Bold truth: Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally are bringing their real-life dynamic to a Chicago stage in Iceboy!, a world premiere that flips the script on a famous author’s legacy. And yes, they’re doing it together at Goodman Theatre.
The new musical, created by the team behind Urinetown and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, runs June 9–July 16 in the Albert Theatre, with Marc Bruni at the helm as director. Offerman will portray Eugene O’Neill, while Mullally stars as Vera Vimm, a character who, intriguingly, adopts a 40,000-year-old Neanderthal from the Arctic and then faces a dramatic turn as the spotlight shifts. The score comes from Mark Hollmann (who also gave us Urinetown) with lyrics by Hollmann and Jay Reiss (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee). The book is by Erin Quinn Purcell and Reiss.
This production marks a long-awaited Chicago return for the couple, who describe the collaboration as rekindling the “heat of our marriage” on stage in a city where their early theater days laid the groundwork for their careers. Mullally and Offerman even tease a lighthearted jab at their hopes for alternative material: their tongue-in-cheek note about previously pursuing a Tennessee Williams title, followed by a punchy line about Chicago’s famous aversion to “catching on fire,” hints at the playful, meta tone of Iceboy! rather than a straight drama.
Tickets and further details are available through Goodman Theatre’s Iceboy page. If you’re curious about the show, this is a rare chance to see two longtime collaborators and spouses bring a bold mix of comedy, music, and a quirky twist on literary history to the stage.
Would you attend a show built on a controversial premise about a literary icon and a Neanderthal character, or do you prefer more traditional adaptations? Share your thoughts in the comments.
