John Wayne Gacy Play? Chicago Theater Company Brings Serial Killer's Story To The Stage

Gacy The Play? Notorious Serial Killer's Story Takes Center Stage

The story of serial killer John Wayne Gacy has already made it -- a number of times -- to the silver screen, so it was only a matter of time before it hit the stage.

Sideshow Theatre Company, a Chicago-based group, last weekend opened its one-month, world-premiere run of "The Gacy Play," a work intended to "delve deep into the mind of one of America's most notorious killers" and "unearth an otherworldly meditation on masculinity and violence that hits all too close to home, even now."

The production is being directed by Jonathan L. Green and the play was penned by Chicago-based Calamity West, who told the Daily Herald that she was intrigued by the "gray areas" of Gacy's life story, which included a great deal of self-hatred.

"We need to have a reason why these horrific things can happen," West told the paper.

In its review of the show, Gapers Block writes that the show's "script is cleverly written to go deeper than the sensationalized character that was plastered across the front page of the Tribune. The show is directed with a keen eye for the audience experience, creating dynamic perspectives in a single setting."

Gacy was executed at the Stateville Correctional Center in 1994, after he was convicted of murdering 33 young men and boys over the course of six years, most of the bodies of which were buried underneath the crawl space of his Chicago-area home.

"The Gacy Play" runs through July 29 at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave. in Chicago. Buy tickets here.

Before You Go

Popular in the Community

Close

What's Hot