There is nothing quite like a Steppenwolf Theatre opening night, and on the last Sunday night in April, the lobby of the Halsted Street theater was awash in celebrities and stars.
“That’s, that’s Gary Sinise,” said one breathless guest, her head spinning about madly. “And there’s, there’s the mayor!”
Richard M. Daley has not yet been asked to become a member of the Steppenwolf ensemble, but it was nice to see him and his arts-minded wife, Maggie, out for the opening of “The Man Who Came to Dinner.” The 1939 play starred ensemble member (and, not incidentally, “Frasier” costar and Oak Park resident) John Mahoney, in the title role of cantankerous, arrogant Sheridan Whiteside.
Those of you interested in theater have surely read the rave reviews of the play, but you did not read that some of the biggest laughs and most heartfelt applause were directed at Natalie West, who, after a number of years living in L.A. (a couple as a “Roseanne” cast member) and playing a delightfully ditzy dame, was welcomed back to Chicago not as a former TV star but as a dear friend.
