A Deal with the Devil

Director Malkia Stampey brings to Chicago York Walker's tense story of a Georgia bluesman who may or may not be harboring a dark secret! Covenant received a Critic's Pick in The New York Times when it debuted Off-Broadway in 2023, with acclaim for its suspense-filled plot and atmosphere as a Gothic work from the American South. Debo Balogun plays the lead in this gripping production from the award-winning playwright.

Johnny "Honeycomb" James left his Georgia hometown as an unsuccessful, seemingly failing blues musician, but returns home as a star. So what price did he pay for his success? As suspicions abound that he may have signed his soul over to the devil for his talent, it soon becomes clear that he may not be the only person in town harboring a secret. Perhaps inspired by the story of Robert Leroy Johnson, a delta bluesman who allegedly sold his soul for his musical prowess, Covenant fuses myth with human creativity, examining the crux of rumor and truth.