Chicago

Chicago (Illinois). In his autobiography Joseph Jefferson speaks of visiting Chicago in 1839 when he was still a young boy and when the city had a population of about two thousand, yet he writes of the city's “new theaters” and recounts his experiences in one. These may have been wooden structures erected by two young actors (Harry Isherwood, brother‐in‐law to Jefferson's father, and Alexander McKenzie) who had first performed in the dining room of a hotel there two years before. The first major theatre built in Chicago was a wooden structure erected in 1847 by John B. Rice, who later abandoned show business to become one of the city's early mayors. However, Chicago did not become an important theatrical center until after reconstruction following the great 1871 fire. Among the leaders of its revived theatre were David Henderson and James J. McVicker. By the late 19th century Henderson was mounting musical spectacles that toured the country successfully, and in the first years of the new century the LaSalle and Princess Theatres were home to musical comedies (often written by Will Hough, Frank Adams, and Joseph Howard) that were hugely popular and played the Midwest, if not New York, to great acclaim. Some, such as The Sultan of Sulu (1902), started the period rage for musical comedies about Americans stranded in exotic lands. Others, such as the long‐running The Time, the Place and the Girl (1907), trafficked in basically home‐spun tales. Almost all had sweet, relatively elementary songs closer to contemporary Tin Pan Alley material than to the best new Broadway music. In the field of nonmusicals, Chicago was less creative. By the 1920s the city was the second most important theatrical center in the country with more than twenty theatres operating simultaneously at its peak. A number of great drama critics, including Burns Mantle, Percy Hammond (both of whom later migrated to New York), and Ashton Stevens helped spark interest. Moreover, Chicago newspapers were leaders in giving women a chance at drama criticism. Amy Leslie was a noted example, as was Claudia Cassidy later. Cassidy was famous for her often‐harsh notices, written to lament the tackiness of many touring companies. Some historians feel she was excessively and indiscriminately negative, thus playing an unfortunate role in Chicago's decline as a theatrical center, but Glenna Syse, a leading contemporary critic, has suggested the decline was caused by real estate interests who found more profitable use for land occupied by playhouses. Away from the mainstream, Chicago has given rise to a number of noteworthy enterprises, among them the Goodman Theatre, and many lively “off‐Loop” organizations such as the Steppenwolf Theatre. With the many offerings by the end of the 20th century, Chicago again became a major theatre capital, with full seasons presented by the Bailiwick Repertory, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Pegasus Players, Fourth Wall Productions, Organic Theatre Company, Victory Gardens Theatre, Chicago Dramatists, Northlight Theatre (in nearby Skokie), and others, as well as several collegiate theatre groups. Touring productions can be seen at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts, the Shubert, Oriental, and new Cadillac Palace Theatres. Since 1968 the Joseph Jefferson Awards have been given to honor local non‐Equity productions.