Broadway In Chicago
Encyclopedia
Nederlander Organization
The Nederlander Organization, founded in 1912 by David T. Nederlander and based in Detroit, Michigan, is one of the largest operators of legitimate theatres and music venuesin the United States. Its first acquisition was a lease on the Detroit Opera House in 1912. The building was demolished in...
to present touring Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
productions in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and to operate four theaters in downtown Chicago.
Theaters
Broadway In Chicago operates in five venues in downtown Chicago including The Bank of America Theatre (18 W. Monroe St.), Ford Center for the Performing Arts Oriental Theatre (24 W. Randolph St.), Cadillac Palace TheatreCadillac Palace Theatre
The Cadillac Palace Theatre is operated by Broadway In Chicago, a Nederlander Presentation. It is located at 151 West Randolph Street in the Chicago Loop area downtown.-History:...
(151 W. Randolph St.), the Auditorium Theatre (50 E. Congress Pkwy.), and the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place (175 E. Chestnut St.)
Bank of America Theatre
The Bank of America Theatre has hosted pre-Broadway world premieres of Billy Joel and Twyla Tharp's Movin' Out and Monty Python's Spamalot. Recent production credits include Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and Doubt featuring Cherry Jones. The Bank of America Theatre featured a two and a half year run of the musical Jersey Boys that closed in January 2010.
Ford Center for the Performing Arts Oriental Theatre
Rapp and Rapp
The architectural firm Rapp and Rapp was active in Chicago, Illinois during the early 20th century. The brothers Cornelius W. Rapp and George Leslie Rapp of Carbondale, Illinois were the named partners and 1899 alumnus of the University of Illinois School of Architecture...
for the theatre managers Balaban and Katz
Balaban and Katz
The first incarnation of the Balaban and Katz Theatre corporation appeared in 1916 in Chicago by A. J. Balaban, Barney Balaban, Sam Katz, and Morris Katz. It held its first meeting as a Delaware corporation on January 21, 1925. Famous Players-Lasky Corporation bought a controlling interest in...
. The Oriental Theatre was a virtual museum of Asian art and also presented popular first-run motion pictures, complemented by lavish stage shows. Turbaned ushers led patrons from the lobby, with polychrome figures and large mosaics of an Indian prince and princess, through an inner foyer, with elephant-throne chairs and multicolored glazed Buddhas, to the auditorium's "hasheesh-dream décor."
The many stars that played at the theatre were 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.
In 1930, during a record-breaking week, as many as 124,985 patrons visited the Oriental Theatre to see the hit film "Flight". Management changed hands several times in the subsequent decades, but the Oriental Theatre continued to feature films until the early 1970s, when the M&R Amusement Company briefly presented live performances by artists such as Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight and the Pips and Little Richard.
The theater soon fell into disrepair. In an effort to preserve the theatre, it was added to the Federal National Registry of Historic Places in 1978, however the building continued to crumble. The Oriental Theatre was closed to the public in 1981, and the site was considered for a two-story, 50000 square feet (4,645.2 m²) shopping mall and also a 1,600 seat cinema. In 1996, The Chicago Mayor, Richard M. Daley, announced that the Oriental would be restored to its original grandeur for the presentation of live stage musicals by Livent, Inc.
Livent
The Live Entertainment Corporation of Canada, Inc., also known as Livent, was a theatre production company in Toronto, Ontario, begun as a division of the motion picture exhibitor Cineplex Odeon...
The Oriental Theatre was renamed the Ford Center for the Performing Arts in 1997, and in October 1998 the restoration of the theatre was completed. The theatre opened with the Chicago premiere of "Ragtime," which was a huge success. The Ford Center for the Performing Arts was acquired by SFX Theatrical Group in 1999, and its production of "Fosse" debuted there before embarking on a national tour. The list of hits continued to rise and included the pre-Broadway show of Blast in 2000, as well as the world premiere of Sing-A-Long Wizard of Oz in January 2003. The Ford Center for the Performing Arts served as home to an open run of Wicked from June 2005 to January 2009.
Cadillac Palace Theatre
The theatre originally opened as the flagship of vaudeville's legendary Orpheum Circuit, and among the stars believed to have played at the Palace in its early years were Jimmy Durante, Mae West, Jack Benny, Sophie Tucker and Bob Hope. Despite the popularity of Vaudeville's acts, audiences in the late 1920s and early 1930s had begun to lose interest in vaudeville, and in 1931 the theatre was converted into a movie palace. Initially, the Palace presented films with live stage shows, and then eventually showed only movies. Movie audiences began to stay at home to watch television in the 1950s, and theatre managers, hoping to attract larger audiences, tried to book occasional Broadway shows, such as Gentlemen Prefer Blondes starring Carol Channing.
During the late 1950s, the Palace became equipped to show films in Cinerama. In the mid-1970s, management of the Bismarck Hotel transformed the Palace into a banquet hall, removing all the seats in the orchestra and leveling the stage with the floor. The Palace, which was renamed the Bismarck Theatre in 1984, was converted into a rock venue. It was used sporadically during the 1990s however, in 1999 the Bismark Theatre was completely restored for live theatre and was renamed the Cadillac Palace Theatre.
The Cadillac Palace opened with the premiere of Elton John and Tim Rice's Aida and since then, has been the home to several pre-Broadway hits including The Producers - The New Mel Brooks Musical and Mamma Mia! as well as long-run engagements of Disney's The Lion King and Oprah Winfrey presents The Color Purple. In September, 2008, the Cadillac Palace became home to the United States' premiere of Dirty Dancing – The Classic Story on Stage.. The National Tour of Disney's Mary Poppins premiered at the Cadillac Palace in March, 2009.
Auditorium Theatre
Broadway In Chicago and Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University formed a long-term alliance that allows Broadway In Chicago the theatrical rights to book the Auditorium Theatre.The Auditorium was opened in 1889 by architects Louis Sullivan and Dankmar Adler. 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 electric lighting and air-conditioning.
Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place
Broadway In Chicago and Water Tower Place are proud to announce the addition of a new venue, the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place, 175 E. Chestnut Street to its family of theatres. Broadway In Chicago has entered into a long-term agreement with General Growth Properties (owner and manager of Water Tower Place) that will allow the theatre, formerly known as the Drury Lane at Water Tower Place, to re-open as the Broadway Playhouse at WaterTower Place.Economic Impact
Since 2001, Broadway In Chicago has had an attendance of over 6.5 million, with an annual attendance of 1.5 million and rising. Broadway In Chicago has contributed to the revitalization of Chicago’s Theater District and is currently the fifth largest tourist attraction in Chicago. Approximately 42% of audiences travel from out of state for long-running productions, and of these out of town patrons, 82% attribute the production as the main reason for their visit to Chicago. Broadway In Chicago provides over 7,500 jobs and has an economic impact of over $635 million dollars each year. In addition, Broadway In Chicago audiences spend more than $75 million at local restaurants and account for 500,000 hotel room occupancies each year, which is 6% of Chicago's annual total of hotel rooms used.Broadway In Chicago also contributes to various public benefits throughout the City of Chicago by providing complimentary tickets to many charitable organizations and also to the Chicago Public Schools. Other public benefits include a field trip reward program, special access programs for seniors, and discounted programs for many of Chicago youth groups.
Notable productions
Chicago has been the home to many pre-Broadway productions because of Broadway In Chicago. These productions include The Pirate QueenThe Pirate Queen
The Pirate Queen is a musical written by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, best known for their adaptation of Les Misérables. John Dempsey is the co-lyricist. The Pirate Queen marks the first time Boublil and Schönberg have created a musical with American collaborators...
, The Producers
The Producers (musical)
The Producers is a musical adapted by Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan from Brooks' 1968 film of the same name, with lyrics written by Brooks and music composed by Brooks and arranged by Glen Kelly and Doug Besterman. As in the film, the story concerns two theatrical producers who scheme to get rich...
, Movin' Out
Movin' Out (musical)
Movin' Out is a jukebox musical featuring the songs of Billy Joel.Conceived by Twyla Tharp, the musical tells the story of a generation of American youth growing up on Long Island during the 1960s and their experiences with the Vietnam War...
, Mamma Mia!
Mamma Mia!
Mamma Mia! is a stage musical written by British playwright Catherine Johnson, based on the songs of ABBA, composed by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, former members of the band. Although the title of the musical is taken from the group's 1975 chart-topper "Mamma Mia", the plot is fictional, not...
, Aida
Aida
Aida sometimes spelled Aïda, is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni, based on a scenario written by French Egyptologist Auguste Mariette...
, All Shook Up
All Shook Up
"All Shook Up" is a song recorded by Elvis Presley and published by Elvis Presley Music and composed by Otis Blackwell. Elvis Presley's single topped the U.S. Pop chart on April 13, 1957, staying there for eight weeks. It also topped the R&B chart for four weeks, becoming Presley's second single to...
, Sweet Smell of Success
Sweet Smell of Success
Sweet Smell of Success is a 1957 American film noir made by Hill-Hecht-Lancaster Productions and released by United Artists. It was directed by Alexander Mackendrick and stars Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis, Susan Harrison and Martin Milner. The screenplay was written by Clifford Odets, Ernest Lehman...
, Tallulah
Tallulah
Tallulah is a Choctaw name . It means "leaping water".-Place names:Tallulah is the name of several places in the United States:*Tallulah, Louisiana, a small city*The Tallulah River in Georgia...
, A Thousand Clowns
A Thousand Clowns
A Thousand Clowns is a 1962 American play by Herb Gardner, which tells the story of a young boy who lives with his eccentric uncle Murray, who is forced to conform to society in order to keep custody of the boy. A 1965 movie version was adapted from the play by Gardner and directed by Fred Coe.-...
, Sweet Charity
Sweet Charity
Sweet Charity is a musical with music by Cy Coleman, lyrics by Dorothy Fields and book by Neil Simon. It was directed and choreographed for Broadway by Bob Fosse starring his wife and muse Gwen Verdon. It is based on Federico Fellini's screenplay for Nights of Cabiria...
, Spamalot
Spamalot
Monty Python's Spamalot is a musical comedy "lovingly ripped off from" the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Like the film, it is a highly irreverent parody of the Arthurian Legend, but it differs from the film in many ways, especially in its parodies of Broadway theatre...
, Blast!, and The Addams Family
The Addams Family (musical)
The Addams Family is a musical comedy with music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa and a book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice. The show is based upon The Addams Family characters created by Charles Addams in his single-panel gag cartoons, which depict a ghoulish American family with an affinity for...
. Broadway In Chicago was also responsible for bringing many long-run productions to the city including Wicked
Wicked (musical)
Wicked is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman. It is based on the Gregory Maguire novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West , a parallel novel of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz and L. Frank Baum's classic story The Wonderful Wizard...
, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is a one act musical comedy conceived by Rebecca Feldman with music and lyrics by William Finn, a book by Rachel Sheinkin and additional material by Jay Reiss. The show centers on a fictional spelling bee set in a geographically ambiguous Putnam Valley...
, Disney’s The Lion King
The Lion King (musical)
The Lion King is a musical based on the 1994 Disney animated film of the same name with music by Elton John and lyrics by Tim Rice along with the musical score created by Hans Zimmer with choral arrangements by Lebo M. Directed by Julie Taymor, the musical features actors in animal costumes as well...
, Jersey Boys
Jersey Boys
Jersey Boys is a jukebox musical with music by Bob Gaudio, lyrics by Bob Crewe and book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice. It is a documentary-style musical, based on one of the most successful 1960s rock 'n roll groups, the Four Seasons...
, and Ragtime
Ragtime
Ragtime is an original musical genre which enjoyed its peak popularity between 1897 and 1918. Its main characteristic trait is its syncopated, or "ragged," rhythm. It began as dance music in the red-light districts of American cities such as St. Louis and New Orleans years before being published...
.