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For appreciating Chicago's theaters, the tour upstages the show.

Monday Dec 18, 2006.     By Dana Kavan

Travel + Tourism Feed

My pre-theater dance usually goes like this: I leave my apartment 10 minutes late and just miss a train. The will call line snakes around the corner, and the moment I walk inside, the lights flick on and off to beckon me to my seat. In the end, I've paid $75 for a show that might as well have been held in a high school gym because although I watched it in one of the city's most opulent buildings, I didn't notice my environs' grandeur.

The Broadway in Chicago tour, with no show to see or lines to fight, lets you take in the beauty of Chicago's premier theaters. By the time it's over you'll know more about theater in Chicago than any guy or doll would ever care to know.

Sign me up: The tour starts in the lobby at Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Oriental Theatre, 24 W. Randolph St., every Saturday at 11 a.m. Depending on how chatty the tour guide and how nosy the guests, the tour lasts between one or two hours and costs $10. Don't get duped into buying your tickets through Ticketmaster; you'll pay an additional $7. Instead, show up early to purchase tickets at the Oriental's box office, or bypass the crowd clamoring for Wicked tickets and visit Cadillac Palace's box office where there's no wait.

Sites you'll see: The bulk of the tour covers the Oriental. You find out how and when it boomed as a movie theater, what killed it (urban sprawl, multiplexes and TV, oh my) and why we should thank the Daley administration for bringing it back.

The whimsical figures of Indian princes, cats and monkeys start to come to life as you learn about the building's design and restoration process. In the balcony you have Q&A time and learn how they clean the massive chandelier; while touring the main floor, you gaze into the orchestra pit. When there's no show in town you can act out your celebrity dreams on stage, but backstage remains off limits. The group also makes a short trek to the Cadillac Palace Theatre, which after the Oriental's intricate details seems a bit boring. Still, once you realize you're surrounded by antique Italian marble, it begins to feel more like the Versailles palaces it was fashioned after.

Golden nugget: If I'm ever faced with "Chicago Theaters" as the Final Jeopardy category, I'd bet it all. By far the highlight of this tour is the trivia you'll learn. Fantastic factoids include how the Cadillac Palace owners camouflaged the antique brass chandeliers so they wouldn't be melted down for supplies during WWII, and how a gang fight lit a fire in Oriental's balcony when it was a seedy, B-movie theater in the '70s.

Who's da guide: The guides are enthusiastic theater employees, mostly ushers, who are so knowledgeable you'd think they've memorized a lengthy script.

Fuel your tank: Being in the theater district, most post-tour lunch options involve over-priced Cobb salads and hordes of tourists. Thankfully, Sidebar Grille is hidden enough to offer a quiet respite. Save room for the skillet cookie for dessert.

Snooze-fest or eye-opener: I'm no thespian. I never tried out for the high school play or joined swing choir. Even so, I found the tour to be a hit. Since I never spring for a seat better than one in row Q of the upper, upper balcony, being able to recline in the theaters' front rows gave me a new perspective. The excitement reminded me of when you have a bad ticket to a sporting event and manage to sneak up close without getting caught.

Even locals will learn: The Oriental boasts the first place Judy Garland performed as Judy Garland, as a local newspaper's misprint led her to change her name from Judy Gumm. The Rapp brothers built the Oriental across from the city's first theater, the Rice Theater (1847), the first theater in the country to serve Coke and popcorn at concessions (the consequences of which played out during the Oriental's renovation when they had to widen the seats).

To learn more about Broadway in Chicago tours, visit www.broadwayinchicago.com/theatreinfo_tours.php.