The House Theatre of Chicago

My husband and I attended the Nutcracker last weekend at the Chopin Theater. It was great! The House did a really nice version of it that definitely kept our interest throughout. It’s great that the theater is so small and intimate, and it doesn’t hurt that they serve drinks. I would definitely recommend this, and we will definitely be bac!

I recently saw a good show here by the name of «A Doll’s House» by Henrik Ibsen.
Really good production and an awesome cast made it worthwhile to spend about an hour and a half watching the awesome story unfold.
It had been maybe 6 years since I actually saw a show here and I am glad I cam back to see such a wonderful production. I saw a show on the main floor back then, but this time I got to check out the space downstairs which seemed a bit comfy and welcoming. the bar was on the way downstairs so I def made a stop there to get a beer and laugh with the woman that was manning the area as I was waiting on my date to arrive. Good place to see a show… hopefully it won’t take me another 6 years to come back.

One of my absolute favorite theaters to go to in Chicago. Since going my first time last summer (2013) I’ve been back four times. I’ve loved every single production I’ve seen. I find their plays to be different and exciting and captivating. They always put on unique performances and their actors are extremely talented. Each show is filled with musical numbers, dancing, and stunts, and in every play the actors interact with the audiences. I love it!
We always meet up with some friends a while before the show so we can have some drinks to relax and enjoy the décor. The Chopin theatre is beautiful decorated and we always find something interesting on the wall. If you have some time don’t forget to check out the bar down stairs. All the employees I’ve ever come across from the bar to the box office has been wonderful.
The only thing was that I wish it was easier to get student tickets. If you’re going on the weekends you normally won’t get a call back from the box office.
Tip: If you’re driving in from the suburbs there is free parking on Sundays at the Office Tech College near the theater. And if you’re a student, and don’t mind waiting till the day of to buy tickets, they do offer rush seats at a good discount.

The House provides it’s audiences with fresh, fun, inspiring pieces of theatre for all ages. Every audience member is treated like a VIP at The House, and the Chopin Theatre building is beautiful in itself. THIS is the type if theatre that I hope will continue to thrive for a long time.

Just saw Rose and the Rime. Fantastic! We went with our boys (11 & 12) and they absolutely loved it. They complained all the way to the theater, not wanting to go to a «stupid play». They were drawn in the the first seconds and are still talking about it.
This is the third show we’ve seen at the Chopin. Am so very impressed with their creativity. It’s so amazing what they can do within a small space. Truly love this place. Tickets are reasonable and there is NO bad seat in the house.

Words cannot describe The House. If I could give more than 5 stars, I would. I’ve been 5 times!!! My favorite play of all time, Rose and the Rime was my first experience at the House. (And rumor has it, they are bringing this show back in the fall.) Needless to say, I was hooked after that. The show was unbelievable, this group of people are so so extremely talented. I’ve seen the Nutcracker here… TWICE! (They changed it a bit the second time around, and it felt like a whole new show!) Most recently, I saw Death & Harry Houdini. AMAZING!!! Wonderful acting, singing, dancing, and… magic!!! I can’t imagine the work the cast and crew put into this show. To not only learn all the lines and steps… but to prepare magic tricks that left me and my family dumbfounded (keep in mind, we were in the front row — 5 feet from the actors performing these tricks) is nothing short of incredible. I’m gushing, but it’s warranted. Go check out a show. You will not be disappointed.

Like some other reviewers, we went to The House for the first time via a Groupon for an entire season. We loved it and became repeat year members. We now have hooked several of our friends and I’m proud to say we have now had at least 6 – 8 season tickets each year for the past four years.
If you like magic, go to The Magic Parlor! Their other productions are always varied and different. Lots of fun, we never know what to expect for a new production.

Every time we go to see one of their shows we are not disappointed. We started with a Groupon for a whole season and were hooked. All the shows are unique (my favorite so far was Cyrano) and the close and intimate setting makes it even better. The wonderful Chopin theater only adds to the whole aura.
We always recommend this wonderful theater company to anyone we talk to from Chicago.

This was one of the first places I went when I moved to Chicagoland. I found out about it through couchsurfing, one of the really active hosts is quite enthusiastic about it. How could I pass something up that someone was so passionate about? When I finally went, I definitely wasn’t disappointed!
When I have gone, I always had a student I.D. so tickets have always been 10 USD for me which is extremely reasonable. I am not sure what regular prices are since i haven’t gone in a while.
The stage rooms are smaller, but everything is on the same level as you and it is a much «home-​ier» feel to it. This also works great visually because many of the theatre groups use the space so well and are able to create these amazing, abstract visuals that can make the audience feel completely dwarfed.
I have never had any unpleasant experiences and the actors have always been engaging. Some are even great at impromptu. There was a point where a girlfriend and I went, we stuck in such a giggle fit long after everyone else had stopped laughing and an actor even worked some impromptu teasing of us into his act.

I took my husband here to see Death and Harry Houdini for his birthday. I was really excited based on the great reviews, however, the show fell extremely short and we found it to be really cheesy. The theater is cute and I appreciate the small atmosphere, but for close to $ 90, we expected something better.

We saw Death and Harry Houdini. This was a lot of fun, even for a such a dark subject — Death that is … though Harry Houdini was kind of a mirthless guy also. Anyhow, it was really a treat to see such great magic in such a small theater. You can really see the love of the cast for the show in such a small venue. Really great.

I would highly recommend The House Theatre of Chicago’s latest show — Death and Harry Houdini. It was an AMAZING show!!! I was fortunate enough to see this show, The House’s first, 10 years ago at the Live Bait Theater. I thought it was fantastic then, but this production was far better. Don’t miss the the wonderful acting and terrific magic. It was a fun and entertaining reenactment of the life of Harry Houdini.

This was my first experience with the The House Theatre group at Chopin Theater. We saw a preview of Cyrano. It was EXCELLENT. Add cheap seats through Goldstar, and you can’t go wrong!
The actors came out to mingle and introduce themselves to the audience prior to the play which was a cute touch. The acting itself was excellent. Clearly they are sharp and can think on their feet, they had a chance interaction with a audience member who snuck in late which was quite funny. The fight scenes were well choreographed and exciting. The actor who played Cyrano, in particular, was outstanding.
The Chopin Theatre is very charming. The lobby looks like your grandmother’s house and blares Frank Sinatra. The auditorium is a great space, large enough for the story to unfold, but small enough to still feel intimate.
I will definitely be back to see more.

Took my grandma here for Christmas to see the Nutcracker. When i got to the revenue im not going to lie the neighborhood kind of scared me at first. There was close street parking that i paid for. While walking from my car to the theater there was a planned parenthood with gang signs spray painted all over it. Kind of made me nervous but once you walk on Division where the venue is located its like night and day. This place was absolutely adorable. I loved how there was a small coffee shop inside and the actual theater itself was very cute. There’s two theaters one upstairs and one downstairs. The play was great; it made me laugh and cry. All of the workers there are great and you can tell they love their job. I was even thinking about buying the season passes i loved this place so much.
I give this place 4 stars instead of 5 because I didn’t like the whole parking situation BUT parking is never great in the city.

Update time!
Went to the Unilocal free show of Rose and the Rime. It was a cute play, and I thought they did some really creative things with their staging. They created rope bridges, blizzards, and mountains on a tiny flat stage… well done! The writing in this play wasn’t as good as Dave DiVinci though. There was definitely a disjointed feel in the middle that involved a very long dance sequence (I can’t say more without giving things away.)
But it was still really fun and enjoyable and I encourage people to go out and support House.

I was downright smitten with Rose and the Rime, now playing at the Chopin Theatre. The whimsical transformation of winter to spring is particularly resonant to a Chicago denizen in March. I’m not a regular theater goer by any means but I think anyone can appreciate the creativity that goes into a production like this, which in addition to fine acting and an intriguing story line also displayed innovative approaches to dance, music/​sound, lighting, costuming and set design. Looking forward to checking out more shows in the future!

OK, last night I went with a ton of other Unilocalers to check out Rose and the Rime…
Thought it was pretty much adorable… solid story, great crown interaction, quality sound effects (minus random bunny sneezes), and a really friendly appeal overall…
(wanna hear a kinda messed up story? minor league spoiler alert so don’t read on if it’s gonna bother you to get a plot tease…)
OK, so I’d had a long day by the time i reached the theater, so while sitting in the comfy seats and hearing the «white noise» of the snow, at one point (just after the snow started to die) I must have closed my eyes for a moment… The next thing I know I’m opening them again and the ENTIRE CAST is staring DEAD AT ME! Well the sun had come up and I was sitting just under the light… but for the first second, before i realized what was going on I almost felt like I should apologize to all of them before I got lynched! ;p
(thanks for not hitting me in the head with a root beer or hot dog guys)
Needless to say I was at full attention for the rest of the play and am fully willing to give them my stamp of approval… I’ll definitely be around for future performances…

Rose and the Rime, is nothing short of an audio and visual masterpiece. It tickles your emotions and rouses your senses, filled with acrobatics, song and dance, a sock puppet and a whole lot of energy… makes this play a must see. Seriously welcome to my kind of play, it’s full of passion, adventure, and action! A creativeness that can only come from a unique mind… the depth, the detail and sometimes down right silliness that has been put on stage for everyone to see.
It’s a story about Rose a happy energetic young girl living with her uncle in a town that is trapped by an endless winter (No not Chicago). The town called Radio Falls was cursed by an evil witch (as opposed to a wicked or a mean witch). Without giving too much away, Rose, is Radio Falls only hope but at what cost will she pay for her warm generous heart.
The actors work a stunning array of visual fetes making you feel as though you’re a part of the town itself. They portrayed a wide arrange of facial expressions, so much so that it’s hard not to be moved or drawn in (plus it doesn’t hurt that they go into the crowd for some reactions). The lead who played Rose was memorizing, she is extremely talented and a career to follow. The play was written by Nathan Allen, Chris Matthews, and Jake Minton. Directed by Nathan Alan. All I have to say is Nathan we need to talk!!! The sound effects of the rope and bag flying through the air was wonderful, thank you for making me feel like I’m not the only one who envisions that sort of thing!
The House theatre group now in there 8^th season has made a name for them selves with plays like The Sparrow and their newest Dave DaVinci Saves the Universe. I having a feeling that they will be around for awhile and can’t wait to see more. Check out their website for cool gear and their blog for sneak previews of up coming shows.

As the House Theatre Concierge, I cannot give an unbiased review of The House Theatre or its most recent production «Dave DaVinci Saves The Universe» (Now Playing @ the Chopin-​1543 W Division) so I’ll just pass my laptop onto my friend… uh…Palberto:
Hi, Palberto here. Is it possible to marry a theater company? If it is, I will trade cattle and land for the House’s hand. The House Theater makes me feel love I’ve never felt in a dimly lit room before. It’s current show «Dave DaVinci Saves The Universe» (Now Playing @ the Chopin-​1543 W Division) is so fantastic, I honestly get jealous other patrons get to see it when I’m not around, but those are my own insecurities I need to deal with.
Say «Hi» to Alberto when you go and tell him you found this on Unilocal

I love live theatre, I love that real people get dressed up to perform just for me, I love the excitement, the quiet parts, the noisy parts, the playful parts. All of it. And they act out an entire story right in this room in real time. And they can even interact with you. Amazing.
I first saw this company at Theatre on the Lake where they performed San Valentino and the Melancholy Kid. It was a western, as you can tell by the title and done with so much energy and love that I was totally charmed. In fact I was dying to run home and write a western myself, it just looked like they were all having such a rootin’ tootin’ good time. Plus, Nathan Allen, the guy who seems to be the heart of the operation, warned about dire consequences if anyone did not turn off their cell phone. Then sure enough one went off. Quick as a flash he strode over to the mortified audience member, answered his phone, said ‘We’re in the middle of a performance’ and lobbed the phone back a few rows. Priceless.
The western play was part of a trilogy. The other was gangster themed and the third was set in Japan, (mainly, i think, so they could do some nifty fight techniques with wires). All three plays were good. I also liked that I could take a couple who never go to the theatre and a friend who goes all the time and they all enjoyed themselves.
Everything the House does is good. You really can’t go wrong seeing anything here. And the tickets are very reasonable. And if it’s bad, there’s a bar.