You Will Get Sick grows more infectious by the minute

Steppenwolf Theatre Company is presenting the Chicago premiere of You Will Get Sick until July 20, 2025. The first run happened in 2022 in New York with the late Linda Lavin as #2.

The story is told in one act with a running time of 85 minutes. A strange tale unfolds, focusing on two people with hidden agendas caught up in an infectious relationship.

Amy Morton is #2 this time out and her main scene partner is #1 portrayed by Namir Smallwood. What begins as a telephone exchange quickly becomes a currency exchange as their unique bond grows. Number one's mysterious illness, combined with the incorrigible people who surround his environment, is a lesson in patience and riveting to watch, thanks to the actors involved.

The Sick cast is solid and several of them are Steppenwolf ensemble members with rich backgrounds in live performances. Their expertise becomes crucial to developing each personality with layers of emotion in a short period of time. An important queer character eventually comes to light and heads somewhere over the rainbow to reflect on life.

It's better not to know too much before watching what the playwright Noah Diaz has assembled symbolically.

Sick accomplishes something that only a well-crafted production can do. It allows viewers to think on their own and the text doesn't spoon-feed the audience a heavy-handed point of view. The creators place an individual's interpretation and personal experience at the forefront as they explore uncharted territory full of twists and turns.

The narrator, known as #5, is voiced by Jordan Arredondo and he conveys the cerebral nuances of the storyline. This is similar to The Life of Chuck, cinematically running roughly at the same time as this piece.

The set is simply majestic and adds to the wonder that one will experience after being immersed in this unusual universe. You Will Get Sick is the cure for what ails many theatrical productions and doesn't force the medicine down with a spoonful of sugar. Instead, it treats patients with dignity and respect to formulate their own opinions and heal from past trauma.

Catch You Will Get Sick now through July 20 at Steppenwolf's Downstairs Theater, 1650 North Halsted Street. For tickets and information, visit steppenwolf.org or call 312-335-1650.