Skip to main content

Happy Days are Here (Again)

Written by Omer Abbas Salem
Opens: September 20, 2024
Closes: October 27, 2024

An unanswered question rings through the halls of St. Boniface High School: “Who will help me?” Happy Days Are Here (Again), a World Premiere commission by Steep ensemble member Omer Abbas Salem, examines man-made “divine” power, who wields it, and if they should be trusted.

Top Ten of 2024, Chicago Tribune

 
Left to right: Alex Gillmor, Eric Lindahl, Patricia Donegan

“Excellent and unstinting premiere from Chicago director Azar Kazemi.”

Left to right: Oliver Maalouf, Ashlyn Lozano

“One of the most powerful new Chicago plays of this year, heck, most any year.”

“The young ensemble cast acted the bejesus out of the play, which cannot have been easy, especially given the themes of trauma and loss.”

Left to right: Carter Shimp, Maya Hlava

“The uniformly fine cast and Kazemi’s sharp direction… may well enrage you (or re-enrage you) about an evil problem that continues to dog religious institutions, Catholic or otherwise.”

Left to right: Alex Gillmor, Eric Lindahl, Patricia Donegan

“Excellent and unstinting premiere from Chicago director Azar Kazemi.”

Left to right: Oliver Maalouf, Ashlyn Lozano

“One of the most powerful new Chicago plays of this year, heck, most any year.”

“The young ensemble cast acted the bejesus out of the play, which cannot have been easy, especially given the themes of trauma and loss.”

Left to right: Carter Shimp, Maya Hlava

“The uniformly fine cast and Kazemi’s sharp direction… may well enrage you (or re-enrage you) about an evil problem that continues to dog religious institutions, Catholic or otherwise.”