Posted: 6/12/15 at 6:53pm
Here is some info and video about upcoming Beaches production at Drury Lane outside Chicago:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrzjfIlhjI8&feature=youtu.be
http://www.drurylane.com/index.php/live-theatre/now-playing/
Updated On: 7/3/15 at 06:53 PM
Posted: 6/13/15 at 6:51am
Thanks for the info! I will be Chicago the weekend of 6/28 (I have tix to On your feet) this will complement that nicely! I didn't realize the tryouts will be in Chicago!! Thanks again
Posted: 6/13/15 at 10:40am
Just note: The theatre is located in Oakbrook IL a suburb west of Chicago. You will need a car to get there and back. Check the theatre website for directions .
Posted: 6/13/15 at 11:16am
I don't really have any interest in the property but it would be great to see Shoshana on Broadway again.
Posted: 6/13/15 at 1:25pm
Yes thanks will be driving since coming from Iowa. I know Oakbrook fairly well it is on the way back from the Chicago theater to the hotel we like to stay in (in the suburbs/Naperville area) We have matinee On your fit tix, I think plenty of time to go to the 8pm show. Thanks very much!!
Posted: 6/13/15 at 2:58pm
Saw this when it debuted in Arlington, VA. Really interested to hear about new people playing the characters and how people take in the show!
Posted: 6/14/15 at 3:58pm
OMG, I bought tickets for a Sunday matinee in July while we're in Chicago, but I never realized this ISN'T at the Drury Lane in Watertower place where I've seen shows before. How do we get there from The Loop (Hyatt Regency on Wacker)?
Posted: 6/14/15 at 4:23pm
^Use Mapquest or a GPS navigation device!
Posted: 6/14/15 at 7:51pm
"OMG, I bought tickets for a Sunday matinee in July while we're in Chicago, but I never realized this ISN'T at the Drury Lane in Watertower place where I've seen shows before. How do we get there from The Loop (Hyatt Regency on Wacker)? "
I assume you're asking because you won't be renting a car. Unfortunately there are no good public transit options. You can to Oakbrook on the El but I don't think it gets near the theater. I'd recommend getting a cab or a black car. Going to the suburbs by calling a black car is probably not much more expensive than a taxi. (And you can arrange for them to pick you up after the show.) Or it may be cheapest to just rent a zip car for an evening. There are places you can pick them up all over downtown.
I find it weird that this is in previews at a location that is so inaccessible via public transit. I know it's cheaper but certainly it won't attract tourists. I'd rather wait until it's in New York and fly to see it than drive on the Eisenhower during rush hour. Of course, I suffer from suburbaphobia.
Posted: 6/14/15 at 7:54pm
Oh and leave LOTS of time. People who think there will be no traffic because it's a weekend in Chicago are often seriously disappointed and/or late. This is true on pretty much any freeway.
Posted: 6/16/15 at 12:08pm
This is definitely moving to New York, yes? Chicago is going to be difficult for me, but I don't want to miss this one.
Posted: 6/16/15 at 12:12pm
I highly doubt this show will get anywhere near New York unless it's been significantly revised for the better since last summer.
Posted: 6/16/15 at 12:20pm
I would think if a move to New York were "certain" (although nothing is ever 100%) it would be playing downtown and not in Oakbrook.
Updated On: 6/16/15 at 12:20 PM
Posted: 6/16/15 at 2:03pm
but I never realized this ISN'T at the Drury Lane in Watertower place where I've seen shows before
Drury Lane hasn't owned that theater for years. It's now the Broadway Playhouse owned by Broadway in Chicago. It has been refurbished and I think the first production of the new space was that revised production of Working.
Posted: 6/16/15 at 8:51pm
Beaches sounds like a good idea for a musical but...
Eric Schaeffer is directing?
I smell trouble. Gigi was horribly directed by Mr. Schaeffer.
And I'm sure if I saw it, I would miss Bette Midler.
Posted: 6/17/15 at 12:40pm
How do theatres survive without good public transportation near by? I mean they do in LA, but mind you, that's LA.
Posted: 6/17/15 at 12:56pm
That's certainly the oddest question I've read on here recently.
This is a suburban theater that draws mainly a suburban audience.
How do all the Chili's survive without public transportation? The Chipotles? The Walmarts?
Posted: 6/17/15 at 2:50pm
Never mind, I read the rest of the thread and realized it's a suburban theatre. For some reason, I thought it was in the city but away from public transportation. Well, as far a pre Broadway tryout, it would seem odd to place the show where the tourists can't get to it that easily.
Posted: 6/17/15 at 2:55pm
I would hardly call this a "pre-Broadway tryout". Sure, every original musical seems to have Broadway as its endpoint, but this show is far from reaching New York.
Posted: 6/18/15 at 8:57am
Good news. I bought three tickets to the Sunday matinee of Beaches and invited a long time friend of mine to join us -- but she too was thinking the show was at WaterTower Place (because I told her so). She lives in Evanston. But now when I told her where it is, she has kindly offered to pick us up at our Loop hotel, and drive us all to and from the show.
Now, can anyone recommend a nice place for lunch or brunch before the 2 PM Sunday matinee, either very close to Drury Lane, or somewhere not too far from it on our way from downtown? Looking for something really nice and fairly upscale.
Posted: 6/18/15 at 9:44am
Near the theater, I like both of these:
Posted: 6/18/15 at 10:03am
The OakBrook Shopping Mall is right there. So, there are many places at the mall - albeit larger chains such as Cheesecake Factory and California Pizza Kitchen. There is a place that looks just like Cheesecake Factory from the outside, only it's The Clubhouse. If you go down the road a few miles (you have a car), there is Weber Grill (our favorite - the one in downtown Chicago is inconsistent), as well as bigger chains PF Changs and Champps. Further down the road is The Capital Grille as well.
But, the Drury Lane also has its own restaurant - although I've never eaten there. There is a full bar as well. They have a Sunday Brunch: Sunday Brunch But, again, I cannot speak to the quality.
Note: your Sunday matinee crowd likely will have an average age a bit older than you may be used to.
Posted: 6/18/15 at 10:19am
I only had appetizers at Drury Lane and the food was good, but I'm not too fond of the atmosphere there. That's the biggest drawback with the theater. It has a suburban casino vibe to it and it's upscale you're looking for, the theater ain't it.
Posted: 6/18/15 at 10:26am
"Note: your Sunday matinee crowd likely will have an average age a bit older than you may be used to."
ummm, mostly I see Wednesday matinees in New York. And I happen to be 68, so I don't expect an issue with that! LOL Although my two companions will be much younger.
Thanks for the recommendations -- Weber Grill sounds kind of good -- I was steered away from in in River North, so maybe this is the opportunity.
Updated On: 6/18/15 at 10:26 AM
