Displaying items by tag: Takeshi Kata
Show Interrupted: Tracy Letts’ Powerful “Bug” Tells Us Steppenwolf Is Back
Tracy Letts’ “Bug” beckons audiences back to Steppenwolf live and in-person. This gripping psychological drama tells the story of Agnes (Carry Coon), a drug-addicted, alcoholic waitress marooned in an Oklahoma motel room, consoling herself by staying high, and hanging out with her best friend, R.C. (Jennifer Engstrom), a hard-boiled woman and fellow parrtier.
While COVID-19 forced “Bug” to close mid-way in March 2020, director David Cromer regrouped the original, stellar cast to resume the run, and you will not want to miss this opportunity to see it.
Agnes’s troubles include an abusive ex-husband, Jerry (Steve Key) who soon pays an unwanted visit after being released from prison, looking to pick up where he left off. But Jerry finds someone new in his place: Peter (Namir Smallwood), a drifter who trailed into the room with R.C., and just stayed. Jerry begrudgingly takes off.
Here the story turns. Peter and Agnes rapidly descend into a toxic, co-dependent relationship, spiraling relentlessly downward as Peter shares Agnes's partiality to smoking crack, which they do continuously to an end that will leave you stunned.
The performances by Namir Smallwood as Peter and Carrie Coon as Agnes are breathtakingly good. Smallwood in particular rises to the challenge of convincing us that while he is tethered to reality, it is really somewhat loosely. Coon gives us an Agnes who wavers like a compass needle, pulled to the shifting polarities of the varied players in her life before locking decisevely to Peter.
“Bug” embodies what I consider a signature of Steppenwolf style, if there can be such a thing—allowing for scenes dominated by silent performances, the action on stage amplified by the absence of lines. Such scenes, and the powerful scenic design (Takeshi Kata), builds tension steadily, “keeping us in the dark just enough to continually thirst for its next moment,” as my colleague, Ken Payne noted of the 2020 staging.
As a post-pandemic show, “Bug” is especially relevant, with drug addiction rising to epidemic levels during these trying times. Letts offers a searingly realistic window into their impact on individuals and relationships. “Bug” captures the paranoia visited upon abusers of stimulants like crack and meth. We even experience the miasma that causes struggling addicts to vehemently resist intervention by their family and friends.aBug runs through December 12, 2021.
Single tickets for Bug ($20 – $110) at steppenwolf.org or 312-335-1650. Discounts include new Artists & Essential Workers discount, expanded 20-for-$20 program, Pay-Your-Age performances, $5 teen tickets through the Teen Arts Pass, and more. Steppenwolf is part of the coalition of over 70 Chicagoland performing arts venues and producers that have agreed upon COVID-19 vaccination and mask requirements for all audiences, artists and staff through the end of 2021. Steppenwolf is offering four reduced capacity performances for “Bug,” seating every other row and one seat on either side of each party: Sunday evening November 21, Wednesday evening November 24 and Wednesday matinees December 1 and 8. www.Steppenwolf.org
Announcing the 2026 Broadway In Chicago Summer Concert
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Lookingglass presents Ice Cream Circus, June 2-7, as part of Night Out in the Parks
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YI Love Jewish and Arts Judaica Chicago Premiere of A PEOPLE at Theater Wit June 18 – July 5
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HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH Coming to Chicago July 9th
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Chicago City Opera presents 'Der Rosenkavalier' June 5
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Kokandy Productions Presents HAIR - July 2 – September 13, 2026 at The Chopin Theatre
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PrideArts to present BEHIND THE CURTAIN: UNTOLD STORIES FROM CANADA’S TEAM BROADWAY on Monday, July 6th
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Music Theater Works presents WEST SIDE STORY, August 13 - 30
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Whammy, Indeed: Koechner’s Stand‑Up Evolves at The Den
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Spaceman: Into the Quiet Terror of the Void
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Steppenwolf Theatre Presents ALEX EDELMAN: WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO
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Black Button Eyes Productions to stage Conor McPherson's one-actor play ST NICHOLAS, June 26 - July 26
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Chicago Shakespeare Theater announces As Long As You're Asking: A Conversation with Jason Alexander
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Midsommer Flight to stage Shakespeare's comedy AS YOU LIKE IT free in six Chicago parks June 26 – August 2
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Chicago Magic Lounge welcomes back fan favorite Ondřej Pšenička for a limited run this summer
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Porchlight's FREE Summer Concert Series Returns - BROADWAY IN YOUR BACKYARD
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Ian Frank named Shattered Globe Theatre’s new Producing Artistic Director
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OPERA FESTIVAL OF CHICAGO PRESENTS VERY VERISMO! JUNE 13 AT THE JARVIS OPERA HALL
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Couch Penny Ensemble presents An Oak Tree by Tim Crouch, running June 19-July 5 at the Greenhouse Theater Center
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AstonRep Productions to stage US Premiere of Liisa Repo-Martell's new adaptation of Chekhov's UNCLE VANYA, June 18 – July 5 at the Edge Off-Broadway Theatre
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A Red Orchid’s The Targeted Builds a Case for Compassion
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Rocky in Concert Delivers a Knockout Night Despite Technical Stumbles
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16 May 2026 in Theatre in ReviewCan you have a play run 90 minutes with no dialog? Indubitably, as Trap Door Theatre demonstrates with its new…
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Announcing the 2026 Broadway In Chicago Summer Concert
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Written by Buzz Center StageChicago City Opera (CCO) presents one of late-Romantic composer Richard Strauss' most beloved works, Der Rosenkavalier. In CCO's signature pared down style, the grand opera is stripped down to its raw essentials, highlighting the complex relationships, sophisticated humor, and nuanced…
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Porchlight Announces Felicia P. Fields and Anthony Rapp join its Artistic Advisory Board
Written by Buzz Center StageAward-winning Porchlight Music Theatre announces today that the recent stars of Porchlight in Concert’s production of Follies, Tony Award-nominee Felicia P. Fields and Broadway’s Anthony Rapp, have joined the Artistic Advisory Board. Porchlight's Artistic Advisory Board consists of seasoned professionals who have excelled in their…
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Babes With Blades presents the world premiere premiere of yo ho., July 19 - August 29
Written by Buzz Center StageBabes With Blades Theatre Company’s (BWBTC) 2026 season opens with a world premiere, yo ho., by playwright SMJ, directed by JD Caudill and fight choreography by Carly “CB” Cason, July 19 - August 29 at The Edge Theater Off Broadway, 1133 W. Catalpa Ave. The running time is approximately two…
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