You know, Second City would be my first choice too--except one of the girls doesn't like comedy. Isn't that weird? She says she doesn't think it's that funny and doesn't get it. She hates "Saturday Night Live" and shows like that.

So, we need to find something to please all four in the group. Sometimes tough when one is dealing with more than two people!

I really appreciate all of the help everyone has given. Please continue suggesting.

Though I love Santorini, I'm going to second the Parthenon recommendation for Greektown. It's got that great old-school feel, with the lambs roasting in the window and the waiters rushing around. It's also cheaper than Santorini.

For theater, I've had great success bringing mixed age groups to Comedy Sportz. They have lots of groups, and often pick people from the groups to get involved in the skits. It's a smaller theater than Second City, and much less touristy.

A warning, though, that they run a clean show. You make an off-color suggestion and you may end up with a paper bag over your head. Ask Ed.

Whoops. I see you have a guest who doesn't like comedy. Oh well--for future reference.

As I was skimming through all the posts, I was glad that in terms of theatre both Hottix was suggested, as was The House Theatre.

If I have visitors from out of town coming while a House show is running, I take them without fail, which means I see most House shows two or three times. They have created a following from younger crowds, and have gained respect from the Chicago theatre powerhouses, especially Steppenwolf.

The girls will have a great time - Hatfield and McCoy is a show that mirrors Romeo and Juliet in many ways, has amazing original live music(think emo rock/with a hillbilly flair) and is written in iambic pentameter but with contemporary delivery, and the spectacle of it all - movement and design will certainly be worth the ticket price of between $17 and $22.

P.S. I just reveiwed what I wrote and I am going to see if the House needs any help with Publicity. Jeez, no denying I'm a fan.

With regards to transportation. I would suggest taking the train to Bucktown/Wickerpark which is a young/artsy/indie neighborhood with some cool shops and eateries, But really its just so you can go to Hot Chocolate as someone else had suggested. Then hop in a cab, which will cost $10 and you can split that between you to make it to the House show.

Hi desgrbm, it's funny that you mentioned "Hatfield and McCoy", one of the girls * starred * it as a possible. She loves Romeo and Juliet and said it reminded her of that.

I have also come by a couple of other possibilities (from possible coupons that will bring the original ticket price down to our budget):

1. Raven Theatre--"American Buffalo"--$12.50/person

2. Victory Gardens Theatre--"Denmark"--$14 for Thursday & $19 for Friday/Saturday

3. Stage Left Theatre--"In Times of War"-- $10-12 range

There are so many shows/theaters to choose from, even in our price range. It's hard to sort throught them all, but somehow I'm sure we will find just the right one!

Thanks again to all!

American Buffalo, being by David Mamet, is a very Chicago drama, but it also addresses some quite adult themes. It is a pretty gritty play - and very male. Unless your girls are ready for that kind of Mamet realism, it might not be ideal. (I haven't seen this production, but Raven often is quite good).

Thanks for the heads up, GAF. The girls like drama, but it sounds like "American Buffalo" may be too overkill for our weekend??

I'm so glad to have found this board, so many different opinions and the wide array of knowledge is so helpful to us.

desgrbm, do you happen to know if The House Theatre is smoke free or not? Or for that fact, does anyone know?

Unless things have changed in the past few months, smoking is permitted at the House Theatre.

That's a bummer! We're a definite no smoking group, so I guess that cuts out The House for us.

We're still looking for a show for our weekend. It's really hard pleasing four people (3 teens!) with a small budget. The quest continues.

Thanks for the info gleam.

I still say that anything at NeoFuturists would do you best -- especially Too Much Light....however...i do see in the latest Chicago Reader listings that there are a couple of Durang plays out right now...one at the Live Bait Theatre called Betty Lou's Vacation and there's a double bill of The Actor's Nightmare and Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All at the Oracle on Broadway. If the productions are good, Durang is a great choice -- wacky, nutty humor (sometimes a bit risque but in a crazy world kind of way) and usually, if the director gets it right, some interesting meaning underneath. Both are cheap. Live Bait is sort of an experience -- they are best known for small productions, often one man shows. Those might fit the bill for you.

Of course, if you wanted to do something a bit more pricey -- Putnam County Spelling Bee has tickets at $54 a piece -- if you can get them at hottix half off...that might be perfect.

Shannon

I'll second the Neo-Futurists. I saw their latest prime-time show, Roustabouts, and while it wasn't especially strong compared to their other efforts (a bit disjointed), my companion, who'd never seen a Neo-Futurist production, was blown away by it (maybe I'm a little jaded by seeing so many of their other productions).

At $15 bucks a ticket, it's a good deal. The funky space over the funeral home - including the famed "Hall of Presidents" - is almost worth the cost of admission alone.

Our trip isn't until the latter part of October, so some of the mentioned shows are closed by then.

"Floss" looks kind of neat. I'm not sure if it would be too much improv like--we have one that doesn't like improv at all. Anyone seen it?

They are still thinking about "American Buffalo" and "Hot House" and I'm still looking for other shows in the meantime.

Thanks for all of the help--please continue suggesting.

Joby -- in my opinion, American Buffalo is NOT appropriate for teenage girls. Seriously. I mean...every other word is an expletive (although of course, you get that on cable) and it's about petty thieves. Don't get me wrong..I love Mamet and it's one of the better American plays...but it's not at all appropriate for kids. Plus, they might be bored out of their minds.

The neo-futurists are not about improv. They always have scripted shows and while they may have a fresh feel to them...they are not improv. I think they may be written from improv techniques sometimes.

Corn Productions is also kinda of R rated -- they did a stage version of Carrie called Scarrie that was pretty outrageous...

While I'm writing this...I want to reiterate my support of Santorini for greek cuisine. And it's a lovely place to eat.

until the next post!

shannon

I agree about Neo-Futurists. I think they will probably be your best bet. Not improv, but lively - and funny and moving at times. Mature, but not inappropriate for wise fifteen year olds. Even if there is a late night show, it will give you more time to enjoy a pleasant dinner, and most 15 year olds can handle midnight - better than their elders.

joby wrote:"Floss" looks kind of neat. I'm not sure if it would be too much improv like--we have one that doesn't like improv at all. Anyone seen it?

Floss is lots of fun - it wouldn't have been runing as long as it has if it didn't have something going for it. It's very funny, but the dancers/dancing are top-notch, too.

Joby-

I agree with nr706 about Floss. Mr. X and I enjoyed it greatly. It has resonated with us in a sort of goofy way. Perhaps that's because we still don't know if we should take the show seriously or tongue-in-cheek. It's not improv.

We loved the one House Theatre production we saw. Great energy. If their show interests you, don't rule it out. Check with the theatre about the smoking.

Finally, I have also always liked the Parthenon in Greektown.

-The GP

Thanks all for the suggestions and opinions!

I thought it would be hard picking out four restaurants for dinner for our weekend, that was done in a snap (thanks for the help on that), but this theater thing is driving me nuts!

One girl LOVES comedy/improv, the other two don't. The other two like dramas, scary movies and teen romances where the teens fall in love and one gets a tragic illness and dies.

Me, I like about anything, as long as I get to go out and enjoy something that doesn't cost an arm and a leg...I'm a happy camper.

The two drama lovers like a bit of humor as in older movies like "Miss Congeniality", "Legally Blonde" and that's about it. They also like movies such as "Center Stage" (one of the girls going is a ballet dancer) "Pirates of the Caribbean", "John Tucker Must Die". The comedy girl likes "Talladega Nights"...

It sounds like "American Buffalo" is out now. Some foul language is OK, but not every other word..that's too much.

You know what everyone REALLY wants to see is-- "Wicked". Too bad the tickets are so much. I don't suppose it goes on Hottix? I do get a daily email on Hottix. I'm just kind of watching what shows are usually on there to see if I spot a pattern.

I so appreciate all of the help choosing a show! The experience that all who have answered is so helpful, even the varying opinions! Thanks and keep suggesting, please.

If you go here:

http://www.wickedthemusical.com/chicago/tickets.htm

and scroll down to the "Wicked Drawing" section you'll find a description of a longshot chance at reasonably-priced tickets. It's not quite as long a shot as it might seem, though.

Basically, they do a drawing each performance day to sell the first two rows of seats for $25 a piece. There are quite a few seats. If there were just two of you, and you were downtown anyway, I'd give it a shot someday for sure. My mom was in town a couple months ago, we went on a Sunday, and we got tickets. I don't know how many people show up on weekdays, but I'd guess you have somewhere between a 10% and 20% chance of getting tickets. They probably called 20 names. Thing is, with 4 of you, they'd need to pick at least 2 of you, since one "winner" can only buy two tickets. It would be a fun show for your group, though, and this makes it possible, at least.

On the question of cheap tix for WICKED -- i think the Borders store next door to the theatre has a deal where you can get discount tickets on the night of shows -- you might call them and ask if they're still doing that. I think it's sort of a "first 15 people do claim them get it" sort of a deal but I honestly don't recall.

I do know that anyone I know who has seen it has loved it.

shan

FWIW, I was unimpressed by Wicked. Excellent production values, forgettable music and story. Smaller theaters here have much better stuff.

a couple of additions:

Right around the corner from the Too Much Light performance space is the Middle Eastern Bakery and there you and the girls can get as little or as much homemade baklava as you would like--and lots of other affordable snacks. Across the street is Taste of Lebanon, amazingly cheap eats (not much atmosphere but the food is worth it) and they too have some delicious baklava. But they close at 8 pm, so make note of that. (I'll just put in a vote here for the whole Andersonville neighborhood being a great place for teenage girls on a budget. You can get exotic chocolate buddhas at BonBon, hang out at Kopi for coffee or tea, choose from a wide variety of restaurants including flaming Opa cheese at Andy's, check out books at Women & Children First, browse the racks at the Brown Elephant Thrift shop and more . . . )

If you're going to go the HotTix route, note that they sell tickets on
Thursday for all the weekend shows, so you don't have to wait until Saturday for a Saturday show and so on.

Have a great visit, it's inspiring how thoughtful you have been on these visits, the girls are extremely lucky!

bjt

Aaron Deacon, earthlydesire, nr706 and jbt, thanks for the info. Speaking of baklava--we LOVE baklava! It is high on our list of things to eat while in Chicago.

I am always amazed at all of the experience and suggestions that the LTH board members have! It is heartening to see the time that members take to give a newbie so many tips, suggestions and thoughts. So THANK YOU for your help. It would be very difficult to plan a trip to Chicago on a shoestring budget without all of the insider info that you have shared.

FYI--I just called the House Theatre to check on the smoking issue. They said that there is NO smoking allowed anywhere in the building. Up until a few months ago, smoking was still allowed in the lobby areas, but it is NOT allowed presently.

That may put "Hatfield and McCoy back in the running, we'll see. We have toyed with the idea of taking our shot at Hottix, it may work out because we will arrive in Chicago on Thursday am. But, we also take a chance that we won't like the shows on sale.

The drama girls are disappointed that "American Buffalo" is out and the girls really want to stick to the "under $20 for a show" idea. It is so hard to find a show that will "fit" us, but I'm really trying because all of the girls want to go to a really cool Chicago theater show-- not in the league of our local Civic Theater here at home!

Well, I "think" we may have whittled it down to these shows:
These are in no particular order:

1. "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" ($10/student $25/adult)http://www.citylit.org/home/newsevents/jekyllandhyde.html

2. "Denmark" ($19/person) http://www.victorygardens.org/default.a ... cle&ID=259

3. "Hatfield and McCoy" ($22/person) http://www.thehousetheatre.com/


4. "Hothouse" ($22/person) http://www.aredorchidtheatre.org/

5. "The Shape of Things" ($12/student $20/adult)
http://www.theatreinchicago.com/playdet ... layID=1103

"Floss" may still be in the running too.

Any knowledge, opinions, or votes on these shows or the theater companies they are associated with (there may already have been some discussion on a couple of the shows/companies)?

Ok, I'm back again to recommend Hatfield & McCoy. This time it is a more founded recommendation since I saw it this weekend and have seen the current production of Denmark and a previous production of The Shape of Things..
I really liked The Shape of Things and would recommend it to the drama girls, though content may be a little adult. Denmark had really strong acting, but I thought the storyline dragged.
I think Hatfield & McCoy may solve the problem of pleasing such a diverse crowd and may be the best show in terms of appropriate content.
This is the strongest script House has worked with - it's written in iambic pentameter, and slightly parallels Romeo and Juliet. The music is powerful and contemporary, the acting is fierce. There is even a dance element as movement and clever choreography lend to the storytelling.
Also, it was just Jeff Recommended (Jeff's are Chicago's version of Tony Awards)
I also highly recommend red orchid and the neo-futurists, but Hatfield & McCoy is the show for which I have reserved tickets when my brother comes to town next weekend and for when my old high school friend comes to town next month.
None of your girls will walk away wishing they had seen something else.

Please note that this recommendation comes from a man who does not eat baklava

Hi desgrbm, I'm glad to see your comments--even the baklava one which I have to strongly question--what the heck's wrong with you for not eating baklava (hopefully not nut allergies, then I would be mortified about my jab)??!!

All of the opinions are very helpful in helping us choose the show that we will see.

You didn't mention anything about "Jekyll and Hyde" by City Lit. Do you or anyone else have any knowledge or opinions about that show or company?

Thanks to all for commenting on and allowing my off the food subject of theatre.

We have FINALLY chosen a show to see--we've decided on "Hatfield and McCoy". It was really hard to find a show that fit all of our needs. But, it's done and I'M GLAD!

We have decided to go to : Iberico, Chinatown (still deciding between Lao Sze Chuan and Mandarin Kitchen), Artopolis and Bari's/D'Amato's for our restaurant choices.

Does Iberico have any really good sweets (nothing really jumped out at me from their online menu)? If not, are there any places nearby that are open later and have good sweets (we are game for anything as long as it has sugar in it and is not terribly expensive!) for after dinner?

I think we are covered for sweets in Chinatown and at Artopolis.

Are the cannoli at D'Amato's good (I did read that they had cannoli there, didn't I?)?

Thanks again for all of the theatre help!

You do know Bari's and D'Amato's are not restaurants, right? Bari is a grocery with a takeout counter, D'Amato's is a bread shop, no place to sit at either one. Great for picnics to go, but no place to sit.

Hi Mike G, yes, our meal for Bari's will be takeout and am I wrong in thinking that D'Amato's has sweets? My thinking is that we will take out sandwiches at Bari's and get some takeout snacks right next door ar D'Amato's.

I even thought about bringing some bread home.

Am I mixed up?

Mike G wrote:You do know Bari's and D'Amato's are not restaurants, right? Bari is a grocery with a takeout counter, D'Amato's is a bread shop, no place to sit at either one. Great for picnics to go, but no place to sit.

And neither one open at night after a play or whatnot.

stevez, I think we're still fine for Bari's. We will hit it on a Sunday afternoon (before 2 pm). Amata has also warned that lines can get long before Bears games. I think we even have that covered!

Bari's here we come!!!!