Theater, Chicago

To see what is currently playing, check the Broadway in Chicago website listed below.

The Oriental Theater was built in 1926 as a movie palace, like the nearby Palace theater it has been renovated into a theater for Broadway type productions and reopened October, 1998.

The theater seats 2,200, we usually get main floor orchestra tickets by purchasing well in advance at full price, the last time we went we got half price tickets through Hottix for main floor orchestra left row U. Hottix normally doesn't have tickets for the Oriental but I'm guessing the economy is making it hard to fill the seats at the top ticket prices. Going directly to the box office avoids Ticketmaster charges

Close dining options before the show:
a) Petterino's-steak, fish, pasta, chicken- a block away on Randolph
b) Fulton's on the River-seafood-3-4 blocks away on the Chicago River at 315 N. LaSalle
c) Atwood Cafe-a little further away, American contemporary
d) Italian Village-a little further away, 3 Italian restaurants ranging from casual to a little more expensive
e) Randolph Street dining corridor is a short cab ride
f) Greektown restaurants are just a short cab ride away
g)Garrett's popcorn has a location right next door although they have told us that the theater will not allow their popcorn inside. We smuggled in a small bag the last time we went because we knew they'd be closed when the show was over

Parking-look for the signs that say theater special on the blocks around the theater or the Broadway in Chicago website has a link to spothero.com which I've never used but the rates look very reasonable for Chicago.

Dress Code: Theatre patrons in Chicago dress in anything ranging from blue jeans to suits and dresses. I imagine it gets a little dressier on the weekends.

To see what is currently playing, check the Broadway in Chicago website

The Palace Theater was originally opened as a vaudeville theater in 1926, later uses include a movie house, a banquet hall and a rock venue. It was beautifully restored in 1999 as a theater for Broadway type shows. Many of them come to Chicago to test the waters before they head off to Broadway and many are touring productions.

We usually get main floor orchestra tickets by purchasing well in advance at full price, the last time we went we got half price tickets through Hottix for the loge row C, most of row A was empty so we moved there when we realized no one else was coming, it was a very nice view overlooking the stage, the equivalent of being about 12-13 rows back on the main floor but without having someone's head blocking your view. Hottix normally doesn't have tickets for the Palace but it was clear that the theater didn't release their best seats available as there were all kinds of seats on the main floor, loge row C is the last row at that price point.

Close dining options before the show:
a) 312 Chicago-Italian, right next door to the theater.
b) Petterino's-steak, fish, pasta, chicken- 3 or 4 blocks away on Randolph
c) Fulton's on the River-seafood-3-4 blocks away on the Chicago River at 315 N. LaSalle
d) Atwood Cafe-a little further away, American contemporary
e) Italian Village-a little further away, 3 Italian restaurants ranging from casual to a little more expensive
f) Randolph Street dining corridor is a short cab ride
g) Greektown restaurants are just a short cab ride away

Parking-look for the signs that say theater special on the blocks around the theater for $8-13. Make sure you check the times, my brother pulled in a few minutes early and got socked with a $20 fee.

Dress Code: Theatre patrons in Chicago dress in anything ranging from blue jeans to suits and dresses. I imagine it gets a little dressier on the weekends.

This is the 2nd time we've been to this small theater located in Rogers Park, one of the most northernmost neighborhoods in Chicago. The theater is very small so there aren't any bad seats, we had seats in row H which was the last row in the theater. The production we saw last night, Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo, was very good, the parts were all cast well, I wasn't familiar with the plot so each twist and turn was a surprise (although now that I've read a synopsis of the book I find that the play isn't precisely faithful to the book).

While I don't want to overstate the danger, but Rogers Park has higher crime statistics than most of the surrounding neighborhoods and just a couple of weeks ago we had someone fleeing a couple of guys trying to beat him up attempt to get in our car while driving just up the street. There were a fair amount of people loitering around as we walked from our parking spot to the theater that quickened my pace a little. If you are coming by el, there's a red line station right on Morse about 1/2 block from the theater and there were plenty of people around, just be street smart about it.

Street parking is metered along Morse and we couldn't find any on the side streets. They do have a parking lot and shuttle about 6 blocks away, click here for more details.

After looking at their wall of previous productions, I'm sorry that it's not a more conveniently located theater for us as I think I would have enjoyed quite a few of them, mostly adaptations of classic novels like Wuthering Heights and The Moonstone.

Dress Code: very casual theater, you must wear clothes of course but nothing special necessary

an amazing building called "the Wonder Theatre of the World" when it opened on October 26, 1921.

Dress Code: No dress code but NO backpacks or other large bags allowed into the auditorium. All such items must be checked. Smaller purses are allowed into the auditorium. Coats and bags can be checked for $1 per item.

We've been to the Chicago Theater a few times, most recently in March 2011 when we got last minute tickets to see Sarah McLachlan. The show was sold out and we were going to buy tickets from Stub Hub or one of the other legitimate ticket brokers (they all appear to have the same stock), my husband called them and the tickets he wanted were sold but he suggested logging onto Ticketmaster after noon to see if they released any more tickets. Sure enough there were two seats in row EE in the center, perfect seats. This tactic probably doesn't always work but it's worth a shot if you've already waited until the day of the show to buy tickets.

You can see the seating chart here, for our show which didn't have an orchestra there were 4 or 5 rows in front where the pit is and then starts the double letters AA-PP and then the single letters. The mezzanine is a 2 row section that sits over the very back of the main floor seating, the balcony seats are closer, they start around row NN on the main floor although with the curvature of the rows some on the sides are closer than the ones in the middle.

The theater itself is a beautifully restored theater in Chicago's theater district. It was originally opened in 1921 and used for movies and live entertainment. It was closed in 1985, restored and then reopened in 1986. It's a more refined venue to see musical acts, most people tend to sit during the shows as there are assigned seats and the acts cater more to an older crowd.

We parked across the river at the Sterling Self Park on Kinzie which is $8 on the weekend evenings and takes about 10 minutes to get to, there's a parking garage closer to the theater if you don't want to walk.

Lots and lots of places to eat within a 10 or 15 minute walk, we ate at Rockit on Hubbard, Atwood Cafe, Petterino's are close but usually booked unless you plan ahead. There are several steakhouses within a 5 minute walk-Morton's, Smith & Wollensky, Chicago Cut.

Dress Code: For most shows there is no particular dress code besides having to wear some.

2nd visit 1/27/11

One of the more entertaining things we've done this year is go to a taping of the NPR (National Public Radio) show "Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me" which tapes on Thursday nights at the Chase Auditorium, you can hear the show you watched the following Saturday on NPR. Peter Sagal hosts the weekly hour long quiz show with a rotating panel of guests, some of whom you might find familar faces such as comedian Paula Poundstone, Saturday Night Live alum Julia Sweeney, Mo Rocca from the "Daily Show" and Tom Bodett who is perhaps best known for saying "We'll leave the light on for you". There's also a call in guest, we had George Romero, the zombie movie director the 1st time and baseball legend Cal Ripken Jr. the 2nd time. I find the show funny when I listen to it on the radio, I laughed almost non stop at the tapings.

I got the tickets for half price from Goldstar, normally tickets are $24.75, we got them for $12.37 + a $4.50 service fee. They don't tape every Thursday night, sometimes they are out of town, but they primarily tape in Chicago. Seating is general admission, the doors open at 7pm, taping is at 7:30pm, we got there about 7:00pm and the line was already really long so get there early if you want a great seat. Our seats weren't bad, on the side about 8 rows back.

We didn't have a lot of time for dinner but there are a few nice places to eat if you have time for a real meal. We headed to the Rosebud Theater District (70 W. Madison), they have a free buffet with munchies like buffalo chicken wings, spare ribs and thin crust pizza as long as you purchase two drinks. It's right across the street from Chase Bank so it was convenient too. Other choices nearby are Italian Village, 71 W. Monroe, and Rosebud Prime, 1 S. Dearborn, also right across the street. A few blocks away there's Miller's Pub, 143 S. Wabash, for burgers and ribs.

Parking is tough in this area, street parking is metered and limited by time so we parked in the Grant Park South garage ($18 flat fee for the evening) instead of parking at the garage on Monroe which was slightly closer but $29.

Dress Code: As long as you are wearing clothes, I think they will let you in

Broadway Playhouse is the new name given to the Drury Lane Water Tower which was opened in 2005, the space was reconfigured and reopened in September 2010. The theater is located just behind Water Tower Place, a half block off Michigan Avenue, right in the heart of the tourist zone. It's a small venue, 549 seats, so there really aren't any bad seats in the theater.

A new production of the 1970 Studs Terkel musical "Working" will be the 1st major show to be staged here in spring 2011 but we saw an interim production of "Traces" here in November 2010 with same day 1/2 price tickets from Hot Tix, there's a location near the theater located in the Pumping Station, 163 E. Pearson, across the street from Water Tower Place, several other outlets or you can order them online if you're willing to pay Ticketmaster charges. "Traces" is running through December 19, 2010 and I highly recommend it if you enjoy Cirque du Soleil or acrobatic shows.

If you want to eat before or after the show, there are lots of restaurants in the vicinity including Bistro 110, Saloon Steakhouse, Grill on the Alley, Gino's East, Rosebud Steakhouse and Cheescake Factory. For a quick bite, located inside Water Tower Place is Foodlife. A couple of blocks away on Rush Street, there's Carmine's, Rosebud on Rush, Le Colonial, Giordano's, Gibson's, Hugo's Frog Bar and Tavern on Rush. For high end dining, you might conside Spiaggia or NoMi.

Dress Code: Chicago theater patrons tend to wear anything from jeans to suits and dresses but the crowd we saw was skewed more towards casual clothes.

We've been to the Court Theater three times now, the latest two visits to see The Mystery of Irma Vep and a reworking of Shakespeare's Comedy of Errors

The theater is very small so there are no bad seats, we've purchased 1/2 price tickets through Hot Tix for all three visits.

There is free garage parking just north of the theater but both times we found free street parking just south of the theater.

If you're looking for dinner in the area, a great casual Lebanese place is Cedars Mediterranean Kitchen at 1206 E. 53rd Street, or for Caribbean influenced food you can try Calypso at 5211 South Harper Avenue or slightly further away, for a very nice meal at the culinary school in the South Shore Cultural Center, try Parrot Cage.

Dress Code: The Court is a small neighborhood theater near the University of Chicago, patrons dress very casually including jeans and tennis shoes.