The Dance of Death Reviews

Chicago Tribune - Somewhat Recommended

"...“The Dance of Death” is a very difficult and complicated show to stage. It needs a balance between a tragic sensibility (it manifests the very real horror of coming to the end of your life in the company of someone you despise, and who despises you right back) and the black comedy of the condition of aging. It explores the difficulty of all very long-term relationships."

Chicago Sun Times - Highly Recommended

"...Finding humor in the portrayal of deep unhappiness turns out to be the key that unlocks this emotionally and stylistically complicated play. It results in a show as deliriously entertaining as it is astonishingly profound."

Daily Herald - Highly Recommended

"..."The Dance of Death" is a significant Steppenwolf ensemble affair. Yasen Peyankov adroitly directs the three-member cast of Jeff Perry (one of Steppenwolf's three co-founders alongside Terry Kinney and Gary Sinise), Kathryn Erbe (back at Steppenwolf after a nearly three-decade absence) and Cliff Chamberlain (an ensemble member since 2018)."

Stage and Cinema - Recommended

"...McPherson’s adaptation ratchets up the comedy—at the expense of the drama, some might argue—but rather than diminishing the complexity of the relationship and the characters, it enhances it. As the two snipe and fight with each other, Yasen Peyankov directs his cast to emphasize the up tones of the dialogue; the barbs are delivered with the timing of a screwball comedy, and the stage movements occasionally approach slapstick. But when the characters are left to their own devices, the facades drop away and the isolation on their faces is revelatory."

Chicago Stage and Screen - Highly Recommended

"...As is the case with great comedy, you will feel uncomfortable with what you find yourself laughing at, but the performances are so filled with dynamic timing and surprises that you can’t stop watching. This play is a wickedly bleak demonstration of Jean-Paul Sartre’s line: hell is other people. Go see this play. Folks will be talking about it long after it closes."

Let's Play Theatrical Reviews - Somewhat Recommended

"...I was genuinely looking forward to witnessing Strindberg's original production, and although McPherson's new version, written in 2003, is witty (somewhat too witty), there was nothing new under the sun. It veered too much toward the comedic, rather than addressing the serious nature of a long-term relationship marked by regrets in Strindberg's play. McPherson skirts over the couple's deep-seated resentment and mutual animosity by infusing sharp, modern humor, lessening the compelling, relatable drama and tragedy felt within a marriage or long-term relationship."

Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended

"...While the set is our first glimpse into the overall production that Steppenwolf has brought us, it is the sharp direction by Yasen Peyankov and the skilled character building of the three performers that hold us spellbound as we witness the marital battle, a little bit of larceny, lots of lies and even a little about love triangles and bitterness as well as the aging process."

Buzz Center Stage - Highly Recommended

"...Without question, McPherson improves on Strindberg, not only making the play accessible to audiences over a century later, but turning it into something immensely more entertaining. Humor is a fragile thing, and comedy is all in the timing of the delivery—the pauses, the quick breaks, the fast retort. McPherson has deftly heightened the impact of the core of Strindberg’s work, finding the key to the characters and dynamics much of which honestly I could not see in the original."

The Fourth Walsh - Highly Recommended

"...Edgar is an artillery captain. Alice is a stage actress. When they met, sparks flew. Fast forward twenty-five years later, the sparks are still present, they’ve turned incendiary. Imprisoned together on a remote island, the couple exist on meager provisions and a steady diet of barbs and hate. When company arrives, each delights in wooing the guest to be an ally. They want Kurt to be their partner in THE DANCE OF DEATH."

Chicago Theater and Arts - Somewhat Recommended

"...This had some good moments. The set design is awesome but the dialog seems stilted, it’s a bit long, and the play overall is just not as satisfying as I had hoped."

PicksInSix - Highly Recommended

"...Now playing at Steppenwolf through March 22, the Swedish playwright August Strindberg's taut, visceral play “The Dance of Death” is a story of a power struggle within a long marriage, the emotional abuse it produces, and the influence of societal laws on personal relationships. And in a remarkable adaptation by the great Irishman Conor McPherson, it becomes more than just a dark comedy full of societal turmoil as molded from the grand hands of a Steppenwolf stalwart, director Yasen Peyankov."

MaraTapp.org - Highly Recommended

"...It began as a joke: "Do you want to see some August Strindberg to cheer you up?" I asked friends, quickly adding, "Who actually wants to see Strindberg?" especially these days. I was wrong. Steppenwolf Theatre Company's The Dance of Death is the funniest Strindberg you'll likely ever experience and it will probably cheer you up. Imagine a Strindberg play that makes you laugh. This one does with a take on the Swedish playwright you've never seen before. Call it Strindberg meets Second City with a spritz of Vaudeville that comes together in a welcome comic cocktail."

Chicago Culture Authority - Recommended

"...No sooner did Ian Barford lay claim to most distinctive lead performance in Steppenwolf’s 50th season than Jeff Perry said, Hold my schnapps! Perry’s offbeat take on the mercurial Captain in Conor McPherson’s adaptation of August Strindberg’s The Dance of Death took the audience on a memorably wild ride during Saturday’s opening."

Splash Magazine - Highly Recommended

"...A wonderful ceiling-high prison tower encloses the action, reminiscent of a ruined stone castle. Dubbed “hell” by its inhabitants, alone since their children have been alienated or fled, and their last servant has escaped, it reveals tantalizing glimpses of an island ringed by water. The music is a hair-raising backdrop reminiscent of horror movies, the costumes constructed with amusing touches. The intermingled falsetto and deep voices, the wonderful mock-fight, mock heart-attack and mock bloody lovemaking combine to project a separate world. Watch for timely allusions to a Covid-style epidemic, impossibly restrictive divorce/child custody laws, and vivid audio transmissions without electricity."

Werner's Theatre Reviews - Somewhat Recommended

"...Steppenwolf Theatre's 50th Anniversary Season continues with The Dance of Death, which opened February 7, 2026. Originally written in 1900 by Swedish playwright August Strindberg, this adaptation was penned by Irish playwright Conor McPherson in 2012. The play is one that will leave its audience divided: some will appreciate the dark comedy they just witnessed, while others will walk away unsettled by what unfolded on stage."

BroadwayWorld - Recommended

"...While THE DANCE OF DEATH has a build to it, the play’s climax is much smaller and literally quieter than that of Virginia Woolf. While I liked Erbe’s more contained approach to Alice, I think both she and Perry could have taken it even bigger at the end in order for the final scene — which has a massive tonal shift — to totally hit."

NewCity Chicago - Recommended

"...All of this sounds rather grim, yet it’s a surprisingly funny show. Steppenwolf uses a sharp modern adaptation of the 126-year-old Swedish play by Irish playwright Conor McPherson. Under the direction of ensemble member Yasen Peyankov, it may remind you both of Edward Albee’s “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” and “The Bickersons.” The insults lilt and bounce instead of landing with heavy dramatic thuds, though the play darkens in the second act."