Strawdog Theatre: The F*ck House

Olivia Lindsay and Emily Zhang

Strawdog Theatre Company Presents THE F*CK HOUSE Review - Friendships Grow and Change

TLDR: Gleeful at their newfound jr. high schooler status, two best friends navigate the complexities of being a pre-teen. From changing bodies, to interest in boys, to circumventing strict parents, The F*ck House takes us deep into this changing friendship.

Olivia Lindsay and Emily Zhang

Strawdog Shows Us How Deep Friendships Go

Two childhood friends, Mo and Steff (Emily Zhang and Olivia Lindsay) are about to cross the threshold from grade school into jr. high. They’ve been friends ever since they were both considered weirdos in second grade and always have each other’s backs. No matter what, even through all their disagreements, they’d always end up back at Mo’s house giggling on the floor for another sleepover. But this pivotal moment in their lives becomes tumultuous for their friendship in The F*ck House.

Mo, who is Korean American, has always just wanted to fit in and has dreams of making the cheerleading squad. Steff, coming from a divorced household and always feels like an outsider, tries to hide behind a couldn’t care less persona and embraces being weird and different. 

As they find new groups to hang out with at school, they keep trying to pull each other along into their new lives. Mo wants to go dress shopping, wear makeup, and crush on boys her own age. Steff wants to take the train downtown to the club, stick gum in the popular girls’ hair, and flirt with older guys. As the school year goes on, the two find themselves constantly at odds and each time find it more and more difficult to come back together. 

We find ourselves leaning forward as Zhang and Lindsay draw us in as they reveal more and more about their lives at home and give us moments of emotional vulnerability. We understand how these two have such a close friendship, which makes it even more heartbreaking when they’re growing further and further apart.

Emily Zhang and Olivia Lindsay

Taking Us Back to The 80s

Designed in theatre in the round staging (stage design by Nina Castillo D’Angier), Mo and Steff are surrounded at all angles. The stage starts with a bed in the center with a Hello Kitty pillow and purple duvet. When the set needs to change, the two actors move all the set pieces around and the bed becomes the backseat of a car or the couch in the club greenroom. Chairs are unstacked and become inside of the classroom. Magazines are handed out to audience members who become guests at the slumber party as they sit on the floor and gossip. The bed platforms are rolled away and lights dimmed to purple UV light with smoke billowing out across the floor transporting us to the club downtown.

Zhang and Lindsay also move quickly to change costumes, designed by Aly Greaves Amidei. When they shop for formal dresses, it's giving us peak 80s couture with hot pink, polka dots, and chiffon layered dresses. As they continue to grow in their new lives, we see their styles change. Steff dresses in more black and leather as she embraces her new punk-rock band. Mo’s hair goes up into a bouncy ponytail and skirts get shorter as she makes friends with the popular girls. Backed by a soundtrack of quintessential 80s hits, we feel immersed in their story as the two actors create and change the world around us.

Olivia Lindsay and Emily Zhang

The After Party Thoughts

For the amount of family and coming of age trauma these two go through, it’s hard to believe Mo and Steff are only thirteen. It definitely made me have moments of reminiscence and had me trying to go back to my pre-teen years and think about if I would have been allowed to take the Metra into the city by myself. There’s a lot more to The F*ck House than just two pre-teens going through “normal” teenage growth. No spoilers here, but the show packs an emotional punch, but be forewarned it does have sensitive content like domestic and sexual violence. 

For those who are interested in coming of age stories, ones about changing friendships, and ones that also specifically show someone with Korean heritage growing up in the Midwest, The F*ck House would be a good fit for you!

RECOMMENDED

Olivia Lindsay and Emily Zhang

When

Now through October 11, 2025

Where

Theater Wit

1229 W Belmont Ave. 

Chicago, IL 60657

Runtime: 1hr 50min, including and intermission

Tickets

$10+

Tickets can be purchased through the Theater Wit website

Photos

Manuel Ortiz

Emily Zhang and Olivia Lindsay

CAST

Emily Zhang (Mo)

Olivia Lindsay (Steff)

Naomi Zhanel (Understudy Mo)

Maddy Brown (Understudy Steff)

CREATIVE

Susan H. Pak (Playwright)

Christina Casano (Director)

Mariah Koss (Assistant Director)

Heath Hays (Sound Designer)

Emily Szymanski (Stage Manager)

Karissa Murrell Myers (Casting)

Aly Greaves Amidei (Costume Designer)

Jo-Anna Leigh (Assistant Stage Manager)

Whitney Wolf (Music Consultant)

Madison Hill (Intimacy and Violence Coordinator)

Ellie Levine (Movement and Accessibility)

Ellie Humphrys (Lighting Designer)

Nina Castillo D’Angier (Scenic Designer)

Aaron Moring D’Angier (Props Assistant)