Short but sweet review - the experiences we've had at the Chicago Theater have always been…read moreconsistently good. This time was no different. My last review still stands. We arrived on time, were seated, and the concert started on time. The acoustics are great and our seats were in a good spot. We used their concession stand to get water and snacks - because we bought our tickets and paid for the concessions using a Chase card, we were given a big discount - nice. We'll continue to go to the Chicago theater when they have shows we want to see. It's a great theater and a wonderful experience.

I have been to the Chicago Theatre several times for concerts and have had experiences in all of my…read morevisits. It's an iconic Chicago landmark for catching live events. I like its ornate décor, the stadium style seats set-up which offers good stage view, the acoustics, and the overall aesthetics of this venue which makes it an ideal place to watch live events. On my recent (late June 2026) visit to see The Human League, Soft Cell, and Alison Moyet for the Generations tour, overall, I had a good experience. There were couple of issues that we had such as lack of cool air circulation inside the auditorium (it was hot and sweaty) and a couple of people standing throughout the show to dance, blatantly blocking other peoples' view and not caring about being inconsiderate and uncourteous to people behind them to which the theatre ushers had no problem with it. Otherwise, I have not had issues at this venue. So, 4.5 stars but rounded up to five. I look forward to going back here.

OMG! SO not what we were expecting, but so much more! We saw Romeo & Juliet--but what we saw was…read morenot the traditional play but a very modernized, highly sexualized (in the best, funniest, way) performance, based upon the basics of Shakespeare's most well-known tragedy. Let's put it this way--fight scenes were conducted with dild*** instead of swords, the language was VERY blue, with many references of LGBTQ orientation--and we laughed so hard through the WHOLE thing that my face hurt afterward. I could not recommend this experience enough for people with open minds and hearts. The venue is very small and intimate--three rows of benches--so you almost feel like you're part of the performance. If you pay for the top tier ticket, you're in the front row, and may actually BECOME part of the performance in a small way. As for refreshments, you use QR codes on your benches to order beverages delivered directly to you throughout the show, and they offer seasoned nuts or popcorn if you want something to munch on.

Ignore what you read online, doors do not open until 15 minutes before showtime. But timing is…read moreeverything. We arrived 45 minutes early, not a soul in sight so we went shopping for a bit. We got back 15 minutes before showtime and were almost the last ones seated. It didn't really matter, the venue is quite small and I don't think there is a bad seat in the place. We sat "stage side" which means the front row. (Strongly recommend these seats). Everyone is given a shot (alcohol/not flu) upon entering. Nasty red stuff but it's just setting the stage for what was to come. The actors were in full swing even before showtime. Interacting with the audience, just working the room getting us ready to get loud. It worked! There is no food for sale but a themed drink menu is available. You can order at the bar but they encourage you to use a QR code found on the seat underneath your butt. Everyone was ordering at the same time and the system crashed. I should have taken that as a warning and skipped the drink. By the time I was able to order and the time I waited for my drink, the show was half over. I ordered a "hemoglobin": Evan Williams bourbon, cherry schnapps, black cherry syrup, and lemon juice garnished with a cherry. It was awful. Robitussin comes to mind. In this case, "Pre-gaming" would have been the way to go. The premise - one actor drinks 5 shots of whiskey and proceeds to put on a show. There was definitely some imbibing going on backstage with the other actors. As the show progressed, the laughs from not only the audience but also the actors increased exponentially. There is a lot of audience participation that I'll not ruin for you. Do be warned, if you are easily offended, you probably want to skip this one. the language is pretty raunchy but it was funny. Would we go again? Maybe to see a different show but I doubt it. It's kind of one of those experiences that you need to see once. After that, it's just redundant. (BTW, I don't know if I'm allowed to say this here but look for a Groupon. I'm always up for a deal!)

We attended Trickery on Saturday 04/18/26. Aaron was adept at working with a diverse audience to…read moreinclude them and maintain control of his performance in a very intimate setting. Because it's BYOB you'll get the 20-somethings that feel they have to get loaded beforehand and then act the fool while attending (do you hear that "Neil"? No one wants the focus on you acting like it was your first experience with alcohol) but Aaron was skilled at bypassing them without causing tension or escalating bad behavior. Aaron's attitude is one of someone who has worked hard to make this little venture work, and he deserves respect and recognition for his obvious commitment and work ethic. His act included variations of tricks performed by other magicians, with his own twists. He is an expert at sleight of hand and distraction, which is considerably more difficult in a room about the size of an average residential living-room. He had an appropriate sense of humor aligned with an audience coming to Boystown, an overtly gay neighborhood in Chicago (if you're not familiar). However he wasn't garish, flaming, flamboyant, or offensive; he managed a perfect balance of innuendo humor and audience engagement without being cheap or ingenuine. The snarky one-liners will likely go over your young kids' heads (although bring them to an early show, your 9 year old doesn't belong in Boystown at 10 pm on a weekend), and he carries himself with class avoiding the use of profanity or graphic terms. Again, I can't overstate that his tricks were amazing, impressive, and captivating - as magic should be. You leave the show shaking your head and wondering how it's done - which truly makes it "magic". You would be hard-pressed to spend $36.36/person for an hour of live entertainment that can match Aaron's performance. Pro-tip: If you're driving there you will need to use an app to reserve parking, as there aren't garages like downtown Chicago and every street is filled with so many signs there's no way you will return and find your car not-towed or not-ticketed. Chicago does this on purpose to generate revenue; you'll see "street cleaning" on Tuesday from xx hour to xx hour, no parking when snow is over 2 inches OR any time from Dec 1 through April 1, loading zone, 15 minute stopping/standing with flashers, no parking, residential permit zone only, bike lanes, bus stop restrictions, etc. If you find street parking and think you've beaten the system, think again. Nobel Prize Laureates, Rhodes Scholars, Ivy League PhDs, Mensa members - you can meet them all at Chicago Central Auto Pound retrieving their vehicles. Stephen Hawking couldn't drive, but if he could and he parked in that neighborhood all the quantum mechanics in the world wouldn't make his towed car reappear from the Chicago Parking space-time continuum. The nice thing is if you do reserve parking and give yourself enough time you can walk to many, many restaurants and bars in the area that are open even after the 10 pm show ends. Thank you Aaron for a wonderful experience, you made my wife's birthday memorable for both of us.

Had a great time with my friends. Wenr for a birthday celebration and it was a blast. Intimate and…read morehilarious. Honestly we were still trying to figure out how he did some of his tricks. It's a BYOB magic show and he does interact woth the audience. 5/5

Dennis Watkins' The Magic Parlour -- Chicago…read more What a fantastic experience. If you're looking for something different to do in Chicago, put The Magic Parlour on your list. I'm a hobby magician myself, so I went into the show knowing that sometimes you can recognize the basic principles behind certain effects. But honestly, it doesn't matter. Dennis Watkins is an incredible magician and entertainer, and seeing the show up close is a completely different experience. The show is intimate, funny, entertaining, and incredibly well performed. You're close enough to see everything, which somehow makes it even more impossible. And here's my advice: Don't be the person who spends the entire show trying to figure out how every trick is done. I know you're going to do it anyway. I did too. But at some point, just sit back, enjoy the performance, and let yourself be fooled. That's part of the fun. Even as a hobby magician, I thought it was an amazing show. The combination of magic, storytelling, audience interaction, and Dennis's personality makes for a really memorable Chicago experience. Five stars. Go see it, have a drink, relax, and let the magician do his job. Small bonus out we had the VIP tickets. My wife was very awesome. It's a little intimate setting you get about another 20 to 30 minutes of Magic. Dennis asked for questions you have any doesn't really amazing magic and you get a free drink with a VIP ticket. Recommended but not required.

I have seen the magic of Dennis Watkins prior to The Magic Parlour even opening so when he…read moreannounced this theater as part of the Goodman built for magic, I was all in! I have been there for Dennis's solo show with my daughter and cousins and I treated my dad, my mom, and my family to Three Card Monte for his birthday as a way to spend time together. Three Card Monte was where the audience was seated at three tables and three different close up magicians rotated through. The magic was literally happening in front of your eyes! The variety in the three magicians was great--they had a variety of tricks, varying levels of sarcasm and humor, and overall, made it one of the best Sunday evenings I have had! Your ticket comes with a drink ticket--I don't drink, but they made me a mean Shirley Temple. My daughter bought a 2nd one at intermission and it was very reasonably priced. I made sure to have cash to tip my bartender. With Dennis's solo show, there was an option to pay to be a VIP where we got a taste of close up magic right after the general show. It was very cool and I recommend adding it on. If you love magic or even if you just know someone who loves magic, I recommend! A classy venue with top notch entertainment!

What a stunning and underrated theater! I'm a Broadway in Chicago regular and have gone to the main…read more3 venues more times than I can count but I've only been to the Auditorium twice! I wish they used it more because it's beautiful and spacious; much more leg room than the Cadillac. They also have an enormous dress circle which I highly recommend for reasonably priced tickets. I will hopefully be back sometime soon for another show!

Watched & Juliet here and the theater is truly stunning. The beautiful gold carvings and details…read morethroughout the theater make it such a fun place to see a show, and the seats were great. My only complaint is that I wish there were bathrooms on every level instead of only on the bottom and third floors. Besides that, it was a great experience!

I was at the Goodman Theatre for this afternoon's 2 pm performance of Iceboy in the Albert Theatre…read morethat stars Nick Offerman and his wife Megan Mullally as Eugene O'Nell and Vera Vimm. All the remaining performances that runs through Sunday, including tonight's show are sold out. And they have had sold out shows for the shows that Nick Offerman has been in. This show is the show the Goodman Theatre's centennial season. They have a nice big lobby with staircase that leads up to the mezzanine section for the Albert Theatre and the lobby for it. And in the main lobby they have a gift shop where I got a shirt for the show. Goodman Theatre has 2 theatres, the large Albert Theatre which they do 5 shows a season, and of course their annual production of A Christmas Carol, and the smaller Owen Theatre.

Very nice theater and high quality productions…read more The theater is conveniently located near restaurants and parking garages. The lobby is large and the staff is helpful. The seats are comfortable. The Mezzanine rows are surprisingly wide with no center aisle.

The Cadillac Palace Theatre is stunning! I feel so lucky to have such a nice theatre in my city…read more This place runs like a well oiled machine. Once doors open, they get everyone in and to their seats quickly. I'm impressed by how clean everything is from the seats to the bathrooms. All of the employees are very courteous and knowledgeable. I enjoy arriving a little early just to take in the beautiful architecture. It is stunning inside! The seats are also comfortable with great sightlines.

Although the actual performance and show were great, what a horrible staff that works here (sans 1…read moreperson who actually helped). When we first arrived, upon checking our tickets, our tickets wouldn't scan/verify. The usher was getting frustrated with us for this, and made us go to the ticket booth to get our physical tickets. We showed the person the tickets on our phone, and she printed them out for us -- after several rounds of confusion on her part. She was so soft spoken (in a noisy theatre entrance) that it led to much confusion. After this, we had to "cut" back into the entrance line (the security guard was helpful here) and we got thru the gates, finally. Then this usher/ticket checker who scanned our tickets (the 2nd time) was literally yelling at us on which direction to go (not a yelling as in being loud, but yelling like we were stupid). I go the way he yells at me because he won't stop yelling at me to go the direction he points me in -- which is the wrong direction. We had orchestra seats and were headed there, but this usher/ticket checker was yelling at us to go up the stairs. Fine, maybe I'm wrong. We get upstairs, and the 2nd usher again points us in the wrong direction to go further upstairs. This is again incorrect. We are flustered and confused, and not sure what is going on. We finally reach the 3rd usher at the top of the stairs, and he finally points us in the correct direction. The ushers here (Sans the 3rd one) were incompetent and rude.

Such a pretty theatre tucked away! I had never been to this theatre before but my partner and I…read morecame to see Goosebumps: The Musical. You can tell it's an old and much-loved theatre, but it has an old charm to it The staff was super nice and helpful, scanning our tickets and letting us know that we could sit wherever we wanted. The sound was great, and it was a small enough crowd that we had great floor seats. After the show, they did a discussion about the play after that we stuck around for, which was a nice touch.

Nice theater with a beautiful interior. Tiny lobby, but we weren't there too long. Friendly staff…read morethat quickly scanned our tickets and directed us to our seats. We sat in the 3rd row middle for a family friendly Junie B. Jones play performed by DePaul University theater students. Comfy seats, perfect view, great sound, and wonderful show. There is a self parking lot right next door and a decent amount of other lots and street parking just a short walk away.

Improve leaving out the parking lot. It's terrible. Sitting there for close to an hour to leave is…read morecrazy

New Jack City the play was great! But the traffic for parking caused us to be late. It was…read morehorrible. Our Uber couldn't get through, so ge took us back to our vehicle. We had to pay for parking and it was sooo crowded. Traffic needed better management.

Had such a fun night at The Second City! my cheeks hurt from laughing the whole night! I loved…read morebeing able to had good and drink served right to our table!

Such a fun time at The Second City! This was my first time experiencing a show here, and it was a…read morecool. The performers were quick, hilarious, and did a great job working with the crowd. I laughed a lot. I had general admission tickets, and we were seated in a great spot off-center from the stage in the raised seating section. The mix of great comedy, food, drinks, and a lively atmosphere makes this a perfect spot for a night out. Definitely a Chicago experience worth checking out!