Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
musicals with plenty of special effects but little soul, Chicago theater troupes
gained respect for their risk-taking and no-holds-barred emotional style. Some
of Broadway's most acclaimed dramas in recent years (Goodman Theatre's
revival of
Death of a Salesman
and Steppenwolf 's
The Grapes of Wrath,
to name
just two) have been hatched on Chicago stages. Steppenwolf and Goodman have
led the way in forging Chicago's reputation as a regional theater powerhouse, but
a host of other performers are creating their own special styles. With more than
200 theaters, Chicago might have dozens of productions playing on any given
weekend—and seeing a show here is on my must-do list for all visitors.
Chicago's theaters have produced a number of legendary comedic actors,
including comic-turned-director Mike Nichols
(The Graduate, Postcards from the
Edge, Primary Colors),
as well as fine dramatic actors and playwrights. David
Mamet, one of America's greatest playwrights and now an acclaimed film direc-
tor and screenwriter, grew up in Chicago's South Shore steel-mill neighborhood
and honed his craft at the former St. Nicholas Players, which included actor
William H. Macy
(Fargo, Boogie Nights, Pleasantville).
The thespian soil here must be fertile. It's continually mined by Tinseltown
and TV, which have lured away such talents as Macy, John Malkovich, Joan
Allen, Dennis Franz, George Wendt, John and Joan Cusack, Aidan Quinn,
Anne Heche, and Lili Taylor. But even as those actors get lured away by higher
paychecks, there's always a whole new pool of talent waiting to take over. This
constant renewal keeps the city's theatrical scene invigorated with new ideas and
new energy. Many of the smaller Chicago theater companies place great empha-
sis on communal work: Everyone takes part in putting on a production, from
writing the script to building the sets. These companies perform in tiny, none-
too-impressive venues, but their enthusiasm and commitment are inspiring.
Who knows—the group you see performing in some storefront theater today
could be the Steppenwolf of tomorrow.
The listings below represent only a fraction of the city's theater offerings. For
a complete listing of current productions playing on a given evening, check the
comprehensive listings in the two free weeklies, the
Reader
(which reviews just
about every show in town) and
New City,
or the Friday sections of the two
dailies. The
League of Chicago Theatres'
website (www.chicagoplays.org) also
lists all theater productions playing in the area.
GETTING TICKETS
To order tickets for many plays and events, call
Ticketmaster Arts Line
(
&
312/902-1500
), a centralized phone-reservation system that allows you to
charge full-price tickets (with an additional service charge) for productions at
more than 50 Chicago theaters. Individual box offices will also take credit card
orders by phone, and many of the smaller theaters will reserve seats for you with
a simple request under your name left on their answering machines. For hard-
to-get tickets, try
Ticket Exchange
(
&
800/666-0779
outside Chicago, or
312/902-1888) or
Gold Coast Tickets
(
&
800/889-9100
or 312/644-6446).
HALF-PRICE TICKETS
For half-price tickets on the day of the show (on Fri
you can also purchase tickets for weekend performances), drop by one of the
Hot Tix
ticket centers (
&
312/977-1755
), located in the Loop at 78 W. Ran-
dolph St. (just east of Clark St.); at the Water Works Visitor Center, 163 E. Pear-
son St.; in Lincoln Park at Tower Records, 2301 N. Clark St.; and in several
suburban locations. Hot Tix also offers advance-purchase tickets at full price.
Tickets are not sold over the phone. The Hot Tix website (www.hottix.org) lists
what's on sale for that day beginning at 10am.
