Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre Company is no stranger to Broadway. Over the years, the Chicago-based theater has sent 18 shows to New York, beginning with John Malkovich’s production of Harold Pinter’s “The Caretaker” in 1986 and continuing through the likes of Tracy Letts’ “August: Osage County,” which transferred to the Music Box Theatre in 2008 and played 649 performances, having reintroduced the Steppenwolf brand to a new generation of New York theatergoers.
Still, three transfers within the space of a calendar year is going it some.
Steppenwolf’s production of Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ “Purpose” won last season’s Tony Award for best play, as well as a Pulitzer Prize, and the Broadway production, lead-produced by David Stone, has since routinely grossed more than $700,000 per week, a stellar showing for a non-musical. The production, which includes Steppenwolf co-artistic director Glenn Davis in its cast, closes Sunday.
“When I saw an early preview of Purpose at Steppenwolf, I thought ‘this play should win the Tony Award and the Pulitzer Prize,” Stone said. “But, that sort of thing doesn’t ever happen — except, this time it did. The fact that it has done so well commercially is just icing on the cake. Working with Steppenwolf and this cast and (director) Phylicia Rashad and, especially, Branden, has been one of the true highlights of my career.”
This season, two other Steppenwolf productions are headed to Broadway: “Little Bear Ridge Road,” a play by Samuel D. Hunter, directed by Joe Mantello, that stars Laurie Metcalf and Micah Stock, will be produced by Scott Rudin. And director David Cromer’s Steppenwolf production of Tracy Letts’ “Bug” will begin performances in December with a cast including Carrie Coon, a Steppenwolf ensemble member who has shot to broader fame after high-profile roles on HBO’s “White Lotus” and “The Gilded Age.”
Interestingly, all three shows have different producers. Stone and Rudin are long-established commercial producers, with the latter making his comeback with “Little Bear Ridge Road” following a lengthy, self-imposed absence after allegations of inappropriate behavior. Manhattan Theatre Club, a New York nonprofit with a Broadway venue, is the producer of “Bug.” It’s also notable that the three shows feature different generations within the Steppenwolf ensemble: Metcalf is an honored member of the founding crew, Coon and Letts are a generation behind her, and Davis and several of the other “Purpose” actors are a generation behind them.
There are other notable differences in the arrangements, too. “Purpose” moved swiftly from its Chicago premiere. “Little Bear Ridge Road” had a more controversial producer, which led to a billing that does not mention Steppenwolf’s name (although everyone involved with Broadway knows where it came from). “Bug” is an older play that has already been seen off-Broadway; even the revival dates back to 2020. “Bug” was both the last show that Steppenwolf produced prior to the pandemic and the first one to return after the pandemic.
On the other hand, there also is one major commonality: None of them was first produced with Broadway in mind.
“We don’t accept enhancement money,” said Steppenwolf executive director Brooke Flanagan, referring to a common arrangement where theaters partner with commercial producers right from their original, nonprofit start. Such deals are especially common with musicals (such as “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil” at the Goodman Theatre), although they also can apply to plays (such as “Billie Jean” at Chicago Shakespeare Theater).
By producing all three plays independently, the theater was able “to maintain the integrity of being Steppenwolf, of being a launching pad for new work that puts the vision of the playwright as primary over commercial viability,” Flanagan said. “It allowed us to tune these shows in a way that has a very Chicago style to them.”
“Each producer offers different kinds of engagement, and different producers can be right for different shows,” said Davis. “We want the best circumstances for each show. That is a hallmark of the work that Steppenwolf has done over the years.”
One salient question, of course, is whether the Broadway success has a meaningful impact on Steppenwolf back home, especially since the theater has reduced the number of its productions in the post-pandemic era and continues to carry significant debt from the creation of its new theater-in-the-round and the other additions to its Lincoln Park campus.
The theater’s leaders say that there is no question that’s a positive. “When a show has Steppenwolf above the title, that’s hugely meaningful for Steppenwolf, obviously, ” Davis says. “And when people see Steppenwolf, they see Chicago, they see Chicago work.”
“Our audiences genuinely root for us in New York,” says co-artistic director Audrey Francis. “With a show like ‘Purpose,’ there is a lot of pride that it happened first here in our house.”
Financial benefits vary. “Purpose” paid a royalty to Steppenwolf, but Steppenwolf chose not to be involved with “Little Bear Ridge Road,” limiting their participation to having commissioned the work.
“We support Laurie and Sam and Joe. We’re proud that the work is opening. We’re thrilled for them,” Flanagan said, declining to comment further on why Steppenwolf demurred from further involvement. In the case of “Bug,” the play was a pre-existing work that did not originate at Steppenwolf, and will be produced at a peer nonprofit. So that scenario also limits any direct financial benefits, unless the show were to transfer to a for-profit production, a scenario that seems unlikely not least due to Coon’s busy schedule.
Still, there are other pluses from that move, not the least of which is the need for Steppenwolf to retain its hard-won reputation as Chicago’s hottest theater, a place where local audiences can see what New York sees only later. In a statement announcing the show, MTC artistic director Lynne Meadow called the show “a masterful production that originated at Steppenwolf.” Many of those benefits also accrue to Chicago theater and even to Chicago culture in general, given that Steppenwolf is viewed in New York as the city’s leading ambassador when it comes to hard-hitting work.
“The shows moving to Broadway represent the proof of concept that audiences and philanthropists are investing in a Chicago incubator, a place willing to take these big risks even in the face of a waning commitment to developing new work in the American theater,” Flanagan says. “We’ve always found that our work on Broadway has increased our audiences at home and also our level of philanthropy. Plus when we move our shows there, the city of Chicago gets countless media impressions. Our shows are made in Chicago. We’re a city that innovates. This is soft power.”
“Four years ago, we were sitting in my office wondering if we’d have to close for a season,” says Francis. “Now we have three shows on Broadway in a year. We’ve revived our brand.”
Chris Jones is a Tribune critic.
cjones5@chicagotribune.com