Actress Kathryn Erbe in 'The Dance of Death' at Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre this month

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Kathryn Erbe is a star of stage and screen and veteran Steppenwolf ensemble member.

It's been decades since she's been back in Chicago, but she's dazzling audiences now in "The Dance of Death."

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The actress said this dark comedy is a rousing curtain call for memories of her home stage.

"The Dance of Death" is by August Strindberg, with Connor McPherson's new take. It's about a bitter couple surviving in a contentious marriage, and it's funny.

"Life is dark and can be really boring, and they find a way to make it exciting. And yes there is some collateral damage," Erbe said. "She's just a spitfire; she's a beast. She's ferocious, and it's fun to kind of hang out in that and find that in myself. I guess the older I get, I turned 60 in July, yes, this is who I am. So there's a freedom I feel now that I never did before."

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She touched on being part of the Steppenwolf legacy.

"It's quite truthfully a dream come true; I could cry," Erbe said. "I don't have words to say how meaningful it is to be a member of this company that has brought me personally such inspiration. I could see how audiences come to participate. They come to collaborate almost. They want you to be good; they want to enjoy the experience, and meet, meet one more than halfway it feels like."

She said she had her own perspective on the work.

"I brought that, and they said, 'thank you.' And that is not always the case everywhere. I love who I am, and I value myself. And I bring myself to these characters. And I get to live as someone else for awhile, and that's fun. And I think it really brings empathy," Erbe said. "We're so divided and any way we can come together and have joy and humor and humanity I think is a good thing."

"The Dance of Death" is at Steppenwolf through March 22.