Brokeback Mountain - Chicago Shakespeare Theater - May 2026

Brokeback Mountain

Poster on Navy Pier

A play by Ashley Robinson

Review by Ernest Edwards

Brokeback Mountain, as a play is making it’s North American premiere at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s Courtyard Theater. The play premiered in London in 2023. The play is based on the novella, not the movie. The playwright made that very clear on a recent interview on a Chicago news segment. 

I must say, this play is a work of art. It is a work of literature live on stage. There are many reasons for that. First of all is the cast. Jack Twist is played by Jack Cameron Kay and Emmit Del Mar is played by Harrison Ball. These two actors were perfectly cast and portray these characters so well. I just can’t say enough about their performances and the strong cast supporting them throughout the play. These two leading men are part of this plays success. 

In no particular order all of these elements help to make this play a success. There is the direction by Jonathan Butterell, the Scenery & Costumes were designed by Tom Pye, the Lighting designed by David Finn, and the songs by Dan Gillespie Sells. This is not a musical, it’s a play with music. The music and vocals provide a nice undertone to what is happening on stage. 

Let’s talk about the scenery in a greater detail. The story takes place in various locations in Wyoming

Photo by Ernest Edwards

between 1963 and 1983. The scenery was universal, but had elements that took us to where needed to go for every scene. There’s patches of grass, there’s a fire pit for the campsite’s (with real flames and smoke), beds, tables and counters rise out the floor for the various indoor scenes, with the appropriate lighting fixtures that descend from above. The scenery was spectacularly designed and functioned very well. The scenery, along wth the costumes helped take us to Jack and Emmit’s Wyoming. 

Let’s talk about the story. Jack and Emmit meet in 1963 and are herding sheep on Brokeback Mountain. During the course of that summer. They two cowboys discover something that they can only share with each other. These two cowboys in the 1960’s become lovers. Eventually they both marry woman. Emitt has two daughters. This is probably a lot to do with society, that these two cannot fully be themselves.  They have their fishing trips multiple times a year. This goes on for 20 years. 

Society has come a long way since the time period when this play takes place. We still have a long way to go. 

The story is so moving, emotional and well executed that it received an instant standing ovation when the play was over. The run time is also 90 minutes with no intermission, which is the right amount of time for this play. If you in Chicago or want to make a trip to Chicago, this play is not to be missed. The play continues through June 28, 2026. Check out www.chicagoshakes.com for tickets. 

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