New Play in Chicago Uses Naperville as Its Setting

NAPERVILLE, IL — Naperville is the best city to live in Illinois. It’s also one of the wealthiest in the Midwest. Now, it’s the setting of a new play in Chicago.

Written by Naperville native Mat Smart, the play “is bound to leave you breathless,” according to a Chicago Sun-Times review.

Set in a Caribou Coffee, the story follows Howard, who is thinking about moving back home to Naperville to care for his newly-blind mother. As he deals with her, Howard must also face old faces from his school days.

The Sun-Times praised the show for its lack of a cynical eye toward the suburbs.

“(Smart) clearly understands all the pitfalls of those green oases that stretch beyond urban centers, but at the same time he transcends the often snarky and dismissive attitudes about them in a surprising way,” the review said.

“Naperville” is playing through Oct. 16 at the Theater Wit in Chicago. Tickets range between $20 and $70. The show runs 95 minutes with no intermission.