Chicago Tribune
- Recommended
"...You will not be shocked to hear that Offerman is very entertaining in this sardonic role, although it’s hardly a heavy lift for him and, at this juncture, underwritten. Similarly droll is Megan Mullally, who plays Vera Vimm, the Broadway diva who adopts a cherub-faced, 40,000-year-old Neanderthal (Grey Henson) stuck in a block of ice until he thaws his way into being the next Broadway sensation — to the chagrin of Vera’s playwright boyfriend Floyd (Cedric Yarbrough), butler Frankenstein and her maid and factotum, Lambert. Lambert is played by the hilarious Sarah Stiles, who pretty much walks off with the show here, as she did some years ago with “Tootsie” at its Chicago tryout."
Chicago Sun Times
- Recommended
"...If you want to see two very famous, very talented comic actors with Chicago roots doing exactly what they do best, then “Iceboy” is ideal. To add to that, the supporting performances show off two gifted, Tony-nominated up-and-coming stars in Grey Henson as Iceboy and Sarah Stiles as Lambert, Vera’s housekeeper and Iceboy’s love interest."
Daily Herald
- Recommended
"...There’s a lot of star power on stage at the Goodman Theatre these days, and much of it comes courtesy of Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman, who on opening night of the deliciously silly new musical “Iceboy! Or the Completely Untrue Story of How Eugene O’Neill Came to Write ‘The Iceman Cometh’” stopped the show almost before they uttered a word."
Chicago Reader
- Somewhat Recommended
"...But the music leaves little lasting impression, and while Iceboy! is peppered with inspired, pointed dialogue, it has as much abject stupidity (and not in a good way) as it has smarts. In one excruciatingly prolonged bit, Mullally recites the first third or so of the alphabet, each letter accompanied by a long, long pause. But the time she's back to "A" for the third time, I was thinking of poking a fork through my eardrums."
Talkin Broadway
- Highly Recommended
"...To close its centennial season, the Goodman Theatre is presenting the world premiere of Iceboy! Or The Completely Untrue Story of How Eugene O'Neill Came to Write The Iceman Cometh, with music by Mark Hollman, lyrics by Hollman and Jay Reiss, and book by Erin Quinn Purcell and Reiss. The show is positively silly in all the best ways and with Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman surrounded by performers who can more than hold their own with two comedic powerhouses, it's exactly the right final punctuation to put on the Goodman's first one hundred years."
Stage and Cinema
- Highly Recommended
"...The Goodman closes out its centennial season in spectacular fashion with a big, brash new musical composed by Mark Hollmann (Urinetown), lyrics by Hollmann and Jay Reiss (Spelling Bee), and book by Reiss and Erin Quinn Purcell. Directed by The Great Gatsby‘s Marc Bruni, Iceboy!—as its subtitle helpfully informs us—is The Completely Untrue Story of How Eugene O’Neill Came to Write “The Iceman Cometh.”"
Let's Play Theatrical Reviews
- Highly Recommended
"...The Goodman Theatre's latest production, IceBoy!, has already been extended beyond its initial premiere dates. After witnessing the play, which featured powerhouse couple Megan Mullally, known for her iconic Will & Grace character, Karen Walker, and Nick Offerman, an actor, comedian, and writer best known for his breakout role as Ron Swanson on the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation, I can certainly understand why there has been such high demand for tickets."
Around The Town Chicago
- Highly Recommended
"... I love to laugh! My readers and listeners know that I live for comedies! I also love Sondheim, and one of his famous lines is “Tragedy tomorrow, Comedy tonight! I truly feel that the Goodman Theatre’s new comedy, “Iceboy!”, now on the stage in the Albert Theatre is a comedy that would make him proud. I also feel that Mel Brooks, and the Monty Python crew would also be smiling. With a book by Erin Quinn Purcell and Jay Reiss, music by Mark Hollmann, who also wrote lyrics along with Reiss, this is a play within a play narrated by none other than Eugene O’Neill ( an amazing performance by Nick Offerman, who narrates the story and puts himself in several scenes)."
Chicago Theatre Review
- Recommended
"...ICEBOY! is indeed Wacky! Bizarre! Absurd! and maybe even Stupid! But this new musical comedy, now enjoying its world premiere as the finale production of the Goodman Theatre’s Centennial season, is a whole lot of fun. There aren’t any hidden messages or perplexing themes to be explored. It’s all fluff and frolicking tomfoolery, which is precisely what we need right now. Laughter, which many consider the best medicine, at a time when there hasn’t been a whole lot to laugh at, is much welcome. So “cometh” to the Goodman, leave reason and reality at the door, and get ready for some total insanity!"
Buzz Center Stage
- Highly Recommended
"...Goodman Theatre’s Iceboy! arrives as a gleefully off the rails musical that blends Broadway glamour, Neanderthal chaos, and theatrical myth making into one of the most delightfully strange premises to hit Chicago in years. It’s a satire, a love letter to showbiz, and a playful reimagining of how Eugene O’Neill might have found inspiration for The Iceman Cometh - if history had taken a wildly different turn."
The Fourth Walsh
- Highly Recommended
"...It’s 1939, NYC. Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Eugene O’Neill is in a writing slump and on a never-ending bender. Across town, Broadway star Vera Vimm extravagantly outbids museums to secure a caveman encased in a block of ice. When her frozen acquisition melts, the Iceboy cometh to life and his presence changes everything! He becomes an adopted son, playwright muse and Broadway rival."
Third Coast Review
- Somewhat Recommended
"...The Goodman Theatre continues to commemorate its 100-year anniversary with the 40,000-year-old caveman musical, Iceboy! The Completely Untrue Story of How Eugene O'Neill Came to Write "The Iceman Cometh." Marc Bruni directs this world premiere with music by Mark Hollmann, lyrics by Hollmann and Jay Reiss, who also wrote the book with Erin Quinn Purcell."
Entertaining Chicago
- Highly Recommended
"...A gleefully absurd new musical with razor-sharp comedy and an irresistible sense of fun, Iceboy! embraces theatrical nonsense with complete confidence, delivering one laugh-out-loud moment after another."
PicksInSix
- Highly Recommended
"...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."
Curtain Call Chicago
- Recommended
"...Indeed, Ice Boy arrives with a cast so universally charismatic that you anticipate the material will rise to meet them. It usually does, but not completely. That said, this show is very funny, nostalgic in its humor and wit, complete with some slapstick, and near worthy, and certainly reflective of a Mel Brooks effort, although the music is hardly as memorable as Brooks likely would have written."
Allie and the After Party
- Highly Recommended
"...Capturing the feel of traditional musicals while incorporating new writing and comedy Iceboy! or The Completely Untrue Story of How Eugene O’Neill Came to Write “The Iceman Cometh enters into a new era of comedy shows. Mullally and Offerman are up to the task and deliver their signature comedic charms along with all the other cast and ensemble members."
NewCity Chicago
- Recommended
"...Chicago’s Goodman Theatre hosts the world premiere of “Iceboy! Or the Completely Untrue Story of How Eugene O’Neill Came to Write ‘The Iceman Cometh,’” an absurd musical comedy headlined by performers and real-life couple Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman."
