Theater in Chicago - the easiest way to see the Best of Broadway!

Theater in Chicago means the Best of Broadway, often before it goes to Broadway. Theater in Chicago has made the city a home for pre-Broadway World Premiere engagements such as "Monty Python's Spamalot", "The Producers - the new Mel Brooks musical", "Twyla Tharp and Billy Joel's Movin' Out", and "Boublil and Schonberg's The Pirate Queen". Theater in Chicago means ticket-holders have seen award-winning productions direct from Broadway such as "Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf", "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee", "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" and "The Light in the Piazza". Theatre in Chicago means seeing the most spectacular musicals in Broadway history without leaving the city. Long-run, hugely popular productions such as "Wicked", "The Color Purple" and "Jersey Boy" sell out quickly, so getting tickets early can be key.

Step into another world!

Original Chicago Cast of WICKED © Joan Marcus

Experiencing Theater in Chicago is affordable, convenient and diverse. Broadway In Chicago's historic venues are all located in the exciting Downtown Theater District, easily accessible from anywhere in the metropolitan area.

The Ford Center for the Performing Arts/Oriental Theater has been home to “Wicked” since 2005 and provides not only great views of the stage from all seats but is a masterpiece of design. Its interior space was inspired by the art and culture of the Orient, at a time when that term meant nearly all places east of Europe, including India, Tibet and Indonesia.

Enjoy an experience fit for a king or queen at the Cadillac Palace Theater, a breathtaking vision inspired by the French palaces of Fontainebleau and Versailles. The distinctive interior is appointed with huge decorative mirrors and breche violet and white marble. You will be swept majestically through a succession of lobbies and foyers to an auditorium filled with 2,500 plush, roomy seats. The Cadillac Palace will play host to the U.S. Premiere of “Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story on Stage” and in March 2009 will be home to “Disney and Cameron Mackintosh Present Mary Poppins.”

The intimate and historic Bank of America Theatre (originally the Majestic Theatre and formerly the Shubert Theatre and LaSalle Bank Theatre) is the preferred home for pre-Broadway engagements due to its nearly identical configuration to a Broadway theater. The Majestic building, which houses the theatre, opened in 1906 as the first million-dollar-plus structure in Chicago, and the city's tallest building at that time. Upon its 100 year anniversary, the building completed a multi-million dollar renovation and restoration and reopened as the Bank of America Theatre, one of the most spectacularly beautiful theatres in the county. The Bank of American Theatre is currently home to "Jersey Boys", which sells out to audiences night after night!

Broadway In Chicago also presents the best of Broadway at the Auditorium Theatre, designed by famed architects Dankmar Adler and Louis Sullivan, located in the Downtown Theater District. On North Michigan Avenue you will find the Drury Lane Theatre Water Tower Place, home to "Shout!".

More than just Broadway

Original Broadway Cast of Jersey Boys © Joan Marcus

There is much more than just Broadway blockbusters. The city is also well known for a diverse mix of original productions that began here and then went on to Broadway and the world. Enjoying Chicago can mean seeing innovative plays performed on stages of such award-winning companies as The Goodman Theater, Steppenwolf Theater Company, Victory Gardens Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre and Lookingglass Theatre.

The Windy City is also known as the home of improvisational comedy, performed at such great places as The Second City, Comedy Sportz and Zanies.

If you are looking for music to complement your experience, the city has an impressive list of world famous companies and venues. Be sure to visit the Lyric Opera, the Chicago Symphony Center and the House of Blues.

Great seats are always at your fingertips!

Ordering your tickets online is easy and fast. Choose the show, date and performance time you want. You can review your seat selection on one of our seating chart maps, so you know exactly where you will be sitting. If you are ready to enjoy an entire year of great theater, you can order season tickets and experience the rewards of being a season ticket holder. You can also order tickets by phone at (800) 775-2000, in person at any one of our box offices, or for groups of 20 or more at (312) 977-1710.

With expert special events planners - including great caterers and restaurants - Theater can become more than an unforgettable show.

Whether hosting a dazzling cocktail reception in one of our luxurious private Suites, planning an elegant affair in one of the grand foyers or directing a fabulous dinner actually on the stage of a gorgeous, historic venue, your event can be deliciously successful by working with one of our exclusive caterers - Taste America Catering and Wolfgang Puck Catering and Events.

We also have wonderful restaurant partners, located in the Downtown Theater District, steps away from our stages.