This building is an architectural masterpiece! Adler & Sullivan and a little know person working for them named Frank Lloyd Wright. Currently part of the building is Roosevelt University and part of the building is a performing arts venue. The engineering and stories are great. For example did you know that the theater was briefly turned into a bowling alley? Amazing. World renown, this building helped Chicago get the honor of hosting the World’s Colombian Exposition of 1893.

Incredibly beautiful venue; grand and stately with a huge amount of seating, and easily accessible balconies. The gilt decor and style were ornate but tasteful. Lighting was soft and low for the most part.Huge amount of stage space thats a bit overwhelming for a singular speaker but plenty of room for performances.Sound system did have some rattling echo but hard to tell if it was the venue or just what had been set up for the speaker.Wide and low staircases that made for easy walking between levels

This it the most beautiful theatre of all of Chicago. The tour was interesting and highly recommend it and seeing any performance here.

I toured the theatre on 3/1/2018 and was very happy to see the beauty and hear the history of the theatre. Tour guide was informative and sincere. This is definitely a tour I would encourage anyone to check out, whether youre visiting Chicago or live in the state. The Auditorium Theatre is living history!

We went to see National Geographic Symphony for our World. We had lower box seats, seats one and two. The view was great and sound quality as well. The theater is old and in areas it really shows. The rail wall in front of us was ripped up and shredded in areas. Staff were very helpful and friendly. Wine prices average for such a venue. Its a beautiful building and we would return.

I recently attended Nightmare before Christmas Live presentation with the Chicago Philharmonic performing. Everything from performance to ambience was captivating and simply gorgeous. We managed to have a box off the main floor. The seats were comfortable and the view was perfect as we were able to see the orchestra performing under the screen. Hope to return to other performances.

I bought tickets to see The Kingdom Hearts Orchestra for my younger brothers birthday. Neither of us had been but we both enjoyed ourselves! The inside was beautiful. Everything was clean. Staff was friendly and helpful. We will definitely be back for another event soon.

This theater is super super beautiful. Its big and the decor is beyond amazing . The art is so nice and its very elegant .

Some of the seats on the side make me ask, “why would they even sell this bad view?” But then I remember - money! Otherwise a beautiful theatre.

Pretty awesome experience, the theatre is beautiful and the seats were comfortable. I highly recommend! The bargain seats make it possible to see every show in a season without breaking the bank.

What a thrill to go to this historic theater to see the Nutcracker. It was a very nice experience as we sat in the 11th row center right. You could see everything! The only reason I gave 4 stars and not 5 was that the seats became a little uncomfortable the longer we sat. Other than that, this is a must see place!

Its traditional one but not the simplified one. Theres a funny story about the VIP boxes.

Love the construction and nostalgic atmosphere. Superb acoustics beautiful decor of centuries past. Large venue, comfortable seating.

Beautiful auditorium and awesome sound. Saw one of my favorite song writer performance here and it was a night to be remembered.

Went for 3 nights of String Cheese Incident. I don’t think there is a bad seat in this house.

The Joffrey ballet performance was wonderful! Came for “the times are racing’ performance and my boyfriend and I loved it. Staff was friendly, drinks were reasonably priced and made for a perfect evening.

Beautiful interior. Comfortable seats. Beautiful lighting. Good acoustic. Good staff. Easy to approach.

Beautiful venue and the seats had a bit more space than some of the other theatres.

Amazing, beautiful historic venue. The Theatre is as much a part of the experience as the event.

Amazing building, a, true Chicago treasure. Joffrey is always a treat to see in such a beautiful venue.

Great looking venue. Horrible security staff. Not because they’re security, but because they are slow. Show opens doors at 7. Start time of 8PM it is now an 8:53. No show has started since they still have a line out the front door. Bad experience all around.

Beautiful small historic theater. Its a lifetime experience and a ton of fun to see!

Your ticketing website is an absolute disaster. Lost all tickets in my cart because the checkout page wouldn’t load. What’s the point of waiting in a queue if there’s still too much traffic to complete a transaction once you’re “in”? Will update the review if I can ever actually make it in the theatre.

It was our first time ever watching a broadway musical and it was just as amazing as we thought. The theater was breath-taking. I loved how it seemed no matter where you sat it was a good seat. We saw The Color Purple and every singer/actor was perfect. The show started on time and we had no problem with parking. The snacks and drinks were limited but your really just there to watch the play. The place was clean and organized. Will definitely go back to watch another play.

Beautiful theatre, and an on a whim show became a buetiful experience.. Aided of course by tremendous austics. Bravo!

That building has such a crazy history, you must visit it! Guided tour is really worth it ! Careful its not open everyday.

Great Auditorium. Saw Swan Lake here. Restroom queues should be addressed though

The architectural work of the building is historical. Offers great performances, a place to visit if in Chicago.

It was great! Watched kingdom hearts orchestra world tour July 13th :)

Love the auditorium theatre - have been half a dozen times - only complaint would be the insufficient number of bathrooms- it’s a long wait!!

Went to see the Nutcracker. Beautiful, historic theatre that makes a great setting for the ballet! Elegant and Grand.

Huge theater! Great big stage. Historic beautiful building. Loved seeing the Joffrey production of NUTCRACKER!

So much larger than youd suspect.

Nice old-school ambience, good acoustics. Seats are a little uncomfortable. We were there on a hot night and air conditioning seemed nonexistent.

Went to see Critical Role Live last night, paid 70 bucks, and have been looking so forward to it. It was a sold out show, and we assumed they could handle that. Doors opened at 7pm, show at 8PM, and they made us stand outside in 25 degree weather for two hours! The show didnt even start until 930pm. One staff member said it was because they had trouble with their ticketing, a manager claims it was THE FANS fault because they wore metal buttons on their clothes and it made security take forever! Im sorry, this venue wasnt prepared for people wearing buttons??? Eventually they started letting SOME people in side doors when it got to be 9pm, but then closed it off randomly and we still had to keep walking up the block. On top of all that, we had cold air blowing on us the WHOLE SHOW. Managements response: no refunds, no exchanges. If there is ever a must-see show at this venue, I recommend you skip it.Critical Role was absolutely amazing though. Im sorry they had to play at such a horrible venue, and I hope it doesnt deter them from doing other live shows in Chicago. We have PLENTY of other amazing theaters to choose from.

Beautiful interior, very regal feeling, and (most importantly) well air conditioned. 10/10 would sit through a graduation ceremony there again.

A great place to watch ABTs Whipped Cream.

Was a wonderful theatre to experience Kanye West. Hands down the best day ever and everyone was super friendly

Lovely venue, but no marquee, and our seats were a little narrow, partially obstructed view. Could use some updating.

Great show and sound. The seats could really use an update. 2 of our 3 seats were near broken and pretty uncomfortable.

The old girl still has nice legs

Went to see the Kingdom Hearts Orchestra performance. Got in quick and easy. The theater is very grand and beautiful!

A MUST for architecture lovers. One of Sullivan’s master pieces. The first theater working with electrical energy.

Louis Sullivan! - one of the most iconic buildings in Chicago for its architectural history

Service here is pretty good. The atmosphere is pretty good and the stage is beautiful.

Absolutely stunning! Staff was phenomenal and so accommodating!!

I love this theater. They always provide interesting programming and speakers.

Beautiful venue to have a graduation!! Seats were fine and auditorium was cool and comfortable!!

Good view of stage! The KH concert was amazing

Absolutely beautiful, if you want to feel connected to the history of the city, just take a peek.

Great venue. This was the view from the balcony. Staff was polite and helpful.

The crown jewel theater of Chicago. Saw the Too Hot To Handel performance and was blown away at the energy, the wonderful singers in the chorus and soloists. I truly think this is the best concert experience Ive ever seen.

Attended the Nutcracker at this venue this past Saturday for the first time. Enjoyed the gorgeous building, friendly coat check, and multiple bar areas with a nice selection of cocktails. The performance and artists were AMAZING, and thoroughly enjoyed their own version/twist of the Nutcracker. Will definitely attempt to make this destination a yearly tradition!

A visual delight! This historic theater is what all theaters should wish to be. It is a must see. Designed by Louis Sullivan and Dankmar Adler it opened Dec 1889. The goal was to create a peoples theater open to all Chicagoans and to grab the attention in the bid to host the 1893 Worlds Fair.It is such a delight that the Joffery Ballet (Chicago) performes the Making a new American Ballet which is all about the Chicago World Fair and a poor immagrant family and widow mother as a sculptoress who is making a worlds fair sculpture. The immagrants are all dressed in brown tones and at the holiday party scene when the Great Impresario and apprentice appear bearing gifts and brightly colored. The dynamic of dance, costume and music delight all! The music is still traditional nutcracker and the story follows the basic story line of nutcracker with a few twists such as Buffalo Bills Wild West Show and Dragons! Just know when you go to this theater the Nutcracker story has changed. Sit back and do enjoy and do new twist to an old holiday story. Enjoy the setting of the theater which just continues the story itself as it is played out on stage by this highly skilled perfect technique dancers.

A true gem of a theatre with wonderful acoustics.

Amazing venue, one of the best in Chicago, hands down. They do tend to stop serving beverages around 10:15pm while saying its 10:30, we stop serving at 10:30, like nobody has a watch or phone with a clock... But thats okay! Definitely recommend seeing a concert here, Id love to come for an opera or show sometime even.

I had a front-row box seat for David Byrne. Loved the venue, the show and the great view!

As an enjoyable offering, as it is beautiful! And Mr Young filled the space perfectly!

Awesome place to see the Nutcracker

Historic place, still a reference in the cultural life of Chicago

Whats there to say that hasnt already been said about the Auditorium. Beautiful venue.

Nice theater, it can hold about 4,000 people. It has great acoustics, and the seating appears to be all unobstructed. Its also beautiful, its one hundred and twenty five years old, but its looking good for its age. The only small issue I had was the screen. I dont feel that the place is larger enough to warrant a big screen over the stage. I prefer to look at the actual musicians, but I kept being drawn to the screen. I know, just dont look at it, but I couldnt help it. That being said, its an excellent venue for listening to music.

We attended a performance of the Joffrey Ballet on Sunday, Feb. 16. The dancing was fabulous, the seats were fairly comfortable and there was enough leg room. All would have been perfect except for the 3rd and last part of the performance. They were using recorded music for the last piece and it got so incredibly loud that we had to put our fingers in our ears. It was ear damaging loud and not what we expect when at a ballet. TURN DOWN THE MUSIC for this last piece.

The worst handling of a sold out show I’ve ever witnessed. Got in line at 7:30, waited two hours in line outside. The show started an hour and a half past showtime. No staff came out to communicate why at any point in time. The only ones who said anything were the Critical Role crew who had to clarify on their social media what was happening. They said it was a ticket issue, but when I got inside, I could clearly see it was the staff. They were instructing everyone to remove metal from their pockets, which I did, but the person scanning me then chastised me for not taking my Ventra card from my pocket (something no one was instructed to do) which took even more time. Not only that, but they scanned people but didn’t check my bag or anyone else’s that I saw. Once I sat down, the show was wonderful and the theatre itself is gorgeous. But we didn’t get out until 2am! It was all handled very poorly, and the theatre’s refusal to acknowledge their issues is just another slap in the face. Would not recommend attending a large event here. Most absurd handling of a show like this I’ve seen, and it was NOT Critical Role’s fault at all.

Beautiful place!

I have come to the Auditorium Theatre for many years and the performances given have always been excellent. However, the entrance and ticket policy for my most recent show was terrible with the show starting an hour plus late. If this is the new common practice perhaps it would be best to see shows at another venue.

It was wonderful! The host/hostess were very helpful. The Auditorium was very beautiful. The Alvin Ailey Dance Company performed wonderfully. I would definitely go back for their performance or any other for that matter. I loved the diversity of the Dance Company. I highly recommend this show and this theatre!

It is a classic piece of architecture designed by Louis Sullivan. So much gold leaf on the walls. Probably the best acoustic s of any auditorium in the country. Really a visual treat to behold. We saw the opening night of the Joffrey ballet company production of Jane Eyre. The performance was sold out. Alcoholic beverages were sold during the intermission in the lobby. I recommend public transportation. Parking is expensive. Taxi if you are dressed for the occasion. Near by is Orchestra Hall another architectural gem.

Beautiful theater, super helpful staff. My wife was allowed to take her coffee (that she purchased in the lobby) into the auditorium. All the tech worked perfectly for Ira Glasss show and the lighting & stage crew were super quick to adapt to any changes Ira asked for. I was impressed with the experience.

The theater architecture was absolutely lovely. However, the theater was woefully underprepared for the show I went to see tonight. Spent over an hour and a half in the cold, only to see that they had only a couple security staff to scan the near 4000 attendees. The show was meant to start at 8 and it is now an hour delayed with no sign of starting. Buying tickets was also a disaster with a queue system that constantly crashed and kicked you out of the virtual line. Was one of the worst theater experiences I have had and was very disappointed considering the positive history of the venue.Would not recommend attending for a popular show, they dont prepare for a sold out crowd

Beautiful theatre with an even more beautiful atmosphere.

Visited this place several times for different shows. Always someone willing to help, from the entrance to your seat. Sound system is top notch and the shows in the calendar are great. Concessions staff is friendly. Overall, great place.

Beautiful venue, amazing acoustics, wonderful place.to see a concert

One of the most beautiful theatres in the world! Amazing!

We were there for a sold out event last night. We waited 2 hours outside in the February weather along with all other ticked people. We were told something broke but were not told anything about this until well after the event started. We didnt see anything that was broke when we finally unfroze and got to the building. They did absolutely nothing to compensate the people that they had made wait for two hours outside. They event started 1.5 hours late due to their incompetent handling of the sold out show. And the staff that greeted people at the door was horrible and gave us attitude like it was our fault and not theirs this was going so slow. The people doing the event were more apologetic then the people that work there. Just awful.

I had tickets for an 8 pm show that sold out inside 2 hours so they knew how many people were coming. Yet the theatre bewilderingly only had 4 people running metal detectors and the show couldnt start until 9:45 when everyone was finally able to get into the venue. Anyone with even a tenuous grasp on basic mathematics should have known they needed either more people or a quicker process. Really unacceptable for a place thats been around this long

The Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University was amazing place to work while I was their. The staff and patrons were the best. The location of the theatre is in the heart of the Chicago Loop in Downtown as well. I have had so many incredible memories also. Can’t wait to make a visit again sooner rather than later down the road! Keep up the great work and continue the legacy for greatness!

I do not think there is a bad seat in the house! I was sitting in the balcony and had no problems seeing the show. They have a bar on every level. Many snack options to choose from. A bathroom on every other level. Parking directions on there website are very clear and even offer discounts. The service was great from the ushers to the bartenders. This was my first time here and I would definitely come back.

Chicago School of Psychology graduation

This venue feels as historic as its said to be. The timeless architecture is gripping and the ornate designs, again by contemporary standards, appear bold and simplified. The sound did not echo nor did it lose volume. Terrific auditorium!

A great place to see an event. Events I’ve attended there include NFL Draft, Neil Young, Color Purple and Alvin Ailey Dancers.

For a sold out crowd of ~4,000 - which the venue knew about weeks in advance - they had only a handful of (very slow) security screeners. Thousands of patrons had to wait for hours in the freezing cold as the line wrapped around the block (twice!), and the event was delayed by over 90 minutes because of it. Lovely architecture, terrible management. Im honestly astonished at how awful it was. (The show they were hosting, however, was excellent; I hope they choose other venues for their future performances.)

Very nice decor and seating. The acoustics for singing/music was perfect. Our group went to see Jersey Boys which is exciting & fast paced to keep your attention. Local hometown actor Eric Chamerliss from Ottawa,Illinois, boarded our bus after the play. He shook hands with everyone on the bus and chatted which was a fantastic gesture.

I came here to see the Alan Menken concert in March 2019. The performance was one of the best I had ever seen. The theater is very beautiful and lavish, almost like a palace. The area surrounding the stage had the names of classical composers on the walls. Will definitely come back here for future events every chance I get.

I had season tickets to the Joffrey for six years and always enjoyed the performances, until I got a seat right behind someone who completely blocked my view, and then I realized that the slope of the floor really isnt steep enough in the mid section. Also, I sat through a King Crimson concert realizing that the chairs are so extremely uncomfortable I could scream. Sure, the theater is pretty and the acoustics are great, but if you cant be comfortable, or see the stage, the rest of it is no fun.

Wonderful historic theater in Chicago - the history of the place alone is worth it - you can feel the weight of the performers who have graced that stage. Almost no bad seats, good sound.

Nick is the funniest architectural tour guide ever. Extremely informative and also its such a marvelous building to see with so much history. Highly recommend!!!

Beautiful theatre. The sound was amazing. The seating layout was wonderful. I will be back!

I love this place. I have been coming here since I was a little girl. they have redecorated it but all seats are good unless you get to the 3rd and 4th balcony which is the nosebleed section. but it is still good, the sound quality is awesome lately I went to go see the black violinist. non-stop partying from the time they begin the show to the end. affordable pricing and awesome staff.very helpful and very friendly. Chicago love

I usher for the theatre and this work allow me to be surrounded by the magical acoustics embedded in the walls that surrounds every seat. The many bulbs brings light and life to the walls too acoustically accompany the performances on stage. My work makes me smile. There are a lot of theatres to choose from but none matches, the impressive history, architect, extraordinary performances accompany by the magic in the walls of the Auditorium.

Beautiful and historic theatre. Seeing a show here is magical. Parking available through a pay lot half a block away. Reasonable when paired with a show.Could definitely use more bathrooms. Go before and after rather than at intermission as I doubt theyll be adding on anytime soon.

Breath taking auditorium with great acoustics!

Saw Death Cab for Cutie here in Oct 2018. Sonically, one of the best theaters Ive ever been in. And if youre a fan of theatre architecture, youll be just as in awe of the space as of the performance. So fresh and so clean...I think they dust weekly!

This theater location is really quite beautiful, and the inside will amaze you with the lights and overall scenery. But thats pretty much the high point of the experience. During the winter months there is no way to keep the lobby heated well, and it is uncomfortably cold. If you need to go to the restroom, you better wear a coat. They also charge a ridiculous amount for drinks and you are only allowed to take them into the theater if you purchase an extremely overpriced souvenir cup. And once in the theater the seats are small and uncomfortable.

Very beautiful theater!

Favorite place to watch ballet

Nice interior. Chairs could be better but you mostly go there to see Joffrey.

I came to a show here and was forced to wait an hour and a half in the cold due to poor logistics. I wanted to go outside during the show to make a phone call and was told that there was no reentry. Loved the show. Hated the venue. 1/10. Would not attend again.

One of the best performance halls in historic Chicago. Ganz Hall gives you the ambience of Old Chicago, just sitting there and looking at the walls or the ceiling would be enough to give you a time-travel feel of being in a glorious era about 90 or so years ago. Doesnt sit a lot of people, though.

I went to see critical role live last night and the show did not start on time due to this theater’s severe lack of planning. It started AN HOUR AND A HALF LATE because they were wanding everyone coming through the door and apparently didn’t have enough staff to do so. I understand that security is important, but I have been to other critical role live shows and they NEVER made us wait this long past the intended start time. This is the theater’s mistake. They knew this show was sold out. So me and countless other people were forced to wait outside in 20 degree Chicago winter weather for over TWO HOURS. I ended up having to leave at intermission because I still had work the next day, and I imagine I was not the only o e whose schedule got messed up. Everything about this situation was completely unacceptable and I hope I never have to come back here ever again.