Love goes on trial at The Den Theatre in Chicago: Watch three couples and an unconventional therapist battle it out while the audience decides who is right

Couples counseling is usually a private affair, but where is the fun in that? If you have ever listened to a friend complain about their partner and thought you could solve their entire relationship in five minutes, your moment has finally arrived. And if you think you and your sweetheart will never need couples therapy because you are perfectly fine? Consider yourself warned and prepare to take notes because Therapy Out Loud is coming to Chicago.

It’s a mock couples’ therapy session, where instead of just sitting back and watching, the audience gets to play judge and jury. Ready to settle some spectacularly petty arguments?

What is Therapy Out Loud?

Therapy Out Loud is a 60-minute comedy show that blends stand-up, improv, and real-time audience voting, all built on the structure of a courtroom-style arbitration. Fictional couples bring their prescreened disputes to a “therapist,” a host with no qualifications, total confidence in their theory of love, and methods that can best be described as questionable.

Holding it all together is the bailiff, who calls each case and presents the evidence. You’re the jury, voting from your phone as the results appear live on screen. It’s a great plan for your next date night, because it will raise questions about different couples’ issues and you’ll get you to know your partner a whole lot better.

Tell me more about this comedy date night

Couples arguing for laughs is a long Hollywood tradition. From The Newlywed Game that premiered in 1966 to the 2005 Mr. & Mrs. Smith movie where Jane (Angelina Jolie) and John (Brad Pitt) are seen bickering at the marriage counselor’s office, it’s a format that works particularly well, because we often see our own relationships reflected on-screen (exagerated for comedic purposes). However, Therapy Out Loud gives this concept a new spin, putting the couples in question in a courtroom setting and the attendees in the jury box.

You’ll scan a QR code when you arrive, then three cases play out, with fictional texts, receipts, photos, and voice notes on the big screen as evidence. Certainly, you don’t have to go with your partner if you don’t want to. Singles and friend groups are highly encouraged to judge these cases. You are already ruthlessly judging everyone’s life choices in the group chat, so you might as well put those skills to official use. And you won’t feel bad about your choices because the couples are played by professional actors who pretend for a living.

Therapy Out Loud comes to The Den Theatre in Chicago on January 24, and tickets are on sale. There are two 60-minute shows available on the date at 6:00pm and 8:30pm. The performance is suitable for guests aged 16 and over, with age verification at entry. When it wraps, the room gets three to five minutes to debate before audience heads out, so the post-show argument gets a head start.