Briar Street Theater
Encyclopedia
The Briar Street Theater is located in Chicago, Illinois and is currently home to the long-running Blue Man Group
. It originally was the carriage house for the Marshall Field and Company horses and was then bought by William Topel and reconstructed into the theatre it is today. Since this reconstruction, the theater has put on many different shows and performances yet the Blue Man Group remains the most recognized.
would stay. These horses were used for the companies delivery service. As time passed, the lot became useless and in 1970, Walt Topel, founder of Topel and Associated, Ltd., bought the building from Werner Kennelly Moving and Storage Company and redesigned it into a sound stage and office where his film production company would thrive from. From 1977 to 1985, this building also housed Walt Topel's post-production company, Cinetronics, Ltd. This business was later renamed Swell and moved downtown in 1984. In 1985, the theater was reopened and became a part of the culture of Chicago. Today, the Topel family is still the owner of the venue and the original second floor actually hangs from the ceiling by large turnbuckles that can still be seen.
Mario Thomas
Mickey Rooney
:Mickey Rooney is an America film actor and entertainer whose film, television, and stage appearances span nearly his entire lifetime. During his career he has won multiple awards, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe and an Emmy Award. Best known for his work as the Andy Hardy character, Rooney has had one of the longest careers of any actor.
Veronica Hamel
:Veronica Hamel is an American actress. Hamel is probably best remembered for her role in “Hill Street Blues”. In recent years, Hamel had a recurring role in the NBC television series Third Watch and appeared in the ABC series Lost.
Sada Thomson: Sada Thomson has been nominated for 3 Golden Globes and has been nominated 8 times for an Oscar and has won 1. She has also won Broadway's 1972 Tony Award as Best Actress (Dramatic) for "Twigs."
Ellen Burstyn
: Ellen Burstyn is an Academy Award-winning American actress. Burstyn was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Actress in a Miniseries or Special, for the TV movie The People vs. Jean Harris (1981) and again for another TV movie, Pack of Lies (1987).In 2006, she was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Special for HBO's Mrs. Harris as Dr. Tarnower's "Ex-Lover #3”.
Dorothy Loudon
: Dorothy was an American actress noted for her comedy and belting singing voice, which she used to deliver a wide range of musical comedy and songs of the Roaring Twenties. In 1982 she won the Sarah Siddons Award for her work in Chicago theatre. Her best-remembered role is as evil orphanage administrator Miss Hannigan in Annie, for which she won the Tony Award for Best Actress in 1977.
Shelley Berman
: Shelley Berman is an American Actor and has been nominated once for an Emmy and nominated once for the Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Betty Buckley: Betty Buckley is an American actress and has had 2 Daytime Emmy nominations and 1 TV Land Award nomination.
Betty Buckley: Betty Buckley is an American actress and has had 2 Daytime Emmy nominations and 1 TV Land Award nomination.
George Segal
: George Segal, Jr. (born February 13, 1934) is an American actor of stage and screen.
The venue is also possesses some valuable art within the lobby created by artists such as Van Gogh, Brancusi, Stanton, Picasso, and even art created by the Blue Man Group, themselves.
The Blue Man Group
is a group of three bald men dressed black clothing and the remaining showing skin is painted blue. During the performance, they incorporate the audience through theater, persuasive music, art, science, and vaudeville
in a way that has not been experienced in any other form. They were formed in the late 1980’s and have performed in Chicago, which was one of the earliest production spots, Boston, New York, Las Vegas, Berlin, Toronto, and London. Inside, the lobby is filled with an art form unique to the group. PVC pipes cover the walls and ceilings as well as digital screens that play unique messages. In the actual theater, there are elements such as paint, PVC based instruments, and Cap’n Crunch cereal, among other elements. The first 5 rows are labeled the “Poncho Seats” that provide ponchos to protect the audience members from the elements coming from the stage. There is also an element known as the “late alarm” that will be set off when an audience member walks in late and they leave the venue at the end of the night sufficiently embarrassed.
Blue Man Group
Blue Man Group is an organization founded by Chris Wink, Matt Goldman and Phil Stanton. The organization produces theatrical shows and concerts featuring popular music, comedy and multimedia; recorded music and scores for film and television; television appearances for shows such as The Tonight...
. It originally was the carriage house for the Marshall Field and Company horses and was then bought by William Topel and reconstructed into the theatre it is today. Since this reconstruction, the theater has put on many different shows and performances yet the Blue Man Group remains the most recognized.
History
Built in 1901, this space was used as the stables where the horses used and owned by Marshall Field'sMarshall Field's
Marshall Field & Company was a department store in Chicago, Illinois that grew to become a major chain before being acquired by Macy's Inc...
would stay. These horses were used for the companies delivery service. As time passed, the lot became useless and in 1970, Walt Topel, founder of Topel and Associated, Ltd., bought the building from Werner Kennelly Moving and Storage Company and redesigned it into a sound stage and office where his film production company would thrive from. From 1977 to 1985, this building also housed Walt Topel's post-production company, Cinetronics, Ltd. This business was later renamed Swell and moved downtown in 1984. In 1985, the theater was reopened and became a part of the culture of Chicago. Today, the Topel family is still the owner of the venue and the original second floor actually hangs from the ceiling by large turnbuckles that can still be seen.
Location Information
The address of the Briar Street Theater is 3133 N. Halsted, Chicago, IL 60657. The cross streets are Clark and Belmont and there is parking available in the small lot next door, a garage across the street, or street parking. For public transportation, the theater is accessible by the city bus’s 22-Clark or 77-Belmont, taxicabs, or the elevated train (Red, Brown and Purple Express Lanes –Belmont). The Box office is located here as well and accepts American Express, Discover, Mastercard, and Visa. The phone number for the theater is 773-348-4000 and the hours for the shows vary for each production, but are around 8 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, 7 and 10 p.m. Fridays, 4, 7, and 10 p.m. Saturdays and 3 and 6 p.m. on Sundays.Honorable Mentions
The Briar Street Theater has hosted many performers such as:Mario Thomas
Mickey Rooney
Mickey Rooney
Mickey Rooney is an American film actor and entertainer whose film, television, and stage appearances span nearly his entire lifetime. He has won multiple awards, including an Honorary Academy Award, a Golden Globe and an Emmy Award...
:Mickey Rooney is an America film actor and entertainer whose film, television, and stage appearances span nearly his entire lifetime. During his career he has won multiple awards, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe and an Emmy Award. Best known for his work as the Andy Hardy character, Rooney has had one of the longest careers of any actor.
Veronica Hamel
Veronica Hamel
Veronica Hamel is an American actress.- Biography :After Hamel graduated from Temple University, she worked as a secretary for a company that manufactured ironing board covers. She began a fashion modeling career after being discovered by Eileen Ford...
:Veronica Hamel is an American actress. Hamel is probably best remembered for her role in “Hill Street Blues”. In recent years, Hamel had a recurring role in the NBC television series Third Watch and appeared in the ABC series Lost.
Sada Thomson: Sada Thomson has been nominated for 3 Golden Globes and has been nominated 8 times for an Oscar and has won 1. She has also won Broadway's 1972 Tony Award as Best Actress (Dramatic) for "Twigs."
Ellen Burstyn
Ellen Burstyn
Ellen Burstyn is a leading American actress of film, stage, and television. Burstyn's career began in theatre during the late 1950s, and over the next ten years she appeared in several films and television series before joining the Actors Studio in 1967...
: Ellen Burstyn is an Academy Award-winning American actress. Burstyn was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Actress in a Miniseries or Special, for the TV movie The People vs. Jean Harris (1981) and again for another TV movie, Pack of Lies (1987).In 2006, she was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Special for HBO's Mrs. Harris as Dr. Tarnower's "Ex-Lover #3”.
Dorothy Loudon
Dorothy Loudon
Dorothy Loudon was an American comedy actress and singer. She won the 1977 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical for her portrayal of Miss Hannigan in Annie.-Early life and career:Loudon was born in...
: Dorothy was an American actress noted for her comedy and belting singing voice, which she used to deliver a wide range of musical comedy and songs of the Roaring Twenties. In 1982 she won the Sarah Siddons Award for her work in Chicago theatre. Her best-remembered role is as evil orphanage administrator Miss Hannigan in Annie, for which she won the Tony Award for Best Actress in 1977.
Shelley Berman
Shelley Berman
Sheldon "Shelley" Berman is an American comedian, actor, writer, teacher, lecturer, and poet.- Early life :Berman was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Irene and Nathan Berman.- Career :...
: Shelley Berman is an American Actor and has been nominated once for an Emmy and nominated once for the Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Betty Buckley: Betty Buckley is an American actress and has had 2 Daytime Emmy nominations and 1 TV Land Award nomination.
Betty Buckley: Betty Buckley is an American actress and has had 2 Daytime Emmy nominations and 1 TV Land Award nomination.
George Segal
George Segal
George Segal is an American film, stage and television actor.-Early life:George Segal, Jr. was born in 1934 Great Neck, Long Island, New York, the son of Fannie Blanche and George Segal, Sr. He was educated at George School, a private Quaker preparatory boarding school near Newtown, Bucks County,...
: George Segal, Jr. (born February 13, 1934) is an American actor of stage and screen.
The venue is also possesses some valuable art within the lobby created by artists such as Van Gogh, Brancusi, Stanton, Picasso, and even art created by the Blue Man Group, themselves.
Current Productions
Blue Man GroupThe Blue Man Group
Blue Man Group
Blue Man Group is an organization founded by Chris Wink, Matt Goldman and Phil Stanton. The organization produces theatrical shows and concerts featuring popular music, comedy and multimedia; recorded music and scores for film and television; television appearances for shows such as The Tonight...
is a group of three bald men dressed black clothing and the remaining showing skin is painted blue. During the performance, they incorporate the audience through theater, persuasive music, art, science, and vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
in a way that has not been experienced in any other form. They were formed in the late 1980’s and have performed in Chicago, which was one of the earliest production spots, Boston, New York, Las Vegas, Berlin, Toronto, and London. Inside, the lobby is filled with an art form unique to the group. PVC pipes cover the walls and ceilings as well as digital screens that play unique messages. In the actual theater, there are elements such as paint, PVC based instruments, and Cap’n Crunch cereal, among other elements. The first 5 rows are labeled the “Poncho Seats” that provide ponchos to protect the audience members from the elements coming from the stage. There is also an element known as the “late alarm” that will be set off when an audience member walks in late and they leave the venue at the end of the night sufficiently embarrassed.
Past productions
Since the opening of the Briar Street Theater, singers have not been the only performances held. Other noteworthy productions hosted at the theater have been run by Fox Theatricals and have included the following:- Driving Miss DaisyDriving Miss DaisyDriving Miss Daisy is a 1989 American comedy-drama film adapted from the Alfred Uhry play of the same name. The film was directed by Bruce Beresford, with Morgan Freeman reprising his role as Hoke Colburn and Jessica Tandy playing Miss Daisy...
: An elderly Jewish widow living in Atlanta can no longer drive. Her son insists she allow him to hire a driver, which in the 1950s meant a black man. She resists any change in her life but, Hoke, the driver is hired by her son. She refuses to allow him to drive her anywhere at first, but Hoke slowly wins her over with his native good graces. The movie is directly taken from a stage play and does show it. It covers over twenty years of the pair's life together as they slowly build a relationship that transcends their differences. - Laughter on the 21st Floor
- Having Our SayHaving Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 YearsHaving Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years is a 1993 New York Times bestselling book of oral history written by Sarah "Sadie" L. Delany and A. Elizabeth "Bessie" Delany with Amy Hill Hearth. The sisters were the daughters of a former slave who became the first African-American elected...
: A story of Sadie and Bessie Delany, two African-American (they preferred "colored") sisters who both lived past the age of 100. They grew up on a North Carolina college campus, the daughters of the first African-American Episcopal bishop, who was born a slave, and a woman with an inter-racial background. With the support of each other and their family, they survived encounters with racism and sexism in their own different ways. Sadie quietly and sweetly broke barriers to become the first African-American home-ec teacher in New York City, while Bessie, with her own brand of outspokenness, became the second African-American dentist in New York City. At the ages of 103 and 101, they told their story to Amy Hill Hearth, a white New York Times reporter who published an article about them. The overwhelming response launched a bestselling book, a Broadway play, and this film. - Jackie Mason's Politically IncorrectPolitically IncorrectPolitically Incorrect is a late-night, half-hour political talk show hosted by Bill Maher that ran from 1993 to 2002. It premiered on Comedy Central from 1993 to 1997, and later on ABC in 1997, which cancelled it in 2002....
: Political talk show based on the idea that debate is stifled by too much seriousness. Guests are chosen from the worlds of politics and entertainment, often with the goal of creating conflict (ultra-sensitive special-interest groups matched with outrageous comedians). Nevertheless, a relatively friendly atmosphere is maintained, with none of the swearing or chair-throwing common on 'shock-talk' shows. Regular features have included the "Get Over Yourself" award, given to the week's most self-absorbed public figure. - Steve MartinSteve MartinStephen Glenn "Steve" Martin is an American actor, comedian, writer, playwright, producer, musician and composer....
's Picasso at the Lapin AgilePicasso at the Lapin AgilePicasso at the Lapin Agile is a play written by Steve Martin in 1993. It features the characters of Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso, who meet at a bar called the Lapin Agile in Montmartre, Paris...
: Picasso at the Lapin Agile is a play written by Steve Martin in 1993. It features the characters of Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso, who meet at a bar called the Lapin Agile (Nimble Rabbit) in Montmartre, Paris. It is set on October 8, 1904, and both men are on the verge of an amazing idea (Einstein will publish his special theory of relativity in 1905 and Picasso will paint Les Demoiselles d'Avignon in 1907) when they find themselves at the Lapin Agile, where they have a lengthy debate about the value of genius and talent while interacting with a host of other characters. - Concerts by Barbara CookBarbara CookBarbara Cook is an American singer and actress who first came to prominence in the 1950s after starring in the original Broadway musicals Candide and The Music Man among others, winning a Tony Award for the latter...
: Barbara Cook is a Tony Award winning American singer and actress. - Transfer shows from other theaters