The Movement You Need: An Evening With Brendan Hunt, directed by Ashley Rodbro, is a humorous and deeply touching dive into the life of Emmy and SAG Award winner and Chicago native Brendan Hunt—and the moments and music that shaped him. This one-man show beautifully captures just how miraculous life can be. It’s a story that will make you laugh, cry, and even hide behind your hands as you cringe at several ironically hilarious homemade videos. Raw, real, and wildly entertaining from start to finish, it never loses its grip on you.
The Ted Lasso star (he plays Coach Beard) is a massive fan of the Beatles, and you don’t need this review—or even this show—to know they defined a generation. Their music fueled a global movement rooted in peace and love throughout the ’60s and ’70s, but it also played a more personal role in shaping young Brendan (or “Nana,” as his mother called him). In an almost unexplainable way, these British icons were with him through everything: his first kiss, his impressive five-year stint at Boom Chicago in Amsterdam, the loss of his mother, and most astonishingly, the birth of his child. It’s an incredible story that underscores just how powerful music can be.
Hunt captivates the audience from the beginning, engaging directly with the Lincoln Park crowd and drawing us into what feels like an intimate conversation. His storytelling is both transformative and inventive, blending video, projection, lighting, and a spot-on Paul McCartney impression to create a vivid and wondrous stage picture.
Scenic designer Meredith Ries transports the audience straight into the heart of the 1970s with a set that feels both simple and thoughtfully curated. Wood paneling, brightly colored curtains, and carefully chosen vintage furniture pieces create a space that is instantly recognizable and warmly nostalgic. It’s not overly complicated, but it doesn’t need to be. The design creates an immersive backdrop that complements Hunt’s storytelling without overshadowing it, allowing the focus to remain where it belongs while still fully grounding us in that retro world.
Even before the show began, I found myself pulled in by the way the stage was lit, the glow bouncing vibrantly off the multicolored curtains and setting a tone that felt alive. Designed by Nick Solyom, the lighting became an essential character in this one-man production, doing far more than simply illuminating the stage. It marked shifts in time, tone, and emotional intensity with precision. About midway through, Hunt reveals he was a lighting design major at Illinois State University and gives the audience a quick, engaging crash course in how stage lighting works. What follows is one of the show’s most memorable sequences: he plunges us into a chaotic, nightmare-fueled LSD trip, seamlessly putting every lighting technique he just explained into action. It’s both hilarious and technically impressive. It’s flawless in execution and genuinely ingenious in concept.
The projections, designed by Stefania Bulbarella, added a much-needed technological layer to the show, giving Hunt’s storytelling a visual richness that elevated it far beyond a standard solo performance. They weren’t just decorative; they felt vital, grounding each moment in something tangible and deeply personal. Childhood family photos, awkward yet endearing high school snapshots, and glimpses of his young adult years traced the arc of his life in a way that words alone never could. Interwoven throughout were Beatles album covers and lyric sheets, visually reinforcing the music that served as both a soundtrack and a compass for his journey. The homemade videos, in particular, brought a new level of intimacy making it feel like we were being invited into something private and unfiltered. Altogether, these visuals didn’t just support the narrative; they expanded it, adding emotional depth and texture to every beat of his story.
This is a must-see show whether you’re a Chicago native, a Beatles fanatic, a lover of live performance, or just someone who appreciates a genuinely good laugh.
The Movement You Need: An Evening With Brendan Hunt continues through May 10 in the Downstairs Theater at Steppenwolf Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted St. Tickets are $55–$105 and are available online, with student rush tickets priced at $15 and offered the day of the performance through the box office one hour before showtime. The performance runs 90 minutes, no intermission, Shows are Tuesdays through Fridays at 7:30pm; Saturdays at 3pm and 7:30pm (with no show on Saturday, May 9); and Sundays at 3pm.
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