Dear Fine People of Chicago,
Your Christmas season is stupidly cold, windy (duh), and very likely, incredibly snowy. These conditions are not unlike those of Christmastown during that fateful wayback year when a certain rouge-nosed reindeer was first charged with guiding Santa’s sleigh. It makes 100% perfect sense then to make Rudolph an even bigger part of your local holiday celebration with Emerald City Theatre’s Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer Musical, a magnificent live musical based entirely on the classic Christmas movie, on stage now (through Jan 5, 2014) at the The Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place.
On the night we saw Rudolph, back in late November, the role of Hermey (which oscillates between two actors) was played by Liam Dahlborn (shown below) and that young man absolutely crushed it as the would be dentist elf. He was insanely good, pulling both kids and adults into his beloved misfit character with a cheery demeanor and an impossible-not-to empathize with and adore persona. Chicago people, you’ve gotta take your kids to see this show this holiday season. You simply must make it happen. It is marvelous.
The theater in the Water Tower Place is clean and comfortable with nary a poor seat or sightline in the intimate room. So you can go for the cheap seats (saving you money you’ll then spend in American Girl and the LEGO store right next door!) and know that your views of the action on, behind (where the Bumble lives and scares less than he does in the movie,) and above the stage will be terrific and your ability to quietly sing along with the famous songs from the legendary movie will be as good as if you were right up front.
Rudolph the Musical runs through January 5, 2014. Tickets range in price from $20 – $40 if you can avoid Ticketmaster’s hefty and theft-y fees. Buy your tickets online now or in person at any of the Broadway In Chicago Box Offices.
If you’re coming into Chicago from out of town, as we did, I suggest staying at the Hilton Garden Inn Downtown, on Grand Ave. The 12th floor pool is a diamond in a glass case offering impressive views of the city while you mellow out in the hot tub watching the kids splash and play. The guest rooms are spacious with big bathrooms and Keurig K-Cups with coffee and tea selections, giving you a convenient and free way to wind down after the kids are off dreaming about misfit toys and singing elves. There are a lot of hotels in this part of Chicago, but few are as well placed (two blocks from Michigan Ave, exactly 6 steps from the Red Line train, a few more steps from amazing restaurants like Rosebuds on Rush and Beatrix, and an easy 10 minute stroll to the Water Tower Place and theater) and as affordable as the HGI Chicago Downtown. For example, rates for this weekend, the one right before Christmas!, are just $96 for a two queen bed room or $133 for the same room + valet parking. And that’s a steal because valet normally costs $61 by itself! The 2nd city is not a cheap place to park!
Go, have fun in Chicago with Rudolph and your family.
*OWTK received tickets to Rudolph to facilitate this review, and complimentary 2-night accommodations at the HGI. All opinions expressed above are honest and unbiased, as always.
