Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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people and r eal situations—nothing too experimental. E ven though most sho ws don't
feature nationally known actors, the casts are always first-rate, and the plays usually leave
you with something to think about (or passionately discuss) on the way home.
Victory G ardens stages sho ws at its main stage inside the former B iograph mo vie
theater (known in Chicago lor e as the place wher e the FBI gunned do wn bank r obber
John Dillinger in 1934). S maller independent companies play on four smaller stages at
the Victory G ardens Greenhouse Theater, 2257 N. Lincoln A ve., a fe w blocks south.
2433 N. Lincoln Ave. (1 block north of Fullerton Ave.).
&
773/871-3000. www.victory
gardens.org. Tickets $30-$45. Subway/El: Red or Brown Line to Fullerton.
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SEASONAL EVENTS
Chicago Human R hythm Project
Finds
Ages 6 & up.
This group performs an
annual tap dance festival that was created in 1990 and brings together tap and percussive
dancers from all o ver the world. I t's an impr essive sight (and sound). D ancers spend a
month in Chicago, taking a series of workshops and outreach programs. It all culminates
in a stirring w eek of per formances in J uly and A ugust at locations thr oughout the city
and suburbs.
&
773/281-1825.
www.chicagotap.com. Tickets about $20.
A Christmas Carol
Ages 6 & up.
This beloved Chicago holiday tradition is a darker
and more operatic take on the classic story—along the lines of a Tim Burton movie. Kids
love it, parents love it, and theater buffs lo ve the fact that the G oodman didn't turn the
show, admittedly one of the dar ker Christmas stories ev er penned, into a sugar coated
Broadway event. In fact, the sho w is ev en better for being mor e of a serious play and
ghost story—it makes the ending ev en more uplifting. The show runs every year from
the third weekend in November until just befor e Christmas.
170 N. Dearborn St.
&
312/
443-3800.
w ww.goodman-theatre.org. Tickets $30-$50. Sub way/El: Red Line t o Washington/
State or Lake/State; Brown or Orange Line to Clark/Lake.
Dance Chicago
Value
Ages 5 & up.
In addition to Chicago Human Rhythm Proj-
ect (r eviewed abo ve), the A thenaeum also hosts the annual D ance Chicago, a highly
engaging month-long festiv al showcasing the talents of up-and-coming contemporar y-
dance companies and choreographers. It usually takes place in November. In recent years
the programs have included jazz, hip-hop, tap, ballroom, tango, salsa, swing, and mor e.
A kids' show called
Dance for Kids, Too!
generally runs every Saturday afternoon at a cost
of $12 for adults and $5 for kids ages 4 and up . (To attend the ev ening programs, kids
need to be age 5 or older.) The kids' program features numerous dance companies, both
youth and professional, whose work is geared to families.
At the Athenaeum Theatre, 2936
N. Southport Ave. (at Linc oln Ave.).
&
773/989-0698.
www.dancechicago.com. Tickets $5-$25.
Subway/El: Brown Line to Wellington.
Grant Park Music Festival
All ages.
A gr eat Chicago ev ent takes place fr om late
June to August: the series of free outdoor classical music concerts given by the Grant Park
Symphony and Chorus, as well as a number of visiting artists. They perform in the Frank
Gehry-designed P ritzker M usic P avilion in M illennium P ark (with the surr ounding
Loop skyscrapers creating an impressive backdrop). Featuring Gehry's signature sinuous
lines, the pavilion is surr ounded by dramatic ribbons of cur ved steel. The Grant Park
Symphony not only looks better than ev er, but sounds gr eat, too, thanks to a state-of-
the-art sound system. The Grant Park Music Festival has been a Chicago tradition since
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