I went to watch Les Miserables by Schaumburg On Stage as I'd recently missed the national tour in…read moredowntown Chicago. Realizing that Drury Lane and Paramount had done their version a few years back and Marriott Theatre had done it a bit before that, I wanted to watch a live version in case I can't make the next big stop in Milwaukee. I watch quite a bit of theatre, both professional and amateur. Not sure why, but until this show -- I wasn't aware of Schaumburg on Stage which has been around since 2016. To my surprise, the quality of the production was similar in quality to other highly acclaimed groups like the District 214 all-district group (which recently did The Wedding Singer). Here were my thoughts on various aspects of the show: Staging: It really surprised me how many sets were used in the show and how they were fully functional. They were designed and painted well and items were hardly reused. They also did a very good job of quickly changing sets to make sure the showtime was kept to a reasonable length. Vocals: Two things I like about this. One is how they kept the complex harmonies -- which worked great in group songs. The overall balance lacked baritone and bass voices, but that's expected with younger actors. I also liked how they did not shy away from the challenge of the very high notes for male or female leads. They could have easily changed the key, but it's great to see them embrace the challenge. Orchestra: A bit smaller, not sure if it's due to space limitations or that's the way the school version is written. A bit more reliant on piano and common woodwind/string instruments than the full version. I did like how they played at a level not to overpower the vocals. Lighting and fog: I liked all the varieties of lights used. Not just in general stage lighting from the top, but also from lights on the side and spotlights. There were quite a bit of variations on lighting, which helped to tell the story. I did not like the excessive use of stage fog though, which tended to linger for more than a single scene. Overall, a great group to watch a show from. It's much better than the typical amateur group and prices are very reasonable. It's also great how they incorporate actors and actresses from all different ages and help them to build interest in theatre. Based on the quality of this performance, I can't wait to watch another show when they get a new digital microphone system.

The experienced people at SOS really see the value and potential in each kid. They are like family…read morein that they really connect and care, but they also hold the kids to a high standard and help them achieve it. This is definitely a step up from park district community theater in both production quality and experience.

Attended a production of Fiddler on the Roof here and I was pleasantly surprised. The setup of the…read moretheatre makes it so that no seat is really super far away from the stage and even the the left and right sections don't really skew your view too much although at times staging on the extreme edges might not be visible. The seats were a good size with better legroom than what I've seen as some other local community theatres. The building itself is setup nicely for hosting shows, with fairly wide hallways, furniture, and a good amount of restroom facilities. The production here that I watched was done better than average, with a good amount of costume and set changes that were designed fairly well. The sound was a good volume and in general the microphone volume management was pretty good, with only a few lines that were inaudible. The singing and dancing by the cast were also done quite well, with leads that performed their parts impressively. Overall, nice place to enjoy a show with reasonable prices and a nice community feel.

I went to the Northbrook Theater to watch their production of Fiddler on the Roof. This was a great…read moreproduction. The sound and stage, and scenery were all very high quality. The actors were tremendous. I think they will be ready for Broadway soon. I highly recommend Northbrook Theater. I can't wait to go back and see another show!

I had a ton of fun watching a cover band here. Don't expect a mosh pit, the crowd runs a bit…read moreolder - ha. But everyone was in to it and having fun. The staff there were nice and knew what they were doing. I heard there was a speakeasy there but I didn't go upstairs to see it

This is a pretty nice venue! They've put in lots of work to restore this old theater and it shows…read more Seats are comfortable, decent leg room. Plenty of food and beverages to choose from. The service is fast and friendly too. Prices are not too bad either. About on par with other similar venues. There's a speakeasy two floors up, but we didn't check it out yet. I feel the sound could be better, but I know that's subjective and could be due to many variables. Anyway, check this place out! I think you'll like it.

My husband and I went to Cutting Hall Performing Arts Center to see a production of Newsies. This…read moreis a large theater space for community theater. We love sitting in the front row of the balcony. There's just enough leg room for me, and it has an unobstructed view of the stage. This is a nice space for the park district to showcase, but it is beginning to show its age. The line at the bathroom was pretty long during intermission. The seats look like they were updated recently. The acoustics were pretty good. The parking lot is not big enough to accommodate all of the cars. Try parking on the street or in the lot behind the village hall/park district building. Overall, I enjoyed the show at Cutting Hall Performing Arts Center and would come back for future performances.

Easy parking and relatively spacious event space although it's a hike for downtown Chicago…read moreresidents . I watched a stand up comedy show which i throughly enjoyed.

My friend surprised me with tickets to see Ruthless! at the Citadel Theatre, and I didn't even know…read morethis hidden gem existed! There was ample parking when we arrived, and the entrance to the theatre was clearly marked. We were immediately greeted by a gentleman at the ticket counter who was absolutely wonderful. I wish I had remembered his name--he was so warm and welcoming and made us feel genuinely happy to be there. The seats were very comfortable, and I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of legroom. I really appreciated not feeling cramped, as I often do in many other theatres. The live music, lighting, sound, acting, and singing were all top-notch. I was incredibly impressed by my experience here and can't wait to return for another show!

We have been patrons of the Citadel Theatre for a couple of years now and their shows never…read moredisappoint! As a patron of the arts, I am privileged enough to see a variety of shows in a variety of spaces and the Citadel is one that I can say is consistently great and offers a variety of shows at very reasonable prices. The theatre space is not huge, but for me, that means there is never a bad seat in the house! They have a reasonably priced concession stand and have a wonderful staff in the lobby that is always friendly and helpful. Bonus points for them always have little touches that reflect the current show--for example, today's show revolved around college admissions and there were all of these college pennants adorning the walls. There are clean bathrooms, an accessible bathroom, and there is plenty of parking. The seats are comfortable, well-spaced, and the sound system is great. My grandmother is a little hard of hearing and she can hear most everything the actors have to say! I always look forward to my evenings planned at the Citadel Theatre!

We went to catch the Elvis Musical at the Marriott Lincolnshire Theatre. I didn't know what to…read moreexpect but was excited to go as I grew up listening to Elvis and watching his movies with my grandmother. I thought parking would be difficult but I was able to find parking easily. Getting to the main theatre is easy and finding our seats. The staff were friendly. The stage was pretty small cause I pictured a huge stage. But it was nice and the actor and actresses entered the stage from all corners and sides of the theatre. The musicians were great and the sounds and songs were clear. I definitely sang along. Intermission arrived and we were given 15 minutes. It was enough time to get water and use the bathroom. Lines were not long for either. When the show ended, people filed out pretty quickly. There was a little of a bottleneck getting to the road that leads out but I noticed that the other side of the parking lot was empty and had no line hitting the main road and I was out in 2 minutes. I had a great time and will be looking out for future musicals to attend.

I was here with Yelp Chicago for Heartbreak Hotel. We saw the first act of the show, then after an…read moreextended intermission, they announced that due to inclement weather and flooding in the area, they were calling our show and the subsequent ones for that weekend. They made an announcement to please call the theater the following Tuesday and they would give us tickets to ANY of the remaining dates to see the conclusion of the show. I called Tuesday and they did just that! The process was very easy and a week later, I was able to the second act of Heartbreak Hotel. The theater in the round insures there are not really bad seats in the house! I have been here for everything from You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown [Theater for Young Audiences] to Big Fish to Damn Yankees to Something Rotten over the years. I am grateful to my grandparents who instilled the theater into me by bringing my young self here! I also appreciate that the Marriott Theatre works with the Chicago League of Theaters to offer accessibly priced tickets. And after viewing Catch Me If You Can, they allowed the next generation of theater viewers to have a meet and greet with JJ Neimann, who a lot of kids connected with via TikTok. Parking is free and close to the doors, the seats are comfortable, the bathrooms are clean, the box office is competent, and the productions are top notch! Not much else you can ask for!

This review is specifically about the facility, the Prairie Lakes Theater. It's adjacent to the…read morePrairie Lakes Community Center and I presume there's a connecting interior hallway between the two. The theatre is part of the Des Plaines Park District and what a great asset for the city. There are a handful of organizations that rent space for their productions here I think, amongst them Big Noise Theatre, which I learned about at a Park Ridge summer event and that's how I found out there's a great black-box theatre in the suburbs. They've hosted various arts companies, including dance and opera. They're also available for rent by other parties as well. Prairie Lakes has just under 300 seats and the sight lines are good; I don't think there are any limited view seats in the place. Seats were very comfortable too. Parking is ample, given its location, and free.

We returned to this nice and intimate theatre to see Big Noise Theatre's kids musical 'Elephant &…read morePiggie's "We Are in a Play!"'. It was a most delightful play, and this is when I learned that the Big Noise Theatre company rents space from the Prairie Lakes Community Theatre for their productions. I guess some previous reviews allude to this arrangement, but I never paid attention until today on what "theatre name" was appropriate here. In any event, we're now 2 for 2 on 5 star outings at this venue.

I came here for a magic show with a group of friends on a Friday. Overall, good facility! There's a…read moresmall parking lot for patrons nearby, which was nice. Bartenders were friendly. Bathrooms were clean. It was cold, but that's typical of buildings in the summer. I'd come back!

What's life without a little magic! We came by to see a show on a Sunday afternoon and we're able…read moreto enjoy the Physician's show. When you walk in there is a bar and some tables but through the double doors, you'll find a 2nd bar with a speakeasy feel. When we checked in, we were assigned our tables. We ordered drinks before hand and the drinks were brought to our tables. We also ordered the pimento cheese and crackers. We snacked on the crackers most of the show as there was quite a bit of pimento in the bowl. The show was great and was broken into 2 parts. There were a lot of great metaphors along with it being a very interactive show with the crowd. Many of the tricks and magic left us in complete awe. We can't wait to come back and see future shows!