Chicago’s own John C. Reilly arrives at Steppenwolf Theatre for two concerts this fall as part of a tour celebrating his musicmaking alter-ego Mister Romantic with the release of the critically acclaimed actor’s debut album “What’s Not To Love” on Friday.
The shows, Sept. 14-15, feature Reilly as the vaudevillian-style crooner Mister Romantic, showcasing the Great American Songbook. The album’s first single, “Dream,” penned in 1944 by Johnny Mercer, was released in March, followed by Reilly’s cover of the 1923 Irving Berlin ballad “What’ll I Do?” in May.
During an appearance Thursday night on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” Reilly said he “grew up listening to the songs,” the standards made famous by icons such as Frank Sinatra, Nat “King” Cole and Bing Crosby. “My mom would play them on a player piano. That’s how I learned them,” he told Colbert. He described his concerts as hugely romantic, “emotional magic shows.”
Reilly is known for films such as “Boogie Nights,” “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby,” “Gangs of New York,” “Wreck-It Ralph,” “Guardians of the Galaxy” and “Chicago,” the latter earning him a best supporting actor Oscar nomination in 2003 for his role as “Mr. Cellophane,” the alter-ego of the gullible Amos Hart.
For his body of work, Reilly was honored with a lifetime achievement award at the Chicago International Film Festival in 2024, where he thanked Steppenwolf for giving him “his first professional work.”
Reilly was born and raised in Chicago’s Southwest Side, graduating from Brother Rice High School and The Theatre School at DePaul University, where he received his BFA degree. His stage credits include Steppenwolf’s 1988 production of “The Grapes of Wrath” and the company’s “A Streetcar Named Desire” in 1997.
And if you’re looking to pick up one of those fetching chapeaux that the actor is almost always sporting these days, Reilly revealed to Colbert that his signature hats are made at the uber-tony Optimo Hatmakers in Chicago.
Ticket information for the Steppenwolf concerts will be released this summer per the theater’s website, which currently offers an email sign-up for the onsale alert.