Since the start-up, Theatre at the Center (Munster, IN) has not done any full productions of musicals or plays. Instead they are presenting cabaret acts, stand-up, and some specialty shows -- they are a 400-seat venue.
Stage 773, also, no longer does plays or musicals, but is more like a museum or art center with some live entertainment. They've renamed themselves WHIM.
Lookingglass Theatre, one of the majors, hosted a fine production by Congo Square Theatre of a new play called What to Send Up When it Goes Down last October. Since then they did revivals of two shows from a few years ago. They are doing a new show now.
The Athenaeum and Den Theatres have not done much of consequence since pre-Covid, definitely not full productions of plays or musicals. Den is hosting a new (About Face Theatre) production of last year's Gender Play right now -- my partner and I enjoyed the initial 2022 version quite a lot.
On the plus side, Timeline Theatre has done 3 plays in a row, Relentless; Campaigns, Inc; Trouble in Mind, that were incredible and sold out the performances that I attended.
I've had a subscription with Paramount North Aurora for 2 years now, and every single musical production has been outstanding, although attendance has been down -- it has a seating capacity of 1,885.
Drury Lane Oakbrook has actually tripled the price of single tickets, but every play and musical I have seen there in the last two years has been very good -- their subscription price remains reasonable, but many of the shows they are doing I've already seen way too many times.
Theo-Ubique's recent musical productions of Once Upon a Mattress, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, and The Threepenny Opera have all been very entertaining.
Lincolnshire Marriott's productions over the last 6 months of A Christmas Story, Big Fish, and Damn Yankees have been fine, but like other venues their size with reduced attendance.
Rivendell Theatre right now is doing a terrific production of a play called Motherhouse, which is riveting and somewhat in the vein of August: Osage County -- it's been selling out its 45-seat venue for almost two months now and has extended to June 25th. |
