My worst moment: William Petersen and a 'legendary moment in Chicago theater history'
CHICAGO - Pensive and firm, if begrudgingly patient, the small town mayor played by William Petersen in "The Minutes," Tracy Letts' new play at the Steppenwolf (through Jan. 7), keeps all the danger of the play's final moments just under the surface. He presides over a city council meeting gone awry, as homespun inanities are eventually peeled back to reveal something ugly and sinister at America's core.
"I live mostly in LA but I have a place here too," Petersen said. "I try and come back and forth. My wife and I are both from here." Though he wasn't part of the original group that founded Steppenwolf, he said, "I've known everyone here forever. I met them when they were still up in Highland Park. I started a theater company called The Remains around the same time and we were like sister companies. We all came up together. So I've known them for 40 years."
About 10 years ago he officially joined Steppenwolf as an ensemble member, around the same time he bowed out at the CBS series "CSI:
