Review: ANOTHER MARRIAGE at Steppenwolf Theatre Company

Kate Arrington’s ANOTHER MARRIAGE is an oh-so-quintessential Steppenwolf play. I think it’s not surprising that Arrington, who has acted in many such plays herself, has given audiences a show that presents her own take on the familiar family drama. ANOTHER MARRIAGE charts the relationship between Nick (ensemble member Ian Barford) and Sunny (Judy Greer) through the lens of their teen daughter Jo (Nicole Scimeca) as a sort of all-knowing narrator. 

Though she has no speaking lines until the second act, Jo presides over the play (set by Robert Brill, beautifully clean and with inspired mid-century modern flair), marking each moment in time on a tablet. The time periods are also projected above the stage so audiences can keep track. The play unfolds in roughly chronological order, which means the time markings are especially important for keeping it all straight. 

From the onset, Arrington’s text makes Nick and Sunny’s distinct personalities evident. When we first meet the couple on a cold December Chicago night in their freshman year of college,  Nick strips down naked outside until Sunny agrees to have dinner with him. (Sidebar: The actual nudity is entirely gratuitous). Nick’s obvious privilege and self-assuredness are evident from the 

start. His character is cut from typical privileged-white-male cloth; he has no reason to believe that he won’t succeed in winning over Sunny — or in life. Barford lends his signature affability to the role so you can partially understand why Sunny’s drawn to him — but he’s also deeply self-indulgent. Sunny, on the other hand, is considerably more measured and thoughtful. She carries the burden of living a meaningful life; the text suggests, in large part, because her mother died in childbirth. 

Thus, the dynamic in Sunny and Nick’s eventual marriage is evidently one in which Nick desires to be the center of attention at all times. Not surprisingly, it doesn’t work out. But what makes ANOTHER MARRIAGE interesting is how Arrington enables the characters to evolve as their lives and the relationship shifts and progresses; in certain moments, Sunny and Nick seem to grow into themselves. In others, they make utterly human mistakes. Both are aspiring writers, but Nick comes from a family of famous ones. Unsurprisingly, Sunny doesn’t take to it kindly when Nick takes it upon himself to self-publish her book so she can see it in print. That moment is a hallmark of their dynamic; Nick is sometimes well-intentioned but usually self-serving, while Sunny desires to make her own mark on the world. The couple’s world is upended after the birth of their daughter Jo and when Nick encounters the effusive and incredibly young literary agent Mccassidy (Caroline Neff). 

While Barford and Greer both have grounded performances, they also bestow a yin-and-yang energy to their dynamic. Barford plays Nick as an affable goof; he seems like the kind of person who’s great at making small talk at book events and knows how to work the room. But likewise, Barford also portrays Nick as hungry for validation and attention from his wife. 

As Sunny, Greer has a quiet power. Her performance is even-keeled, and her Sunny is graceful even in moments of high emotion. Greer’s take on the role is fascinating because she maintains this sense of groundedness even when Sunny comes under pressure or she’s set off by Nick’s behavior. Fans of Greer’s film work will recognize this unique energy in her acting. 

It was also intriguing to see Neff as Mccassidy; I likewise view her as a generally grounded performer, but Mccassidy is often effusive. Neff effectively portrays Mccassidy’s enthusiasm, but the fact that she doesn’t tip over into full-blown exuberance adds depth to the character. Nick’s originally drawn to Mccassidy because he views her as young, sycophantic, and moldable, but Neff’s centered acting makes it more convincing when we learn there’s more layers to Mccassidy than we might first think. 

Scimeca plays Jo with some little touches of teenage angst, but like her fellow performers, she too is mostly grounded. This sense of groundedess pervades director Terry Kinney’s production of the material; ANOTHER MARRIAGE has some high-highs and some low-lows, but the play and production stay in this interesting middle space. That’s not to say it doesn’t make the moments feel real; it more so gives them a specific energy. 

While the first act is pretty tight as we move from scene-to-scene in Nick and Sunny’s marriage, the second act introduces a side plot that isn’t necessary. Jo relays  the story of Sunny’s grandparents and parents to the audience. It’s probably meant to be a show of how Sunny longs to fill in the gaps of her mother’s life cut short, but these voiceovers pulled me right out of the main storyline. 

ANOTHER MARRIAGE is the most interesting when it does precisely what it sets out to do: Show us scenes from yet another marriage and the other human relationships branching out from it. Arrington reinforces that being a human is messy and complicated and rife with opportunity for mistakes. But when Nick and Sunny show up for each other in some varied ways throughout the play, it also demonstrates that there’s always capacity to be there for one another —and that what it means to show up can evolve. 

ANOTHER MARRIAGE runs through July 30, 2023 in the Ensemble Theater at Steppenwolf Theatre Company, 1646 North Halsted. Tickets start at $20.

Photo Credit: Michael Brosilow

Review by Rachel Weinberg

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