Lasalle Bank Theatre
Lasalle Bank Theatre
Another theatre that hails from the Golden Age of the movie palace in Chicago is the Lasalle Bank Theatre. The LaSalle Bank Theatre opened as the Majestic Theatre in 1906 and was Chicago's first million-dollar-plus venue and the city's tallest building at the time.
This venue was a hot spot on the vaudeville circuit for numerous burlesque and comedy acts and later would play host to such luminaries as Harry Houdini and Lily Langtry the world class beauty and first super model as she was the face of the then popular Pears Soap and for whom Judge Roy Bean was so enamoured, he named his town of Langtry after her although the actress had never stepped foot into the town.
The Majestic closed during the Great Depression and was shuttered for 15 years. Much of the original design was retained when the theatre was remodeled and reopened in 1945, in time for the heyday of favorites like Carousel, South Pacific, and Guys and Dolls. More recent production highlights include the Chicago premiere of Rent, the Tony-Award winning Sweet Smell of Success and the pre-Broadway, world premieres of Billy Joel and Twyla Tharp's Movin' Out and Monty Python's wild comedy sing-a-long Spamalot.
Admission: Shows $23-$70 depending on the venue.
This is a great place to make a stop off and visit if you are in the Chicago area and you love to tour old movie palaces or you love classical architechture. This place will give you both!
