Iceboy!
2026 musical
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Iceboy! (or Iceboy! Or The Completely Untrue Story Of How Eugene O'Neill Came to Write The Iceman Cometh) is a 2026 musical with music by Mark Hollmann, lyrics by Hollmann and Jay Reiss and a book by Reiss and Erin Quinn Purcell. The production premiered in Chicago at the Goodman Theatre in June 2026, starring Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman.[1]
| Iceboy! | |
|---|---|
2026 Goodman Theatre premiere poster | |
| Music | Mark Hollmann |
| Lyrics | Mark Hollmann and Jay Reiss |
| Book | Jay Reiss and Erin Quinn Purcell |
| Productions | 2020 Pasadena (workshop) 2026 Chicago |
Plot
The musical follows Broadway star Vera Vimm in 1939 as she adopts a 40,000 year-old Neanderthal discovered frozen in the Arctic. When he thaws and begins to attract fame and attention, he eventually inspires playwright Eugene O'Neill to write The Iceman Cometh based on the events. As the neanderthal's star rises, tension ensues between him and Vera as she clamors for the spotlight.[2][3]
Production history
Development and workshops
Iceboy! began as a straight play by Jay Reiss and Erin Quinn Purcell, which was presented in 2001 at Adobe Theatre Company in New York City. In 2012, they decided to make it into a musical and recruited composer Mark Hollmann to write the music and co-write the lyrics with Reiss. The production was presented in a staged reading in 2014, then titled Hooray for Iceboy, with Megan Mullally,[4] and again in 2020 at Pasadena Playhouse. The latter later presented the production digitally, with the addition of Nick Offerman, Adam Devine and Laura Bell Bundy in the cast.[5][6][7]
2026 Chicago premiere
The musical was announced as the final production of Goodman Theatre's Centennial Season (2025/26), to star Megan Mullally[8] and Nick Offerman, real-life couple, as Vera Vimm and Eugene O'Neill, respectively. The production also stars Grey Henson as Iceboy, Alex Goodrich as Frankenstein, Cedric Yarbrough as Floyd Richards and Sarah Stiles as Lambert. Also featured are Donterrio, Melanie Brezill, Will Koski, Linda Mugleston, Shawn Pfautsch, and Andrea San Miguel; and swings Will Lidke, Leah Morrow, and Jeff Parker.
Originally Kathleen Marshall was set to direct, but she was later replaced by Marc Bruni, due to scheduling conflicts.[9] The musical will also feature costumes by Linda Cho, sets by Paul Tate dePoo III, lighting by Jen Schriever, wig/hair by Charles LaPointe, sound by Connor Wang and orchestrations by Bruce Coughlin.[10]
The musical opened on June 20 and is set to run through August 16, 2026, after a pre-opening extension due to high demand and an additional extension announced after opening.[11] The production received positive reviews, with praise for the humor and performances. The Chicago Tribune praised the "wacky" musical and Offerman's "very entertaining" performance ", along with Mullaly as "utterly immersed in her character," though deriding the "not enough full-on songs" within the show.[12] Additionally, Around the Town Chicago lauded Bruni's "smooth direction" and Joann M. Hunter's "slick choreography," and called the show "a comedy that would make (Sondheim) proud."[13]
Cast and characters
| Character | Chicago 2026[14] |
|---|---|
| Vera Vimm | Megan Mullally |
| Eugene O'Neill | Nick Offerman |
| Iceboy | Grey Henson |
| Frankenstein | Alex Goodrich |
| Lambert | Sarah Stiles |
| Floyd Richards | Cedric Yarbrough |