9 Must See Musicals by Broadway in Chicago

On the stages of five of its finest theatres in Chicago, Broadway in Chicago presents a complete range of entertainment, including plays and Broadway Musicals. The theaters that they entertain from are the CIBC Theatre, James M. Nederlander Theatre, Cadillac Palace Theatre, the Roosevelt University Auditorium Theater, and the Broadway Playhouse.

Here are 9 of their must-see offerings which are not to be missed.

Hamilton Chicago is the story of Alexander Hamilton considered as America’s founding father. He is credited to change America forever and who himself was an immigrant from the West Indies. This musical follows the Journey of Alexander Hamilton as an illegitimate orphan to being George Washington’s most trusted key man. Hamilton Chicago is a musical that has all the figures Alexander Hamilton was associated with including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Eliza Hamilton, and lifelong Hamilton friend and foe, Aaron Burr. Hamilton Chicago features a score that blends hip-hop, rap, R&B, blues, jazz, and Broadway; it is the story of "America then" told by "America now."

This musical from Broadway in Chicago has impressed the critics and theatre lovers. It is one of the highly recommended Broadway Musicals in Chicago theatre circle.

Show type: Musical
Run time: 2 hours and 45 minutes with an intermission
Playing at: CIBC Theatre
Dates: Now running – Through January 5, 2020
Ticket price: $62 - $600

The Band's Visit is a unique story about a meeting of two unknown groups of strangers, who are accidentally brought together. Egyptian police band accidentally ends up in the small, isolated town of Bet Hatikva instead of Petah Tikva which is a bustling town in Israel. It is a classic case of mistaken identity of similar-sounding city names. They are then taken in by the locals for one night. Although the setting of this musical is that of the Middle East, one can easily relate this story with any isolated town or village in the world. It is the universal aspect of the story that audiences get connected to. This small and uniquely "unimportant" story narrates elaborately about humanity and how people form bonds with others whom we usually don't often meet in our regular lives.

This musical from Broadway in Chicago is the winner of 10 Tony Awards including "Best Musical" making The Band’s Visit the most Tony-winning musicals in the history. The Band’s Visit is also a Grammy Award winner for the Best Musical Theatre Album. The score is soul seducing and will sweep you off your feet. It features a very talented set of on-stage musicians who rejoice the way their music makes people laugh, cry, and bring everyone together.

Show type: Musical
Run time: 1 hour and 45 minutes without intermission
Playing at: Cadillac Palace Theatre
Ticket price: $39 - $106

The near-total absence of Latinos from his son’s American history books inspired John Leguizamo to come up with Latin History of Morons. He goes off on an extremely funny, frenzied search to find a Latin hero for his son’s school history project. Leguizamo breaks down the 3000 years history between Mayans and Pitbull by getting into a recap of Aztec empire to stories of unknown Latin patriots of the Revolutionary War and beyond.

This presentation from Broadway in Chicago is highly applauded by both critics and audiences alike. It is delivered uniquely by the very energetic, entertaining, and award-winning stage personality John Leguizamo in an unforgettable manner.

Show type: Comedy
Run time: 110 minutes with no intermission
Playing at: Cadillac Palace Theatre
Dates: October 29 – November 3, 2019
Ticket price: NA

A much-loved story involving a well-kept secret & a family torn apart. It celebrates the bond of two sisters with one sister struggling with being an outsider and trying to master the power within. The other sets on bringing her family together by going on a thrilling adventure. It is the heartwarming story on the search for love where both sisters learn in a hard way that they have to look within themselves first. It is a theatrical experience filled with amazing special effects, stunning sets and costumes, and some of the best performances. It is moving, a spectacular and pure musical joy to witness.

Disney’s Frozen is melting hearts on Broadway in Chicago created by the producers of The Lion King & Aladdin in all new products specially created for the stage by an award-winning team. It features all the known and loved songs from the movie with an expanded score with an additional dozen songs. The creative team of this musical includes many Tony and Oscar winners.

Show type: Children
Run time: 2 hours and 20 minutes with one intermission
Playing at: Cadillac Palace Theatre
Dates: October 21, 2020 – January 3, 2021

Once on This Island is the universal tale of a fearless peasant girl Ti Moune in search of her place in the world, who is ready to risk everything for love. Ti Moune sets out on an eventful and adventurous journey guided by the island gods to reunite with the man she loves and has captured her heart.

This groundbreaking creation of highly acclaimed director Michael Arden and choreographer Camille Brown conjures up "a place where magic is possible, and beauty is manifest for all to see on Broadway in Chicago"! With a score that bursts with life, Once on This Island is a timeless testament to the theater’s unlimited possibilities.

Show type: Musical
Run time: 90 minutes with no intermission
Playing at: Cadillac Palace Theatre
Dates: January 21 – February 2, 2020

The Broadway In Chicago proudly presents My Fair Lady which is the story of Eliza Doolittle, a young Cockney flower seller, and Henry Higgins, a professor in linguistics, who is adamant about transforming her into what is his idea of a “proper lady.” It includes the classic songs from the movie as “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly,” “On the Street Where You Live” “I Could Have Danced All Night” and “The Rain in Spain.”

This popular musical’s production is considered one of the best, giving a thrilling and glorious experience as described by a few critics.

Show type: Musical
Run time: 2 hours and 55 minutes with an intermission
Playing at: Cadillac Palace Theatre
Dates: March 24 – April 12, 2020

Jesus Christ Superstar is a 1970 rock opera with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. An iconic musical phenomenon Jesus Christ Superstar has a worldwide fan following. Through the eyes of Judas, it chronicles the events during the final few weeks in the life of Jesus Christ. With music by multiple award-winning legend Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice, it includes legendary songs like ‘I Don’t Know How to Love Him,’ ‘Gethsemane,’ and ‘Superstar.’

This production won the Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival and has garnered acclaimed reviews and accolades. This makes this musical a must-visit in Broadway in Chicago.

Show type: Musical
Run time: 1 hour and 50 minutes with no intermission
Playing at: Cadillac Palace Theatre
Dates: August 11 - 23, 2020

The Phantom of the Opera is based on Le Fantôme de l'Opéra, the classic novel by Gaston Leroux. It narrates the story of a masked figure who dwells beneath the catacombs of the Paris Opera House, reigning terror over all who inhabit it. He falls in love with Christine, an innocent young soprano, and devotes himself in creating a new star by nurturing her talents and by using all of the devious methods at his command.

This new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s classic musical is making a return to Broadway in Chicago as part of its North American tour. It boasts of many new and exciting special effects and is widely acclaimed by the critics who are raving that the production is bigger and better than before.

Show type: Musical
Run time: 2 hours and 30 minutes with an intermission
Playing at: Cadillac Palace Theatre
Dates: December 18 - January 5, 2020

Dear Evan Hansen is a personal and contemporary musical about life and the way we live it. It is the journey of Evan Hansen’s chance to finally fit in, something he has always wanted. A letter that was never meant to be seen and with a lie that was never meant to be told, Evan Hansen gets a chance to a life he never thought he could have.

This gut-wrenching and breathtaking musical has struck a chord with the critics and audiences alike. This multiple Tony Award-winning musical also won a Grammy in 2018 for the best musical theatre album. It is soon going to stage on the Broadway in Chicago.

Show type: Musical
Run time: 2 hours and 35 minutes with an intermission
Playing at: CIBC Theatre
Dates: July 7, 2020 – September 7, 2020

Broadway in chicago theatre tours

You can get up-close with the production houses with a public tour of its theatres offered by Broadway in Chicago every Saturday. Each tour is planned to visit any two of their three theatres: the Cadillac Palace, the Nederlander Theatre and the CIBC Theatre. The tours focus on the French Renaissance-inspired vintage décor designed by some of the best theatre designers.

The Palace Theatre in Chicago opened its door on October 4, 1926, at the end of LaSalle and Randolph Streets. The architectural marvel is designed by legendary architects, famous for building theaters, the Rapp Brothers.

The interiors have an awesome view inspired by the magnificent French palaces of Fontainebleau and Versailles, which was a never before seen splendor when it was built.

The distinctive features of the theatre include a lobby with huge attractive mirror work and Violet and White marble; large wall areas enhanced with gold leaf and wood decorations; and 2,500 roomy and plush seats.

In February 2019, the once Oriental Theatre which was later changed to Ford center for the Performing Arts has further renamed the James M. Nederlander Theatre in honor of James M. Nederlander, the legendary patriarch of Broadway and a producer. He is also the founder of Broadway in Chicago.

The Oriental Theatre opened to fanfare on May 8, 1926, as it was one of the first motion picture palaces. The décor was inspired by the East, designed by George L. and Cornelius W. Rapp. The theatre was a virtual museum of Asian art with turbaned ushers who led guests through the lobby with multi-colored figures and large mosaics of an Indian royal couple, through an inner passageway with multicolored Buddha and elephant-throne chair to “hasheesh-dream décor.”

The theatre was at its peak till 1970 with some of the legends of that time performing here and many motion movies playing here. Soon after the theatre fell in despair and was added to the Federal National Registry of Historic Places in 1978, it continued to crumble and was closed to the public in 1981.

The site was considered for turning into a shopping mall with a cinema hall. In 1996 Chicago mayor, Richard M Daley announced that venue would be restored for the presentation of live stage musicals. It was renamed the Ford center for the Performing Arts in 1997 and restoration was completed by 1998. Since then it has attracted many patrons as some the best Broadway Musicals are played here.

The theatre that is now known as the CIBC Theatre was opened on New Year’s Day in 1906 as the Majestic Theatre. Edmund R. Krause and George L. and Cornelius Rapp designed this building. The Majestic Building was the tallest building in Chicago when it was first built and the first venue in Chicago to cross one million dollars. It became a Chicago landmark, and the theatre instantly became a popular destination for many performances. It was restored in 2005, and in 2017 it was renamed as CIBC theatre as the CIBC bank acquired the naming right.

The Chicago Theatre that serves as a Landmark for Chicago’s best live events is an original movie palace from the 1920s. People from across the world come to see live performances here. It also allows you to explore the theatre and even go backstage. You need to book a guided Marquee Tour to learn more about the historic Chicago Theatre. There are daily tours which last for an hour starting at noon.

Chicago theatres are full of drama and beauty, off and on stage. The stories of some of the legendary theatres are as interesting as the Broadway Musicals or stage plays running there.

You can check out the fascinating history of some of the other interesting Chicago Theatres.

The Athenaeum opened in 1911, as part of the campus of nearby St. Alphonsus Catholic Church in Lakeview. It attracted a large number of German, Polish and Irish immigrants as it was still being developed from the farmland roots.

Today the Athenaeum is the oldest off-Loop theatre in Chicago which has the main stage area where you can watch anything from theatrical performance to standup comedy, and it also has three small studio theatres.

Initially started as a Chicago Movie house in 1914, The Biograph Theatre was most famous as the place where the notorious bank robber John Dillinger was shot and killed in 1934.

In 2004, the famous Victory Gardens Theatre purchased and transformed this Chicago Theatre for live productions. Now the historic theatre has two stages and a restored main stage. It also has a studio where Victory Gardens perform their new work.

Opened in 1920 this structure was initially built as a sanitarium for children with Tuberculosis. The intention was to get the kids away from the polluted downtown and surround them with fresh lake air on the shores of Lake Michigan. The building was praised for its modern design. After the sanitarium was closed in 1939, it served as a recreation center for USO in World War II.

The Chicago Park District reopened the venue as Theatre on the Lake in 1953. In 2017, a $7 million restoration and redevelopment transformed the six-acre campus. It is home to an event space where you catch concerts, theatre productions, and other events.

Chopin Theatre opened in Chicago west in 1918 in an area that was home to the Polish community. Chopin Theatre was known as a place where one could watch movies for just 5 cents. Zygmunt Dyrkacz, a Polish immigrant, reopened the Chopin Theatre in 1990 as the neighborhood history inspired him. The venue has three stages and hosts more than 500 events a year. There is an emphasis on European work, especially Eastern & Central European, to stay true to the area’s roots.

Chicago is known across the world for its innovative, world-class, and vibrant live theatre scene. There are more than 200 companies and five Tony Award-winning Theatre companies which offer various kinds of shows ranging from the Intimate Dramas to Rib Tickling Comedies to live musicals. Discover a lively mix of things to do in Chicago: fine food, fun times, vibrant arts, architecture, and rich history. In short, Chicago is a must-visit for all theatre lovers. Here on the trip.com website, you can get the best package deals, lowest airfares, discount hotel accommodations, places to visit, and much more.

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