You know the Beatles song “A Day in the Life”? The Movement You Need: An Evening with Brendan Hunt, now enjoying a brief run at Steppenwolf, presents the Ted Lasso co-creator, Chicago improv veteran and Beatles superfan’s life in a day. It’s an engaging and entertaining autobiography, full of wry humor and wisdom gleaned from years spent trying to save his alcoholic mom from oblivion.
With a winning mix of earnestness, candor and self-effacing humor, Hunt explains how the Beatles gave him the sense of belonging and love he needed during a difficult childhood. Nicknamed “Na-na,” young Brendan thought the chorus of “Hey, Jude” was aimed squarely at him. Years later he realized that, as a child of divorce, the song John Lennon penned to help Paul McCartney’s son Julian through his parents’ split had even deeper resonance for him.
He starts the show with a nifty framing device: Thanks to the minor fame afforded him by the role of Coach Beard on the Apple TV show, Hunt gets the opportunity to meet Paul McCartney before a benefit concert in London. There’s so much he wants to tell Sir Paul, but he decides against recounting how important the band has been in his life. So he tells us instead.
It’s quite a story, full of funny and poignant twists and turns, the stuff of a life related by a good storyteller, self-aware and skilled at connecting with audiences. Well worth the 90-minute investment, especially if you’re a fan of Coach Beard. You’ll leave a fan of Brendan Hunt.
The Movement You Need: An Evening with Brendan Hunt runs through May 10 at Steppenwolf Theatre.
For a full roundup of reviews of this show, visit Theatre in Chicago.
Photo by Jenn Udoni
