World Premiere
Little Bear Ridge Road
Written by Samuel D. Hunter
Directed by Joe Mantello
Main Series
ABOUT THE SHOw
A HIGHLY-ANTICIPATED COLLABORATION BETWEEN THREE THEATRE LEGENDS
Ensemble Member Laurie Metcalf comes home to Steppenwolf to star in Little Bear Ridge Road (formerly Untitled), a comic, cosmic and intimate world premiere, penned by MacArthur Fellow Samuel D. Hunter and directed by Tony Award winner Joe Mantello.
In the outer limits of rural Idaho, the last two estranged members of the Fernsby family tree, a reclusive aunt and her gay nephew, reunite to sort the mess left behind after a troubled father's passing. They now face an uncomfortable and universal question: how do we deal with other people? And is connection more trouble than it’s worth? As their relationship begins anew, the two reluctant Fernsbys—separated by age and experience—start to understand the joys and perils of letting someone else into your own story, even if only for a moment.
Watch & Listen
Reviews
"★★★★—I can’t overstate how good it is to see [Laurie Metcalf], a consummate Chicago-style actor, back in the city that made her famous because it fell in love with her honesty."
- Chicago Tribune
"★★★★—This is a deeply beautiful piece of writing... brought to brilliant life, and eventually explosive drama, by [Laurie] Metcalf and [Micah] Stock under the precise, elegant direction of Joe Mantello."
- Chicago Sun-Times
"★★★★—Chicago theatre at the height of its powers."
- Daily Herald
"For Metcalf... [the] exceptional world premiere is a career highlight in a career of highlights."
- Chicago Reader
"HIGHLY RECOMMENDED; NO, THE HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION!"
- PAUL LISNEK, WGN RADIO
"Ranges from laugh-out-loud hilarious to emotionally devastating simplicity."
- Queerty
Little Bear Ridge Road is "a remarkable examination of... the delicateness and messiness of humanity."
- Broadway World