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Chicago Tribune
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Review: ‘You Will Get Sick' at Steppenwolf is a slow reveal that's worth the wait
In a graduation speech I heard this May, the physician-writer Abraham Verghese talked about his experience as a small-town doctor during the AIDS era and how he found, to his amazement, that rural emergency rooms had filled up with AIDS patients even as everyone assumed the crisis was restricted to large cities. But many of these mostly young gay men had chosen, Verghese said, to come home from New York or Chicago to the likes of rural Tennessee to die. And for the most part, he observed in another stereotype-busting comment, he found they were treated by their families with compassion and love. The word AIDS is not mentioned in 'You Will Get Sick,' a rather unusual play by Noah Diaz that opened Sunday night at the Steppenwolf Theatre Company with Amy Morton (making a long-overdue return to Steppenwolf) and Namir Smallwood in the two leading roles. All we know is that the central character, known only in the script as #1, has been given a diagnosis of imminent death from an affliction that is never described. But Verghese's speech did come floating back into my head, because this is a play about how we handle not just death itself, but the period of our lives in chronological proximity to our inevitable exit. To understand the incontrovertible truth behind show's title — not exactly a box office seduction — you have to put the emphasis on the . Moreover, there are powerful themes here of working towards acceptance, of finding the courage to tell loved ones you are leaving. Diaz draws imagery from, believe it or not, 'The Wizard of Oz,' but Dorothy takes a long time to reveal herself, and nothing is solved by any clicking of heels. Here is the initial setup. Smallwood's sick character, #1, is having such difficulty communicating about his fatal illness that he chooses to hire someone to do the job for him. He puts out an advertisement to that effect and gets an answer from a woman, Morton's #2, a matter-of-fact opportunist who negotiates hard for piecemeal rates as she sets about her weird job, some of which involves her client's self-involved sister (Sadieh Rifai). Amy Morton is back on stage in 'You Will Get Sick' at Steppenwolf Theatre. What took her so long?That all might sound straightforward but Diaz freights the play with a much heavier symbolic load, including an amplifed, off-stage narrator who voices the things that #1 cannot bring himself to say, stepping pretty much on top of his lines. That takes a good while to understand and for it to become in any way comfortable as a theatrical experience. Meanwhile, #2 has her own eccentricities; she's a sometime actor who turns this truly bizarre assignment into fodder for her actor's studio and perpetual auditioning for her local community theater production. Other people show up (the cast also includes Cliff Chamberlain and Jordan Arredondo), but the less you know about them in advance, the better. Both Morton and Smallwood are superb here, not least because they are two Chicago actors of different generations who share an obsessive interest in finding the humanity in unusual people and then listening not just to what their character is saying to them, but also to others with whom they share the stage. They're both a real pleasure to watch. I think the play's symbols and metaphors get a bit too dense and oblique in places and this is one of those shows (it recalls the work of Noah Haidle) where you need a lot of patience before it becomes clear what the playwright wants to achieve. It's the kind of show that actors easily understand, being so suffused with the iconography of the theater, but it occasionally crosses the line of self-indulgence; I suspect some subset of the Steppenwolf audience might be a bit too baffled to care. Although sometimes moving, director Audrey Francis' production could have used some sharper edges and more of a forward thrust, especially in the studio scenes. But if you hang in there for just 85 minutes, not only are there twin beautifully crafted performances for you to enjoy but the surprise-filled last few minutes really pays off, not just in the writing but in set designer Andrew Boyce's visual landscape Certainly, you'll leave the theater thinking about what Diaz clearly wants his audience to think about. More specifically, it's hard not to watch this show and think not just about sickness but about how it is described and communicated. By a society at large. By oneself. After all, most of us won't be able to get home without having to tell someone where we are going. Perhaps the hardest cut of all. Chris Jones is a Tribune critic. cjones5@ Review: 'You Will Get Sick' (3.5 stars) When: Through July 20 Where: Steppenwolf Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted St. Running time: 1 hour, 25 minutes Tickets: $20-$136.50 at 312-335-1650 and
USA Today
07-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Nebraska hosted 7 on 7 tournament praised by players and coaches
Nebraska hosted 7 on 7 tournament praised by players and coaches Nebraska Football hosted the Battle of the Boneyard 7 on 7 tournament on Friday, and it is proving to be a success. Multiple 7 on 7 coaches have confirmed that other events have already reached out to learn how Nebraska is running the weekend. This was reported by Tim Verghese on Friday. Verghese also noted that this is the first-ever sponsored brand tournament on the Nebraska campus. The tournament itself was sponsored by Adidas. Class of 2027 Nebraska football quarterback commit Trae Taylor elected to be part of this, playing on the Miami Raw team. He had a productive day on Friday and was able to connect with fellow 2027 recruit Ahmad Hudson for multiple touchdowns. Hudson is the top tight end in the 2027 class per Rivals rankings. Several prominent figures in the NFL circle showed up as well. Former Carolina Panthers and New England Patriots quarterback Cam Newton came to Lincoln, as his 7 on 7 team, C1N was present. Former Nebraska football running back Ameer Abdullah also made an appearance on Friday. All in all, this appears to be another successful venture organized by the football program and athletic department. There should be a ton of news to come out of this weekend. Contact/Follow us @CornhuskersWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Nebraska news, notes, and opinions.
Indian Express
03-06-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
At Harvard University, a reminder for America and the world: The truth is the best defence
In 2016, Oxford University Press chose 'post-truth' (based on popularity, in large part) as the word of the year: 'Relating to… circumstances in which… facts are less influential… than appeals to emotion and personal belief.' This was also the year Donald Trump was first elected President of the United States. Almost a decade later, (post-) truth featured heavily in physician and writer Abraham Verghese's commencement address at Harvard University: 'This is almost the reflex of so-called strong men: To attack the places where truth and reason prevail.' Since protests around the war in Gaza have intensified, more so after the start of Trump's second term, free speech and universities in the US have come under attack. The Trump administration has tried to clamp down on their functioning, including in matters of diversity, curricula, and hiring. It has blocked federal funding for Harvard and imposed restrictions on international students at the university. But even this, Verghese noted, is not a unique moment. In 1975, when Indira Gandhi imposed the Emergency and thousands of protesting students were arrested, 'citizens…expressed their outrage by voting; she was ousted'. Protest and a valiant defence of truth are the necessary pushbacks to assaults such as those evident in the current moment. The ban on international students' intake was blocked by a federal judge; protests have persisted, and as Megha Vemuri, class president, MIT, said in her speech just this week, 'we cannot let fear keep us' from doing what must be done. The US — on paper and in practice — has been the staunchest defender of free speech. It has taught generations of its young what it means to stand up for reason and justice, to hang in there till the difficult moment passes. Perhaps this is what matters even now: To not be cowed down and to stand up for what is right. As Verghese wrote in The Covenant of Water, 'In a time of deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.'
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Harvard commencement speaker decries Trump administration's 'draconian government measures'
Stanford professor Abraham Verghese spoke out against the Trump administration's "cascade of draconian government measures" at Harvard Thursday as the White House continues to battle the elite university. The physician and novelist was Harvard's 2025 commencement speaker, where he also received an honorary degree from the university. During his address, Verghese acknowledged that he was speaking at an "unprecedented moment" in the school's history amid President Donald Trump's attempts to cut the school's federal funding and terminate its student visa program due to reports of rampant antisemitism on campus. "A cascade of draconian government measures has already led to so much uncertainty, so much pain and suffering in this country and across the globe, and more has been threatened," Verghese said. "The outrage you must feel, the outrage so many feel, must surely lead us to a new appreciation for the rule of law and due process, which 'til now we took for granted, because this is America." Harvard Graduate Criticizes University For Fighting Trump More Than Antisemitism Verghese added that he agreed to be the commencement speaker to promote the value of immigrants like himself as Trump cracks down on illegal immigration. Read On The Fox News App "What made me eventually say yes to President Garber had everything to do with where we all find ourselves in 2025, when legal immigrants and others who are lawfully in this country, including so many of your international students, worry about being wrongly detained and even deported," Verghese said. "When legal immigrants and others who are lawfully in this country worry about being wrongly detained and even deported, perhaps it's fitting that you hear from an immigrant like me." "Part of what makes America great, if I may use that phrase, is that it allows an immigrant like me to blossom here, just as generations of other immigrants and their children have flourished and contributed in every walk of life, working to keep America great." He later related his experiences caring for HIV patients in a small town in Tennessee at the height of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s, saying the experience taught him that "love trumps all bigotry. Love trumps ideology." Verghese also celebrated the school pushing back against the Trump administration as an inspiration. Harvard Professor Urges University To Embrace Ideological Balance Amid Clash With Trump Admin "More people than you realize are grateful for Harvard for the example it has set," he said. "By your clarity in affirming and courageously defending the essential values of this university, and indeed of this nation." Verghese's speech came after Harvard President Alan Garber addressed conservative viewpoints being seen as unwelcome on campus. He called it a "problem" that needs to be solved. Fox News Digital reached out to Harvard for article source: Harvard commencement speaker decries Trump administration's 'draconian government measures'
Time of India
30-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
A PIO physician treats Harvard grads to life lessons
A PIO physician treats Harvard grads to life lessons TOI correspondent from Washington: By his own account, graduates at Harvard University's convocation ceremony on Thursday deserved to hear from a star, a legend, a Nobel prize winner, or perhaps even the Pope. But tasked with delivering the commencement speech by the university's embattled president Alan Garber, currently locked in an epic battle with the Trump White House, Abraham Verghese, physician and author of Indian-origin, proceeded to dissect MAGA-infused USA with the precision of a surgeon, although he is an infectious disease specialist. "When legal immigrants and others who are lawfully in this country including so many of your international students worry about being wrongly detained and even deported, perhaps it's fitting that you hear from an immigrant like me," Dr Verghese told the graduating class, recalling a journey that brought him to America from Ethiopia, where he was born, via India, from where his parents hailed and from where he obtained his MBBS (from Madras Medical College). He recalled that both countries went through authoritarian rule, and the journey had led him to an appreciation of American values that were now under siege. Without once mentioning the US President's name or MAGA, Abraham told the largely anti-Trump assembly that a cascade of draconian government measures had already led to uncertainty, pain, and suffering in America and across the globe—and more has been threatened. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Dermatologista recomenda: simples truque elimina o fungo facilmente Acabe com o Fungo Undo "The outrage you must feel, the outrage so many feel, also must surely lead us to a new appreciation. Appreciation for the rule of law and due process, which till now we took for granted—because this is America after all! And appreciation for those committed to truth—veritas--at a time when the absence of truth has come to feel almost normal," he said to applause. Author of acclaimed novels going back to his 1994 debut with My Own Country: A Doctor's Story, about his experience with the onset of AIDS in America, Verghese said a part of what makes America great is that "it allows an immigrant like me to blossom here, just as generations of other immigrants--and their children--have flourished and contributed in every walk of life, working to keep America great." America also allowed this immigrant to find his voice as a writer, he said, citing the novelist E.L. Doctorow, who wrote, 'It is the immigrant hordes who keep this country alive, the waves of them arriving year after year. Who believes in America more than the people who run down the gangplank and kiss the ground?' The new grads tittered at the many subtle digs Verghese took at the White House occupant, including referring to "the trait of reading fiction in some of the best physicians and leaders I have met, including your President, I mean your university's if you don't read fiction, my considered medical opinion is that a part of your brain responsible for active imagination atrophies." He also referred to courage of the AIDS-afflicted he had treated, and in an oblique dig at MAGA told the graduating class "They taught me about manhood—not the caricature of manliness, not the posturing that has become so fashionable lately—but the manliness that allowed them to be compassionate, generous, and steadfast even in the depths of their suffering."
