to be entertained and sometimes you go hoping to be inspired. I’m happy to report that Bill Petersen still has the ability to inspire with his craft.
The last time I saw Billy Petersen in person, I was sitting on his lap! (He’s one of the few “Williams” I know who because of his playful nature, is really suited to being called Billy). Twenty years ago, as a DePaul Goodman School of Drama student, I took a job in the box office for a short holiday run of “Balm in Gilead”. One snowy night, at the Holiday Christmas party for the staff, I remember being danced across the floor and right into the open arms and lap of an adorable, (and always flirty) Billy.
What really stands out in my mind though about him was the way he and his friends in Remains and Steppenwolf Theatre Company totally inspired my class at the Goodman School of Drama back in the eighties when those companies were at their youthful peak.
Sometimes stars form in groups or nurseries, to name a few - John Malkovich, Gary Sinese and Joan Allen from Steppenwolf or John C. Reilly, Kevin J. O’Connor and Kelly Coffield from my graduating class, and of course Bill Petersen, Amy Morton and Gary Cole from Remains theatre. As city college students, we were spoiled - getting to see Bill Petersen (before CSI) in tiny, intimate theatre spaces, young and wild, passionately performing Sam Shepard’s “Fool for Love” or sitting on folding chairs to see a long haired John Malkovich - up close and personal - kicking his heels like an untamed horse in “Burn This”. These guys made it look easy to have a life in the theatre - just get together a few of your most talented friends and start a theatre company of your own! In retrospect of course, we were witnessing a special alignment of stars in a nursery - all being born at once.
Last week I got to see the production of “Dublin Carol” that Petersen is currently starring in at Steppenwolf and was blown away that after all these years on the small screen, his acting skills are still intact. It makes perfect sense that after going out to L.A., starring in several movies, producing a hit TV show, and making some real money, that he would want to return to his roots and experience the thrill of live theatre again.
Petersen is true actor’s actor and a talent of his caliber should not be limited to TV scripts and sets, hearing no applause from an audience for his efforts -year after year. Petersen still has the coiled, restless energy, the finely tuned hand gestures, and mental focus that can silence an entire audience and make them lean in and listen, wanting more. In Dublin Carol, his performance made a somewhat simple play into a compelling exercise in observation. The audience hung on his every word, especially the lines that got laughter. If there is one thing that I think Bill’s career has neglected to explore, it’s his dry sense of humor and top-notch instinct for comedy, which I hope he gets to reveal soon in upcoming seasons.
So Billy, welcome home! Chicago theatre lovers looking to be inspired by theatre again will all be saying, “it’s great to have you back!”
