Mercury Theater Chicago Grand Re-Opening Season to Include Diversity and Feel Good Fun

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar:

 

SISTER ACT

WOMEN OF SOUL

PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT

CLUE

Here at ChiIL Live Shows, we've been reviewing at Mercury Theater for years, and we were devastated during the pandemic when it looked like they were going dark for good. Happily that's not the case and their upcoming season looks like a fun one. Check back with us early and often for updates. Tickets are on sale now for their first show opening November 5th through January 9th. We're crossing our fingers that Delta will be done with us by then and we can get back to in person theatre, with all the joy and energy of live performances. 

Artistic Director Christopher Chase Carter and Managing Director Shane Murray-Corcoran announced the 2021-2022 Mercury Theater Chicago season. Mercury Theater Chicago welcomes audiences back in November to its beautiful home in the Southport Corridor with the feel-good blockbuster hit SISTER ACT directed by Reneisha Jenkins, featuring Chicago favorites Alexis J. Roston and Hollis Resnik.  The season continues with a tribute to WOMEN OF SOUL, written and directed by Daryl D. Brooks.  A spectacular musical based on the movie PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT, will celebrate PRIDE Month directed by Artistic Director Christopher Chase Carter and features Honey West; and the Chicago Premiere of the hilarious murder mystery CLUE, directed by Executive Producer Walter Stearns. 

“As Mercury Theater Chicago prepares for its joyous reopening, I am ecstatic and energized by the season we have assembled. Our goal was to program diverse productions that provide an entertaining experience for all as we gather together again,” comments Artistic Director Christopher Chase Carter.

Memberships and tickets for Sister Act are on sale now at www.MercuryTheaterChicago.com.

The Mercury Theater Chicago 2021/22 Season:

SISTER ACT November 5, 2021 to January 9, 2022

Music by Alan Menken, Lyrics by Glenn Slater

Book by Bill and Cheri Steinkellne, and Douglas Carter Beane

Directed by Reneisha Jenkins

Music Direction by Diana Lawrence

Choreography by Christopher Chase Carter

Featuring Chicago Legends Alexis J. Roston (Deloris) and Hollis Resnik (Mother Superior)

This feel-good musical comedy is based on the hit 1992 film that has audiences jumping to their feet!  Featuring original music by Tony and Oscar winner, Alan Menken (Newsies, Beauty and the Beast, Little Shop of Horrors), this uplifting musical was nominated for five Tony Awards, including Best Musical.  When disco diva, Deloris Van Cartier, witnesses a murder, she is put in protective custody in the one place the cops are sure she won't be a found: a convent! Disguised as a nun, she finds herself at odds with both the rigid lifestyle and uptight Mother Superior. Using her unique disco moves and singing talent to inspire the choir, Deloris breathes new life into the church and community but, in doing so, blows her cover.  Sister Act is reason to rejoice!

About Mercury Theater Chicago

The beautifully renovated Mercury Theater Chicago is in the heart of the Southport Corridor at 3745 North Southport Avenue, within a sophisticated neighborhood of restaurants and boutiques just steps from Wrigley Field. A delightful destination, Mercury Theater Chicago is a live-theater seating 280 people, adjoining Venus Cabaret Theater (seating 80). 

The building that houses the Mercury opened in 1912 as a silent film nickelodeon, named The Blaine Theatre after actor and former Senator and Secretary of State James G. Blaine. The Blaine became obsolete when talking pictures became popular nationwide in 1928. The building served a variety of uses until 1994, when it was purchased by theater producer Michael Cullen and transformed into a live theatre, named the Mercury Theatre.

In 2010 the building was sold again and reopened as Mercury Theater Chicago under the direction of Walter Stearns, a veteran theater director and producer. Mercury Theater Chicago is thrilled to be part of the city's vibrant theatre community, boasting record-setting long runs, employing hundreds of artists and recognized with dozens of award nominations. Mercury Theater Chicago's team includes Christopher Chase Carter (Artistic Director), Shane Murray-Corcoran (Managing Director), Walter Stearns and Eugene Dizon (Executive Producers) and Honey West (Cabaret Director). Visit www.MercuryTheaterChicago.com.

Broadway in Chicago March Sizzle Reel #Broadway in Chicago

Get out and see a show in style.   Broadway in Chicago is hopping this spring with The Book of Mormon, which is one of the best shows we've seen this year if not in recent history!    We caught opening night with a couple of guys named Trey Parker and Matt Stone.   I expected it to be irreverent, but I was blown away by how relevant it was!  Book of Mormon is a no holds barred must see.

Spring also brings Jekyll & Hyde--Check out our past coverage here and also acclaimed Priscilla Queen of the Desert!

Coming Soon:

Catch Me If You Can

Theatre : Cadillac Palace Theatre, Chicago Illinois
Dates : April 02, 2013 - April 14, 2013

Based on the hit DreamWorks film and the incredible true story that inspired it, CATCH ME IF YOU CAN is the high-flying, splashy new Broadway musical that tells the story of Frank W. Abagnale, Jr., a teenager who runs away from home in search of the glamorous life. With nothing more than his boyish charm, a big imagination and millions of dollars in forged checks, Frank successfully poses as a pilot, a doctor and a lawyer - living the high life and winning the girl of his dreams. But when Frank's lies catch the attention of FBI agent Carl Hanratty, Carl chases Frank to the end...and finds something he never expected. This delightfully entertaining musical has been created by a Tony Award®-winning "dream team," with a book by Terrence McNally (The Full Monty, Ragtime), a swinging score by Marc Shaiman & Scott Wittman (Hairspray), choreography by Jerry Mitchell (Hairspray, Legally Blonde) and direction by Jack O'Brien (Hairspray, The Full Monty, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels).


Ticket prices are $18 to $85.

Groups of 10+ are now on sale by calling Broadway In Chicago Group Sales at 312-977-1710.

Big Fish - World Premiere!

Theatre : Oriental Theatre, Chicago Illinois
Dates : April 02, 2013 - May 05, 2013



PRE-BROADWAY WORLD PREMIERE!

BIG FISH is a new musical based on the celebrated novel by Daniel Wallace and the acclaimed Columbia Pictures film directed by Tim Burton. It features direction and choreography by 5-time Tony Award winner Susan Stroman (The Producers, The Scottsboro Boys), music and lyrics by Tony nominee Andrew Lippa (The Addams Family, The Wild Party) and a new book by John August (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Corpse Bride), who also penned the screenplay for the film version.

Two-time Tony Award winner Norbert Leo Butz (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Catch Me If You Can), Tony nominee Kate Baldwin (Giant, Finian's Rainbow) and Tony nominee Bobby Steggert (Giant, Ragtime) lead a cast of twenty-seven in this rollicking fantasy set in the American South.

BIG FISH centers on the charismatic Edward Bloom, whose impossible stories of his epic adventures frustrate his son Will. As Edward's final chapter approaches, Will embarks on his own journey to find out who his father really is, unraveling the man from the myth, the truth from the tall tales.

Overflowing with heart, humor and imagination, BIG FISH is a tribute to the power of dreaming big... and the unpredictable adventure of life itself.


Ticket prices are $33.00 to $100.00.

Groups of 15 or more, now on sale! Call 312-977-1710!

ACT OUT OPENING: Priscilla Queen of the Desert #Broadway in Chicago

Priscilla Queen of the Desert

Theatre : Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University, Chicago Illinois
Dates : March 19, 2013 - March 30, 2013

This spectacular show tells the uplifting story of a trio of friends on a road trip of a lifetime, who hop aboard a battered old bus searching for love and friendship in the middle of the Australian outback and end up finding more than they could ever have dreamed. 

An international hit with over 500 dazzling, 2011 Tony® Award-winning costumes, PRISCILLA features a hit parade of dance-floor favorites including "It's Raining Men," "Finally" and "I Will Survive." The Hollywood Reporter calls PRISCILLA "funny and fabulous! Joyous entertainment with eye-popping visuals and unexpected heart!"

Ticket prices are $28 to $85. 

Groups of 15+ On Sale Now! Call 312-977-1710.

Click here to check out more fabulous behind the scenes fun, order your tickets, and more. 

SAVE THE DATES: Priscilla Queen of the Desert #BroadwayinChicago

Priscilla Queen of the Desert

Theatre : Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University, Chicago Illinois
Dates : March 19, 2013 - March 31, 2013



Available now as a Broadway In Chicago Season Show!
Click here.

This spectacular show tells the uplifting story of a trio of friends on a road trip of a lifetime, who hop aboard a battered old bus searching for love and friendship in the middle of the Australian outback and end up finding more than they could ever have dreamed.

An international hit with over 500 dazzling, 2011 Tony® Award-winning costumes, PRISCILLA features a hit parade of dance-floor favorites including "It's Raining Men," "Finally" and "I Will Survive." The Hollywood Reporter calls PRISCILLA "funny and fabulous! Joyous entertainment with eye-popping visuals and unexpected heart!"

Ticket prices are $28 to $85.

Groups of 15+ On Sale Now! Call 312-977-1710.