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Steppenwolf Theatre Company, the nation's premier ensemble theater company, is pleased to conclude its 50th Anniversary Season with the Chicago premiere of Mia Chung's theatrical tour-de-force Catch as Catch Can, directed by ensemble member Amy Morton, playing June 4 – July 12, 2026 in Steppenwolf's Downstairs Theater, 1650 N. Halsted St. in Chicago. Single tickets are now on sale at steppenwolf.org or the Box Office at (312) 335-1650. 

Longtime ensemble member Gary Cole (NCIS, Veep, The West Wing) returns to the Chicago stage for the first time in over 25 years, joined by fellow ensemble members Audrey Francis (The Thanksgiving Play, Noises Off, The Doppelgänger) and Tim Hopper (Mr. Wolf, Fool for Love, Downstate).

About the Production:

When a prodigal son returns to blue collar New England, his homecoming sets off a spiraling crisis for two families, threatening not only their relationships but their very identities. In Mia Chung's wildly inventive Catch as Catch Can, three actors take on six roles, bridging generation and gender, in a theatrical tour-de-force that upends the kitchen sink drama and asks what happens when we refuse to play the roles we're prescribed. Spanning hilarity, stunning virtuosity and outright horror, this ferocious Chicago premiere must be witnessed to be believed.

The creative team includes Andrew Boyce (Scenic Design), Izumi Inaba (Costume Design), Yuki Nakase Link (Lighting Design), Mikhail Fiksel (Sound Design), Kate DeVore (Dialect and Voice Coach), Jonathan L. Green (Dramaturg), Patrick Zakem (Creative Producer), Elise Hausken (Production Manager), JC Clementz, CSA (Casting), Laura D. Glenn (Production Stage Manager) and Jaclynn Joslin (Assistant Stage Manager). For full cast and creative team bios, click here.

Production Details:

Title: Catch as Catch Can
Playwright: Mia Chung
Director: ensemble member Amy Morton
Cast: ensemble members Gary Cole (Roberta Lavecchia/Robbie Lavecchia), Audrey Francis (Lon Lavecchia/Daniela Lavecchia) and Tim Hopper (Theresa Phelan/Tim Phelan).

Location: Steppenwolf's Downstairs Theater, 1650 N. Halsted St., Chicago
Dates: Previews: Thursday, June 4 – Saturday, June 13, 2026
Opening: Sunday, June 14, 2026 at 6 pm
Regular run: Tuesday, June 16 – Sunday, July 12, 2026
Curtain Times: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30 pm; Saturdays at 3 pm & 7:30 pm; and Sundays at 3 pm. Please note: there will not be 7:30 pm performances on Tuesday, June 9, Friday, June 19 (Juneteenth); Saturday, July 4 (Independence Day) or Tuesday, July 7; there will not be a 3 pm performance on Saturday, July 4 (Independence Day); there will be an added 2 pm matinee on Wednesday, July 1; there will be an added 7:30 performance on Sunday, July 5.

Tickets: Single tickets for Catch as Catch Can ($20 – $120*) are now on sale at steppenwolf.org and the Box Office at (312) 335-1650. Steppenwolf Flex Memberships are currently on sale at steppenwolf.org/memberships: Black Card Memberships with six tickets for use any time for any production and RED Card Memberships for theatergoers under 30. *Pricing includes an $8.50 handling fee

Steppenwolf offers 20 tickets for $20 (no added fees) for each performance of every membership series production. Use promo code 20FOR20 to redeem this offer online, available in advance until they're sold out for every main series show. Limit 2 tickets per person. You can also purchase by phone at (312) 335-1650 on the day-of show at 12 pm for main series performances. Limit 2 tickets per person.

Accessible Performance Dates:

Audio-Described and Touch Tour:  Sunday, June 28 at 3 pm (1:30 pm Touch Tour)
Open-Captioned: Thursday, June 25 at 7:30 pm & Saturday, July 11 at 3 pm
ASL-Interpreted: Friday, July 10 at 7:30 pm

Education and Engagement:

Throughout the 2025/26 season, Steppenwolf continues its commitment to the next generation of theatre learners, makers and appreciators with robust education and engagement programming. During the school year, programming includes dedicated student matinee performances for four of the five Membership Series productions, in-school residencies in partnership with Chicago Public schools, a series of on-site workshops in artmaking and theater production, events specifically geared towards teens, as well as professional development trainings and resources for educators. Additionally, Steppenwolf is reimagining their community engagement and will pilot new public programming, continue accessibility programming and offer opportunities for deeper explorations for audiences throughout the season. For additional information about Steppenwolf's Education and Engagement programming and to register your school for a field trip visit steppenwolf.org/education-and-engagement/steppenwolf-field-trip-series.

Artist Biographies:

Mia Chung (Playwright) received a 2024 MacDowell Fellow, 2023 Whiting Award for Drama and a 2022 MAP grant for a new music-theatre work. Her play Catch as Catch Can premiered at Playwrights Horizons in Fall 2022 (2018 World Premiere, Off-Off-Broadway, Page 73). Additional work: Ball in the Air (NAATCO/Public Theater 2022), Double Take (PH Almanac 2021), This Exquisite Corpse (multiple awards), You For Me For You (Royal Court, National Theatre Company of Korea, Woolly Mammoth, multiple regionals. Published: Bloomsbury Methuen). Awards, commissions, residencies include: Clubbed Thumb, Helen Merrill, Loewe Award for Music-Theatre, MTC/Sloan, NYTW, Playwrights' Center/Jerome, Playwrights Horizons/Steinberg, Playwrights Realm, South Coast Rep, SPACE/Ryder Farm. Alum: Huntington Playwriting Fellows, Ma-Yi Writers Lab, New Dramatists.

Amy Morton (Director) is an actor and director. She has performed in or directed many plays at Steppenwolf including: Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Tony nomination), August: Osage County (Tony nomination), One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest (also on Broadway), Hir, Cherry Orchard, The Berlin Circle, Three Days of Rain, The Unmentionables, Space, The Royal Family and many others. She has directed Guards at the Taj (both Atlantic Theatre and Steppenwolf), Glengarry Glen Ross, Clybourne Park, American Buffalo, The Dresser, The Pillowman, Topdog/Underdog, Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Alliance Theatre), Awake and Sing (Northlight Theatre), and many others. Film: Rookie of the Year, 8MM, Falling Down, Backdraft, Up in the Air, Bluebird, It Ends With Us. Television: The Bear, Bluebloods, Girls, Homeland, currently a regular on Chicago P.D. as Sgt. Trudy Platt. Before joining Steppenwolf, Amy was a member of the Remains Theatre for 15 years.

Gary Cole (Roberta Lavecchia/Robbie Lavecchia) has been a member of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company Ensemble since 1986. Past Steppenwolf credits include: Balm in Gilead, Tracers, Frank's Wild Years, Closer and August: Osage County. Off-Broadway: True West, Orphans (both of which originated at Steppenwolf), and the premiere of Sam Shepard's Heartless. Television: West Wing, Entourage, Chicago Fire, The Good Wife, The Good Fight, Suits, Veep and NCIS. Voiceover work includes: Family Guy, Big Mouth and Archer. Film: In the Line of Fire, A Simple Plan, Dodgeball, Office Space, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby and Pineapple Express.

Audrey Francis (Lon Lavecchia/Daniela Lavecchia) currently serves as Artistic Director of Steppenwolf Theatre, alongside Glenn Davis, where she has been an Ensemble member since 2017. Audrey directed You Will Get Sick in Steppenwolf's 2024/25 season and POTUS in the 2023/24 season. She has performed on stage in Noises Off, The Thanksgiving Play, The Herd, Between Riverside and Crazy, The Fundamentals, The Doppelgänger (an international farce) and Dance Nation. TV and film credits include Justified: City Primeval, Chicago Med, Chicago Fire, Empire, Perpetrator, Knives and Skin and Later Days. Audrey is an acting coach for NBC, Fox, Showtime and Amazon. She is also the co-founder of Black Box Acting and the co-creator of Steppenwolf's corporate training program, Steppenwolf IMPACT.

Tim Hopper (Theresa Phelan/Tim Phelan) is a member of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company ensemble. Recent roles at Steppenwolf include Mr. Wolf in Mr. Wolf and Andy in Downstate, which traveled to the National Theatre in London, and to Playwrights Horizons in New York. Television appearances include Chicago Fire, Emperor of Ocean Park, the Amazon series Utopia, Fargo, The Americans, and Empire. Film appearances include the upcoming A24 film Enemies, as well as Perpetrator; Knives and Skin, School of Rock and To Die For, among others. Off-Broadway: New York Theatre Workshop, Vineyard Theatre and the Atlantic Theater. Internationally, the Edinburgh Festival and Antwerp's De Singel Theatre.

Accessibility: 

As a commitment to make the Steppenwolf experience accessible to everyone, performances featuring American Sign Language Interpretation, Open Captioning and Audio Description are offered during the run of each STC production. Assistive listening devices (ALDs), large-print programs and Braille programs are available for every performance and all our spaces are equipped with an induction hearing loop. Our building features wheelchair accessible seating and restrooms, push-button entrances, a courtesy wheelchair and all-gender restrooms, with accessible counter and table spaces at our bars. For additional information regarding accessibility, visit steppenwolf.org/access or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Sponsor Information:

Catch as Catch Can is supported in part by Jenner & Block. United Airlines is the Official and Exclusive Airline of Steppenwolf. Steppenwolf is also grateful for the significant season support from lead sponsors Allstate Insurance Company, Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Crown Family Philanthropies, Caroline and Keating Crown, Julius Frankel Foundation, Lefkofsky Family Foundation, Northern Trust, Anne and Don Phillips, John Hart and Carol Prins, Shubert Foundation, Inc, Walder Foundation, and Zell Family Foundation. Steppenwolf also acknowledges generous support from premier sponsors Anonymous, Andrew and Amy Bluhm, Michael and Cathy Brennan, Ann and Richard Carr, Chicago Community Trust, Conagra Brands Foundation, Rich and Margery Feitler, FROST CHICAGO, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, The Orlebeke Foundation, Polk Bros. Foundation, Sacks Family Foundation, Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, Thoma Bravo, Bryan Traubert and Penny Pritzker, and Vinci Restaurant. Steppenwolf also acknowledges support from the Illinois Arts Council and the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.

About Steppenwolf Theatre Company:

Steppenwolf Theatre Company is the nation's premier Ensemble Theater with 50 members who are among the top actors, playwrights and directors in the field. Thrilling, powerful, groundbreaking productions have made this theatre legendary. From the 1980 phenomenon of Balm in Gilead, to The Grapes of Wrath, August: Osage County, Downstate, The Brother/Sister Plays, and now, the 2025 Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning Purpose, Steppenwolf Theatre has had a long-running and undeniable impact on American Theatre and Chicago's cultural landscape. Founded in 1975 by Terry Kinney, Jeff Perry and Gary Sinise, Steppenwolf started as a group of young people in their teens and early 20s performing in the basement of a church. Today, the company's artistic force remains rooted in the original vision of its founders: an artist-driven theatre, whose vitality is defined by its appetite for bold and innovative work. Every aspect of Steppenwolf is rooted in its Ensemble ethos, from the intergenerational artistic programming to the multi-genre performance series LookOut, to the nationally recognized work of Steppenwolf Education and Engagement which serves nearly 15,000 teens annually. While grounded in the Chicago community, more than 40 original Steppenwolf productions have enjoyed success nationally and internationally, including Broadway, Off-Broadway, London, Sydney, Galway and Dublin. Steppenwolf also holds accolades that include the National Medal of Arts, 14 Tony Awards, two Pulitzer Prize-winning commissions and more. Led by Artistic Directors Glenn Davis and Audrey Francis, Executive Director E. Brooke Flanagan and Board of Trustees Chair Keating Crown — Steppenwolf continually redefines the boundaries of live theater and pushes the limits of acting and performance.

Steppenwolf's Mission: Steppenwolf strives to create thrilling, courageous and provocative art in a thoughtful and inclusive environment. We succeed when we disrupt your routine with experiences that spark curiosity, empathy and joy. We invite you to join our ensemble as we navigate, together, our complex world. steppenwolf.org, facebook.com/steppenwolftheatre, twitter.com/steppenwolfthtr and instagram.com/steppenwolfthtr.

The Opera Festival of Chicago announces its sixth season with the theme Bohemian Tragedy and that tickets are now on sale for the 2026 season, June 13 - July 5.

The 2026 Opera Festival of Chicago kicks off with its leading artists in concert in Very Verismo! on Saturday, June 13 at 7:30 p.m. at the Jarvis Opera Hall at DePaul University, 800 W. Belden Ave.  

The first fully-staged opera, La Bohème by Giacomo Puccini, opens Friday, June 26 at 7:30 p.m. with additional performances Wednesday, July 1 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, July 5 at 2 p.m. at the George Van Dusen Theatre at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie.

The final production of the season is Adriana Lecouvreur by Francesco Cilea, Sunday, June 28 at 2 p.m and Friday, July 3 at 7:30 p.m., also at the George Van Dusen Theatre at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie.

Press release, images and headshots here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1RDBX-1yxprtvF9XogxojSb7O0RCFVfHk?usp=sharing

More information here: OperaFestivalChicago.org

If all the world’s a stage and we are all merely players, then we must be prepared when we are thrust into the spotlight. Not everyone will be ready. Some of us might freeze or forget our lines or simply wave the spotlight on, forgoing the opportunity to perform, content with playing in the shadows or the wings. Others, however, crave the attention and demand to be center stage, presumably because they have something to say. Whether or not you signed up to be in the play or part of the production, it’s essential to be prepared, to know what you would say or do when given a stage. This past weekend, I witnessed just such an opportunity during a performance of Off-Nights at the Sometimes Café. The stage was set, the players cast, and an attentive audience seated. The trouble was, when the spotlight was on, nothing was said.

Off-Nights at the Sometimes Café is billed as a campy parody of a noir mystery, following a cafe pianist in lieu of a detective. As the pianist/narrator plays his way through the show, he guides the audience through the tangled web of attraction, seduction, and general silliness that occurs when a bunch of attractive queer people end up in the same place.

On its surface, Dave Walther’s Off-Nights at the Sometimes Café aims to be a delightful, poignantly unserious celebration of queer joy and desire, and a heartwarming portrayal of how to find a chosen family— warts and all. But that message, along with the representation it aims to spotlight, is completely lost in a story lacking in formula, pace, or purpose. There is no particular plot with a beginning, middle, and an end. There’s no catalytic event or climax. It’s more of a drawn-out setting of a café scene, focusing on the introduction of six characters that takes over one hour of the play’s seventy-five-minute run time to fully explain. There is no protagonist – or spoken scenes for that matter -- save for the curmudgeonly monotonous narrator who tells the story in the same sad minor keys the musical numbers are played in. The only time the characters speak is through song. While the players have exceptional voices, the choice of opera as a medium is an interesting one. The operatic numbers all focus on love (both absent and unrequited), but they don’t particularly move the story forward or really accentuate or explain the characters’ motivations or sentiments. Save for a few witty one-liners and repetitive drag numbers, there isn’t much depth or substance to this story, so it begs the question: Why was this put on?

Off-Nights at the Sometimes Café is simply doing too much for a message of love, acceptance, and community to shine through. At least that is what I took away from the production. It’s neither an homage to film noir nor a parody. It’s lacking in elements such as a femme fatale, lover’s quarrels, a whodunnit with high-contrast lighting, nonsensical voice narration, hyperbolic metaphors, or, said succinctly, a storyline, something nearly every film noir/parody possesses. The same goes for the opera homage and lack thereof. Key operatic elements are also lacking, such as libretto (text/story), aria (emotional solo), a recitative (speech-like narrative singing), and most importantly, the theatre and spectacle that opera is known for. None of that is found in this play. To be fair, perhaps that was the whole point, and it simply missed me as quickly as the 70-degree day in Chicago. If you squinted, you could see where Off-Nights was trying to go. The problem was in the execution and pace of the story. It was simply doing too much and not enough at the same time. Director Clare DiVizio’s introduction to the play provided more grounding and heart than the entirety of the run of the show, the reminder to all that queer and trans rights matter, now more than ever in today’s volatile and violent world. Off-Nights lingers so heavily in the descriptions of characters and their identification that we miss the ‘why?’ Why are we here? Why should we care about these characters? What do you want the audience to take away from this production, outside of a love story that references the last great love was when dinosaurs were drinking beers? Off-Nights, unfortunately, misses their mark.

When given a spotlight, one must be ready and prepared to step into it with something to say. No matter the medium chosen to convey one’s story, the story still needs to be easy to follow. It should have heart and depth even if it’s told through parody and satire. If the message you wish to impart to your audience is lost in translation, or simply doesn’t exist, was it ready for its moment on the stage? Did the story linger in the shadows too long, or was it simply not ready for the spotlight? With some rewriting, staging choices, and script alignment to any of the formulas the play aims at parodying, Off-Nights at the Sometimes Café could become the queer extravaganza it bills itself as. Until then, the audience is waiting for something great to take the stage and have its moment in the spotlight.

Check out the other 2026 season of events and shows at Bramble Arts Loft and learn more about The Thompson Street Opera Co. and their mission to bring inclusivity to the operatic art form.

Chicago's Raven Theatre Company today announced the cast and production team for Dave Malloy's OCTET, directed by Keira Fromm and running April 30 - June 7, 2026 (previews April 30 - May 3). Tickets ($30 - $45) on sale at www.raventheatre.com. 

In an anonymous meeting room, a group of people —always eight—gather to sing. Best known for the Broadway hit NATASHA, PIERRE, & THE GREAT COMET OF 1812, Dave Malloy's  OCTET uses chamber-inspired a cappella music to explore the total impact of life online. Hailed by the New York Times as "the most original and topical musical of the year" for its 2019 Off-Broadway premiere, this inventive and acutely relevant piece reflects the perils of the digital age.

"OCTET is the perfect first musical for Raven," says Executive Artistic Director Sarah Slight. "It tackles the urgent topic of technology addiction in a way that feels right at home on our stage. With an entirely a capella score, OCTET offers something our audience has never experienced here before. It is an extraordinary show to bring to Chicago."

The cast features Joryhebel Ginorio (Velma), Neala Barron (Jessica), Grace Steckler (Karly), Teressa LaGamba (Paula), Elliot Esquivel (Toby), Jordan Golding (Marvin), Sam Shankman (Henry), and Jonah D. Winston (Ed). Understudies are Dani Pike (u/s Jessica), Collin Quinn Rice (u/s Henry), Diana Marilyn Alvarez (u/s Paula), Caitlyn Cerza (u/s Karly), Danny Bennett (u/s Ed), Jonah Cochin (u/s Toby), Joe Giovannetti (u/s Marvin), and Mizha Lee Overn (u/s Velma).

The production team, led by director Keira Fromm, includes JC Widman (Stage Manager),  Nick Sula (Music Director), Laura Savage (Choreographer), Milo Bue (Scenic Designer), Paloma Locsin (Props Coordinator), Maegan Pate (Costume Designer), Maximo Grano de Oro (Lighting Designer), Christopher Kriz (Sound Designer), Ruby Lowe (Master Electrician), Lucy Whipp (Production Manager), Mads Wren (Assistant Director), Faith Locke (Assistant Stage Manager), Hannah Kwak (Assistant Sound Designer), Emmitt Socey (Assistant Master Electrician), Wynn Lee (Associate Scenic Designer), and Catherine Miller (Dramaturg, Casting Director).

Raven Theatre's OCTET runs April 30 - June 7, 2026, with previews April 30 - May 3. Performances are held Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., and Sundays at 3 p.m. on the Johnson Stage at Raven Theatre, 6157 N. Clark St. Tickets are $45, with discounts available for students, military, and industry ($30 previews); to purchase tickets and for more information about Raven Theatre's 43rd season, visit www.raventheatre.com. 

OCTET

Written By: Dave Malloy

Directed By: Keira Fromm

Cast: Joryhebel Ginorio (Velma), Neala Barron (Jessica), Grace Steckler (Karly), Teressa LaGamba (Paula), Elliot Esquivel (Toby), Jordan Golding (Marvin), Sam Shankman (Henry), and Jonah D. Winston (Ed). Understudies are Dani Pike (u/s Jessica), Collin Quinn Rice (u/s Henry), Diana Marilyn Alvarez (u/s Paula), Caitlyn Cerza (u/s Karly), Danny Bennett (u/s Ed), Jonah Cochin (u/s Toby), Joe Giovannetti (u/s Marvin), and Mizha Lee Overn (u/s Velma).

Production Team: JC Widman (Stage Manager),  Nick Sula (Music Director), Laura Savage (Choreographer), Milo Bue (Scenic Designer), Paloma Locsin (Props Coordinator), Maegan Pate (Costume Designer), Maximo Grano de Oro (Lighting Designer), Christopher Kriz (Sound Designer), Ruby Lowe (Master Electrician), Lucy Whipp (Production Manager), Mads Wren (Assistant Director), Faith Locke (Assistant Stage Manager), Hannah Kwak (Assistant Sound Designer), Emmitt Socey (Assistant Master Electrician), Wynn Lee (Associate Scenic Designer), and Catherine Miller (Dramaturg, Casting Director).

Dates: April 30 - June 7, 2026 (Previews TBD)

Schedule: Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m.; Sundays at 3 p.m.

Location: Raven Theatre (6157 N. Clark St.)

Tickets: General Admission: $45; Student, Military, and Industry tickets $20. Previews $30.

Box Office: www.raventheatre.com 

Comedy Dance Chicago is bringing their family-friendly show to The Second City! (Fun fact: this group was born out of a Second City Training Center class back in 2014). The show is a high-energy laugh-riot for ages 5 to 95. Comedy Dance Chicago's joyful mashup of sketch comedy, physical humor, music, and dance is sure to have you (and your kids and their grandparents) smiling, laughing, and bopping in your seats! These dancin' fools bring relatable situations to life... anything from the importance of hugs to a good old-fashioned staring contest. And who knows, you might even find yourself on stage! Don't miss this joy-filled experience, perfect for anyone in need of a laughter boost.

People often ask "What is Comedy Dance?" Here's what audiences say:

     "It's one of the funniest, most enjoyable hours you'll spend on a Friday night."
-Chicago Reader

     "My face hurts from smiling!" & "That was so joyful!"

     ""We had SO much fun and Olivia giggled her little head off the whole time."
            -Blair (parent)

Comedy Dance Chicago presents HAPPY DANCE, Saturdays March 21, April 4, April 18, May 2, May 16, May 30 at 2:00pm at The Second City in the e.t.c Theater (230 W. North Ave., Piper's Alley, Chicago, IL). Show runs 60 minutes with no intermission. Tickets are $35 for adults and $29 for kids.

Notable credits include: "8-BITS" and "Oh, the Mundanity!" at The iO Theater; Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival, Charlotte's Queen City Comedy Experience; San Francisco Sketchfest; Laugh Out Loud Schaumburg; I AM Fest at House of Blues; Chicago Sketch Comedy Festival; Chicago Women's Funny Fest, Stevenson High School Odyssey Festival; among others. 

About Comedy Dance Chicago

Comedy Dance Chicago. A different kind of comedy show. A different kind of dance show. Unique entertainment for Chicago and beyond. But... what is comedy dance?! In Layman's terms: they dance, you laugh. Still confused? You'll just have to see it.

Comedy Dance Chicago has been delighting and entertaining audiences for over 10 years.  They are a turnkey option for performing arts venues, K-12 schools, colleges and universities, and corporate events looking to add joy to their next event. Company members bring a range of comedy and dance styles to the show and have trained with the Second City Training Center, iO Chicago, American Theatre Conservatory, Accademia dell'Arte, among others. Having performed at the Chicago Sketch Comedy Festival (Stage 773), iO Chicago, Dance Chicago (The Athenaeum Theatre), Woodstock Opera House, the Association of Applied and Therapeutic Humor Conference, and (that one time) at the House of Blues, Comedy Dance Chicago is thrilled to share laughs and spread the love of comedy dance to the rest of the US. 

King Odysseus returns home to Ithaca after twenty years’ absence: ten years’ fighting the Trojan War (it takes time to build a big enough wooden horse), followed by a ten-year journey during which everything that could go wrong does go wrong: think rush-hour traffic on the Kennedy under construction. When he finally arrives, Odysseus finds yet another complication: in his absence a hundred men have undertaken to lay claim to his throne, actually taking up residence in Odysseus’ palace, scarfing down his harvests, seducing his servants, and harassing his wife.

Penelope has made every effort to discourage the putative suitors, her most recent gambit being a challenge to string Odysseus’ mighty bow, then use it to shoot an arrow through a line of a dozen axe handles. That’s pretty serious and, unsurprisingly, none of the opportunists manages. Everyone is amazed therefore when a stranger (Odysseus disguised as a beggar) nails it. The disappointed contenders aren’t happy about this, and are further aggrieved when the ‘beggar’ throws off his rags, identifies himself, and advises the intruders to hit the road.

Odysseus, legitimately vexed at the situation, answers their disgruntlement with violence and all hundred freeloaders are … well, the proper verb is in question, as it’s unclear whether Odysseus righteously executes or viciously murders them. This is the issue we explore in TRIAL OF ODYSSEUS: is Odysseus a champion, heroically defending his title, his home, and his family? Or is he a villain, goaded by jealous rage into a frenzy of unwonted slaughter?

TRIAL OF ODYSSEUS was … what to call it? to be honest it was not truly theater. TRIAL OF ODYSSEUS was presented as an actual trial, with Antonio M Romanucci and Daisy Ayllón of Romanucci & Blandin LLC prosecuting and Patrick M. Collins and Tinos Diamantatos of King & Spalding LLP arguing for the defense. A panel of four judges (Georgia M Alexakis, Sara L Ellis, Jeffrey G Chrones and Anthony C. Kyrikopoulos) and twelve jurors examined and cross-examined both the witness Phimeus (Leonardo Sfondouris) and Odysseus, played by Christos Vasilopoulos.

The final decision, however, was ours. Each audience member was provided with their choice of two tokens, blue for guilty and white for innocent. At the close of examination these tokens were collected and their count served as the verdict: Odysseus was found Not Guilty., I suspect that those voting Guilty did so from the viewpoint of twenty-first century law. I can’t believe anyone in the Bronze Age, roughly 1200 BCE, would not fully sympathize with Odysseus’ reaction, however grisly.

I’m totally ignorant of judicial matters, and someone better acquainted with legal procedure might have found problems with how the trial was portrayed, but I thought it was as credible as it was entertaining. For one, it certainly reflected the delay encountered in our modern magisterial system, as the event under arbitration occurred more than 3,000 years ago. A real trial for first-degree murder would probably incorporate less humor, but the Court had no difficulty drawing parallels across the three-millennium time difference; many of these comments were quite amusing and were certainly appreciated by the audience.

TRIAL OF ODYSSEUS was instructive, engaging, and just plain fun! The bad news is that it was a single production; there will be no further performances. But keep your eye on the National Hellenic Museum, as they offer regular events and exhibitions.

This review is proudly shared with our friends at www.TheatreInChicago.com. 

Get ready - those phones are about to explode, and Sam is already spinning like a top trying to catch every single one. It’s a full‑blown ring‑storm, and he’s diving into it with the hectic energy of someone who knows the chaos is coming and still can’t outrun it.

A brisk, razor‑funny powder keg of a play, Fully Committed tracks a single frantic day in the life of Sam, the lone reservationist at one of Manhattan’s most elite - and most impossible - restaurant. Becky Mode’s script is a full‑tilt high‑wire act, and Mike Newquist tears across nearly forty characters with the kind of breakneck precision that makes your head spin. As Sam, he’s already a live wire - but then he’s also snapping into entitled celebrities, neurotic assistants, tyrannical chefs, and every flavor of fine‑dining madness that dares to ring his desk. It’s dazzling, anxious, and wildly fun to watch him juggle it all without ever dropping the thread. The comedy snaps because each character is so sharply etched, and Newquist seamlessly shifts among them with the kind of finesse that turns mayhem into art.

At its heart, the nearly 90-minute play gleefully skewers the rituals of status and the agitated, almost feral hunger for exclusivity, exposing just how ridiculous people become when a reservation turns into a badge of power. Sam becomes the unseen fulcrum of that world, and his day unravels from merely hectic to outright surreal as he absorbs tantrums, negotiates impossible demands, and fights to keep a grip on his own sense of worth. Watching Newquist as Sam behind that reservation desk in a constant tinderbox had me instantly aware that I wouldn’t survive two hours in his shoes. His frantic charm and barely contained panic sells the chaos and sparks a whole new respect for the people who actually thrive in that kind of daily combustion.

Fully Committed lands as hard as it does because it’s rooted in real industry absurdity. Mode shaped these characters straight out of real restaurant‑world encounters, giving the show a mix of satirical whirlwind and a bite of truth that feels both sharply recognizable and wickedly real.

Throughout the play, I loved how Sam’s dad kept slipping into the heavy commotion with that gentle, grounding voice - just long enough to let the whole room exhale. Each time he called, Sam’s entire demeanor flipped in an instant; you could watch him go from frazzled to peaceful like someone had hit a reset switch. Those brief check-ins made it clear how a few steady words from a gentle, supportive father (or friend/family member) can cut straight through the noise, offering a tiny pocket of calm even when everything else is burning down around him.

Mike Newquist is pure kinetic joy onstage, delivering a commanding turn in Fully Committed. The Chicago‑based actor and improviser thrives in the city’s storefront trenches, bouncing between sharp‑edged comedy, character chameleon work, and the kind of ensemble disorder where anything can - and usually does - happen. He’s popped up with PrideArts, AstonRep, and The Comrades, tackling everything from contemporary drama to high-velocity comic mayhem. In Fully Committed, it’s his quick‑switch agility that makes him a blast to watch.

Directed by Derek Bertelsen, this Chicago staging arrives with a jolt of fresh energy and real immediacy. Newquist’s performance becomes the engine that drives the whole night, while Bertelsen keeps the momentum razor‑sharp, the pacing tight, and every character shift snapping cleanly into place.

The Den Theatre hosts the run March 13–28, 2026, with performances on Friday and Saturday nights at 7:30 p.m. Tickets for Fully Committed at The Den Theatre are just $26. For tickets and/or any more show information, click here.

Recommended.

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