Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Lyric's talented musicians and performers satisfy the opera snobs, while new-
comers are often swept away by all the grand opera dramatics (English superti-
tles make it easy to follow the action). Opening night in September remains the
quasi-official kickoff of the Chicago social season, but don't be scared off by the
snooty factor; audiences here are relatively casual (to the dismay of all those
opera snobs). The company has a strong commitment to new American works
(the Lyric's production of
A View from the Bridge,
based on the Arthur Miller
play, was picked up by the Metropolitan Opera for its 2002-03 season).
The Lyric Opera performs in the handsome 3,563-seat Art Deco Civic Opera
House, the second-largest opera house in the country, built in 1929. If you're sit-
ting in one of the upper balconies, you'll definitely want to bring binoculars (if
you're nice, the regulars sitting nearby may lend you theirs). There's only one
problem with catching a show at the Lyric: The season, which runs through early
March, sells out way in advance. Single tickets are sometimes available a few
months in advance. Your other option is to call the day of a performance, when
you can sometimes buy tickets that subscribers have turned in because they
won't be using them.
If you're in town in February or March, you can check out the theater by tak-
ing a tour (tours are only offered during those months; call
&
312/827-5685
).
The opera has an adjunct, the Lyric Opera Center for American Artists, which
in spring and summer gives performances in smaller venues around town.
Civic
Opera House, at Madison St. and Wacker Dr.
&
312/332-2244.
www.lyricopera.org. Tickets
$29-$139. Subway/El: Brown Line to Washington.
DANCE
Chicago's dance scene is lively, but unfortunately it doesn't attract the same
crowds as our theaters or music performances. So although some of our resident
dance troupes have international reputations, they spend much of their time
touring to support themselves. Although visiting companies such as the Ameri-
can Ballet Theatre and the Dance Theater of Harlem stop in Chicago for lim-
ited engagements, dance performances in Chicago tend to occur in spurts
throughout the year. Depending on the timing of your visit, you may have a
choice of dance performances—or there may be none at all.
Another challenge for local dance troupes was finding a place to perform—and
that problem, at least, has finally been resolved with the opening of the
Harris
Theater for Music and Dance
(205 E. Randolph St.;
&
312/334-7777
) in Mil-
lennium Park. The 1,500-seat theater feels fairly stark and impersonal—the gray
concrete lobby could be mistaken for a parking garage—but the sightlines inside
are great, thanks to the stadium-style seating. Most of the troupes listed below
perform there. For complete information on local dance performances, call the
Chicago Dance and Music Alliance information line at
&
312/987-1123.
Another phenomenon that has enlivened the local scene is the scintillating
Chicago Human Rhythm Project
(
&
773/281-1825;
www.chicagotap.com).
An annual tap-dance festival and nonprofit foundation created in 1990, it brings
together tap and percussive dancers from all over the world for a series of work-
shops and outreach programs in July and August at locations throughout the
city and suburbs.
Ballet Chicago
Under artistic director Daniel Duell, a former New York
City Ballet dancer, the group is notable for its specialty, the ballets of Balan-
chine. The ballet performs one full-length story ballet a year, usually in April or
May.
Office at 218 S. Wabash Ave.
&
312/251-8838.
www.balletchicago.org. Tickets $12-$25.
