Newcity Stage

Theater, Dance, Comedy and Performance in Chicago

“Iceboy!” Keeps Things Cool at the Goodman Goodman concludes their centennial with a star-studded musical comedy headlining real-life couple Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman.

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by Christine Trevino
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Goodman Theatre’s “Iceboy! Or the Completely Untrue Story of How Eugene O’Neill Came to Write ‘The Iceman Cometh’”/Photo: Todd Rosenberg

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Chicago’s Goodman Theatre hosts the world premiere of “Iceboy! Or the Completely Untrue Story of How Eugene O’Neill Came to Write ‘The Iceman Cometh,’” an absurd musical comedy headlined by performers and real-life couple Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman.

The farcical “Iceboy!” is a highly original tale with shades of Mel Brooks and “Young Frankenstein.” Vera Vimm (Mullally) is a bombastic 1930s Broadway mainstay, soon to begin performances in her longtime boyfriend Floyd’s (Cedric Yarbrough) new show. In a savvy PR move, she bids on a recently discovered Neanderthal from the Arctic and installs the ice-encased caveman as the centerpiece of her New York penthouse.

Vimm is the talk of the town, but when Iceboy (Grey Henson) unexpectedly thaws, she sees herself getting bumped to a supporting role in her own life. Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winner Eugene O’Neill (Offerman) is there too, swigging whiskey in between memorable one-liners and breaking the fourth wall.

A woman and a man sit on barstools in front of a wooden bar, leaning in close as if about to kiss. The setting appears vintage, with old-fashioned decor and a radio on the counter.

Goodman Theatre’s “Iceboy! Or the Completely Untrue Story of How Eugene O’Neill Came to Write ‘The Iceman Cometh’” with Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman/Photo: Todd Rosenberg

Mullally’s Vimm is a grandiose figure with abandonment issues and a breathy voice that somehow suggests both kewpie doll and Old Hollywood Mid-Atlantic. Mullally has been attached to “Iceboy!” for a long time, and she definitely looks like she’s having fun up there. In fact, the whole cast does. While Offerman’s dry O’Neill doesn’t seem too far a stretch from the sardonic characters the audience may already know him for, it’s great to see him back in Chicago and back on stage. It’s a boon for Offerman fans who aren’t familiar with his theater work, or his talent at physical humor.

Grey Henson is a charming Iceboy. His enthusiasm as he discovers how to navigate a new, modern world is endearing. His interactions with Sarah Stiles’ Lambert, Vimm’s put-upon Girl Friday, are a highlight of the show—sweet and weird and a little bit impolite. Stiles is a straight-faced riot with the best song in the show. Finishing up this cast of characters is Frankenstein (Alex Goodrich), a growling method actor stuck as Vimm’s lurching butler. No, it does not make sense, and yes, he brings down the house, even when he’s not trying.The story seems thin at times, but the writing is madcap and full of wordplay (“You in your ice. Me in my ice-olation.”). It’s fun to hear what lines land with people over the course of the show. The book is by Erin Quinn Purcell and Jay Reiss, of “Urinetown” and “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” fame, with music by Mark Hollman and lyrics by Reiss. You won’t be humming the tunes out the door, but everyone is in fine voice. The songs serve the story and are funny in the moment, though the piece could use a showstopper.

A woman in a black dress dusts a large, upright ice block with a bearded man frozen inside, while a tall man in a black suit stands behind her in a room with art deco furniture and a staircase.

Goodman Theatre’s “Iceboy! Or the Completely Untrue Story of How Eugene O’Neill Came to Write ‘The Iceman Cometh’” with Alex Goodrich, Grey Henson and Megan Mullally/Photo: Todd Rosenberg

Director Marc Bruni keeps things zipping along, mining hilarity out of pregnant pauses—but there is still something missing. It has comedy and heart, sure, but the character of Vera Vimm needs to grow more emotionally to make the resolution really feel earned.

“Iceboy!” concludes the Goodman’s Centennial Season, a celebration of a hundred years of Chicago theater. It’s a frothy nightcap to a year of successful productions, and a nice way to kick off the Goodman’s next act.

“Iceboy! Or the Completely Untrue Story of How Eugene O’Neill Came to Write ‘The Iceman Cometh’” is onstage at Goodman Theatre, 170 North Dearborn, through August 9. Tickets are $49-$199, subject to change.