Chicago Living - Relocation Guide 2008 - (Page 85)

“Spamalot, and The Producers both got their start here. ” But use the lavish downtown productions as just a starting point, Gaines and Allen suggest. “The large downtown theaters are absolutely magnificent, but the neighborhoods have important offerings, and lots of them, says Allen. “Within ” walking distance of my North Side home, there are 20 theaters. Perennial ” city favorites include the Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf, Lookingglass Theatre, Broadway in Chicago, Chicago Lyric Opera of Chicago boasts the highest number of subscribers of any major opera company in the world. Shakespeare Theater, Court Theatre and Victory Gardens Theater. But the suburbs have high-quality offerings, too. Leading suburban theaters include Apple Tree Theatre in Highland Park, the Metropolis in Arlington Heights and the Paramount Arts Center in Aurora. And for a slightly different version of theater, don’t forget The Second City or the iO Theater (formerly ImprovOlympic) for stand-up laughs. Savvy patrons looking for great theater deals rely on the discount ticketing service Hot Tix. Provided by the League of Chicago Theaters, Hot Tix makes halfprice tickets available on short notice. Deals are announced on Tuesday for that weekend’s shows, and patrons can either buy tickets at one of three ticket booths or electronically through www.chicagoplays.com. Chicago is also fortunate to have an eclectic musical scene. The Chicago Symphony Orchestra offers thrilling 2008 Chic a go L i ving fa r l e f t : p h o t o b y b r i a n W a r l i n g ; r i g h t : p h o t o s. c o m performances not to be missed at its downtown home, Symphony Center. But they’re not the only game—musical or otherwise—in town. Lyric Opera of Chicago boasts the highest number of subscribers of any major opera company in the world. Smaller professional groups, including Chicago Opera Theater and the Chicago Philharmonic—comprised mostly of Lyric Opera instrumentalists—offer memorable performances throughout the city and suburbs. It’s very possible to enjoy live music without breaking the budget, too. For decades, the free Dame Myra Hess chamber concerts have been held every Wednesday from 12:15 p.m. to 1 p.m. downtown at the Chicago Cultural Center. And don’t miss the Grant Park Symphony’s free concerts on summer evenings in their high-profile new home in Millennium Park, right in the heart of downtown Chicago. Chicago has a long history of a vibrant blues/jazz scene, stemming from the Great Migration of the 1920s, when millions of blacks migrated north to Chicago to escape the segregation of the South. The Loop’s House of Blues is a resounding commercial success, while The Green Mill in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood probably offers the richest history. HotHouse, recently moved to the Loop, offers jazz with a Latin flavor, and FitzGerald’s, in west suburban Berwyn, offers an eclectic lineup that ranges from jazz to zydeco/Cajun to blues, depending on the night of the week. For years, dance in Chicago seemed to be the arts’ poor stepchild, but those days are long past. Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, a jazz and modern dance sensation, put Chicago dance on the national map in the 1970s. The city’s dance profile received another major boost in 1995, when New York’s famed Joffrey Ballet pulled up stakes and relocated to the Windy City. And scores of smaller and ethnic dance companies have sprung up in the region. ■ With Hot Tix half- (www.chicagoplays.com), you can buy price tickets for selected Chicago-area theater productions online or in-person on short notice. c h i c a g o l i v i n g m a g. c o m 85 http://www.chicagoplays.com http://www.chicagoplays.com http://www.chicagolivingmag.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Chicago Living - Relocation Guide 2008

Contents A Letter from the Governor Contributing Writers Welcome Home Finding a Home Schools, Health Care & Business Excellence Arts & Entertainment Advertiser Index Chicago Resources Back Page

Chicago Living - Relocation Guide 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.