Circle Theatre

Circle Theatre does not equal Broadway. In fact, I get the distinct impression that they are not TRYING to compete with the Les Miserables and Wicked blockbusters. With that in the forefront of your mind, imagine a local (non-​touring) group of professionals who act in these plays because they love it. This is their passion and it shows.
Consider Circle Theatre the Hilary Swank of the acting world. They are talented, über smart, and they choose productions that are somehow meaningful to them (not necessarily with the intention of making money). Are they capable of producing popular, money making productions that would make Andrew Lloyd Webber proud? Absolutely! True to the pervasive value of the Village of Oak Park, Circle Theatre strives for independent excellence.
Circle Theatre itself is pretty small. There is an atrium with a ticket counter and a small concession area. The concession area has a few things including wine and beer. There are two theaters so that two shows can occur simultaneously. The theaters are divided into three sections of tiered seats, have open seating, and have great views from everywhere. The seats themselves are padded and have armrests. The floors are clean (not sticky like some movie theaters).
Lastly, the employees (actors and staff) are all kind and friendly. They’ve been nice when it comes to finding tickets for me and have worked quickly at the concession stand when I want to get to a seat before the show begins. The actors have come out after the show and have made pleasant conversation with their fans.
In conclusion, Circle Theatre is perfect at what it is. Some of the plays are funny and some are thought-​provoking. They have impressive costumes and sets, but without the fireworks of something you would see in Chicago’s Theatre District. The actors have theater degrees and lots of experience. You can expect to see an offbeat play performed and produced by professionals who care.

This is the theatre company to support in Chicago! Well… Oak Park, because you don’t even have to drive into Chicago to get good theatre! But you can also take the train, blue or green line I think. There’s street parking around the theatre, plentiful.
The staff is so friendly and the lobby is huge, you really feel welcomed. They have concessions, and you can bring it into the theatre! Love it!
I’ve seen shows here occasionally when I’m in Chicago, and I recently saw Reefer Madness. It was amazing. The cast was unbelievable. So energetic, so many costumes and props and crazy plot twists, they were just so confident and interesting and giving their all! The stage is huge and vertically high too and the set designers and directors really use all these levels, it’s very exciting!
Subscribe if you’re a Chicago-​er! I would if I could be there all the time!

What a quaint theatre in Oak Park! The design helps the acoustics of the actors’ voices and the seating is quite intimate. My only problem? There is not a lot of height the further you get back. If you are «height challenged», like myself, you may have a difficult time seeing the entire stage. I was sitting behind an extremely tall man and was forced too lean to my far left and right to watch the entire scene. My boyfriend and I were lucky enough to have a seat opened next to us, so we were able to move over. But, the distance between my knees and the seat in front of me was great! No cramped legs here!

Nice medium sized theater located in Oak Park. I was really close to giving them five stars, it’s clean, the staff is polite, the actors are great, and the seats are comfy. The only problems are that the seats aren’t pitched enough and that something is off with their audio. I couldn’t hear most of the performance. Lucky enough the actors were good enough for me to follow the story. Also I had the change seats a few times before and during the performance. Get one tall person in front of you and you can’t see anything, hence the seating needing to be pitched more or maybe make the stage higher. Even with these major issues I still really enjoyed the show and the theater.
I know this sounds sick and or weird but the play was called «Urinetown» –it’s a musical about pee only it’s so much more then that. About the right to pee. It’s a hilarious tale of greed, corruption, love, and revolution in a time when water is worth its weight in gold. Still strange I know, but it’s something for you to see for yourself. Enjoy!
P. S. The actors are excellent, dancing, singing, and my favorite… they still perform even when they aren’t the center of attention. I love that!
P. S.S. This is my 50^th theater review! Holy crap there are a lot of play house in Illinois!

I saw Urinetown yesterday and it was fantastic. The singing and dancing is great, the costumes are great. I have heard about Urinetown over the years and based on the title, wasn’t ever really interested to see it. But hearing the rave reviews on Circle Theater’s production, I decided to check it out. I really loved it. Who would have thought you can write such a fun musical on the subject of pee. The cast is great. I can’t say enough… go see it before it is gone.

Last night I saw Urinetown the Musical there, and it was fantastic! The stage is a nice size and was greatly enhanced by the amazing set, costume, and lighting design. All of the actors were great and it seems like they have adjusted to the new space extremely well!!! I can not wait to see the production again!!!

Holy smokes, I am sorry to bring down the rankings, but this theatre company stinks. And I’m talking the whole operation: Its layout, its one barrack-​for-​a-​bathroom, its never-​answers-​the-​phone box office, its never-​working Website, its teeny seats and awkward seating…
This is why people are so turned off to theatre.
The play I saw this summer was so bad I forgot the name. Something about a wedding. Ridiculously staged, directed and over-​dramatically «acted.» And what a corny play. These people were not professionals and weren’t even on the level of my high school with their dedication, and if Simon Cowell were there, he would have stopped them two minutes in and told them to just give up and go home they were that nauseatingly awful. I sure wish I had. I will never ever waste my money or time on Circle Theatre again, and I hope none of you does either.

I have now seen two shows at this theatre and have been thoroughly impressed by both. The first performance was The Who’s Tommy, the second was Little Woman, and I have to say I can’t wait for their next production.
It’s located on «The Strip» in Forest Park which has over a dozen bars and several restaurants, which means that you can easily make an entire night out all within walking distance. The building itself is rather tiny, as is the concession stand and the stage area itself. However, the only time the small size is bothersome is if you’re running late and hoping for a few seats next to each other (in other words, get there early if you want your pick) or if you’re in line for the bathroom. Mostly, the intimate feel is only apparent on the seating side of things. The productions themselves are on a tiny stage and yet appear huge due to the talent, staging, lighting, music, etc.
I was amazed at what could be accomplished in such a small space and have to give a hand to the set designers as they did a wonderful job. The talent delivered the goods, minus a few flubs here and there, but hey, that’s live theatre for you.
Overall, I’m hoping to bring more people to this lovely little spot. Fingers crossed they keep up the good work.

Great theater! Cozy and intimate with about 4 rows of seats. The last performance I saw was «Cat On A Hot Tin Roof». It was excellent. As good as any downtown play and very reasonably priced. You should check this place out. There are also plenty of places to have a good dinner on Madison St.

My performance aside, this is a fun theater that is deceptively large. You can’t believe that they have two stages in this place! Each theater seats about 40 — 60 people.
Started 25 years ago, this theater has progressed with some of the more edgy performances while still producing big name shows. From looking at the walls I saw posters for productions such as Sweeny Todd, Hair, Little Shop of Horrors and Escanaba in Da’ Moonlight.
With a strong patron base, the theater is really the Little Theater that Could. Situated in beautiful downtown Forest Park, a performance here combined with dinner from one of the many locations around make for a fine evening.

You would not believe the actors and sets they cram on such a tiny stage. This professional company mounts seasons that are innovative (they gave Rebecca Gilman her first big break) with some revivals that haven’t been seen for a while. Their Emerging Young Actors program is similarly impressive for area kids ages 10 – 18.