Chicago has a lot of attractive theaters. The Cadillac Palace Theatre is not only a cultural center presenting Broadway hits but also a real architectural monument of the city. Learn more about its history and features at chicago-trend.com.
History of the theater
The theater building was designed by Cornelius and George Rapp. Its architecture is distinguished by luxury and majesty, including huge decorative mirrors and white marble. The walls inside are decorated with gilding and wooden elements as well as a series of arches and brass ornaments.
The grand opening of the New Palace Theatre took place in 1926. American jazzman Roger Wolfe Kahn and his orchestra performed on the theater stage at the event.
$12 million was spent on the construction of the theater as part of the Eitel Block Project. It‘s worth noting that the New Palace Theatre was the flagship of the Orpheum Circuit vaudeville company. In 1950, with the decline of vaudeville and the rise of the film industry, it quickly gained a reputation as the premier movie theater in Chicago. In that golden era, it screened the most famous films, from silent to the first sound ones. Its hall was always full of spectators.
The unique architecture of the Cadillac Palace survived the Second World War. Then the US government confiscated all the brass decorations in the theaters to be used for military purposes. The employees of the Cadillac Palace painted the building white to hide the brass. Thus, they saved historically important decorative cast-iron balustrade panels in the neoclassical style. It has an unusual central cartouche with intricate curls and a fleur-de-lis motif. Its original gilding was preserved under several layers of paint.
In 1984, the establishment was renamed the Bismarck Theatre and turned into a rock venue. In 1999, the Nederlander Organization allocated $2.5 million for its restoration. It was aimed at preserving the original architecture in the French Baroque style, as well as technological modernization in accordance with modern standards. In particular, the theater improved its lighting and sound system, seats and backstage. After the repair works, the place officially opened its doors under the new name, the Cadillac Palace Theatre.
Unique programs
In the first years of the theater’s existence, its repertoire was dominated by vaudeville performances with the participation of famous comedians, musicians, dancers and magicians.
In 1999, the theater presented the premiere of Aida with a libretto by Linda Woolverton, music by Elton John and poems by Tim Rice. Since then, the Cadillac Palace Theatre has hosted Broadway productions, musicals, plays, comedy shows, concerts and various other cultural performances. It also presented many Broadway-scale shows, such as Mary Poppins, Shrek The Musical and many others.
In 2001, the visitors of the theater saw the premiere of The Producers musical. In 2007, Oprah Winfrey presented here The Color Purple. In 2017, the premiere of the national tour of the Disney play Aladdin took place in the theater too.
The modern Cadillac Palace Theatre is considered one of the most popular places in Chicago, offering many unique performances. The theater maintains its status throughout the years of its existence. People visit this venue with great pleasure, as they get a good opportunity to relax and enjoy beautiful productions performed by their favorite actors. The magnificent hall of the modern theater can seat 2000 people.
