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I am planning on seeing the show Wicked in Chicago during my honeymoon. Because we are not going anywhere that exotic for the honeymoon, we are willing to spend a bit more on the entertainment and really enjoy tbe experience. Has anyone seen it on broadway or in Chicago? What did you think?
We are planning to get tickets in the orchestra section of the Ford theater. Does anyone know if which seats you get in that section make much of a difference in quality of the experience? We haven't gone to many nice theaters before so we don't know that much about picking seats. The price difference from the low end to the high end of the section is about 50 dollars a ticket so I am just trying to gain info about what the upgrade would actually entail.
I saw Wicked at the Oriental (sorry, the Ford, it'll always be the Oriental to me, no matter what corporation is sponsoring them...) when we had the touring cast here in May, and it's an absolutely awesome show. What you'll be seeing is a permanent cast on an open run, which until very recently was headed up by Ana Gasteyer of Saturday Night Live as Elphaba. It's a beautiful house with excellent acoustics. And it was recently renovated, so seats are roomy and comfortable.
There's a few scenes that happen in the air, and we were actually just a bit higher than Elphaba, so I thought they were good seats. If you get orchestra, go for the back third of the section, which will put you just above stage level and make watching everything easier on your necks. And I believe rear orchestra and dress circle are less expensive anyway. And definitely go for center section if you can manage it. Oh, and even on an open run that's been here for 8 months so far (not including the touring company), it's still selling out months in advance, so definitely get your tickets early! I'd recommend doing the "will call" option for your tickets as well, so you don't have to worry about misplacing them before the night of the show.
You didn't ask about this, but because this is the center of the Loop, there are a ton of excellent restaurants in the area, some of which do have theater dinner specials. My personal favorites are Petterino's (Italian/American, half a block away at the corner of Dearborn and Randolph) and Catch 35 (seafood and steaks, about 2 blocks away on Wacker Drive, between Dearborn and State). The theater is on Randolph between Dearborn and State.
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I'm usually not the one to say this, but maybe we should have a Chicago get together. There seem to be quite a few of us here.
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Thanks for the info and the dinner information. What sort of deals do they have? Do you just bring your tickets? Would you recommend resercations? Any more recommendations for the Chicago area attractions? I have heard good things about Navy Pier so that is in the plans. We are staying at a bed and breakfast in Oak Park. Sorry for all the questions. I am super excited about the trip.
Posts: 416 | Registered: May 2005
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Petterino's offers a special menu, often with themed appetizers or drinks, and also has a prix fixe selection that is not on the regular menu. When Spamalot was in town for the pre-Broadway trial, the theater special was Fechez la Vache (which was just a sirloin steak with a silly name) and they had Holy Grail pale ale as the associated drink. And our waiter was wonderful and helped me sneak out my two empty bottles. Oh, and you don't have to prove you're going to the theater to order their special. IF you let your waiter know that you're going to the show, however, s/he will make sure that the kitchen knows to ensure you have enough time to enjoy your meal and get to the theater without being rushed. I do recommend that you make a reservation, and for a 7:30 curtain, I'd go no later than 6:00 for dinner, even though you're so close. Mom and I usually go to shows on Wednesday nights after work and make our reservations for 5:30, which gives us time to shop at Borders (Randolph and State) before seating or to give her a cushion on bad beathing days when she has to move slower than normal. Oh, but you will probably need to show your tickets to get theater rate parking. I recommend the garage on Randolph just east of State Street, facing Marshall Fields. It's only $14 for theatergoers. (yes, only, it's bloody expensive to park downtown...)
You've already got Navy Pier on your list of things to do. I also recommend going to the Sears Tower Skydeck if it's a fairly clear day. When there's little to no cloud cover, you can see 4 (or is it 5?) different states. Not that you can tell where one ends and the next begins...
Millenium Park is beautiful when the weather is warm. Actually, it's lovely year round, but Chicago winters can get COLD!!! and there isn't as much to do there in the cold.
There are several museums along the lakefront and Michigan Avenue. The Field Museum of Natural History, the Adler Planetarium and the Shedd Aquarium and Oceanarium are all together at Lake Shore Drive and roughly 18th, near Soldier Field (ugly space junkyard that it's become - what WAS that architect thinking?!?!). The Museum of Science and Industry is further south on Lake Shore Drive at 57th Street. Each of these have free admission on selected weekdays during the school year, but usually suspend those programs around spring break and during summer.
Shopping: There's Marshall Field's (of course), although it's been bought out by Macy's parent company and may or may not be renamed. There's still a battle over that one. Water Tower Place is further north on Michigan Avenue, but I find that to be pretty high-end stuff there. And Michigan Avenue north of the Chicago River is called the Magnificent Mile in part because of the volume and variety of shops, restaurants, hotels, etc. along the way. If shopping is your thing, I'm also going to recommend you head west a bit to Oak Brook Center, which is an open air mall that's very nice. Lots of good restaurants there too.
We've also got two zoos. One in Chicago itself, the Lincoln Park Zoo. Last time I was there, it was free admission, but it's been a while so they may have changed that. Parking is a pain there, so if you're going to do that, I really really recommend you take public transportation. They have one lot for members only, and then there's street parking if you can manage to find it. I can help you with train and bus information if you decide to do that. There's also the Brookfield Zoo, which is (in my not so humble opinion) about a million times better. Yep, I'm a member, and I grew up in Brookfield (family joke is I was born on Goat Island and my brother in Tropic World), so I'm very biased. They do charge admission and parking, but it's in their own lots which are completely enclosed and away from general traffic. OH, and periodically they send guest passes to members, so if I have any when you're in town, I'll be glad to share!
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Wow! That was lots of information. I am going at the end of May so hopefully the weather will be nice for us. I LOVE shopping but I am sure it is not high on Paul's list of things to do. It will be weekdays that we are there so hopefully that will keep the cost down some. Thanks for the help! It makes me even more excited to visit.
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May??? Better get your tickets FAST! (and yes, going on a Tuesday through Thursday will definitely keep costs down, I think Weds matinee is the least expensive of all)
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I officially have tickets to the May 30th showing of Wicked. They aren't in the middle because they are all gone but they are in the end of the left section that is closest to the middle. I am so excited to go. I have always had a small obsession with musicals but this is my first chance to see a professional production. I also ordered the Wicked cd off ebay. I always seem to enjoy musicals more when I know the music. Now I just have to find a bit of patience to make it to the wedding and the honeymoon without driving myself crazy Posts: 416 | Registered: May 2005
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I saw Wicked last spring as well. I am enormously critical of theatrical productions and I very much enjoyed it.
I would also recommend the Atwood Cafe for a special dinner. It is in the Burnham Hotel on State and Washington (just a block away from the theatre). I highly recommend the hotel as well, but it look like you already have a place to stay.
Posts: 11187 | Registered: Sep 2005
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Does the Chicago theatre have a lottery? The Broadway theatre does, as did the touring production when it hit Tampa. I won the lotteries in both cities. In New York, they give you front row tickets (2 for $25 a piece). I had no difficulty seeing anything from the front row, though I don't know if they stage things differently in Chicago. (I wouldn't expect it, because the touring show was staged very similarly, but who knows . . . )
Anyway, it's an awesome show. I envy you. Posts: 13680 | Registered: Mar 2002
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Then I recommend giving the lottery a shot each night of your stay, if it's just you and your SO. (If you have a larger party, then this would not work, unless you don't mind splitting up if you don't all win. We actually got inordinately lucky in Tampa, and all five of us got in, but we were prepared to have only some of us see the show if it had not worked out.)
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And the lottery is only $25 per seat for two seats, in the front 4 or 5 rows, if seats are available. Of course, if your name is pulled and there aren't any open seats, it does you no good, but it's always worth a shot. Oh, and you do have to be present for the drawing, so stop in at Borders around 9 am, do some fun touristy stuff, and be back at Borders by 5:15 for a 5:30 draw. Posts: 4515 | Registered: Jul 2004
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I guess I don't understand the lottery system. Would I get a refund on the tickets I already have or is it just a way to get additional tickets for another time?
Posts: 416 | Registered: May 2005
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If it's like New York or Tampa, no, you would not get a refund. But for $25 a person, you would get phenomenal seats. Weren't you prepared to pay $50 more for excellent seats?
Anyway, what we did for Tampa is we already had seats for a different night, but we went on another night when we heard about the lottery, just to see if we could see it an extre time, with better seats.
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You'll love the music theresa. Stephen Schwartz is one of the best composers/lyricists of the 20th century. (Stephen Sondheim being the best of course.)
Erm, I suppose I should include 21st century in that as well.
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This is making me excited to see Wicked in May as well, only in Boston rather than Chicago. (I got my husband tickets for his birthday.)
We visited Chicago a few years ago for a weekend and had a great time. I love the architecture of downtown. We were able to take in a baseball game, we went to Navy Pier and had fun walking the Miracle Mile. Hopefully the weather will cooperate for you, it's a beautiful city!
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