91. Chicago’s Music Of The Baroque
City: Chicago, IL
Category: Nightlife
Telephone: (312) 551-1414
Description: Music by some of the most popular classical music composers is performed by Music of the Baroque, including Pachelbel, Bach, Handel, Vivaldi, and Haydn. This professional 60-person chorus and orchestra is led by one of the world’s greatest Baroque conductors, Jane Glover, who doubles as artistic director of opera at London’s Royal Academy of Music. The ensemble performs a series of concerts at various locations around the city, including the Harris Theater in Millennium Park.
92. Fulcrum Point New Music Project
City: Chicago, IL
Category: Nightlife
Telephone: (312) 726-3846
Description: Pushing hard beyond expected limits of new classical music, the 20 members of this group, including its director Stephen Burns, clearly have fun on the job. More than just bringing the music to the masses, they astound even die-hard traditionalists as they merge classical instruments with electronic, theatrical lighting, art and photography, and sometimes deconstructed rock tunes. Fulcrum originated in 1998 and continues to evolve, presenting themed concerts at locations around the city, including the Field Museum, Art Institute of Chicago, National Museum of Mexican Art, and most commonly at the Harris Theater. If you don’t think you like classical music, this ensemble will make you think again.
93. Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago
City: Chicago, IL
Category: Nightlife
Telephone: (847) 866-6779
Description: Technically superb and artistically brilliant, this world-class dance company does not disappoint. With impossible aerobic energy, muscular agility, and graceful movements, the 10 dancers seem to barely take a breath—and neither will you as you watch them in action. Formed by the late choreographer Gus Giordano, who also authored the seminal Anthology of American Jazz Dance, and currently led by Artistic Director Nan Giordano, the company’s repertoire continues to amaze at performances throughout the world and right here at the Harris Theater and other dance venues.
City: Chicago, IL
Category: Nightlife
Name: no value!
City: Chicago, IL
Category: Nightlife
City: Chicago, IL
Category: Nightlife
Address: 50 E. Congress Pkwy.
97. Luna Negra
City: Chicago, IL
Category: Nightlife
Telephone: (312) 337-6882
Description: Take the precision of ballet, add the innovations of contemporary dance, and the dynamic energy of Latin, and you get this exciting young company led by artistic director Gustavo Ramirez Sansano. Through its performances and its educational work in communities both nationally and internationally, Luna Negra brings a new voice to dance.
98. River North Dance Chicago
City: Chicago, IL
Category: Nightlife
Telephone: (312) 944-2888
Address: 1016 N. Dearborn Ave.
Description: Prepare for your jaw to drop at the beautifully bold and taut, often sensual, and frequently surprising performances of this contemporary jazz company. Having recently celebrated its 20th anniversary, River North has proven itself to be a leading force on the Chicago dance scene. With multiple awards for original choreography by artistic director Frank Chaves and co-artistic director emerita Sherry Zunker, as well as others, the vibrant company soars in performances in the Chicago area—including its annual Valentine’s Day weekend engagement at the Harris Theater—and around the country.
City: Chicago, IL
Category: Nightlife
City: Chicago, IL
Category: Nightlife
Address: 2540 N. Lincoln Ave.
City: Chicago, IL
Category: Nightlife
Address: 50 E. Congress Pkwy.
102. Briar Street Theater
City: Chicago, IL
Category: Nightlife
Telephone: (773) 348-4000
Address: 3133 N. Halsted St.
Description: Currently the longstanding home of Chicago’s PVC tube-playing, paint-splattering, Cap’n Crunch-munching, silent, but zany Blue Man Group, this 600-seat theater was built in 1901 as the stables for Marshall Fields’ delivery service horses. It was converted to a theater space in 1984 and takes people on quite a ride these days. Tickets to Blue Man Group range from $49 to $69.
City: Chicago, IL
Category: Nightlife
104. Chicago Shakespeare Theater
City: Chicago, IL
Category: Nightlife
Telephone: Tickets: (312) 595-5600
Address: 800 E. Grand Ave.
Insider Pick:
Description: The Bard gets top billing at this Tony Award–winning theater whose productions have included Romeo and Juliet, As You Like It, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. But with a 48-week season and more than 600 performances, Shakespeare isn’t the only thing going at this dual-staged space. The CST Family Series plays to a younger audience with fables, fairy tales, interactive music concerts, musical theater like Aladdin and The Adventures of Pinocchio—as well as respectful abridged versions of Shakespeare. And the World’s Stage Series brings shows to Chicago from foreign lands, including acclaimed theaters from Russia, India, Lebanon, and South Africa. Whether you pair a performance with a stop at Navy Pier’s lofty Ferris wheel is entirely up to you.
105. Chicago Theatre
City: Chicago, IL
Category: Nightlife
Telephone: Tickets via Ticketmaster: (312
Address: 175 N. State St.
Description: The frequently photographed, 6-story vertical marquee of this French Baroque–style theater twinkles with 8,915 light bulbs. It’s a prelude to the extravagant 5-story lobby and mural-filled 3,600-seat auditorium and why this historic theater was called “the Wonder Theatre of the World” when it opened in 1921. It was, in fact, the prototype of majestic movie palaces to come. After being shuttered for a short time, it was graciously restored and reopened in 1986 and now hosts a musical and comedic list of who’s who including Ellen DeGeneres, Aretha Franklin, Paul Simon, Dolly Parton, Chelsea Handler, and Diana Ross, and shows of the now-annual Just for Laughs comedy festival. The smaller Chicago Theatre Downstairs extends the venue capacity.