Review: FAULT at Chicago Shakespeare Theater

The blame game’s the thing in FAULT at Chicago Shakespeare Theater. In this world premiere from Scooter Pietsch, wealthy and privileged married couple Jerry (Enrico Colantoni) and Lucy (Rebecca Spence) come to blows in an argument that’s part farcical, part deeply cutting as the wounds of their relationship reveal themselves. 

The play reminds me in some ways of Albee’s WHO’S AFRAID OF Virginia Woolf? — though the stakes are less serious, more comedic. Still, Jerry and Lucy know well how to trade sharp barbs. FAULT begins with Jerry walking in on Rebecca...having an affair with a younger man Shaun (Nick Marini). While Jerry initially threatens Shaun with a weapon — specifically, a sword stick — he decides instead to let Shaun judge the marital argument to end all arguments. After all, Jerry’s fired up from closing a multi-billion dollar deal at work that day. He and Lucy are now not just rich — they’re filthy rich. 

And while the play points to the idea that money can’t buy happiness, it’s clear that Jerry and Lucy’s wealth insulates them from many realities of the world. The debate Shaun oversees is definitely one rife with “rich people problems.” That’s what makes FAULT enjoyable though — the stakes feel high for Jerry and Lucy and their marriage, but they’re not so intensely serious for the audience.

The initial set-up is strong and engaging; I was curious what would happen next. I think the action sags a bit in the middle before soaring to a dramatic climax as Jerry and Lucy reveal more of their secrets. 

Jason Alexander directs a superb trio of actors. Colantoni is simultaneously gruff and sprightly as Jerry. He clearly takes himself seriously, but his character’s antics make him a real laugh for the viewer. Spence’s more staid, serious, and emotional approach to Lucy makes her a neat balance for Jerry. In particular, Spence has an extremely emotional monologue about halfway through the play that’s a bitter and moving takedown of corporate America and the plight of being an aging woman in New York City society. I felt for Lucy immensely in this, and Pietsch’s writing precisely captures the immense frustration of dedicating your time and career to a corporate institution, only to have it completely screw you over in the end. 

Marini keeps it light and charming as Shaun, who, of course, unknowingly finds himself overseeing an intense lovers’ quarrel. While Jerry and Lucy are both self-serious, Marini plays Shaun as someone who just wants to make it out alive.

Overall, FAULT is enjoyable and full of Jerry and Lucy’s increasingly ridiculous antics — even if at a certain point you just want to tell them to enjoy all their money and stop fighting. It’s easily digestible fare, breezy even when Jerry and Lucy’s fighting is not. 

FAULT plays the Yard at Chicago Shakespeare Theater on Navy Pier, 800 East Grand Avenue, through May 24, 2026. Tickets start at $64. 

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