EventChaser

  
  

EventChaser came through again, this time with tickets to one of the hottest shows in Chicago, “Mary Poppins,” in a limited engagement as part of the “Broadway In Chicago” series, at the Cadillac Palace theatre in the heart of downtown.

Cadillac Palace Details & History
The Cadillac Palace
151 W. Randolph Street
Chicago, Illinois 60601
312.902.1400

The Cadillac Palace, originally built in the 1920s, was known then as The Palace Theatre. It was the place to see the Vaudeville greats like Bob Hope, Jack Benny, Mae West, and Jimmy Durante, and many others.

As the Vaudeville acts disbanded or moved to radio and film, The Palace was converted into a movie house. It served Chicago moviegoers until the multiplex movie theater concept swept the nation.

Then, in 1984 The Palace was retooled as a rock music venue and renamed The Bismarck. The theatre languished under abuse and neglect for several years until1999 when it was purchased by Broadway In Chicago in their effort to revitalize the Chicago Theatre experience by attracting Broadway quality touring productions.

The theatre underwent major renovations to restore its original grandeur as well as outfit it as one of the most modern and up-to-date theatrical facilities in the Midwest, and General Motors’ Cadillac Division, recognizing the renewed splendor of the place as the new elite theatre in Chicago, bought the naming rights and paid homage to its roots, and named it The Cadillac Palace. It has since launched several pre-Broadway shows, to include Mel Brooks’s “The Producers,” and “Mamma Mia.”

Please remember that the Cadillac Palace is a professional theatre, and Disney is… well, it’s DISNEY. Theatre personnel are very strict and on guard about photography inside the theatre. It is forbidden, and if they see you snapping photos, they will approach you. Do yourself a favor and leave the camera at home or, if you drive to the theatre, hidden safely away in your car.

Getting There By Rail
The Cadillac Palace is in the heart of Chicago’s downtown, as well as the heart of The Theatre District. As always, the most convenient, stress-free way to get there from anywhere in the city is public transportation. All Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) trains converge on ‘the loop,’ the section of downtown Chicago ringed by one of the most notable sights in the city, the elevated commuter train tracks, otherwise known as ‘the el.’

Virtually all of the CTA rail lines stop within blocks of The Cadillac Palace. The Blue Line and the Red Line are subways through downtown; The Green, Pink, Orange, Brown and Purple Lines are all elevated through the loop. All but the Red Line stop at the Clark/Lake station at the Governor James Thompson/State of Illinois building, less than two blocks away from the Cadillac Palace. The Red Line station at State/Lake is only one block east of the Clark/Lake station.

If you don’t often visit Chicago, it can be easy to lose your bearings, especially after undergoing the twists and turns of a train ride or a climb up from below ground. If you reach street level feeling a little disoriented, use your surroundings as your guide. If you step out the door and immediately see the ‘el’ tracks above you, over the street, you’re on Lake Street.

Simply turn left and walk to the corner (add 1 block if you’re coming from the Red Line), at LaSalle Street. Turn left again and walk to the next corner, which will be LaSalle and Randolph streets. Look to your right and you will see The Cadillac Palace marquee a mere 50 yards away.

If you’ve reached street level and you just can’t make heads or tails of where you are, circle the block until you come to Randolph Street, and then look west. You should be able to see the Cadillac Palace marquee, even from a couple blocks away.

If you’re coming in from the suburbs, the Metra locomotive lines will bring you in to Union Station, west of ‘the loop.’ From there head east, over the Chicago River (you’ll see the rise of the bridge). It’s about a ten minute walk (or an inexpensive cab ride) until you reach The Theatre District. The Cadillac Palace is on Randolph Street, which is one block north of Washington Street, and one block south of Lake Street, and is between LaSalle Street and Franklin Street.

On the Metra electric lines from the south suburbs, take the train all the way to its terminus, the Randolph Street Millennium Station. From the train platforms you will come up to street level at the corner of Michigan Avenue and Randolph Street. West on Randolph, the Cadillac Palace is a ten minute, moderate-pace walk.

Getting There By Car
There are several ample parking facilities throughout The Theatre District. Lake & Wells Interpark, 177 N. Wells, offers theatre parking at a significant discount to their regular prices. Present your ticket stub at the parking garage to receive the discounted rate. Other parking garages may offer theatre parking deals, but not all of them do, and their rates can be pretty steep. Be sure to allow yourself enough time to scout these deals.

From all directions, expressways into the city will intersect with the combined Interstates 90 and 94 through downtown. From I-90/94, take the Washington Street East exit (don’t take Randolph Street, as it is one-way, and will take you west, away from The Theatre District). When you reach Franklin, you are in the Theatre District. Look for those parking deals!

From Lake Shore Drive, take the Randolph Street West exit. When you cross Clark Street, you are only two blocks away, and you should be able to see the Cadillac Palace marquee ahead of you on the left side of the street.

Chicago Restaurants and Attractions
The Cadillac Palace is truly in the heart of downtown Chicago, and before or after the show, you will have more options for dining, drinks, or sightseeing than you could possibly get to in one day.

Walk one block in just about any direction from the Cadillac Palace and you will pass up to a half-dozen different places to satisfy your hunger or quench your thirst, from hot dog and burger stands to high society fine dining. But right across the street is Petro’s diner style restaurant with a huge menu and very affordable prices. But do call ahead, as the restaurant was closed on the Sunday afternoon when the show I attended was over. Petro’s Restaurant, 160 N. LaSalle 312.357.2700.

Right next door to the east of The Cadillac Palace is 312 Chicago, right on the corner of Randolph and LaSalle. It’s a trendy restaurant and bar featuring Italian cuisine, that also offers outdoor seating where you can people-watch while you dine.

If you’d rather explore your options, a notable locale for the delight of the palate or the eyes is Wacker Drive, along the Chicago River. From the Cadillac Palace head north (out the doors and turn right; left at the light (LaSalle St.)), and walk approximately 10 minutes to the river. A stroll along the river will afford you opportunities for boat tours, stunning architectural vistas, and a mouth-watering selection of places to eat or drink, among them The House of Blues, Smith and Wollensky, McCormick & Schmick’s seafood restaurant, Dick’s Last Resort, Catch Thirty-Five, and Fulton’s on The River, to name but a few.

In just about five minutes, walking three blocks south and not quite two blocks east from The Cadillac Palace will bring you to the doorstep of The Italian Village, three scrumptious restaurants under one roof. The Village offers traditional Italian dishes, La Cantina is a steak and seafood house, and the award-winning Vivere brings you contemporary and updated Italian cuisine from all over Italy.

A ten minute walk to the east from The Cadillac Palace down Randolph Street will bring you to The Magnificent Mile — Michigan Avenue — and another full array of dining, drinking and shopping choices! Cross Michigan Avenue and head south and you’ll find yourself at one of Chicago’s newest attractions, Millennium Park, and its most popular feature, “Cloudgate,” the smooth, reflective, misshapen orb known to Chicagoans, affectionately, as “the bean.” Two more blocks south is the entrance to the Art Institute of Chicago, one of the foremost art museums in the world.

A few more blocks east of Michigan Avenue is the shore of Lake Michigan and the sensory splendor time spent there can bring you. You really can’t make a wrong turn downtown, as no matter which direction you go, you are likely to find exactly what you’re looking for or a distraction just as interesting or fun. And if it’s too far to walk, there’s a bus or a train or a cab that will get you there quickly.

Practically Perfect!
One of the latest of the movie-to-stage adaptations, “Mary Poppins” delivers on the legacy of the original in grand, grand fashion! The production combines the magic of Disney and the spectacle of state-of-the-art stagecraft to present a show that is dazzling, thoroughly entertaining, and often awe-inspiring.

“Mary Poppins” is replete with the songs and dance numbers one would expect of a Broadway show, but the difference is that just about everybody in the audience is already familiar with all of the songs. Every song from the movie is included in the stage adaptation, with the addition of a few written for the new production, and updates to some of the original songs, to include a simply breathtaking renovation of “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!”

Director Richard Eyre adds to the pure spectacle of the new “Mary Poppins” by capping off the song and dance number, “Step In Time,” with Bert, the star of the number, on a truly believable, yet incredible “walk” up the stage left proscenium, then upside down across the proscenium arch, and then down the stage right side! I was dumbstruck at how smooth and “real” it was!

In the final number Mary Poppins reappears on stage, unfurls her umbrella, and “flies” up and over the audience where she disappears into a huge lighting structure suspended from the ceiling. I saw no cable rigging on the ceiling; I do not know how she did it. Disney still has the magic!

Testament to the full sensory immersion this production creates is the fact that, despite half the audience being almost certainly under the age of 12 — and with the exception of Bert’s walk up one side of the stage and down the other, and when Mary flew over our heads — there was not a murmur of chatter in the audience throughout the entire three-hour show.

“Mary Poppins” is definitely for children, but it is as much for the adults who accompany them, and who will also find themselves giggling with glee and scratching their heads, wondering, “How did they DO that?!”

If you have small children, whether or not they’ve seen Mary Poppins on home video, pick up a few theater tickets to see this production. If you don’t have children, see this show for the child who still dwells in your heart! “Mary Poppins” is not to be missed!