Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Thanks to extensive renovation efforts, performers have some
impressive venues where they can strut their stuff. The
Auditorium
Theatre,
50 E. Congress Pkwy., between Michigan and Wabash
avenues (
&
312/922-2110;
www.auditoriumtheatre.org), is my
pick for the most beautiful theater in Chicago—and it's a certified
national landmark, too. Built in 1889 by Louis Sullivan and
Dankmar Adler, this grand hall schedules mostly musicals and dance
performances. Even if you don't catch a show here, stop by for a tour
(for more details, see p. 95).
The city's other great historic theaters are concentrated in the
North Loop. The
Ford Center for the Performing Arts/Oriental
Theater,
24 W. Randolph St., and the
Cadillac Palace Theater,
151
W. Randolph St., book major touring shows and are well worth a
visit for arts buffs. The Oriental's fantastical Asian look includes
elaborate carvings almost everywhere you look; dragons, elephants,
and griffins peer down at the audience from the gilded ceiling. The
Palace features a profusion of Italian marble surfaces and columns,
gold-leaf accents a la Versailles, huge decorative mirrors, and crystal
chandeliers. (If you'd like to get a look at these historic theaters for a
fraction of the standard ticket price, guided tours of both start at
11am Sat and cost $10 per person; meet in the Oriental lobby.) The
LaSalle Bank Theatre
(formerly the Schubert Theatre), 18 W.
Monroe St., was built in 1906 as a home for vaudeville; today it
books mostly big-name musicals and sometimes comedy performers.
For show schedules at all three theaters, call
&
312/977-1700,
or
visit www.broadwayinchicago.com.
CLASSICAL MUSIC
For current listings of classical music concerts and opera, check with
the
Chicago Dance and Music Alliance
(
&
312/987-1123;
www.chicagoperformances.org).
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
The Chicago Symphony
Orchestra is considered among the best in the world; a legacy of the
late maestro Sir Georg Solti. Recently departed musical director
Daniel Barenboim—a talented conductor and piano prodigy who
left the CSO after the 2005-06 season—proved a worthy successor.
(Currently, interim leadership is in place in the form of Bernard
Haitink, the CSO's principal conductor; and Pierre Boulez, the
CSO's conductor emeritus.) Under Barenboim, the orchestra added
more modern works into their repertoire, but crowd-pleasing
favorites by Beethoven or Brahms are performed regularly as well.
