Chicago After Dark - Chicago - page 152

GETTING TICKETS
To order tickets for many plays and events, call the Ticketmaster
Arts Line ( & 312/902-1500 ), a centralized phone-reservation sys-
tem that allows you to charge full-price tickets (with an additional
service charge) for productions at more than 50 Chicago theaters.
Individual box offices 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 the answering machine. For hard-
to-get tickets, try Chicago Ticket Exchange ( & 312/902-1888;
www.chicagoticketexchange.com) or Gold Coast Tickets ( & 800/
889-9100; www.goldcoasttickets.com).
Bailiwick Repertory Theatre Bailiwick gets my vote as the
most eclectic theater in the city. Its three stages showcase works both
dramatic and light-hearted, some produced by Bailiwick, others by
smaller, scrappier start-up troupes. Each year, the theater produces a
main-stage series of classics and musicals, the Director's Festival of
one-act plays by fresh local talents (in June), and gay- and lesbian-
oriented shows during the Pride Performance series, which generally
runs over 20 weeks from mid-May to early October. The company's
children's theater program produces an original musical for kids each
spring. 1229 W. Belmont Ave. (at Racine Ave.). & 773/883 - 1090. www.bailiwick.
org. Tickets $20-$35. Subway/El: Red or Brown line to Belmont.
Chicago Shakespeare Theatre This group's home on Navy
Pier is a visually stunning, state-of-the-art jewel. The centerpiece of
the glass-box complex, which rises seven stories, is a 525-seat court-
yard-style theater patterned loosely after the Swan Theater in Strat-
ford-upon-Avon. But what keeps subscribers coming back is the
talented company of actors, including some of the finest Shakespeare
performers in the country.
The main theater presents three plays a year, almost always by the
Bard; founder and artistic director Barbara Gaines usually directs
one show. Shakespeare Theatre subscribers are loyal, so snagging
tickets can be a challenge; reserve well in advance if possible. If you
have a choice of seats, avoid the upper balcony; the tall chairs are
uncomfortable, and you have to lean way over the railing to see all
the action onstage—definitely not recommended for anyone with a
fear of heights. 800 E. Grand Ave. & 312/595 - 5600. www.chicagoshakes.com.
Tickets $40-$67. Subway/El: Red Line to Grand, and then bus no. 29 to Navy Pier.
Discounted parking in attached garage.