Review: THE DANCE OF DEATH at Steppenwolf Theatre Company

When I think of Steppenwolf, I often think of family members crying, screaming at one another, or some combination of the two. So the sparring between spouses Alice and Captain Edgar in August Strindberg’s 1900 play THE DANCE OF DEATH feels right at home. In a surprisingly funny and sharp version from accomplished Irish playwright Conor McPherson and direction from Steppenwolf ensemble member Yasen Peyankov, Kathryn Erbe and Jeff Perry go toe-to-toe as a troubled married couple about to celebrate their silver anniversary. 

THE DANCE OF DEATH marks Erbe’s return to the Steppenwolf stage for the first time in roughly 30 years. Erbe’s take on Alice isn’t subtle, necessarily, but her blows are delivered like a whisper. She tosses off insults to Edgar almost off-hand, but that makes the barbs hit even harder. While Erbe’s Alice feels natural and grounded, Perry brings his signature daffiness and high physicality to Edgar. This makes for an interesting study in contrasts. Erbe is calm and quiet even as she takes her big swings; meanwhile, Perry often literally flits about the stage and takes on each of Edgar’s spontaneous fainting spells with dramatic, outsized aplomb. In a role similar to the one he had in last year’s FOOL FOR LOVE, Cliff Chamberlain brings a gentleness to Alice’s earnest and confused cousin Kurt — an interloper who doesn't fully understand the depths of the marital strife he’s walked into. It’s a fun dynamic as the balance shifts between all possible combinations of these three characters. 

McPherson’s script is surprisingly and pleasingly funny. It’s funny-clever in a satisfying way. Perry’s exaggerated approach to the comedy and Erbe’s more sarcastic one also make a nice balance. 

The play makes no bones about Alice and Edgar’s martial troubles. They live in a literal former prison (Collette Pollard’s set is cavernous and gorgeous), unsubtly symbolizing the trap of their marriage. Kurt remarks to Edgar: “Hate and love are forged together in the foundry of hell.” That’s THE DANCE OF DEATH in a nutshell. Edgar and Alice can’t seem to live with or without each other. 

THE DANCE OF DEATH is obvious as a precursor to Edward Albee’s 1962 classic WHO’S AFRAID OF Virginia Woolf? Steppenwolf’s 2010 revival, starring Tracy Letts and Amy Morton as George and Martha, was one of my earliest Steppenwolf experiences — and remains one of my favorites. Edgar and Alice walked so that George and Martha could run. 

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. Still, it’s clear precisely how THE DANCE OF DEATH laid the groundwork for Virginia Woolf and likely some of the other Steppenwolf family dramas to come. It’s a fitting character study to produce for Steppenwolf’s 50th season, and Erbe and Perry are satisfying competitors.

THE DANCE OF DEATH runs through March 22 in the Downstairs Theatre at Steppenwolf, 1650 North Halsted. Tickets are $20-$148.50.

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