Steppenwolf Theatre Gets Domesticated

Domesticated starts its run this evening at Steppenwolf Theatre.

The play examines the relationships behind political scandal, following a politician, Bill Pulver, and his wife, Judy. As Bill relays his carefully crafted apology to the public, Judy stands stoically at his side. But what she shows and what she thinks may not be the same. At the center of a scathing and comical play lies not only a marriage torn apart by a sex scandal, but questions about gender politics and the sexual mysteries of the entire animal kingdom.

The show is written and directed by ensemble member Bruce Norris, and it features Tom Irwin as Bill Pulver, Mary Beth Fisher as Judy Pulver, Emily Chang as Cassidy, Esteban Andres Cruz as Woman in Bar, Meighan Gerachis as Pilar, Judge, and others, Rae Gray as Bartender, Becky, and others, Beth Lacke as Bobbie, Mildred Marie Langford as Talk Show Host and others, Melanie Neilan as Casey, Meg Thalken as Shrink, Ed, Pat, and others, and Karen Janes Woditsch as Jackie, Patient, and others.

"We have a civilized agreement, and a reasonable one, that says we can't behave the way some of our animal cousins do," says Norris. "I think that this idea — that everything that men instinctively want, on a primitive level, is basically bad and everything women want, basically good — is how we've constructed our present morality, based on gender. We see women as a civilizing force — the things they want lead to social stability and the things men want lead to chaos and destruction. I don't know if that's true or false, but it's present in how we currently talk about gender."

The creative team includes Todd Rosenthal (set design), Jenny Mannis (costume design), Ann G. Wrightson (lighting design), Rick Sims (sound design), Jeff Sugg (projection design), and Laura Glenn (stage manager).

Performances will run through February 7.

For tickets and more information, click here.