The Chicago Theater Marquee Tour

The Chicago Theater on State Street in the Chicago Loop is one of the grandest and most storied theaters in the United States. Now, you can get behind the scenes at this landmark theater by going on the Chicago Theater Marquee Tour.

The Chicago Theater was originally built as a movie house in 1921. Being the first theater in Chicago with air conditioning, or refrigeration as they called it back then, it was a huge success when it first opened. Like most theaters it faced challenges as it aged and eventually fell into disrepair. This great one hour tour will give you all of the history about this theater from its heyday, to its decline, to its rebirth as one of the greatest theaters in Chicago. The Chicago Theater Marquee Tour is available Monday through Thursday at noon and Saturday at 11am and noon.

Here is a brief overview of what you can expect on the Chicago Theater Marquee Tour:

The tour starts in the grand lobby of the theater. Your tour guide will begin with a brief history of the theater. You will learn about how the Chicago Theater was built and how the original owners Balaban and Katz turned it into one of the most profitable movie houses in the country. You will also see some fascinating pictures taken during the construction of the theater.

You will then move into the area near the main staircase. Here your tour guide will explain how the West Point trained ushers used a very high tech system for the day to keep control of the massive crowds and make sure all of the seats in this 4000 seat theater were filled at all times.

Next, the tour leads you to the amazing balcony of the Chicago Theater. Your tour guide will point out some of the art work on the walls and ceilings and then lead you down to the lower level near the stage. On most days you will get a demonstration of the magnificent Wurlitzer pipe organ. This demonstration in and of itself is worth taking the tour, but the best is yet to come.

The tour guide will lead you from the organ onto the stage. It is really amazing to be standing on the same stage that such great musicians and actors performed on including Frank Sinatra, Liza Minnelli and Bob Newhart. When you are finished pretending to be a famous singer making a curtain call you will then move backstage and up the staircase to the star's dressing room. This is an amazing staircase. Every inch of every wall is covered with the autographs of every person that has performed at the theater. From the unknown backup singer to Frank Sinatra himself. Amazing.

To be honest, the star's dressing room is quite unimpressive. It is very much like a small, old dorm room. But at this point in the tour the tour guide will give you some funny stories about the demands made by various stars.

After you leave the star's dressing room you will walk down another staircase with more star autographs, across the stage one more time and into the basement of the theater. The basement is actually very architecturally interesting. Especially noteworthy is the entrance to the men's room, of all things. At this point the tour guide will rap up the tour and take questions.

The Chicago Theater Marquee tour is well worth the $12 price of admission. Be sure to ask your tour guide any question you may have. They are very knowledgeable and more than willing to give you more information on any topic. Also, unlike during show nights, picture taking is encouraged on the tour and anywhere in the theater, so have fun and click away.