Broadway in the Windy City: The Best of Chicago’s Theater Scene

The Chicago Theatre District is located downtown in the city’s popular Loop neighborhood. Flanked by the Chicago River to the north and west and Grant Park to the east, the Theatre District offers some of the best live entertainment and cultural enrichment for theatergoers in the Midwest.

Below, Ticketmaster dives into plays in Chicago, looks at some of the oldest theaters in Chicago and explores the Loop, from the time of vaudeville all the way to staging modern Broadway classics.

About the Chicago Theatre District

Chicago’s Theatre District began developing in the late 19th century with the rise of the vaudeville circuit and other forms of live entertainment. However, the burgeoning industry was dealt a devastating blow with the Iroquois Theatre fire of 1903 — a catastrophe that killed over 600 people to become the deadliest single-building fire in American history.

In the decades following the tragedy, architects like Rapp and Rapp, Howard Van Doren Shaw and Adler and Sullivan built numerous new theaters in the Loop neighborhood, turning Randolph Street into the center of the city’s entertainment hub through the 1970s. Three decades later, Broadway In Chicago was founded by the Nederlander Company to bring touring Broadway productions to the Windy City.

Iconic Theaters in the District

Chicago’s Theatre District is home to multiple theaters, many of which have hosted out-of-town tryouts for new musicals before they head to the Great White Way of New York City.  Find out everything you need to know about the Loop’s many historical stages below.

James M. Nederlander Theatre

24 W Randolph St, Chicago, IL 60601

 

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The James M. Nederlander Theatre opened in 1926 as the Oriental Theatre — a deluxe movie cinema and vaudeville house. Designed by architectural firm Rapp and Rapp, the interior of the theater was inspired by the lavish architecture of India. Wicked’s run from June 2005 to January 2009 took place at the theater, becoming the most popular production in the city’s history. In 2019, the theater was rechristened in honor of Broadway powerhouse and 10-time Tony-winning producer James M. Nederlander. The venue has hosted pre-Broadway runs of The Addams Family, SpongeBob SquarePants, The Cher Show, Once Upon a One More Time and more.

Cadillac Palace Theatre

151 W Randolph St, Chicago, IL 60601

Opened in 1926 and connected to the Bismarck Hotel, the Cadillac Palace Theatre was modeled after landmarks like the famous Palace of Versailles and the Fontainebleau in the French Baroque style. Originally part of vaudeville’s Orpheum Circuit, the theater brought stars like Bob Hope, Mae West and Jimmy Durante to Chicago before becoming a movie theater, concert venue and eventually a key part of Broadway in Chicago. Notable musicals like Aida, The Producers and The Pirate Queen have all had their out-of-town tryouts at the theater prior to heading to Broadway.

CIBC Theatre

18 W Monroe St, Chicago, IL 60603

 

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Originally called the Majestic Theatre — and later the Shubert Theatre — the CIBC Theatre opened in 1906 as the first new theater built in the wake of Chicago’s Iroquois Theatre fire three years earlier. Designed with two prosceniums (originally used for racial segregation of audiences), the theater attracted stars like Harry Houdini, The Marx Brothers and Fanny Brice in its vaudeville days, as well as The American Opera Company. More recently, the theater has been home to pre-Broadway runs of Movin’ Out, Spamalot and Kinky Boots as well as extended productions of Jersey Boys, The Book of Mormon, Hamilton and more.

Auditorium Theatre

50 E Ida B. Wells Dr, Chicago, IL 60605

Built inside Chicago’s Auditorium Building, the Auditorium Theatre opened in 1889. Its design was inspired by the Richardsonian Romanesque style made famous by American architect Henry Hobson Richardson. Owned by Roosevelt University since the 1940s, the theater has seen the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Chicago Grand Opera Company, John Philip Sousa, the Ziegfeld Follies and the Joffrey Ballet all perform on its stage. Productions of Broadway musicals including Les Miserables, Miss Saigon, Hello Dolly!, The Phantom of the Opera and The Who’s Tommy have all been performed at the Auditorium Theatre as well.

Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place

175 E Chestnut St, Chicago, IL 60611

 

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Across the Chicago River to the north, Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place sits just blocks from Lake Michigan along the city’s Magnificent Mile. Opened in 1976 as the Drury Lane Theatre, Broadway Playhouse is the most recent addition to Broadway in Chicago’s collection of venues. The theater has seen long-running productions of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Shout, Xanadu and Rock of Ages, and welcomed Sutton Foster for An Evening With Sutton Foster, a four-night engagement to mark its grand re-opening after a renovation in 2010.

Dining and Accommodations

Where to Eat in the Chicago Theatre District

• 312 Chicago, 136 N La Salle St, Chicago, IL 60602
• Randolph Tavern, 188 W Randolph St, Chicago, IL 60601
• Petterino’s, 150 N Dearborn St, Chicago, IL 60601
• City Social, 120 N La Salle St, Chicago, IL 60602
• Roanoke, 135 W Madison St, Chicago, IL 60602
• The Fillmore, 120 W Monroe St, Chicago, IL 60603
• The Dearborn, 145 N Dearborn St, Chicago, IL 60601
• Atwood, 1 W Washington St, Chicago, IL 60602

Where to Stay Near the Chicago Theatre District

• The Allegro Royal Sonesta Hotel Chicago Loop, 171 W Randolph St, Chicago, IL 60601
• Cambria Hotel Chicago Loop – Theatre District, 32 W Randolph St, Chicago, IL 60601
• theWit Chicago, 201 N State St, Chicago, IL 60601
• Renaissance Chicago Downtown Hotel, 1 W Wacker Dr, Chicago, IL 60601
• Virgin Hotels Chicago, 203 N Wabash Ave, Chicago, IL 60601
• Hyatt Place Chicago/Downtown-The Loop, 28 N Franklin St, Chicago, IL 60606
• JW Marriott Chicago, 151 W Adams St, Chicago, IL 60603
• L7 Chicago by Lotte, 225 N Wabash Ave, Chicago, IL 60601