Gary Cole playing an Italian-American mother and her son? Yes, you read that right. In Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s Catch as Catch Can, Cole (NCIS, Veep) appears alongside fellow ensemble members Audrey Francis and Tim Hopper as boomer parents and their adult children, often in the same scene, with each actor flipping between generations.
Coupled with Amy Morton’s fast-paced direction of Mia Chung’s heartbreaking play, this Chicago premiere is classic Steppenwolf: intense, memorable and like nothing I’ve ever seen.
It wants better content.
When your family is everyone’s family, and somebody is always falling apart
Catch as Catch Can opens with Northeast neighbors and best friends Roberta (Cole) and Theresa (Hopper) gossiping at Roberta’s kitchen table about Princess Diana’s legacy, the latest wisdom from their priest, and, of course, their families. Widowed Theresa’s son has arrived from California, but where’s his fiancée?
Meanwhile, Roberta’s daughter is still unmarried; her son is hung up on his ex, and her husband’s health has declined. But when a lovingly chaotic Christmas ends in a mental breakdown, both families struggle with their decades-long ties that bind.
Chung’s early scenes require patience—parents and kids hanging out separately had me asking, “Where is this going?” But the payoff is major: by the Christmas scene halfway through, I was fully invested in the families, seeing in them my own sprawling Catholic clan, who, like these folks, can disagree on romantic partners and how to hang a picture, but who always make sure you have a drink in your hand and a homemade meatball in your mouth.
Cole, Francis, and Hopper relish their dual roles and distinguish each through vocal pitch and physical mannerisms that feel organic and never tip into caricature. Watching Cole as a beleaguered mother and frustrated son, Francis as an ailing older man and the daughter trying to caretake everyone, and Hopper as a mom (who’s both a devout Catholic and devoted to her personal psychic) who abandons her mentally unwell kin is an acting masterclass.
I spent the first half of Catch as Catch Can laughing out loud, and the second half immersed in the complex, often tragic family dynamics. Funny, devastating, and utterly singular, this is Steppenwolf at its best.
Is ‘Catch as Catch Can’ worth seeing?
A tour de force for three brilliant actors and a compelling family drama, Catch as Catch Can is a must-see Chicago premiere.
- Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s Downstairs Theater, 1650 N. Halsted Street, Chicago
- Notable performers: Gary Cole, Audrey Francis, Tim Hopper
- Running time: Approximately 1 hour 45 minutes with no intermission
- Performances through July 12, 2026
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