Theater

Spotlight: Broadway vet Laura Benanti commences national tour at Steppenwolf

Posted July 28, 2026 4:38 pm

Barbara Vitello

Tony Award-winning Broadway veteran Laura Benanti brings her solo show to Steppenwolf Theatre for five performances. (Avery Brunkus)

Steppenwolf welcomes Tony Winner

Tony Award-winner (and Melania Trump impersonator par excellence) Laura Benanti brings her solo comedy show, “Laura Benanti: Nobody Cares,” to Steppenwolf Theatre, marking it the first stop on Benanti’s national tour. Rooted in her musings on motherhood and aging, the show features original songs by Benanti and Todd Almond. Shows are at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, Aug. 6-7; 3 and 7:30 p.m. Aug. 8; and 3 p.m. Aug. 9 at Steppenwolf Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted St., Chicago. $70-$125. (312) 335-1650 or steppenwolf.org.

Gift Theatre member Cyd Blakewell stars in the Chicago premiere of “Marble” alongside fellow ensemble members Brittany Burch, Paul D’Addario and John Gawlik.

Gift Theatre member Brittany Burch stars in the Chicago premiere of “Marble” alongside fellow ensemble members Cyd Blakewell, Paul D’Addario and John Gawlik. (Ian McLaren)

Chicago premiere

Wheaton native and Gift Theatre member John Gawlik joins fellow ensemble members Cyd Blakewell, Brittany Burch and Paul D’Addario for the Chicago premiere of “Marble” by Marina Carr. The play follows two married couples: Ben and Catherine and Art and Anne, whose shared dreams threaten to upend their relationships. Kay Martinovich directs. Previews are at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, July 30-Aug. 1, at the Copernicus Center Kings Hall, 5216 W. Lawrence Ave., Chicago. The show opens Sunday, Aug. 2. $45-$50. (773) 283-7071 or thegifttheatre.org.

Gift Theatre member Paul D’Addario stars in the Chicago premiere of “Marble” alongside fellow ensemble members Cyd Blakewell, Brittany Burch and John Gawlik. (Joe Mazza)

Gift Theatre member John Gawlik stars in the Chicago premiere of “Marble” alongside fellow ensemble members Cyd Blakewell, Brittany Burch and Paul D’Addario. (Joe Mazza)

Staged reading

American Blues Theater inaugurates its 41st season with a live workshop performance of the musical “The Best Damn Thing” by writer/lyricist Hanna Kime and composer/lyricist Sara Geist. The show centers on a 16-year-old girl who writes a bio-musical about Avril Lavigne and solicits help from her ex-best friend. Ensemble member Elyse Dolan directs. 7 p.m. Friday, July 31, at 5627 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. $15. americanbluestheater.com.

Experimental theater

A mysterious pain drives a nonbinary person to the breaking point in The Neo-Futurists’ “The Complex Whole So Formed,” which recounts writer/ensemble member Ryn Hardiman’s experience navigating America’s healthcare system. Fellow artistic associate Anna Gelman directs. 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, Aug. 6-8, and through Aug. 29 at 5153 N. Ashland Ave., Chicago. $25 or pay-what-you-can. (773) 878-4557 or neofuturists.org.