THEATER IN CHICAGO

[jbm2]

Posted: 10/4/11 at 2:03am

I will be in Chicago the last week of OCT. Never been there before....
What shows should I see? What are the must see shows?

[binau]

Posted: 10/4/11 at 2:27am

FOLLIES

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Brent-Barrett-Robert-Petkoff-Caroline-OConnor-More-Set-for-Chicago-FOLLIES-20111003

Updated On: 10/4/11 at 02:27 AM

[twinbelters]

Posted: 10/4/11 at 9:09am

...and possibly Pippin and Starting Here, Starting Now. Seeing the latter next week.

[jbm2]

Posted: 10/9/11 at 1:20am

any others?
I have seen Follies in NYC.. looking for something else.

[TexanAddams18]

Posted: 10/9/11 at 9:49am

Red at the Goodman Theatre, Clybourne Park at Steppenwolf. Both have gotten great reviews.

[Play Esq.]

Posted: 10/9/11 at 10:26am

^ Saw both of the above. The production of Red is very good, but if you saw the Broadway production, you may want to skip it (not as focused or effecting). CP, on the other hand, is a must see. The experience of going to the Steppenwolf Theater alone is worth the visit...so intimate. I could only imagine how neat it would have been to see August in that theater.

Enjoy your trip!

[MisterSnow89]

Posted: 10/9/11 at 12:33pm

There is also The Real Thing by Tom Stoppard at the Writer's Theatre. I haven't seen it, but it sounds wonderful, has great people in it, and the theatre is wonderfully intimate. I've seen two other things there (She Loves Me and David Cromer's Streetcar and they were both terrific).

Also, if you want something less conventional, there is The Great Fire at Lookingglass.

For more suggestions, this website is amazing for help with finding theatre in Chicago:

http://www.theatreinchicago.com/index.php
Updated On: 10/9/11 at 12:33 PM

[ooblogway]

Posted: 10/9/11 at 1:53pm

I am going to be in Chicago shortly as well. I have tickets to Clybourne Park @ Steppenwolf (I missed it at Playwrights Horizons, so I'm glad to finally get to see it) and Pussy on the House, done by a great local group called Hell in a Handbag Productions, who specialize in campy shows a la Charles Busch.
Hell in a Handbag Productions

[tourboi]

Posted: 10/9/11 at 2:10pm

Shameless plug alert. But if you wanna see something fun, and unique... take in FRAT. www.frattheshow.com. Promenade/environmental staging, lots of laughs, and a bar. Good times.

[xxdrewboy85xx]

Posted: 10/9/11 at 3:07pm

Pippin is playing at Boho theatre.
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is playing at City Lit
Sophocles: Seven Sicknesses is playing at The Hypocrites.
The Amish Project is at the American Theater Company (Jeff Recommended)
Becky Shaw is at Red Orchard Theatre ( Jeff Recommended)


There are tons of off-loop, store front shows going on in chicago.

I recommend seeing "Too Much Light makes the Baby go Blind" with the Neo-Futurists. If you've never been to Chicago- thats something worth checking out.

[TimesSquareRegular]

Posted: 10/9/11 at 6:12pm

How about a visit to the legendary SECOND CITY ..... they have some 11pm performances so that you wouldn't need to skip something else ..

http://www.secondcity.com/performances/chicago/calendarandtickets/

Posted: 10/9/11 at 6:38pm

I used to be a regular at Too Much Light and enjoyed it quite a bit. Very uniquely Chicago.

I'm seeing Pippin opening night. Boho does great stuff- quite curious.
Updated On: 10/9/11 at 06:38 PM

[inlovewithjerryherman]

Posted: 10/9/11 at 8:04pm

Haven't seen PIPPIN yet, must add to my list - saw Bailiwick's VIOLET last night and was unimpressed.

FOLLIES is a must see, if you like musicals. Porchlight's PUTTING IT TOGETHER is solid, too.

RED at the Goodman is very good, CLYBOURNE PARK at Steppenwolf is terrific. The Goodman's NEW STAGES AMPLIFIED series starts next week too - I've read two of the three plays and they are VERY good. I would take or leave THE GREAT FIRE at Lookingglass - it's not awful but there's better on the boards right now.

I hear The House Theatre's CYRANO is very good. Also, Redtwist's ELLING and TimeLine's THE PITMEN PAINTERS are all on my "this week" list, maybe we'll bump into each other! : )

and if you are going to do the Comedy scene, I'd go to Improv Olympic in Wrigleyville over The Second City any day. or the Annoyance in Uptown, if you want to get really grundgy.

[broadwaydevil]

Posted: 10/9/11 at 9:23pm

Follies closes November 6th .

I'll be in Chicago from November 17th - 20th and I know absolutely nothing about theatre in Chciago (I haven't been to Chicago in 10+ years and never saw a show.)

Most of the reccommendations here are plays. Are there any must-see musicals?

[tourboi]

Posted: 10/9/11 at 11:54pm

The tour of MEMPHIS will be in town during your stay.

[show me chicago]

Posted: 10/10/11 at 3:05pm

There are some many good shows playing now that it is hard to go wrong. I would suggest Red at the Goodman Theatre, The Pittman Painters at TimeLine Theatre and Tom Stoppard's The Real Thing which is at Writer's Theatre in Glencoe (about 18 miles from downtown Chicago and accessible by the Metra North Line--theater one block from train).

[twinbelters]

Posted: 10/10/11 at 3:59pm

There's a new musical set at O'Hare Airport called "Enter Love" that's running through October 16: http://www.questensemble.org/ It's freeeeeee.

Posted: 10/10/11 at 4:33pm

Half price tickets to a gazillion things.
Hot Tix

[TexanAddams18]

Posted: 10/10/11 at 8:38pm

Memphis Opens Nov. 22nd

[jbm2]

Posted: 10/13/11 at 1:54am

Has anyone seen the production of ELLING in Chicago? Is it worth seeing?

[MadonnaMusical]

Posted: 10/13/11 at 4:05am

Wow, this thread could not have come at a better time, I'm also going to be in Chicago.... has anyone seen this new Stephen Schwartz musical Snapshots???? I fell in love with his new opera Seance on a Wet afternoon and I'm curious what else he could come up with.....

Wondering if I should see Clybourne Park since it's coming to Broadway....... or see something else???? Can't decide. HELP!

Posted: 10/13/11 at 10:26am

Haven't seen Snapshots but reviews were quite strong. It uses his catalog- all the big hits- to tell the story of the end of a marriage. Schwartz apparently rewrote the lyrics to many of the songs to "fit" them into the drama. Interesting idea.

[South Fl Marc]

Posted: 10/13/11 at 11:03am

Personally I find that theatre in Chicago (and DC) far supasses anything in NYC, especially Broadway.

Posted: 10/15/11 at 4:18am

Saw Pippin tonight- the new remodeled theaters at Theater Wit are lovely! The special "Morning Glow Martini" was fabulous. The show was quite nice- a good straight-forward production. They trimmed some of the show-within-a-show stuff so it wasn't quite as "precious" as some Pippins. Good vocals, solid production. I expected a "far-out" take on it from Boho but it was very sincere. We all loved it. And Fastrada's first dress is to die for. I would wear that dress.

[TexanAddams18]

Posted: 10/15/11 at 9:23am

I have seen snapshots, very good and powerful production.