The Goodman Theatre was forced to cancel its Saturday matinee of “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” due to the death of cast member Matt DeCaro.
The theater also said Saturday that the cast had decided to proceed with the Saturday night show in DeCaro’s honor. Scott Aiello will play DeCaro’s role of Sturdyvant.
The famously genial DeCaro, who was 70, had appeared as scheduled at Friday night’s performance of the August Wilson drama. He died early Saturday at home. Jim McCaffrey, DeCaro’s agent at Stewart Talent, said the cause of death had yet to be determined but was from natural causes.
DeCaro was a busy and long-standing Chicago actor whose decades-long slate of credits, mostly in so-called character roles, includes appearances in Robert Falls’ Goodman Theatre production of “The Cherry Orchard” and the Goodman world premiere of Rebecca Gilman’s 1999 play “Spinning into Butter.”
In 2024, DeCaro relished playing Winston Churchill, some strikingly effective casting, in Drury Lane Theatre’s production of “The Audience.” And, in an indication of this actor’s range, he also played Doc in the Marriott Theatre’s 2022 production of “West Side Story,” one of several of DeCaro’s forays into musicals.
In 2018, DeCaro won a Jeff Award for his work in Drury Lane’s production of “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.” Decades earlier, DeCaro’s very different 2005 performance in “Men of Tortuga” at the Steppenwolf Theatre was named one of the Tribune’s top performances of the year. DeCaro often played likable, even jovial characters, a match for his own personality. But he occasionally scored roles in which he was able to surprise his audiences by turning on a dime.
“Matt was both a mainstay of Chicago theater and one of its stars,” said Marc Grapey, a longtime friend and fellow cast member in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.”
Indeed, DeCaro appeared at almost every major theater in the city.
“He was the loveliest guy in the world,” said McCaffrey, DeCaro’s agent. “He always made everything fun, even when the business was not fun. He also had a deep appreciation for other artists and helped them with their careers. He just cared very deeply for this art form and the people who do it.”
Matt made you feel at home. He was one of the most caring human beings. “Matt always pulled his energy from his scene partner,” said Susan Booth, artistic director of the Goodman. “Anytime you would watch Matt on stage, he’d be locked on to the other people in the scene and that’s what lit him up.”
Other notable work across the years by DeCaro includes a role in Lanford Wilson’s “Tally’s Folly” at Northlight Theatre, as Duke Frederick in “As You Like It” at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, and in “The Lieutenant of Inishmore” at Northlight and as a judge in David Mamet’s “Romance” at Goodman in 2006.
DeCaro also appeared in many of the TV shows that filmed episodes in Chicago, including “ER,” “Chicago P.D.,” and “Chicago Fire,” as well as episode of “The Office” and in such movies as “Richie Rich” and “U.S. Marshals.” In person, he was also known as a passionate supporter of the Chicago acting community and its constituent charity supporting artists’ welfare, Season of Concern.
Chris Jones is a Tribune critic
cjones5@chicagotribune.com
