PicksInSix Review: Iceboy! - Goodman Theatre
‘Iceboy!’ “It’s A Two Coma Show!”
PicksInSix® Review | Ed Tracy
Part parody and raucous satire wrapped in a rip-roaring musical comedy that would have made Eugene O’Neill himself shiver with delight, the world premiere of “Iceboy!” - or The Completely Untrue Story of How Eugene O’Neill Came to Write “The Iceman Cometh” melted the hearts of an opening night audience at Goodman’s Albert Theatre last night.
As directed by Mark Bruni, with a book by Erin Quinn Purcell and Jay Reiss, music by Mark Hollmann and lyrics by Hollmann and Reiss, it’s a story of a handful of fraught souls all trying to find a place in 1939 New York City, on and off the Broadway stage and in the sphere of super-diva Vera Vimm (Megan Mullally), herself an orphaned child longing for acceptance, love and a family of her own.
That world, framed throughout by the persona of O’Neill (Nick Offerman) who here serves as narrator, stage manager and his own unabashed publicist, includes the likes of Vera’s on again/off again love interest, the playwright Floyd Richards (Cedric Yarbrough), Lambert (Sarah Stiles), her tightly-wound, menopausal housekeeper and Frankenstein (Alex Goodrich) the butler, chauffeur and piano man of the house. After submitting the winning bid in a public auction for a 40,000-year-old frozen Neanderthal, Vera and her Iceboy (Grey Henson) become a major curiosity and the toast of the town. All that attention is short-lived when critics thrash Richards’ play “The Garment Girl” starring Vimm, sending her swirling into deep depression and ultimately, a coma during which her insecurity begins to unravel her world.
In the meantime, Iceboy, showing a remarkable capacity to evolve and adapt quickly to 20th century mores, gravitates to Lambert. Each finds a kindred spirit and that connection soon turns into something much more. Things move briskly until O’Neill himself enters the story. Free to feel more than at any other time in her life, Lambert is overcome with emotion and ends up in a coma of her own to which O’Neill quipped rhetorically: “That’s right. It’s a two coma show people!”
If this sounds far-fetched plot wise, you’ve got the picture. It’s as delightfully zany a menagerie of characters as you will ever see. On the one hand there’s Offerman’s direct, dry-martini delivery to the audience, offering a concise observation of the under-appreciation of his stage accomplishments at every opportunity. On the other, Mullally floats confidently, and hilariously, above everyone around her until there is no one left. That is when she learns a simple truth about what is important in life. Along the way, Stiles is a hoot and delivers again and again. With JoAnn M. Hunter’s choreography, a terrific ensemble drives “Iceboy” to a big and satisfying finish and a promising future.
The show is music directed by Vadim Feichtner who conducts a spirited seven-piece combo. Paul Tate Depoo III’s inspired set design shifts effortlessly and sparkles under Jen Schreiver’s dazzling lighting design. Linda Cho completes the visual tapestry with an array of period costumes that feature clever wig and hair design by Charles G. LaPointe and makeup by Rachael Geier, especially for Henson’s Iceboy and Goodrich’s Frankenstein, whose ultimate transformation is comic gold.
PHOTO|Todd Rosenberg
Goodman Theatre
presents
World Premiere
Iceboy! - or The Completely Untrue Story of
How Eugene O’Neill Came to Write “The Iceman Cometh”
Albert Theatre
170 North Dearborn Street
through August 9, 2026
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