Northlight Theatre, under the direction of Artistic Director BJ Jones and Executive Director Timothy J. Evans, opens its 50th Anniversary season with James Sherman’s new play The First Lady of Television, directed by Artistic Director BJ Jones. The production runs September 4 – October 5, 2025, at Northlight Theatre, 9501 Skokie Blvd in Skokie. The press opening is Thursday, September 11 at 7:30pm.
In 1950, Gertrude Berg was the popular creator and star of America’s first family sit-com, The Goldbergs. When co-star Philip Loeb is accused of communism, Gertrude must make an enormous decision: fire him to keep the sponsors at bay or defend him and risk the show being canceled. In this new play based on the true story of a pioneering American entertainer, onstage comedy balances with the offstage intersection of art, religion, and politics that is shockingly relevant for today.
“In 2009, I watched the documentary Yoohoo, Mrs. Goldberg by Aviva Kempner, which brought back memories of the show that ruled the airwaves. I thought her story would be a terrific stage play and commissioned a draft right away. That original treatment didn't quite work out, but years later, after I saw James Sherman's play Chagall in School and was struck by its themes of anti-Semitism, we started talking about the project and soon had a first draft of the play,” comments BJ Jones. “Cindy Gold, a Northlight regular, is a dead ringer for Gertrude Berg, and I had her in mind for Gertrude/Molly Goldberg from the very beginning.”
The cast is Cindy Gold (Gertrude Berg/”Molly”), Joe Dempsey (Walter Hart), William Dick (Phillip Loeb/”Jake”), Ty Fanning (Larry Robinson/”Sammy”), Mark Kaplan (Eli Mintz/”David”), and Sarah Coakley Price (Arlene McQuade/”Rosalie”).
The creative team includes James Sherman (playwright), Artistic Director BJ Jones (director), Jeffrey D. Kmiec (set design), Raquel Adorno (costume design), Lee Fiskness (lighting design), Andre Pluess (sound design), and Nicolas Bartelson (props design). The stage manager is Katie Klemme.
James Sherman (Playwright), originally from Chicago, was a theatre student at Illinois State University in the 1970s. He began his professional career with The Second City in Chicago and received an M.F.A. degree from Brandeis University. Living in New York in the 1980s, James studied acting with Uta Hagen for five years and had his first professional production as a playwright. He was a founding member of the Playwrights Ensemble of the Tony Award-winning Victory Gardens Theater and had thirteen plays premiered there. He is the author of many plays including Magic Time, The God of Isaac, Beau Jest, Jest a Second!, Romance in D, From Door to Door, Jacob and Jack, The Ben Hecht Show, and Chagall In School. James’ plays have been published and are regularly produced by theaters throughout the United States and have also been seen in Canada, Mexico, Australia, Argentina, Brazil, England, Germany, Austria, Turkey, Poland, South Africa, China, and Korea. In the summer of 2008, James wrote and directed the movie of his play, BEAU JEST, starring Lainie Kazan, Seymour Cassel, and Robyn Cohen. James currently teaches classes in Improvisation and American Comedy at DePaul University and Columbia College of Chicago He is a member of The Dramatists Guild of America. jamessherman.com
BJ Jones has been Artistic Director of Northlight since 1998. Mr. Jones is a two-time Joseph Jefferson Award Winning actor and a three-time nominated director. He has directed the world premieres of Relativity, Charm, Faceless, White Guy on the Bus, Chapatti, The Outgoing Tide (Jeff Nomination), Better Late, and Rounding Third. Notably he has directed productions of Outside Mullingar, Grey Gardens, The Price, The Lieutenant of Inishmore, Curve of Departure, and The Beauty Queen of Leenane. As a producer he has guided the world premieres of Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley, Shining Lives, The Last Five Years, and Studs Terkel’s ‘The Good War.’ Additional directorial credits include Pitmen Painters (Jeff Nomination, Timeline); 100 Saints You Should Know (Steppenwolf); Glengarry Glen Ross (Susie Bass Nomination, Alliance Theatre, Atlanta); The Lady with All the Answers (Cherry Lane, New York); Animal Crackers (Baltimore Center Stage); Three Musketeers, The Tempest, Twelfth Night, Much Ado About Nothing (Utah Shakespeare Festival), and four productions at the Galway International Arts Festival. As a performer, he has appeared at Northlight, Goodman, Steppenwolf, Court and other theatres throughout Chicago. Film/TV credits include The Fugitive, Body Double, Law and Order: Criminal Intent, Early Edition, Cupid, and Turks, among others.
Cindy Gold (Gertrude Berg/”Molly”) At Northlight, Cindy appeared in Pride and Prejudice, Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, Mothers and Sons, Awake and Sing. Chicago area appearances include Miz Martha Washington (Steppenwolf Theatre); Wipeout (Rivendell); Christmas Carol, Measure for Measure (Goodman); Indecent (Victory Gardens); Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Drury Lane); Taming of the Shrew (Chicago Shakespeare); Showboat, and My Fair Lady (Lyric Opera). Regional credits include Cake (Asolo Theatre); Showboat, Daughter of the Regiment (The Kennedy Center) (where she shared a role with RBG!) Music Man (Glimmerglass Opera, both in New York and at the Royal Opera House in Muscat). Cindy performed 2 summers with Peninsula Players. She won a Jeff award for playing Gertrude Stein in Frank Galati and Stephen Flaherty’s Loving Repeating. Recent TV: Work in Progress, Empire, Chicago Fire, and Leverage. Film: Ghostlight, I Used to Go Here. Cindy is Professor Emeritus of Theatre at Northwestern University.
Joe Dempsey (Walter Hart) is back at Northlight, where he has previously appeared in Faceless, Inherit the Wind, and All in the Timing. Joe has worked at nearly every Chicago theater including Goodman, Steppenwolf, Chicago Shakespeare, Court, Drury Lane, Oak Brook, Paramount, and Remy Bummpo, as well as regional theatres City Theatre Pittsburgh, St Louis Rep, Cincinnati Playhouse, Kansas City Rep, Centerstage Baltimore, and Milwaukee Rep. TV roles include Somebody, Somewhere, Chicago PD, Chicago Fire, Early Edition, and What about Joan? Joe is a former member of the Second City National Touring Company and the Neo-Futurists.
William Dick (Philip Loeb/”Jake”) Northlight credits include Ben Jonson in The Book Of Will, and Vinnie in The Odd Couple. Recent Chicago credits include Inherit The Wind, A Christmas Carol, Bernhardt/Hamlet, Father Comes Home From The Wars, Blind Date (Goodman Theatre); The Comedy of Errors, All’s Well That Ends Well (Chicago Shakespeare Theater), Choir Boy (Steppenwolf Theatre); The Pitmen Painters (Timeline Theatre). Regional theatres include Asolo Repertory, Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival, Milwaukee Repertory, Madison Repertory, Michigan Public, Los Angeles Theatre Center. TV: Dark Matter, Emperor of Ocean Park, A League of Their Own, 4400, Fargo, Chicago Fire, Empire. Film: Fred Claus, Stranger Than Fiction, The Break Up, The Merry Gentleman, Oz The Great And Powerful, The Company. williamdick.net
Ty Fanning (Larry Robinson/”Sammy”) recently made his Broadway debut in Othello starring Denzel Washington & Jake Gyllenhaal, directed by Kenny Leon. Other recent roles include: Hamlet (Hamlet) at the Denver Center and the world premiere of Jen Silverman’s Spain at Second Stage (Off-Broadway). Chicago credits include Lindiwe (Steppenwolf), Teenage Dick (Theater Wit), and numerous productions at Chicago Shakespeare and Writers Theatre. Ty spent five seasons at American Players Theatre (An Iliad, She Stoops to Conquer), two seasons at Utah Shakespeare Festival (Romeo in R&J), Indiana Rep, and Montana Shakespeare in the Parks. TV/film roles include: the upcoming film Bolio: Spirit of the Mustang (starring Tony Shalhoub and Brooke Adams), Chicago Med, Search Party, and the Comedy Central film Hot Mess Holiday. BFA, Oklahoma City University.
Mark David Kaplan (Eli Mintz/”David”) is the recipient of three Joseph Jefferson Awards–for Les Misérables, Ragtime and Forbidden Broadway–the latter with which he has toured internationally-as both director and actor, and performed off-Broadway. Recent credits: Fiddler on the Roof (Drury Lane-Jeff Nom), Titanic (Marriott), The Band’s Visit (TheatreSquared), No Man’s Land, Noises Off (Steppenwolf), Cabaret (Porchlight), Clue (Mercury), Mr. Dicken’s Hat (Northlight), The Diary of Anne Frank (People’s Light), Peter..Starcatcher (Paramount), and work with the Goodman, Writers, About Face, American Blues, Syracuse Stage, and Pioneer Theatres. Mark has toured (twice) with Disney’s The Lion King. TV: Utopia (Amazon), Chicago Fire (NBC), Being Blago (Hulu). Film: the upcoming Adult Children. He sits on the board of Season of Concern, which provides financial assistance to artists in need.
Sarah Coakley Price (Arlene McQuade/”Rosalie”) is thrilled to be returning to Northlight, where she was previously seen in Dear Jack, Dear Louise. Chicago theatre credits include Eurydice (Writers Theatre); The Wolves (Goodman Theatre); The Secretaries (First Floor Theatre); Earthquakes in London (Steep Theatre); X, Mai Dang Lao (Sideshow Theatre); Monstrous Regiment (Lifeline Theatre) and others. Regional credits include The Play That Goes Wrong, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Indiana Repertory Theatre); The Stranger (Peninsula Players) and With Love and A Major Organ (Boise Contemporary). TV: Chicago Fire (NBC). Sarah is a graduate of The Theatre School at DePaul University, the Improv Training Program at iO, and Second City’s Conservatory. She is represented by Gray Talent Group.
This production is supported in part by Nan Greenough, Judy Newton, Paul Epner and Janet Gans Epner, Donna and Gene Frett, Guy and Joan Gunzberg, Susan Gaud.
FACTS
The First Lady of Television
By James Sherman
Directed by BJ Jones
September 4 – October 5, 2025
Opening: Thursday, September 11
Schedule:
- Tuesdays: 7:30pm (September 9 only)
- Wednesdays: 1:00pm and 7:30pm
- Thursdays: 7:30pm
- Fridays: 7:30pm
- Saturdays: 2:30pm (except September 6) and 7:30pm
- Sundays: 2:30pm and 7:30pm (September 7 only)
Accessible Performances:
Relaxed/Sensory-Friendly: Saturday, September 20 at 2:30pm
Audio Description/Touch Tour: Saturday, September 27 at 2:30pm
Open Captioning: Friday, September 26 or Saturday, September 27 at 2:30pm
Location: Northlight Theatre is located at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd, Skokie
Tickets
Previews: $36-$74 before fees
Regular run: $46-$98 before fees
Student tickets are $15, any performance (subject to availability)
Box Office: The Box Office is located at 9501 Skokie Blvd, Skokie. 847.673.6300; northlight.org
Curtain times are: Wednesdays at 1:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; Thursdays at 7:30 p.m.; Fridays at 7:30 p.m.; Saturdays at 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; and Sundays at 2:30 p.m.
Notes of Interest:
- The First Lady of Television kicks off Northlight’s 50th Anniversary Season, which will culminate in the opening of its new home in Evanston.
- The First Lady of Television was first presented by Northlight as a public reading after workshops and rehearsals at the prestigious Colorado Springs New Play Festival.
- The themes inherent in the play are chillingly prescient. The New Yorker recently featured an article called "The Mother of the Sitcom” (June 9, 2025). In it, they stated that without Gertrude Berg, there would not have been an I Love Lucy. In 1950, Berg was the second most popular woman in America after Eleanor Roosevelt. The underlying themes of her scripts championed Democracy.
- In 1989, Gertrude Berg was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame, located in Chicago.
- Cindy Gold remembers the show and the catchphrase "Yoohoo, Mrs. Goldberg" was popular among her own relatives. Because her family’s last name was Gold, she remembers her own neighbors mimicking it and calling out "Yoohoo, Mrs. Gold" to her own mother.
Subscriptions to the 2025-2026 Northlight Season are available at northlight.org/subscribe or 847.673.6300.
Subscriptions range in price from $108-250. Flex pass options are $125-$215. With its wide range of ticket prices, discounted subscription packages and complimentary parking, Northlight remains of one of the best theatrical values in Chicagoland. Package options include traditional 4-Play or 3-Play Packages and 3-Play Flex Packages. Subscriptions are available at northlight.org/subscribe or 847.673.6300.
The complete 2025-2026 season will be performed in the theater’s current location at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd in Skokie, IL.
Northlight Theatre aspires to promote change of perspective and encourage compassion by exploring the depth of our humanity across a bold spectrum of theatrical experiences, reflecting our community to the world and the world to our community.
Founded in 1974 with its inaugural season in 1975-76, the organization has mounted over 250 productions, including more than 45 world premieres. Northlight has earned 238 Joseph Jefferson Award nominations and 36 Awards, as well as 11 Edgerton Foundation for New Play Awards. As one of the area’s premier theatre companies, Northlight is a regional magnet for critical and professional acclaim, as well as talent of the highest quality.
Northlight is supported in part by generous contributions from BMO Harris Bank; Bulley & Andrews; Byline Bank; ComEd, An Exelon Company; Dr. Scholl Foundation; Eckenhoff Saunders Architects, Inc.; The Field Foundation of Illinois; Full Circle Foundation; Grumman Butkus Associates; Hagerty Consulting; Illinois Arts Council, a state agency; John R Halligan Charitable Fund; LionBird; Lloyd A. Fry Foundation; Mabadi Realty; Mammel Family Foundation; Modestus Bauer Foundation; Northwestern University; Paul M. Angell Family Foundation; Pritzker Foundation; The Schubert Foundation, Inc.; The Sullivan Family Foundation; The Weatherlow Foundation; Tom Stringer Design Partners.