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Oriental Theatre (Chicago)
Encyclopedia
The Ford Center for the Performing Arts Oriental Theatre is a theater
located at 24 West Randolph Street
in the Loop
area of downtown Chicago, Illinois. Opened in 1926 as a deluxe movie palace
, today the Oriental is operated by Broadway In Chicago
, a subsidiary of the Nederlander Organization
. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
as New Masonic Building and Oriental Theater.
s built in Chicago during the 1920s by the firm Rapp and Rapp
. It was built on the same location as the former Iroquois Theatre (later the Colonial Theatre) site of a disastrous 1903 fire that claimed over 600 lives, although the outer facade looks identical, and despite statements to the contrary, the Oriental retained nothing from the building that once stood on the same site.
The Oriental continued to be a vital part of Chicago's theatre district into the 1960s, but patronage declined in the 1970s along with the fortunes of the Chicago Loop
in general. Late in the decade, the theatre survived by showing exploitation films. It closed in 1981 and was vacant for more than a decade.
The Oriental is one of several houses now operating in Chicago's revitalized Loop Theatre District. According to Richard Christiansen, the opening of the Oriental spurred on the restoration of other theatres in The Loop.
The district is also home to the Cadillac Palace Theatre
, Bank of America Theatre (formerly The Shubert Theatre), the Goodman Theatre
, and the Chicago Theatre
. Randolph Street was traditionally the center of downtown Chicago's entertainment district until the 1960s when the area began to decline. The now demolished United Artists Theatre
, Woods Theatre
, Garrick Theater, State-Lake Theatre and Roosevelt Theatre were located on or near Randolph Street.
, who also built the Palace and Chicago Theatres. The Oriental features decor inspired by the architecture of India
. The 3,250-seat theatre was operated by the city's dominant theatre chain, Balaban and Katz
(a subsidiary of Paramount Pictures
).
announced it acquired the property and announced it would renovate the structure with an anticipated completion date of 1998. The city of Chicago pledged $13.5 million toward the restoration and Ford Motor Company
entered into a sponsorship agreement with Livent for a reported $1 million annual fee.
However in 1997, Livent's fortunes turned and the company began to lose money. In November 1998, the company filed for Chapter 11
bankruptcy protection in the US and the Bankruptcy Court approved the sale of its assets to SFX Entertainment.
The restored theatre reopened on October 18, 1998 with a reconfigured seating capacity of 2,253. The restored venue now hosts touring Broadway shows. The theatre's full name is The Ford Center for the Performing Arts Oriental Theatre; however it is commonly called simply the Oriental Theatre.
During the restoration, architect Daniel P. Coffey created a design plan that would increase the theatre's backstage area by gutting the adjacent Oliver Building
while preserving one-third of its original steel structure, as well as the building's Dearborn façade and a portion of its alley façade.
acts were presented during its early years, but by the 1930s it became predominantly a movie house, though live performances and concerts continued. Duke Ellington
and his orchestra made frequent appearances at the Oriental.
In October 1934, 12-year-old Frances Gumm and her sisters performed at the theatre but received laughs when George Jessel
would introduce them as The Gumm Sisters. At his urging, they changed their name to The Garland Sisters after his friend, New York Times critic Robert Garland. "Frances Garland" would later change her first name, to become Judy Garland
.
The Oriental Theatre is referenced at the beginning of the 1958 film Auntie Mame
.
, Al Jolson
, Stepin Fetchit
, Sophie Tucker
, Eddie Cantor
, George Burns and Gracie Allen
, Cab Calloway
, Ella Fitzgerald
, Fanny Brice
, Danny Kaye
, Billie Holiday
, Alice Faye
, Nathan Lane
and Bebe Neuwirth
.
. From June 2005 through January 2009, the theatre housed a sit-down production of Wicked
, making it the most popular stage production in Chicago history. Wicked exceeded expectations, according to producer David Stone: "To be honest, we thought it would run eighteen months, then we'd spend a year in Los Angeles and six months in San Francisco." The pre-Broadway production of The Addams Family
, starring Nathan Lane
and Bebe Neuwirth
was held at The Oriental from November 13, 2009 through January 10, 2010. The Oriental hosted a production of the 2009 Tony Award
winner for Best Musical Billy Elliot
starring, among others, Cesar Corrales
as Billy Elliot from March 18 to November 28, 2010.
Theater (structure)
A theater or theatre is a structure where theatrical works or plays are performed or other performances such as musical concerts may be produced. While a theater is not required for performance , a theater serves to define the performance and audience spaces...
located at 24 West Randolph Street
Randolph Street (Chicago)
Randolph Street is a street in Chicago. It runs east-west through the Chicago Loop, carrying westbound traffic west from Michigan Avenue across the Chicago River on the Randolph Street Bridge, interchanging with the Kennedy Expressway , and continuing west. It serves as the northern boundary of...
in the Loop
Chicago Loop
The Loop or Chicago Loop is one of 77 officially designated Chicago community areas located in the City of Chicago, Illinois. It is the historic commercial center of downtown Chicago...
area of downtown Chicago, Illinois. Opened in 1926 as a deluxe movie palace
Movie palace
A movie palace is a term used to refer to the large, elaborately decorated movie theaters built between the 1910s and the 1940s. The late 1920s saw the peak of the movie palace, with hundreds opened every year between 1925 and 1930.There are three building types in particular which can be subsumed...
, today the Oriental is operated by Broadway In Chicago
Broadway In Chicago
Broadway In Chicago is a theatrical production company. It was formed in July 2000 by the Nederlander Organization to present touring Broadway productions in Chicago and to operate four theaters in downtown Chicago.-Theaters:...
, a subsidiary of the Nederlander Organization
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...
. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
as New Masonic Building and Oriental Theater.
History
The Oriental Theatre opened in 1926 as one of many ornate movie palaceMovie palace
A movie palace is a term used to refer to the large, elaborately decorated movie theaters built between the 1910s and the 1940s. The late 1920s saw the peak of the movie palace, with hundreds opened every year between 1925 and 1930.There are three building types in particular which can be subsumed...
s built in Chicago during the 1920s by the firm Rapp and Rapp
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...
. It was built on the same location as the former Iroquois Theatre (later the Colonial Theatre) site of a disastrous 1903 fire that claimed over 600 lives, although the outer facade looks identical, and despite statements to the contrary, the Oriental retained nothing from the building that once stood on the same site.
The Oriental continued to be a vital part of Chicago's theatre district into the 1960s, but patronage declined in the 1970s along with the fortunes of the Chicago Loop
Chicago Loop
The Loop or Chicago Loop is one of 77 officially designated Chicago community areas located in the City of Chicago, Illinois. It is the historic commercial center of downtown Chicago...
in general. Late in the decade, the theatre survived by showing exploitation films. It closed in 1981 and was vacant for more than a decade.
The Oriental is one of several houses now operating in Chicago's revitalized Loop Theatre District. According to Richard Christiansen, the opening of the Oriental spurred on the restoration of other theatres in The Loop.
The district is also home to the Cadillac Palace Theatre
Cadillac 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:...
, Bank of America Theatre (formerly The Shubert Theatre), the Goodman Theatre
Goodman Theatre
The Goodman Theatre is a professional theater company located in Chicago's Loop. A major part of Chicago theatre, it is the city's oldest currently active nonprofit theater organization...
, and the Chicago Theatre
Chicago Theatre
The Chicago Theatre, originally known as the Balaban and Katz Chicago Theatre, is a landmark theater located on North State Street in the Loop area of Chicago, Illinois. Built in 1921, the Chicago Theatre was the flagship for the Balaban and Katz group of theaters run by A. J. Balaban, his brother...
. Randolph Street was traditionally the center of downtown Chicago's entertainment district until the 1960s when the area began to decline. The now demolished United Artists Theatre
United Artists Theatre (Chicago)
The United Artists Theatre was a popular movie theatre located in Chicago. It was constructed in 1921 and was originally titled The Apollo. It was purchased by the Balaban and Katz cinema chain and re-named in 1927. The theatre began life showing live theatre and later exclusively showed films. ...
, Woods Theatre
Woods Theatre
The Woods Theatre was a movie palace located at the corner of Randolph and Dearborn Streets in downtown Chicago. It opened in the 1920s and was popular entertainment destination for decades...
, Garrick Theater, State-Lake Theatre and Roosevelt Theatre were located on or near Randolph Street.
Architecture
The architects of the Oriental were George L. and Cornelius W. RappRapp 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...
, who also built the Palace and Chicago Theatres. The Oriental features decor inspired by the architecture of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. The 3,250-seat theatre was operated by the city's dominant theatre chain, 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...
(a subsidiary of Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
).
Restoration
On January 10, 1996, Canadian Theatrical firm LiventLivent
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...
announced it acquired the property and announced it would renovate the structure with an anticipated completion date of 1998. The city of Chicago pledged $13.5 million toward the restoration and Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
entered into a sponsorship agreement with Livent for a reported $1 million annual fee.
However in 1997, Livent's fortunes turned and the company began to lose money. In November 1998, the company filed for Chapter 11
Chapter 11, Title 11, United States Code
Chapter 11 is a chapter of the United States Bankruptcy Code, which permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Chapter 11 bankruptcy is available to every business, whether organized as a corporation or sole proprietorship, and to individuals, although it is most...
bankruptcy protection in the US and the Bankruptcy Court approved the sale of its assets to SFX Entertainment.
The restored theatre reopened on October 18, 1998 with a reconfigured seating capacity of 2,253. The restored venue now hosts touring Broadway shows. The theatre's full name is The Ford Center for the Performing Arts Oriental Theatre; however it is commonly called simply the Oriental Theatre.
During the restoration, architect Daniel P. Coffey created a design plan that would increase the theatre's backstage area by gutting the adjacent Oliver Building
Oliver Building (Chicago)
The Oliver Building is located at 159 N. Dearborn Street in Chicago within the Loop. It was built for the Oliver Typewriter Company from 1907-1908 by Holabird & Roche. When two floors were added in 1920, Holabird & Roche were hired for the expansion. The cast iron exterior features...
while preserving one-third of its original steel structure, as well as the building's Dearborn façade and a portion of its alley façade.
General Interest
Both movies and vaudevilleVaudeville
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...
acts were presented during its early years, but by the 1930s it became predominantly a movie house, though live performances and concerts continued. Duke Ellington
Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...
and his orchestra made frequent appearances at the Oriental.
In October 1934, 12-year-old Frances Gumm and her sisters performed at the theatre but received laughs when George Jessel
George Jessel (actor)
George Albert Jessel was an American illustrated song "model," actor, singer, songwriter, and Academy Award-winning movie producer. He was famous in his lifetime as a multitalented comedic entertainer, achieving a level of recognition that transcended his limited roles in movies...
would introduce them as The Gumm Sisters. At his urging, they changed their name to The Garland Sisters after his friend, New York Times critic Robert Garland. "Frances Garland" would later change her first name, to become Judy Garland
Judy Garland
Judy Garland was an American actress and singer. Through a career that spanned 45 of her 47 years and for her renowned contralto voice, she attained international stardom as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist and on the concert stage...
.
The Oriental Theatre is referenced at the beginning of the 1958 film Auntie Mame
Auntie Mame
Auntie Mame is a 1955 novel by Patrick Dennis that chronicles the madcap adventures of a boy, Patrick, growing up as the ward of his deceased father's eccentric sister, Mame Dennis. The book is a work of fiction inspired by the author's eccentric aunt, Marion Tanner, whose life and outlook in many...
.
Performers
Many stars (besides the ones aforementioned) performed at the Oriental including The Three Stooges, Bing CrosbyBing Crosby
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation....
, Al Jolson
Al Jolson
Al Jolson was an American singer, comedian and actor. In his heyday, he was dubbed "The World's Greatest Entertainer"....
, Stepin Fetchit
Stepin Fetchit
Stepin Fetchit was the stage name of American comedian and film actor Lincoln Theodore Monroe Andrew Perry....
, Sophie Tucker
Sophie Tucker
Sophie Tucker was a Russian/Ukrainian-born American singer and actress. Known for her stentorian delivery of comical and risqué songs, she was one of the most popular entertainers in America during the first half of the 20th century...
, Eddie Cantor
Eddie Cantor
Eddie Cantor was an American "illustrated song" performer, comedian, dancer, singer, actor and songwriter...
, George Burns and Gracie Allen
Burns and Allen
Burns and Allen, an American comedy duo consisting of George Burns and his wife, Gracie Allen, worked together as a comedy team in vaudeville, films, radio and television and achieved great success over four decades.-Vaudeville:...
, Cab Calloway
Cab Calloway
Cabell "Cab" Calloway III was an American jazz singer and bandleader. He was strongly associated with the Cotton Club in Harlem, New York City where he was a regular performer....
, Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Jane Fitzgerald , also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz and song vocalist...
, Fanny Brice
Fanny Brice
Fanny Brice was a popular and influential American illustrated song "model," comedienne, singer, theatre and film actress, who made many stage, radio and film appearances and is known as the creator and star of the top-rated radio comedy series, The Baby Snooks Show...
, Danny Kaye
Danny Kaye
Danny Kaye was a celebrated American actor, singer, dancer, and comedian...
, Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday was an American jazz singer and songwriter. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and musical partner Lester Young, Holiday had a seminal influence on jazz and pop singing...
, Alice Faye
Alice Faye
Alice Faye was an American actress and singer, called by The New York Times "one of the few movie stars to walk away from stardom at the peak of her career." She is remembered first for her stardom at 20th Century Fox and, later, as the radio comedy partner of her husband, bandleader and comedian...
, Nathan Lane
Nathan Lane
Nathan Lane is an American actor of stage and screen. He is best known for his roles as Mendy in The Lisbon Traviata, Albert in The Birdcage, Max Bialystock in the musical The Producers, Ernie Smuntz in MouseHunt, Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls, Pseudolus in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to...
and Bebe Neuwirth
Bebe Neuwirth
Beatrice "Bebe" Neuwirth is an American actress, singer and dancer. She has worked in television and is known for her portrayal of Dr. Lilith Sternin, Dr. Frasier Crane's wife , on both the TV sitcom Cheers , and its spin-off Frasier...
.
Notable Productions
The theatre re-opened in 1998 with the Chicago premiere of the musical RagtimeRagtime (musical)
Ragtime is a musical with a book by Terrence McNally, lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, and music by Stephen Flaherty.Based on the 1975 novel by E. L. Doctorow, Ragtime tells the story of three groups in America, represented by Coalhouse Walker Jr., a Harlem musician; Mother, the matriarch of a WASP family in...
. From June 2005 through January 2009, the theatre housed a sit-down production of 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...
, making it the most popular stage production in Chicago history. Wicked exceeded expectations, according to producer David Stone: "To be honest, we thought it would run eighteen months, then we'd spend a year in Los Angeles and six months in San Francisco." The pre-Broadway production of 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...
, starring Nathan Lane
Nathan Lane
Nathan Lane is an American actor of stage and screen. He is best known for his roles as Mendy in The Lisbon Traviata, Albert in The Birdcage, Max Bialystock in the musical The Producers, Ernie Smuntz in MouseHunt, Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls, Pseudolus in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to...
and Bebe Neuwirth
Bebe Neuwirth
Beatrice "Bebe" Neuwirth is an American actress, singer and dancer. She has worked in television and is known for her portrayal of Dr. Lilith Sternin, Dr. Frasier Crane's wife , on both the TV sitcom Cheers , and its spin-off Frasier...
was held at The Oriental from November 13, 2009 through January 10, 2010. The Oriental hosted a production of the 2009 Tony Award
Tony Award for Best Musical
This is a list of winners and nominations for the Tony Award for Best Musical, first awarded in 1949. This award is presented to the producers of the musical.-1940s:* 1949: Kiss Me, Kate – Music and lyrics by Cole Porter, book by Samuel and Bella Spewack...
winner for Best Musical Billy Elliot
Billy Elliot
Billy Elliot is a 2000 British drama film written by Lee Hall and directed by Stephen Daldry. Set in the fictional town of "Everington" in the real County Durham, UK, it stars Jamie Bell as 11-year-old Billy, an aspiring dancer, Gary Lewis as his coal miner father, Jamie Draven as Billy's older...
starring, among others, Cesar Corrales
Cesar Corrales
Cesar Corrales is an actor and dancer born in Mexico City, Mexico of Cuban descent. Corrales currently resides in Montreal, Quebec with his parents who are also dancers.-Career:...
as Billy Elliot from March 18 to November 28, 2010.