Steppenwolf Theatre Company is currently presenting the Chicago premiere of Noah Diaz’ You Will Get Sick, 2018, now extended through July 20, 2025, in its Downstairs Theater at 1650 N. Halsted, Chicago. Directed by Steppenwolf Co-Artistic Director Audrey Francis, the production stars Jordan Arredondo, Cliff Chamberlain, Amy Morton, Sadieh Rifai and Namir Smallwood in unnamed (numbered) roles.
Smallwood (1) is a sick, possibly terminal invalid, Morton (2) an older would-be actress hoping to audition as Dorothy in a production of “The Wizard of Oz”, who answers an ad to be a type of aide; he hires her to reveal his problem, then to inform his family. The rest are a host of characters- Rifai (3) plays 1’s sister, Chamberlain (4) an insurance-hawker. And on the poles and wires outside the field of action flap the ravens of death, while a tornado (that can take us to Oz?) threatens outside. Meanwhile, an intrusive narrator (Arredondo as 5) advises us annoyingly/importantly, while the language of those on stage is in the second person.
It’s a non-linear, almost but not quite absurdist/existential, multi-layered piece about living with undifferentiated mortal illness and the predatory susceptibility of that state. It also explores the loneliness amid the terrible necessity and expected inevitable disappointment of advising family of one’s illness. It addresses the seeming impossibility of finding dedicated caretakers, the crass monetization of attendant services. And on a parallel track, we have No. 2’s incessant drive to audition as Dorothy; she can’t sing but that’s the least of her inappropriate desire; we are shown the shallow nature of unrealistic ambition.
Yet, instead of being depressing or bleak, there are many very touching and affecting scenes and episodes and amid the scripted chaos, there are also a deal of funny moments. This is a super cast, earnest and clear, very well-directed to embrace their roles. They are a force field that circles around the sick man, and he is the centripetal force.
The relationship between Smallwood and Morton, while bought and paid for, is first nonchalant, later tender and caring. In fact, none of the characters appear to have false fronts; it makes sense to sell bird insurance to a man stuffed with straw. And the outlandish scenery can also become clear: to a man leaking hay, what could be more delicious than a lush field of grass? Indeed, Andrew Boyce’s clever cubist/dice-like sets are a perfect foil for the unusual relationships and self-expression.
As a disabled person, this reviewer expected to find the subject matter grim, and it wasn’t an easy play to parse, but there is a lovely -uncanny -reality that emerges from the two-step on the stage, that is more deeply felt than Skylar Fox’s charming magic and illusions. The essential premise is revealed in the title. Like it or not, we will all get sick, and the road from illness to death may well be prolonged, as twisty and filled with unlikely or temporary friends as we see in this production, but these relationships may still be deeply meaningful, life-sustaining and affirming.
Pay attention to this play. No words are wasted. No characters miss a step. Every action has a positive and equal reaction. This performance will move you, warm you, make you laugh.
All photos by Michael Brosilow
For information and tickets to all the great shows at Steppenwolf Theatre, go to www.steppenwolf.org
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