Chicago Performing Arts Venues

Chicago Performing Arts: Opera, Ballet, Symphony, Broadway & more . . .

The Rosemont-Chicago area has a lively theater scene that includes many landmark theaters in the downtown Chicago area. The Cadillac Palace Theatre (13 mi), Ford Center for the Performing Arts/Oriental Theatre (14 mi), Bank of America Theatre (14 mi) and Auditorium Theatre (14 mi) all host mega-hit musicals, plays, and dance productions straight from Broadway as part of Broadway in Chicago, as well as world premiere productions.

Enjoy performances by the internationally renowned Chicago Symphony Orchestra at the Symphony Center, or take in an opera by the Lyric Opera of Chicago at the Civic Opera House (13 mi). Another notable opera company is the Chicago Opera Theater, which always performs in English at the Harris Theater in Millennium Park.

Chicago's top dance company is the world famous Joffrey Ballet Company of Chicago, which performs at the Auditorium Theater (14 mi) in downtown Chicago. Another top Chicago dance company is Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, which offers a daring mix of jazz with classical ballet and contemporary techniques.

Located only a short walk from the Doubletree O'Hare Hotel in Rosemont is the Rosemont Theater, which features Broadway plays and concerts, the Radio City Rockettes Christmas Spectacular and a variety of entertainment.

Chicago performing arts venues listed by distance from hotel:

Rosemont Theater   •   0.2 mi

400 N River Rd, Rosemont, 847-671-5100
The Rosemont Theater is located in Rosemont, Illinois, just minutes from O'Hare Airport and a short ride from Chicago. This theater is a two-tiered modern performing arts center with 4,300 oversized seats and 1,200 on-site parking spaces. The Rosemont Theater features Broadway plays, concerts, Radio City Rockettes Christmas Spectacular & a variety of entertainment. The theater has a state of the art sound and lighting system. The Village of Rosemont offers many fine dining and accommodation choices.

Metropolis Performing Arts Centre • 9.5 mi

111 W. Campbell Street, Arlington Heights, IL 60005 • (847) 577-2121
The Metropolis Performing Arts Centre, located in Arlington Heights, seats up to 350 and features box office favorites, comedy and musical performances, as well as Second City performances. The theater offers outstanding sight lines from every seat and the finest in sound and lighting to enhance your experience, creating a sense of intimacy between audience and performer. In addition to the theater, the Metropolis is home to The Boiler Room, an 88-seat basement jazz supper club, and the Metropolis Ballroom can be rented for private events. The Metropolis Youth Symphony is its resident symphony orchestra and features the musical talents of some of the best young musicians in Chicago's northwest suburbs. Be sure to check the Metropolis website for upcoming performances.

Drury Lane Oak Brook • 9.6 mi

100 Drury Lane, Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181 • (630) 530-8300
The Drury Lane Oak Brook Theater is located in the suburb of Oakbrook Terrace, just under 10 miles from the Doubletree Hotel in Rosemont. The Theater offers an intimate setting with seating under 1,000. The Theater has hosts Broadway classics, top-rated musicals, comedies and unforgettable concert events. A nice bar area and a large dinner/banquet facility are onsite with Brunch and Dinner Theater packages are available.

Prairie Center for the Arts • 11.0 mi

201 Schaumburg Court, Schaumburg, IL 60193 • (847) 895-3600
The Prairie Center for the Arts is located in Schaumburg, northwest of Chicago and features performances in music, dance, theatre, film, and storytelling. Local talent includes the Schaumburg Dance Ensemble and the Schaumburg Youth Orchestra. With just 442 seats, the theatre at the Prairie Center is intimate and comfortable with no seat is farther than 15 rows from the front of the stage, providing an excellent view from each seat. Free parking is available; check the Prairie Center's website for upcoming performances.

Blue Man Group • 11.0 mi

3133 N. Halsted, Chicago, IL 60657 • (800) 982-2787
Blue Man Group is a creative organization dedicated to creating exciting and innovative work in a wide variety of media. Their award-winning performances feature three enigmatic bald and blue characters who take the audience through a multi-sensory experience that combines theatre, percussive music, art, science and vaudeville into a form of entertainment that is like nothing else. Blue Man Group is also known for its unique style of music which is played on a variety of invented instruments.
The Chicago Blue Man Group performances are held at the Briar Street Theater. The show lasts approximately one hour and forty-five minutes without intermission. It is recommended for adults and children alike, but discouraged for children under five. Note that the materials from the show have been known to land in the audience, so dress casually - jeans are fine.

The Apollo Theatre • 11.0 mi

2540 N. Lincoln, Chicago, IL 60614 • (773) 935-6100
The Apollo Theater is a lush venue with a prestigious reputation, located in the heart of Chicago's fashionable Lincoln Park neighborhood. The Apollo boasts a dramatic glass and concrete design with a three-quarter thrust stage. It has 440 plush seats configured in twelve rows, allowing audiences an intimate theatrical experience.
The Apollo Theater has a track record for acclaimed hits, including "Always-Patsy Cline", "Buddy-The Buddy Holly Story", "The Male Intellect: an oxymoron?", the hilarious comedy "If You Ever Leave Me, I'm Going With You" and "Hinton Battle: Largely Live". Be sure to check the Apollo Theater website for current performances.

Ravinia Festival • 13.0 mi

200 Ravinia Park Road, Highland Park, IL 60035 • (847) 266-5100
Ravinia is an outdoor entertainment venue located in Highland Park, just north of Chicago. Here visitors can enjoy the some of the finest music in the world, with a variety of acts featuring classical, pop, contemporary, blues and jazz. There are four entertainment venues located at the park, including the popular open-air Pavilion with its 3,200 reserved seats, and the famous Lawn, where the guests bring lavish picnics, often with tables, tablecloths, candles, and crystal. Some choose to purchase their meals at one of several onsite restaurants or preorder a gourmet boxed meal and wine. Note that the music is broadcast to the lawn, but you cannot see the stage unless you're in reserved seats in the pavilion. Other venues are the Martin Theatre, where several musical events take place, including Jazz in June and Martinis and the Martin, and BennettoGordon Hall, home to the Steans Institute for Young Artists.

The Cadillac Palace Theatre • 13.0 mi

151 W. Randolph, Chicago, IL 60601 • 312-902-1400
The Palace Theatre opened at the corner of Randolph and LaSalle Streets in Chicago on October 4, 1926 and featured a breathtaking vision inspired by the palaces of Fontainebleau and Versailles. The theatre's distinctive characteristics included a lobby richly appointed in huge decorative mirrors and breche violet and white marble, which swept majestically through a succession of lobbies and foyers; great wall surfaces enhanced with gold leaf and wood decorations; and 2,500 plush, roomy seats.

The theatre was originally opened as the flagship of vaudeville's legendary Orpheum Circuit, and among the stars believed to have played the Palace in its early years are Jimmy Durante, Mae West, Jack Benny, Sophie Tucker and Bob Hope.

1In 1931 the theatre was converted into a movie palace, initially presenting films with live stage shows, and then eventually showing only movies, but in the 1950's, Broadway shows were occasionally booked at the theater. In the mid-1980's the venue was called the Bismark Theater and featured rock concerts. In 1999, the theater was renovated, renamed to the Cadillac Palace, and returned to a performance theater when it premiered "Aida". Check the Broadway in Chicago website for upcoming performances.

Second City Theatre • 13.0 mi

1616 N. Wells Street, Chicago, IL 60614
Since 1959, The Second City has established itself as a Chicago landmark and a national treasure. The theatre that launched the careers of such comic greats as John Belushi, Mike Myers, Bill Murray and Gilda Radner offers nightly comedy shows, as well as a variety of other programs and services. The theatre has two resident stages: The Second City Mainstage, which seats 340 and The Second City e.t.c., which seats 180. Each theatre has a resident troupe that writes and performs an original comedy revue. The shows are smart, funny, and highly original.

The Second City Training Center operates a third theatre in the Piper's Alley complex on Wells Street called Donny's Skybox Studio Theatre. Donny's Skybox features an eclectic mix of student productions as well as other alternative shows. The Second City also has touring troupes that take our shows on the road, a Training Center that teaches improvisation, acting, writing, and other skills, and a corporate communications division that services the business world.

Lyric Opera of Chicago • 13.0 mi

20 N. Wacker Drive, Chicago, IL 60606, 312-332-2244
The world-renowned Lyric Opera of Chicago performs in one of North America's most beautiful opera houses, the Civic Opera House, at 20 North Wacker Drive. The opera house was the vision of utility magnate Samuel Insull who wanted to erect a new opera house as the home of the Chicago Civic Opera--one that would be democratic in scope, and would be housed in and supported by a commercial office building. He mandated five requisites for the new opera house: safety, excellent sight lines, comfortable seating, gracious surroundings, and premium acoustics.

From its opening on Nov. 4, 1929 (just six days after the stock-market crash) until Lyric Opera of Chicago was founded in 1954 (as Lyric Theatre), the Civic Opera House was home to the Chicago Civic Opera, Chicago Grand Opera Company, Chicago City Opera Company and Chicago Opera Company. Over the years the Civic Opera House has also hosted visiting opera and dance companies, as well as touring operettas, musical shows, and a great number of orchestral, dance, and vocal concerts. The adjoining Civic Theatre, at the north end of the block-long building, was used to present plays (including the premiere of Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie), dance performances, and films. For a considerable time it also served as a television studio. The Civic Opera Building is a majestic limestone skyscraper with a 45-story office tower and two 22-story wings. Shaped like a gigantic throne facing the Chicago River between Washington and Madison streets, it was completed after just 22 months of planning and construction. The Civic Opera House seats 3,563. Check the Lyric Opera website for upcoming performances.

Tony N' Tina's Wedding • 13.0 mi

230 W. North Avenue, Chicago, IL 60610
Tony n' Tina's Wedding, the long-running hit show, is performed at Piper's Alley on North Avenue. This is not your typical theatrical performance! You'll be a part of the comical Italian wedding of Tony and Tina, meeting their unique families, caterer, priest and guests. From the wedding ceremony to the reception dinner to dancing, you're sure to have an hysterical time. Your ticket price includes the ceremony, reception, unlimited Italian buffet, champagne toast, wedding cake, live music and dancing. Extras are parking, cash bar, and wedding picture if you choose.

The Goodman Theatre • 14.0 mi

170 North Dearborn, Chicago, IL 60601 • 312-443-3800
The Goodman Theatre was founded in 1925 as a tribute to Chicago playwright Kenneth Sawyer Goodman, who died of pneumonia in 1918. Although the theater was graceful and elegant, its location severely limited the architect's ability to create a state-of-the-art facility. Located behind the Art Institute on lakefront property created from landfill, the theater was sandwiched between the water table lurking just below the ground's surface, and height restrictions imposed by the city so as not to block the view of the Lake for residents of Michigan Avenue. Partially through height restrictions, and partially through design, the auditorium had notoriously bad acoustics. The heating and cooling systems were so noisy they had to be turned off during a performance so that the actors could be heard.

In the early 90's, the idea of the North Loop Theatre District was born. In 1998, the ceremonial groundbreaking took place in the empty lot at the corner of Randolph and Dearborn and in fall 2000, the Goodman Theatre had a new home. After 75 years of ups, downs, highs, and lows, the Goodman had entered the 21st century, and began writing a new chapter in its formidable history.

The Chicago Theater • 14.0 mi

175 N. State Street, Chicago, IL 60601 • 312-462-6300
The opening of the Chicago Theatre on October 26, 1921, heralded the appearance of the largest and most lavish movie palace in Chicago. The Chicago Theatre was a luxurious motion picture palace and stage show theater. The auditorium is seven stories high, more than one half of a city block wide, and nearly as long. The vertical sign "C-H-I-C-A-G-O" and the current marquee are landmarks in themselves, as is the 29-rank Wurlitzer theatre pipe organ.

In the 1970s, The Chicago Theatre was the victim of a complex web of social and economic factors causing business to sag. It became an ornate but obsolete movie house. Shortly after the theater closed in 1985, Chicago Theatre Restoration Associates, with assistance from the City of Chicago, bought and saved the theatre from demolition and began a meticulous nine-month $25 million dollar restoration. The Chicago Theatre reopened on September 10, 1986 with a glittering performance by Frank Sinatra. It now features plays, musicals, concerts and more.

The 3,605-seat Chicago Theatre remains entrenched in the hearts of the people of Greater Chicago and the Midwest, a vital part of both the history of State Street and the future of the North Loop Theatre District.

Chicago Shakespeare Theater • 14.0 mi

600 E. Grand Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611 • 312-595-5600
Chicago Shakespeare Theater is one of the fastest-growing producing and presenting theater institutions in America today. The Theater has achieved its reputation for consistently high production values and artistic standards. In addition to its acclaimed productions of William Shakespeare's canon, the Theater presents work of the highest quality by some of the most distinguished American and international playwrights and directors. The theater is grounded in a dedication to quality, clarity and integrity, which are the hallmarks of each of its productions, from Shakespeare to Sondheim. Prominently situated on Navy Pier, the Shakespeare Theater includes a 500-seat courtyard theater and a 200-seat flexible black box theater. Arrive early at the Theater to enjoy a pre-show program with members of the cast or a scholar, have a pint at The Pub or browse in The Bookstall. Before or after the show, you may want to stop at a restaurant on Navy Pier.

Orchestra Hall • 14.0 mi

220 S. Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60604 • 312-294-3000
Orchestra Hall, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is home of the world-famous Chicago Symphony Orchestra and part of the larger Symphony Center, which also contains a restaurant and a rehearsal space. In addition to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Hall features jazz, pop, chamber, and world music concerts. The Hall was initially conceived in the very early 1900's. After years of performances, the Hall underwent a major renovation, which was completed in 1997. You can call ahead to schedule a tour of the facility. The Chicago Symphony Orchestra consists of 110 talented musicians, three internationally-renowned conductors and an award-winning composer-in-residence. Check the Chicago Symphony Orchestra website for upcoming performances.

Bank of America Theatre • 14.0 mi

18 W. Monroe Street, Chicago, IL 60603 • 312-902-1400 (Box Office)
Until 2006, the LaSalle Bank Theatre was known as The Shubert Theatre, which was opened on New Year's Day in 1906, then known as the Majestic Theatre. The Majestic Building, the tallest building in Chicago when it was first built, became a Chicago landmark, and the theatre instantly became a popular destination with 12 - 15 vaudeville acts running continuously from 1:30pm to 10:30 pm, six days a week. The Majestic closed during the Great Depression, but about 15 years later was reopened as the Sam Shubert Theatre.

The Shubert stage became home to an astounding array of classic plays and musicals, with earlier classics such as "Annie Get Your Gun," "Carousel," "Kiss Me Kate," "South Pacific," and "Guys and Dolls" and more recent favorites such as "Rent," "Chicago-The Musical," "Cabaret" and the pre-Broadway engagements of "The Goodbye Girl" and "Victor/Victoria."

Chicago Cultural Center • 14.0 mi

78 E. Washington Street, Chicago, IL 60602 • (312) 744-6630
The Chicago Cultural Center was completed in 1897 and dedicated as the city's original Chicago Public Library. Completed at a cost of nearly $2 million, this remarkable monument was inspired by the neo-classical style of the World's Columbian Exposition held in Chicago in 1893. The building's structure consists of three-foot thick masonry walls faced with Bedford limestone that are set 104 feet above a granite base. Sumptuous materials used in the interior design include rare imported marble, fine hardwood, stained-glass, and polished brass, as well as mosaics of Favrile glass, colored stone and mother-of-pearl. The building's most notable features are its spectacular stained-glass domes. The 38-foot dome in the Preston Bradley Hall at the south end of the building is the world's largest Tiffany stained-glass dome, valued at an estimated $35 million.

As one of the most comprehensive free arts showcases in the United States, this landmark building is the setting for hundreds of programs and exhibitions presented annually by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs. Through collaborative programming, admission-free exhibitions and programs covering a wide range of the performing, visual, and literary arts are presented on practically every day of the year. The Randolph Café is a gathering place where patrons can enjoy cappuccino, teas, juices, baked goods and scheduled jazz, folk, pop, blues and cabaret-style performances.

The Auditorium Theatre • 14.0 mi

50 E. Congress Parkway, Chicago, IL 60605 • (312) 902-1500
The Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University is committed to presenting the finest in international, cultural and community programming in Chicago, and to the continued restoration and preservation of the Historic National Landmark Theatre.

Opened in 1889 by famous architects Louis Sullivan and Dankmar Adler, the Auditorium's architectural ingenuity, perfect acoustics, technical versatility and sightlines became internationally revered. The Auditorium building was the first multi-purpose building incorporating a hotel, offices and retail spaces along with the theatre, and one of the first public buildings to use newly developed modern technologies of its time: electric lighting and air-conditioning. There are hundreds of Sullivan's intricate stencil patterns, ornate gilded and bas-relief designs and endless floor and wall mosaics. Radiant 24-karat gold-leafed ceiling arches and exquisite murals adorn the house of the theatre.

Ford Center for Performing Arts • 14.0 mi

24 W. Randolph Street, Chicago, IL 60601 • Box Office: 312-902-1400
As one of the first motion picture palaces whose décor was inspired by the Far East, Chicago's Oriental Theatre opened to much fanfare on May 8, 1926. Among the many stars that played the theatre are Paul Ash (billed as "the Rajah of Jazz"), The Three Stooges, Judy Garland, Al Jolson, Stepin Fetchit, Sophie Tucker, George Burns and Gracie Allen, Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington, Fanny Brice, Danny Kaye and Alice Faye, and later Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight and the Pips and Little Richard.

Over the years, the Theater became is such disrepair that there was talk of replacing it with a shopping mall. However, in 1996, Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley announced that the Oriental would be restored to its original grandeur for the presentation of live stage musicals. In 1997 it was renamed the Ford Center for the Performing Arts and the restoration was completed in October 1998.

Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire • 15.0 mi

10 Marriott Drive, Lincolnshire, IL 60069 • phone
Located just north of Chicago in the suburb of Lincolnshire, the Marriott Theatre produces professional musical theatre productions year round in their intimate arena theatre designed with only 9 rows so everyone has the best seat in the house. This theatre brings well over 400,000 people to Lincolnshire each year. The theatre is housed within the 168 acre Marriott Resort complex. Marriott earns lavish praise from critics, and has received more then 250 Joseph Jefferson Awards nominations, Chicago's highest theatrical honor for artistic achievement.

In an effort to present quality productions for children, Marriott's Theatre for Young Audiences was started in 1988. Based on the philosophy established for its main stage productions, the Marriott's Theatre for Young Audiences has presented numerous original works as well as classic fairy tales. Through these shows children experience the joy and magic which is "live" theatre, thereby developing a broad spectrum of future theatre lovers. To date, Marriott's Theatre for Young Audiences has presented more than 30 productions receiving both commercial and critical acclaim.

Arie Crown Theatre • 16.0 mi

2301 S. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60616 • phone
Arie Crown was a Lithuanian immigrant who became an American success story. Just 15 years old when he arrived in Chicago in 1875, he would eventually become one of Chicago's most successful businessmen and patriarch of a prominent family. The Theater that bears his name was completed in 1960 as part of the McCormick Place complex.

The Arie Crown's recent renovations (including correcting the acoustics and improving the aesthetics) and commitment to patron satisfaction will ensure that your experience will be a positive one. The theater, located just 2-1/2 miles south of downtown Chicago in Lakeside Center at McCormick Place, seats over 4,200. It hosts Broadway musicals, ballets, rock concerts and operas.