logo
In ‘Fool for Love' at Steppenwolf, Caroline Neff takes on an iconic role

In ‘Fool for Love' at Steppenwolf, Caroline Neff takes on an iconic role

Chicago Tribune07-02-2025
Caroline Neff, a native Texan, first came to Chicago in 2004 to study acting at Columbia College. After graduation, she became one of the city's most intense and respected actors, serving as a busy ensemble member at Chicago's acclaimed Steep Theatre and appearing in shows at theater companies like Victory Gardens, Griffin, Northlight and Jackalope. In 2010, Neff became an ensemble member with the Steppenwolf Theatre Company, where she worked on such productions as 'Airline Highway' and 'The Minutes,' both of which transferred to Broadway.
On Saturday, Neff opens at Steppenwolf in an iconic and very on-brand role: as May in Sam Shepard's intense 1983 drama of warring lovers in the Mojave Desert, 'Fool for Love.' She plays opposite Nick Gehlfuss (known for TV work including 'Chicago Med') as Eddie. Steppenwolf previously staged the play in 1984 with Terry Kinney directing Rondi Reed and William Petersen in the leading roles. May is now widely associated with the actress Kim Basinger, who appeared in the 1985 film version.
Neff, who moved to New York in 2020 after 15 years of living and working in Chicago, spoke during a break in rehearsals; our conversation has been edited for clarity and length.
Q: It's been a while since I saw you on stage after seeing you so often for so many years.
A: 2024 was a very bleak year.
Q: But now here we are. An iconic role.
A: Here we are. I love our board of directors, I say that unironically, but their memories are way too good. After I was cast, I got two text messages saying they'll never forget Rondi's performance in this role in 1984. Cool! This will be different! That cannot be replicated! This is the first Sam Shepard play I have ever done. Maybe even the first in the American canon, given that I have done so much new work and British work.
Q: You must have read the play in college.
A: I don't think I've picked up the play since then. And the difference between reading the play and feeling those characters at 20, versus now doing it at 39? The risks are so much bigger for these two people. And the reward is much more necessary. It makes me nervous. This conversation is going to make me cry.
When I read the play in college, my inroads to the irrational emotional choices these character made were much clearer because I don't think I was using a lot of logic at that time in my life. But now as a person who really thinks about the impact of the choices that I make, how that impacts other people, my partner, my community, my self, my sweet, sweet underpaid therapist, it's much more complex. I have the question 'why?' a lot more frequently now than when I experienced a lot of Shepard's work when I was younger. His characters are driven by their needs; they're not driven by rational thinking.
I believe the biggest gift we have as actors is to rationalize the emotional choices people make. Including ourselves. So to strip away all of that stuff and just do, takes a lot of unlearning. We talk a lot in rehearsal about how the way we talk about mental health now is really different. And we can't approach these characters like they had kind of access to mental health treatment in any way. It's both fun and scary to play a character driven by her base impulses.
Q: Do you think this is still a shocking play?
A: I think it is more shocking now because you have to accept that there were two people with knowledge who continued to act on their impulses. The idea of consent is so prominent now in how we talk about intimacy.
I believe there was more than one version of the play. We are working from several texts including Sam's own text with lines added in the margins. We're not speaking them but they are very informative.
Q: Your background must help with Shepard.
A: Yes. I was born in New Mexico. It's like my siren song. The way my body feels there. Look at Georgia O'Keeffe's paintings. When she painted New York, it was like she was observing it. When she painted New Mexico, it was like an extension of her arm. I'm like that. I'm so at home in this play.
Unfortunately. People will say to me, 'you're great for this role and I will say, what exactly do you mean by that?'
Q: Perhaps that you are right for a play about wide-open American spaces?
There's danger in the desert and it's not like anywhere else. It's built of survivors. The plants, the insects and the human beings that live there must be survivors. It's baked into your bones.
You know, I'm always surprised it's only 40 pages long. It says it should be performed relentlessly. Without a break. If these characters were thinking, they would not be doing what they are doing.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Scottie Scheffler ally insists he'll never be the same as Tiger Woods because he's missing one thing
Scottie Scheffler ally insists he'll never be the same as Tiger Woods because he's missing one thing

Yahoo

time13 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Scottie Scheffler ally insists he'll never be the same as Tiger Woods because he's missing one thing

Jordan Spieth insists Scottie Scheffler will never be the same as Tiger Woods. The World No.1 is racking-up milestones to match the 15-times major winner and drawing big comparisons from his peers. Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele and Shane Lowry were amongst those who talked about the historical context and sizzling nature of Scheffler's blistering current run. READ MORE: Scottie Scheffler kills Rory McIlroy battle cry stone dead as world's best brutally underlines his brilliance READ MORE: Ianis Hagi shows true colours as Rangers hero gives ex SPFL rival priceless words of advice after box office transfer The 29-year-old was quick to cast aside any Woods comparisons in the wake of his Royal Portrush romp and Spieth has given an astounding insight into the mindset of golf's king. Spieth says his fellow Texan's his very differing traits and explained: "I think more so maybe it's less the golf swing and maybe more of his personality. He doesn't care to be a superstar. He's not transcending the game like Tiger did. He's not bringing it to a non-golf audience necessarily. 'He doesn't want to go do the stuff that a lot of us go do, corporately, anything like that. He just wants to get away from the game and separate the two because I know at one time, he felt it was too much, that he was taking it with him and, whenever he made that switch, I don't know what it was, but he has hobbies. 'He's always with his family. They're always doing stuff. I think it's more so the difference in personality from any other superstar that you've seen in the modern era and maybe in any sport. I don't think anybody is like him. 'He has that unique ability, from best I can tell, to separate. But again, when I see him, I'm at the golf course. I see him here and there off the course, but when we're playing on the course at home, he sh*t talks. He's very witty. You can't really go at him because he's smart and he's got good bulls***. 'I mean, it's not necessarily just to me. It's normally the other people that we're playing with. But not that I want to say it, I'm not going to quote him on that kind of stuff. 'But then when a tournament starts, he's incredibly competitive, as you see. He's kind of plotting along. You won't see that much emotion as he continues to strike it like this because the only time you're going to see it is when he's on the greens if he misses putts because he's not missing many shots. 'I wouldn't necessarily think that the golf swing makes as much of a difference as the personality match. I'm thinking about so many other sports. Nikola Jokic is the only guy I can think of that's a superstar that's equally unassuming in any sport in the modern era and I'm happy if anybody else can find another example, but it's very rare. Most people lean into it and take advantage of it. 'Roger Federer, he's maybe the same kind of demeanor and person. As a person he's different, but he made more off the court than he did on all the time and he cared to. When Scottie is done playing, he's not going to show back up at tournaments. I can promise you that.' Spieth and Scheffler came up through the ranks at roughly the same time in Texas and the 2017 Open champion, who will go back to the scene of his Birkdale triumph next year, said: 'Obviously he won a US Junior, like he was a great junior, but I think maybe after the Ryder Cup, watching him when he beat Jon [Rahm] and then when he came and won in that playoff in Phoenix, it's like, now he knows he didn't have to do anything different and he's good enough to win any week. 'He's obviously well-deserving of it, probably the most deserving player of it {The Open]. And I've thought the way that his game is the last few years, the harder the conditions, the better for him over here. "If there's ever a chance for someone to take him down, it's when it's benign. But he's been putting so well, I have a hard time thinking anybody else would get it done.'

'Ridiculously You Podcast' seeks bold experts to talk self‑love, boundaries and body positivity
'Ridiculously You Podcast' seeks bold experts to talk self‑love, boundaries and body positivity

Associated Press

time2 days ago

  • Associated Press

'Ridiculously You Podcast' seeks bold experts to talk self‑love, boundaries and body positivity

Julie May is recording Season 1 of the new Ridiculously You Podcast and is casting expert guests. Leaders in empowerment, wellness, entrepreneurship, and body positivity can now apply to share their real stories on self-love, boundaries, and living unapologetically at AUSTIN, Texas - July 23, 2025 - Julie May, founder of the Ridiculously You self‑love movement, began recording the first episodes of 'The Ridiculously You Podcast' this week and is inviting additional guests to join the program's inaugural season. The weekly interview series pairs May's trademark 'live out loud' philosophy with candid stories from leaders, healers and entrepreneurs who have turned their own 'too much' into a force for good. Season 1 will premiere in September; tapings continue through late August. 'I created The Ridiculously You Podcast to have the kinds of conversations we wish people were having - unfiltered, deep, sometimes hilarious, always transformational. If you're done watering yourself down and want to speak from the soul, I want you on the show.' Guest criteria Bonus points - A quirky or controversial take on the self‑development space. - The ability to laugh at yourself while having a meaningful conversation. - Showing up with heart, humor and humanity. Interviews are recorded remotely via Zoom and run about 45 minutes. Guests receive a promotional toolkit when their episode airs. Apply to be a guest at Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis while recording slots remain. About Julie May Julie May is an international award‑winning keynote speaker, two‑time best‑selling author, host of The Ridiculously You Podcast, and founder of the Ridiculous Women Society. After losing 100 pounds through radical self‑love and a sustainable low‑carb lifestyle, she has helped thousands ditch perfectionism, set unshakeable boundaries, and live unapologetically out loud. Her work has been featured on KSL 5 News, Good Things Utah, CBS, and ABC. Media Contact Company Name: Ridiculously You Contact Person: Julie May Email: Send Email City: Austin State: Texas Country: United States Website: Press Release Distributed by To view the original version on ABNewswire visit: 'Ridiculously You Podcast' seeks bold experts to talk self‑love, boundaries and body positivity

Review: ‘Girls & Boys' by Griffin Theatre is a devastating solo memory play
Review: ‘Girls & Boys' by Griffin Theatre is a devastating solo memory play

Chicago Tribune

time3 days ago

  • Chicago Tribune

Review: ‘Girls & Boys' by Griffin Theatre is a devastating solo memory play

As I walked out of Griffin Theatre's extraordinary production of 'Girls & Boys,' in that dazed state that sets in after a show really messes with your head, two thoughts immediately ran through my mind. First: Cynthia Marker just gave a hell of a solo performance — one of the best I've seen in a long time. Second: how on earth am I going to convey the impact of this play without spoiling too much of the plot? I'll give the latter my best attempt. In this one-woman play, British writer Dennis Kelly (a Tony Award winner for the book of 'Matilda the Musical') manages a tricky balancing act, tackling an extremely dark subject in almost surgical detail while softening its harshest blows for the audience and maintaining some sense of hope in humanity. Oh, and the show is also hilarious. Griffin's Midwest premiere of this 2018 play is directed by Robin Witt, who excels at the helm of intimate dramas, as recently demonstrated by the moving two-handers 'A Case for the Existence of God' and 'A Slow Air' at Steep Theatre. Her knack for shaping exquisitely paced, quietly devastating emotional arcs works equally well in 'Girls & Boys.' With a skilled writer and a sensitive director in her corner, Marker holds the audience in rapt attention for 100 minutes straight in the role of the unnamed narrator, a quick-witted, irreverent Londoner from a working-class background. She launches her opening monologue with a bit worthy of a stand-up comedy set, recalling how she first met her future husband while waiting to board a JetBlue flight in Naples, Italy. As he sarcastically dashes the hopes of two gorgeous models trying to flirt their way ahead in the tense queue, this previously unremarkable man starts looking like a Greek god to our narrator. The attraction proves to be mutual, and Marker's character rhapsodizes about their passionate physicality and seemingly perfect compatibility in the early stages of their relationship. Suddenly, a sound cue and a shift from white to blue lighting indicate a leap in time, and this woman begins to relive a mundane interaction with her two young children, Leanne and Danny, while speaking to thin air and miming her motherly motions. Although we don't initially understand the purpose of this disorienting scene, in which the narrator no longer addresses the audience but instead seems wrapped up in her own memories, it does begin to make sense of the striking scenic design by Sotirios Livaditis. The set's ground level consists of a simple couch, throw rug, end tables and lamps in grays and off-whites — an ensemble that is mirrored by blue furniture suspended from the ceiling and strewn with children's toys and two stuffed animals. The overhead set pieces light up during the blue-tinged memory sequences, with lighting designer Brandon Wardell and sound designer Thomas Dixon working in tandem with Livaditis to toggle back and forth in time as the play inches toward revealing how the narrator's own life was turned upside down. When the action flips back to the brightly lit, right-side-up look, Marker's character recounts how her husband, a successful entrepreneur, cheered her on as she pursued a new career in documentary filmmaking. In another comedic moment, she tells the story of her first job interview in the industry, which pitted her against a horde of posh young people who could afford to pad their resumes with unpaid work experience. But with a combination of grit and humor, she gets her foot in the door and works her way up. A happy marriage, a fulfilling job and soon, a growing family — her adult life seems off to a promising start. Of course, that's not where the story ends. I won't reveal more here, but the script drops enough hints of the horrors to come that when the crisis finally arrives, the narrator acknowledges that the audience probably knows where it's going. Then, she gives the gentlest, most generous trigger warning imaginable. When the story gets difficult, she tells us, remember two things: this did not happen to you, and it is not happening now. But in this fictional world, the unspeakable did happen to her, and the narrator's reflections on violence, grief and memory are both poignant and profound. Marker never succumbs to a full breakdown in the telling, and her character has had years to process the trauma, but her pain is no less palpable for this restraint. It's a performance that will haunt me for some time, I suspect. Don't miss 'Girls & Boys' (4 stars) When: Through Aug. 16 Where: Griffin Theatre at the Bramble Arts Loft, 5545 N. Clark St. Running time: 1 hour, 40 minutes Tickets: $30-$43 at

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store