Playwright Noah Diaz wrote You Will Get Sick in 2018, but its first production was delayed until 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ironically, the wisdom or conspiracy was that everyone would get Covid or a mutation of it. I do not know what sparked Diaz to write this play, but he effectively captures the transactional nature of healthcare, the pursuit of dreams, and the complexities of relationships. Steppenwolf Theatre closes its 49th season with You Will Get Sick. The casting could not be more perfect than Amy Morton and Namir Smallwood in the lead roles, along with a sparkling cast playing multiple supporting roles.
Steppenwolf's co-artistic director Audrey Francis directs and brings out the dark comedy that can be found in illness and mortality. The characters are represented by numbers. Amy Morton, who is Number 2, introduces herself in an audition scene as Callan. Number 1 is played by Namir Smallwood, an actor who has made a name for himself over the past two years by portraying vulnerable men facing life-changing circumstances. He can convey vulnerability, trauma, and yearning with such subtlety that it seeps into and permeates the layers of a character.
Smallwood starred in Suzan-Lori Parks' The Book of Grace, as a young man who went into the military with an endemic PTSD from growing up with a distant and cruel father who never wanted him. He also brought a tenderness to Eboni Booth's Primary Trust. Number 1 has been told that he has an illness that is "really bad."
Amy Morton is an acting powerhouse who has perfected the roles of everyday women thrust into bizarre situations. She brings a subtle intensity that could boil over at any moment. I saw her in Steppenwolf's Hir in 2017 playing a housewife who goes to the wall to transcend her trapped circumstances. In You Will Get Sick, she plays a struggling wannabe actor who needs to pay for acting classes to prepare for an audition. She aspires to play Dorothy in a stage production of The Wizard of Oz. It's a nice touch from Diaz to combine a classic hero's journey and a real ambition for Number 2.
Sadieh Rifai plays Smallwood's sister—Number 3, a narcissist and foul-mouthed woman. Morton has been paid to tell the sister about her brother's illness. Enter Number 4 played by Cliff Chamberlain, who nearly walks off with the show in his multiple roles as the waiter/ex-lover/repairman/acting student.
Chamberlain's waiter is very sensitive and distraught at mistakenly bringing a drink with lemon instead of lime. He sobs offstage. Rifai also plays the pretentious acting teacher who wants the students to inhabit their characters by walking like various animals. This is a hilarious scene, with each actor showcasing their physical and comedic prowess. It is also the scene where Numbers 1 and 2 form an emotional bond and see that they are on the same journey.
You Will Get Sick points out that nothing is free in this world, except leaving it, and even that boils down to a transaction. Morton and Smallwood have great chemistry with this odd friendship that both characters need on a soul level.
The stagecraft in You Will Get Sick deserves mention. Jen Schriever's lighting design has yellow tones, giving everyone a jaundiced appearance. It is a metaphor in lighting. Andrew Boyce's scenic design is superb and surprising. Items like fluorescent lights descend from the rafters, the stage shifts, and props go into the wings. Various flights of crows also descend from the ceiling. That metaphor is clear—someone will always profit from your vulnerability. My favorite was the bright and sunny wheat field emerging from the gray and ochre set. It was prescient in 2018 to anticipate the physical and moral deterioration of society during and after the pandemic. The acting is spot on, and it was a thrill to see Morton and Smallwood opposite each other.
You Will Get Sick has been extended through July 20 at Steppenwolf's Downstairs Theater, 1650 N. Halsted St. The play runs 85 minutes with no intermission. See Steppenwolf Theatre for tickets and information.
For more information on this and other productions, see theatreinchicago.com.
Support arts and culture journalism today. This work doesn't happen without your support. Contribute today and ensure we can continue to share the latest reviews, essays, and previews of the most anticipated arts and culture events across the city.
