The Apollo Theater Chicago was built in Chicago's

Lincoln Park neighborhood Lincoln Park is a designated community area on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois. Lying to the west of Lincoln Park, Chicago's largest park, it is one of the most affluent neighborhoods in Chicago. History In 1824, the United States ...

in 1978, by theatre producers Jason Brett and Stuart Oken. Located at 2540 N. Lincoln Ave., the Apollo has 430 seats and a lobby featuring art exhibits and a full bar. The theatre is also the home of the

Emerald City Theatre Company Emerald is a gemstone and a variety of the mineral beryl (Be3Al2(SiO3)6) colored green by trace amounts of chromium or sometimes vanadium.Hurlbut, Cornelius S. Jr. and Kammerling, Robert C. (1991) ''Gemology'', John Wiley & Sons, New York, p. ...

. The Apollo Theater Chicago has no relation to the

Apollo Theater The Apollo Theater is a music hall at 253 West 125th Street between Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard (Seventh Avenue) and Frederick Douglass Boulevard (Eighth Avenue) in the Harlem neighborhood of Upper Manhattan in New York City. It is a not ...

in New York City.

History

The Apollo Theater Chicago is not the first Chicago theater to bear the name Apollo. In 1921, theatrical producer A. H. Woods opened the Apollo Theatre in the Chicago Loop District, at the corner of Randolph and Dearborn Streets. Originally operated as a playhouse, the old Apollo Theatre was sold in 1927 to United Artists Corporation and was renamed the

United Artists Theatre United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two fi ...

. It was demolished in 1989. In 1991 Michael Leavitt and Fox Theatricals took ownership of the Lincoln Park venue, then in 1996 Rob Kolsen took over. In 2005, a smaller 50 seat second stage was built, in what was formerly the Act One Bookstore. The smaller venue is popular for comedy, sketch shows, and improv theater.

Productions

Notable productions at the new Apollo included David Mamet's '' Sexual Perversity in Chicago'' starring James Belushi, '' Balm in Gilead'' with John Malkovich and Gary Sinise, the long running play '' The Vagina Monologues'', and ''A Nutcracker Christmas'' written by children's recording artist

Ralph Covert Ralph Covert (born May 25, 1962) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, performer, producer, playwright, actor, educator, and record company executive. He is the lead singer of children's music group Ralph's World and lead singer of the Ch ...

and

G. Riley Mills G is the seventh letter of the Latin alphabet. G may also refer to: Places * Gabon, international license plate code G * Glasgow, UK postal code G * Eastern Quebec, Canadian postal prefix G * Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne, Australia, ...

. From October 1 2008 to January 17 2016, the Musical Million Dollar Quartet played at the venue, making it the longest running Broadway musical in Chicago.

References

External links

* Theatres in Chicago {{Chicago-struct-stub