Harris Theater For Music And Dance

Wow, this is a SPECTACULARLY incompetent theater. So we had tickets for the Night Vale show last night — really good tickets! my friend paid extra money to be eligible for the pre-​sale to get them! — and like, right off the bat something was weird. We went down to the basement (the whole theater is this, like, multi-​level janky-​looking place straight out of the video for «Hotline Bling») at 7:55 and… it’s full of people. Wall to wall people, can’t move at all, because… they haven’t opened the doors. Five minutes before the show is supposed to start. Okay.
Eventually they open the doors. We move in giant clumps toward the entrances. When we get to the door, a dude scans my ticket and tells me that our tickets have been «returned» and we have to go to the box office. Where there is a giant line, because… drum roll please:
THEY SOLD US SEATS THAT DON’T EXIST.
True story! The Harris Theater sold three rows (!) of NON-​EXISTENT SEATS. Oh gosh, you say. This must be their first show! FALSE. They have existed for like thirteen years!
How is that even possible? I’m a middle school teacher and let me tell you, theaters in middle schools are better run than this.
So they gave us drink tickets and seats in the very last row, when we’d gone to some effort to procure seats in the second row. Good thing the show wasn’t sold out or people would’ve freaked.
We’re waiting for our refunds, obviously, and I’ll let you know when they go through. In the meantime, though, if you purchase tickets for a show at this staggeringly incompetent theater, call ahead to make sure your seats really exist.

Warning: if you have been in European theatres this is not place for you!
I’ve been in Mariinsky theatre in Russia and other famous European theatres, that’s why when we just got in HarrisonI I was SHOCKED.
The halls and stairs are designed super cheap, the seating area looks not comfortable and there is no any theatre’s atmosphere, looks more like stadium seating area where you can sit with beer and chips. Stage looks crappy.
I wish they could work at design, overwise people who were in European theatres will never come back

Crap theater. Really. Ludicrously designed layout, cheaply run. You will not find a theater like this place in Europe, only the USA would think this is a space to host humans seeing theater. Stage is cramped and ugly, they spend as little as possible. The design of the interior common elements is austere, aloof, and cold, probably trying to play it off like they are so ultra-​modern and cool but really they are just CHEAP! Lastly, we saw the Messiah at Christmas and this joint had not one Christmas decoration in the whole cold place! CHEAPOS!!! Of course, the ushers are scarce but unprofessional and rude when you do find them.
The bathrooms are in dumb locations. There’s a men’s bathroom all the way down a long narrow hallway and there’s usually a line?!!

Intimate venue, fairly good acoustics, but kind of a death trap. The actual performance space is 3 stories underground, with your only egress being one tiny, slow elevator or two staircases that (needless to say) get very crowded. And last night, when I was there, one of the staircases was closed! If there had been a fire, I would not be alive to post this review today. I kind of can’t believe the city let them get away with it!

I had been to the Harris Theatre before for a Unilocal event. I thought the place was cool and nicely laid out. There is some construction right now — adding two elevators to the front. I really wanted to comment on the Axis Dance performance I saw last night. So nice to see the dance world embrace dancers with different abilities. I especially liked the number about veterans since I work with them. The Harris did have a couple of bars set up and there were food trucks on lower randolph. Overall a nice experience. Make sure you sign up for the Mix at 6 year event!!!

I like to see dance, but probably for lack of other interested parties, I don’t often see it in Chicago. It is, a mainstay when I travel abroad to a country where I don’t speak the language: a perfect way to see a performance know that you don’t need to have a clue what the artist intended.
While I normally prefer little black-​box theaters for modern performances, this place is the bomb. Beautiful interior, excellent sightlines, bars right outside the «dance hall» doors, and a great location in Millennium Park.
I won’t be going near the Harris, while the Pritzker Pavilion shines during the summer. (Maybe it’s not even open, shying away from its more-​glamorous sibling?) But I look forward to another chance to plant my seat on one of the comfy seats again.

I’ve been here twice and I know three stars may sound low, so I want to qualify this review with the fact that I thoroughly enjoyed the performances that have brought me to Harris Theater. However, I do have a few complaints that pulled my review down a bit to «A-​OK.» I am rating this as a venue, so based on its architecture and ambiance, not on the various performances I’ve been lucky enough to see here.
As I said, the performances here have been excellent. However, it’s a little confusing about how this whole place is designed. You enter in on one level, which should be the first floor, but it’s not. It’s pretty easy to get lost here and it can be hard to wrap your head around how the levels work. I tried coordinating meeting with my girlfriend after her performance at Harris Theater and it was pretty difficult to get to the same floor. We ended up a few levels below street level and she ended up getting off the elevator to the parking garage (of course only to hop back on and try randomly pressing buttons until finding me).
My only other complaint really is that the parking garage is very expensive, making coming to see a performance here even more of an expense. I do know that there are some major renovations going on and I’m genuinely really excited to see what’s going to come of them. I will definitely be back to Harris Theater for future performances and productions. I am a big supporter of the talent they choose to showcase here!

Visited for Unilocal’s Glow in the Park ever 1÷29÷2015.
Huge concrete finished interior with wide huge staircases and corridors.
Nothing to break up mountains of echoing sound if there is a crowd.
Probably a very nice venue for performances, but the lobby areas brought back memories of herds of cattle being driven into narrow chutes for loading into transport trains or trucks.

This theater is really not nice and the theater is five floors below the entrance so in addition to feeling like you are in someone’s basement, you either get a workout in heels or wait forever for the teeny tiny elevator that every single person in the theater wants to use. The actual theater is decent but the acoustics are lacking. The productions they get are generally worth the discomfort but you have to wonder which barbaric architect conceived of this in the first place. If you are claustrophobic, definitely do not go to the lobby at intermission. It feels like a submarine. Final complaint– the ushers are untrained and awful. If you arrive after a performance begins, they will let you in but not help you find your seat in the dark. There is also zero monitoring of photo taking, cellophane unwrapping, talking, kids kicking your seat or old people falling down in the dark. Whatever they are paying these people, it is too much!

To me, «The Art of Falling» is a revolutionary, evolutionary advance in performing arts. In all my years, I’ve not seen anything quite like it. A collaboration between Hubbard Street Dance and Second City, it combines the creative choreography and deep talent of Hubbard Street with the brilliant comedic vision and execution of Second City. Together it delivers a best in class, hysterical entertaining night of R rated gut wrenching comedy and unique, amazing creative dance. Throw in audience interactive improv, Broadway style singers, great music, and what the heck, accordion playing and dancing ninjas, gypsies, let’s call it a «contemporary love story» and, well, that’s just the first act!
Buckle up, I’m going back in!
Today’s world is all about fusion and so is this performance. Don’t miss it.

Get this. I paid $ 45.00 for one ticket. The next day, the tickets were $ 10.00. The Harris refused to refund the money. When you have a small theatre in a big town, you really can’t afford to enrage your neighbors. I found them to be totally unconcerned with customer satisfaction and oblivious to their prices. I will not be subscribing. NEVER pay full price for a ticket because they will be reduced. You then will be stuck with an overpriced ticket for a mediocre performance. There are several fabulous theaters in Chicago. Skip this one.

Great seats for viewing and just a nice theater. Parking is an issue but where in Chicago is parking not an issue.

I’ve been here a few times for student performances. I work at a high school that has formed a partnership with the Harris Theater, so we often participate in events here and I’m lucky enough to see them for free (or cheap).
Parking isn’t *too* expensive here, which works for me considering it’s more expensive across the street at the Michigan Ave. lot. It’s a bit difficult to find the entrance to this lot since it’s partially underground and weird, but you’ll make it eventually (it’s off Randolph).
This theater is pretty unique (at least in terms of theaters I’ve visited in Chicago and elsewhere) since it’s mostly under the street level and the stage and curtains (and catwalk and such) rise up to essentially be at street level. Sitting in a sunken theater is a pretty cool experience and most of the seats give a nice, clear view of the stage.
The school where I work was also lucky enough to be able to host its first ever graduation here, which worked out because we had a packed house. Many high schools are never able to reserve a space like this that has the capacity to hold high numbers of faculty, staff, students and families.
Overall, it’s a fun place to attend a show. Each year, the Harris Theater also hosts a series of performances called «Eat to the Beat» so people in Chicago can eat lunch and see a show for $ 5 (from 12 – 1 p.m.). Many of the performances are high school students or smaller troupes. Definitely worth a visit if you’re in the Loop (or surrounding area) and want to see a show for a bit.

I saw Glamorama last Friday at the Harris Theater. It is a very beautiful space. It was the perfect size to see the show from any seat in the house –not too big, not too small. The upper level party room is also very nice. Overall, I was very pleased with the venue and the experience!

I love this theater. Having volunteered here for performances by the Giordano Dance Company, I can say that the staff here are all super helpful and friendly. The layout is great, there are no bad seats in the house. I’m not sure what else to say except that I love the GDC and the Harris Theater!

LIGHTS CAMERA CURTAIN
Shhh…the show started! No talking out loud, just read the review quietly!
Recently we attended a benefit here with some good friends. The theme was orchestrations with American-​Italian themes centered around piano. The Chicago Philharmonic was also conducted by an Italian conductor.
My friend was a little upset with the first piece played because there was no piano. He loves piano! I told him don’t worry, as I pointed to a giant piano siting in the wings. Sure enough 3 guys in black rolled out the piano for the second piece. This was a big production to get the piano out on the stage.
Then a lady from Highland Park came out in her evening gown to bang on the keys. It was a very spirited piece of music.
What always cracks me up is what happens after every piece is finished and we’ve all seen this if you’ve attended a classical orchestra show. The song finishes, crowd applauds, conductor points out important players, possibly shake hands, conductor leaves stage for 3 seconds, returns to conduct next piece. I just always find this humorous. I know the conductor is suppose to be collecting his thoughts off stage but only 3 seconds. I say milk it and wait like 5 minutes until the audience breaks out the lighters. Then surprise them and do a costume change too. Use that time wisely conductor man. I am only kidding but I figured I would offer some creative fun. Hey it’s all a show so live it.
I also must point out that drinks are expensive here. I think it may be cheaper to drink at a baseball game. In fact, at intermission they had a person walking around selling mini wine bottles. They need to teach this person on how to sell. She should have been yelling, «Get your VINO here!» or «There’s a 20 minute liquor line in the lobby!» I’m thinking I may need to re-​train the sales staff on the floor.
Yeah the line at the bar was really that long… so lady selling wine from a bag was a faster option. The fastest option was to purchase «intermission drinks» at the bar before the show even started. Then simply arrive at the bar during intermission and your drinks were ready and you didn’t have to wait in a long line. Who knew drinking at a classical concert was this complicated!
The theater is beautiful. The front of the theater and box office is located off Randolph street. If you are sitting on the main floor you will have to make your way all the way down to the bottom using an elevator or stairs. You are basically heading down to the lower Columbus street level. This layout is unique because typically the main door isn’t at the top of the theater.
I also once had the opportunity to explore back stage. I was very fortunate to be offering support statewide for the première of Kevin Smith’s movie «Red State» which premiered in Chicago at the Harris Theater. It’s fun to feel like a rockstar for the day with an All Access Pass. I was amazed at the ability of the theater to do digital projection in here.
Now if I was comparing these two events. Kevin Smith’s movie première was sold out but the philharmonic had plenty of seats open. Kevin would probably say, «F***ING RIGHT!» I guess the reason I point this out is because it shows the versatility of this theater to host both classical art and modern art. It shows that no matter what age you are you can always enjoy a night at the theater.
So if your looking for a night of culture then checkout what is happening at the Harris Theater. You may be surprise at what you might find.

I came here to see the Harry Potter parody «Potted». The Harris theater is very new. The view was good from each seat, even in the orchestra rear where I sat. The seats were also very comfortable. What I found odd was that the orchestra area was four floors down from the ground level – which meant everyone in an orchestra seat had to walk up four flights of stairs to exit the theater. I guess it doesnt pay to pay for better seats here!

You might call the Harris Theater of Music and Dance, the «Performance Bunker,» since most of the actual theater is deep underground inside this concrete hulk. The upper stories are mostly offices (or a big air shaft). The big plus with this arrangement is that if you park in the underground Millennium Park public garage (also used for Bears games) and stay way to the north of that lot (on levels 2 or 3), you can basically stroll from you car into the lobby of the Harris without encountering the elements.
That lobby is my least favorite part of the theater. If they didn’t turn on those horrible bare florescent lights (in various acid colors, not complementary to skin), you’d be in a vast extension of that concrete garage. There is a huge Louise Nevelson sculpture which decorates the front façade (a stage curtain for the opera, Orfeo and Euridice, 1984). But you cannot view it comfortably from the lobby. There are «pop up» concessions for some of the shows that tend to be mostly portable wet bars. So don’t expect to find snacks or food to buy when you are in the lobby. All of this, main lobby, garage access, concessions, and restrooms are from the «orchestra» seating level. While you can walk or elevator up to other levels from there, except for the street entrance level (two flights above «orchestra» level), there’s not much going on.
From attending productions of Luna Negra Dance and Hubbard Street Dance here, the acoustics and sight lines are excellent and the seating very comfortable.

I’ll admit it. I’m an old theater snob. Something about the grandeur of a day gone by is lost on me when I enter these new fangled theaters. But Harris, even with it’s minimalist design, delivered for me as it had good sight lines, good sound and comfortable seats (things you may not always find in a historic theater)
I have seen a few shows here, from dance to music. I like the large theater with it’s soaring ceilings and comfortable seats with plenty of leg room. I also like that if you park underground in the north Grant park garage– you are just a few steps away from the entrance and you need not go outside (perfect for those shows that happen in the Winter).
They sell beverages in the lobby which they let you take into the theater. And on one of the nights I was there– I almost felt like I was at a ball game as they had drink vendors, before the show, hawking their wares up and down the aisles (a little off setting to me as I always like to think the theater is above that, but the people around me were appreciative!)
The challenge I have every time that I come here, is trying to find friends that I am meeting up with. There are so many levels and entrances that invariably we are all at the same place– just two or three staircases from each other. So my hint to you is to pick a meeting spot or you will be like all the others on their cell phones trying to find each other.
I, for one, still prefer the old theaters, but for functionality, location and ease, Harris does a nice job.

I love going to the theater (pronounced theat-​AH). I really do love the old, ornate theaters in the city, but I can also appreciate the new, modern ones, mostly because they’ve solved the problems that plague the old theaters – like more comfortable seating, more space, no obstructed views, acoustics, amenities (like bathrooms). Yes, bathrooms. Thank you Harris Theater for having enough stalls in the women’s bathroom so that 200 women can all go to the bathroom at the same time and still get back to their seats before intermission is over. The street entrance of the theater is on level five, you have to trek down five flights of steps to get to the orchestra level of the theater, unless you want to wait for the slow elevators. But once you get in, you’re amazed that there’s such a large theater in what looks like such a small building from the outside.
We had complimentary tickets (thank you Unilocal!) to a show by the River North Dance Company. I would give the show three stars. Most of the acts were good, though I’ve realized that I feel the same way about modern dance as I do about modern art – I don’t care for it much. One of the acts, the nine person precision ball passing, was obnoxious and long and made me want to almost get up and leave. I’d say that’s movement and not dance, but I’m just being picky. My favorite dances were of course, the tango and milonga sequences – very talented dancers. Also enjoyed the tribute dance to Miles Davis at the end. All in all, a good night at the theat-​AH and even ran into Mr. Theat-​AH himself, the lovely and always gracious Nick M.

I like this place! The design is cool and allows for a large amount of seating in a seamingly small venue. The staffers were friendly.
They had a nice theater package, hello holiday gift-​givers:
2 shows, 2 tickets, $ 89.00
The sound quality is excellent. Did anybody mention its adjacent to Millenium Park? Sweet benefit.