The Apollo Theater Chicago was built in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

Lincoln Park neighborhood Lincoln Park is a designated community area on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois. It is located west of Lincoln Park. History In 1824, the United States Army built a small post near today's Clybourn Avenue and Armitage Avenue (former ...

in 1978, by theatre producers Jason Brett and Stuart Oken. Located at 2540 N. Lincoln Ave., the Apollo has 430 seats and a lobby featuring art exhibits and a full bar. The theatre is also the home of the

Emerald City Theatre Company Emerald is a gemstone and a variety of the mineral beryl (Be3Al2(SiO3)6) colored green by trace amounts of chromium or sometimes vanadium.Hurlbut, Cornelius S. Jr., and Kammerling, Robert C. (1991). ''Gemology'', John Wiley & Sons, New York, ...

. The Apollo Theater Chicago has no relation to the

Apollo Theater The Apollo Theater (formerly the Hurtig & Seamon's New Theatre; also Apollo Theatre or 125th Street Apollo Theatre) is a multi-use Theater (structure), theater at 253 125th Street (Manhattan), West 125th Street in the Harlem neighborhood of U ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

History

The Apollo Theater Chicago is not the first Chicago theater to bear the name Apollo. In 1921, theatrical producer A. H. Woods opened the Apollo Theatre in the

Chicago Loop The Loop is Chicago's central business district and one of the city's 77 municipally recognized Community areas in Chicago, community areas. Located at the center of downtown Chicago on the shores of Lake Michigan, it is the second-largest busi ...

District, at the corner of Randolph and Dearborn Streets. Originally operated as a playhouse, the old Apollo Theatre was sold in 1927 to United Artists Corporation and was renamed the United Artists Theatre. It was demolished in 1989. In 1991 Michael Leavitt and Fox Theatricals took ownership of the Lincoln Park venue, then in 1996 Rob Kolsen took over. In 2005, a smaller 50 seat second stage was built, in what was formerly the Act One Bookstore. The smaller venue is popular for comedy, sketch shows, and improv theater.

Productions

Notable productions at the new Apollo included

David Mamet David Alan Mamet (; born November 30, 1947) is an American playwright, author, and filmmaker. He won a Pulitzer Prize and received Tony Award, Tony nominations for his plays ''Glengarry Glen Ross'' (1984) and ''Speed-the-Plow'' (1988). He first ...

's ''

Sexual Perversity in Chicago ''Sexual Perversity in Chicago'' is a play written by David Mamet that examines the sex lives of two men and two women in the 1970s. The play is filled with profanity and regional jargon that reflects the working-class language of Chicago. The ...

'' starring

James Belushi James Adam Belushi (; born June 15, 1954) is an American actor and comedian. His television roles include ''Saturday Night Live'' (1983–1985), '' According to Jim'' (2001–2009), and '' Good Girls Revolt'' (2015–2016). Belushi appeared in f ...

, ''

Balm in Gilead ''Balm in Gilead'' is a 1965 American play written by American playwright Lanford Wilson. Dramatic structure Wilson's first full-length play, ''Balm in Gilead'' centers on a café frequented by heroin addicts, prostitutes, and thieves. It featu ...

'' with

John Malkovich John Gavin Malkovich (born December 9, 1953) is an American actor. He is the recipient of several accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, in addition to nominations for two Academy Awards, a BAFTA Award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and ...

and

Gary Sinise Gary Alan Sinise (; born March 17, 1955) is an American actor, director, producer, musician and humanitarian. Among other awards, he has won a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Tony Award, and four Screen Actors Guild Awards. He has ...

, the long running play ''

The Vagina Monologues ''The Vagina Monologues'' is an episodic play written in 1996 by Eve Ensler which developed and premiered at HERE Arts Center, Off-Off-Broadway in New York and was followed by an Off-Broadway run at the Westside Theatre. The play explores ...

'', and ''A Nutcracker Christmas'' written by children's recording artist Ralph Covert and

G. Riley Mills G is the seventh letter of the Latin alphabet. G may also refer to: Places * Gabon, international license plate code G * Glasgow, UK postal code G * Eastern Quebec, Canadian postal prefix G * Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne, Australia, ...

. From October 1, 2008 to January 17, 2016, the Musical

Million Dollar Quartet "Million Dollar Quartet" is a recording of an impromptu jam session involving Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash made on December 4, 1956 at the Sun Studio, Sun Record Studios in Memphis, Tennessee. An article about th ...

played at the venue, making it the longest running Broadway musical in Chicago.

References

External links

* Theatres in Chicago {{Chicago-struct-stub