Marriott Theatre
The Marriott Theatre is a regional theatre in Lincolnshire, Illinois, outside of Chicago. Attached to the Marriott Lincolnshire Resort, the theatre produces an average of five musicals each year, presented in the round, as well as productions aimed at younger audiences. A small, live orchestra provides accompaniment.
History
Founded in December 1975, The Marriott Theatre has presented more than 170 musicals and is currently led by Executive Producer Peter Blair and Artistic Director Peter Marston Sullivan. It is the most subscribed musical theatre in the country.The original executive producer, Tony DeSantis, viewed the venue as a place for star performers. When Kary Walker took over in 1979, he switched to producing musicals, which have been the primary productions of the theatre ever since.
The Marriott Theatre has presented more than 3,000 professional actors in classic American musical theatre, new musicals, and "re-thought" musicals. Broadway has long considered The Marriott Theatre a prime venue for launching shows into the regional market with premiere productions of A Chorus Line, Chess, Baby, Grand Hotel, They're Playing Our Song, The Goodbye Girl, The First, Miss Saigon, Cats, Sunset Boulevard, Beauty and the Beast, Thoroughly Modern Millie, The Producers and Little Women.
A founding member of the National Alliance for Musical Theatre, The Marriott Theatre fosters artists in creating new works for the stage. The result has been a string of American and World Premieres including Matador, which subsequently played London's West End; Annie Warbucks, launching a national tour and opening off-Broadway in New York to rave reviews; Phantom of the Country Palace, Grover's Corners, Maury Yeston's History Loves Company, Windy City, The New Yorkers, Queen of the Stardust Ballroom, Peggy Sue Got Married, Once Upon a Time in New Jersey, The All Night Strut, A Fascinatin' Rhythm, Married Alive, The Bowery Boys, For The Boys, and Hero.
Marriott's Theatre for Young Audiences has presented numerous original works as well as classic fairy tales. To date, Marriott's Theatre for Young Audiences has presented more than 45 productions. Every year, these musicals introduce more than 100,000 children to live theatre. In all, The Marriott Theatre attracts more than 400,000 people to Lincolnshire each year.
Shows
Source:1980
1981
1982
- Fiddler on the Roof
- Kismet
- Little Me world premiere
- Brigadoon
- Shenandoah
- Give My Regards to Broadway world premiere
- Chicago
- Gypsy: A Musical Fable
1985
- Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
- Startime world premiere
- A Chorus Line
- Hello, Dolly!
- Camelot
- Baby world premiere
- The King and I
- The Wiz
- 1776
- Grover's Corners world premiere
- My Fair Lady
1989
- Big River
- 70, Girls, 70
- Matador world premiere
- Grease
- Funny Girl
- Chess, a new version. Directed by David H. Bell and starring Susie McMonagle, David Studwell and Kim Strauss, it featured a reworking of Richard Nelson's New York script. Bell's version has since been performed in Sacramento and Atlanta as well.
- Into the Woods
- Pump Boys and Dinettes
- South Pacific
- Me and My Girl
- Encore world premiere
- Brigadoon
- Sweet Charity
- History Loves Company world premiere
- Anything Goes
- Annie Warbucks premiere
- Little Shop of Horrors
- Arthur premiere
- Grand Hotel
- The Sound of Music
- The First: A Musical premiere
- Oklahoma!
- Hot Mikado special presentation
- Sweeney Todd
- 42nd Street
- Windy City encore presentation
- Phantom of the Country Palace premiere
- The Goodbye Girl special presentation
- La Cage aux Folles
- The Music Man
- Hello, Dolly!
- Ms. Cinderella premiere
- Dreamgirls
- Heartbeats premiere
- Eleanor premiere
- And the World Goes 'Round
- The New Yorkers
- The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
- How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
- Singin' in the Rain
1998
- Elmer Gantry premiere
- Gypsy
- I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change
- Queen/''Stardust Ballroom premiere
- Finian's Rainbow
- The Wizard of Oz
- Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up?
- Victor/Victoria
- Houdini premiere
- Peggy Sue Got Married premiere
- Phantom
- Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
- The Pirates of Penzance
- Pump Boys & Dinettes
- Evita
- The King & I
- Big River
- Mame
- The Taffetas
- Miss Saigon special presentation
- Bye Bye Birdie
2003
- Cats special presentation
- Hot Mikado encore presentation
- Forever Plaid
- Show Boat
- Annie Get Your Gun
- West Side Story
- The Pajama Game
- Ain't Misbehavin'
- Sunset Boulevard special presentation
- Beauty and the Beast special presentation
2006
- Thoroughly Modern Millie
- State Fair
- Once Upon a Time in New Jersey premiere
- Into the Woods
- All Night Strut premiere
- Grease
- Shenandoah special presentation
- Married Alive premiere
- The Producers
- Little Women
- Les Misérables
- Nunsense
- The Full Monty
- All Shook Up special presentation
- The Bowery Boys world premiere
- Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
- The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
- The Light in the Piazza
- Hairspray
- My Fair Lady
2011
2012
- Legally Blonde: The Musical
- The Pirates of Penzance
- Hero world premiere
- Dreamgirls
- My One and Only
- Now and Forever: The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber
- South Pacific
- I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change
- 9 to 5: The Musical
- Mary Poppins
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
- Million Dollar Quartet
- Footloose
- Darling Grenadine
- Something Rotten!
- Oliver!
The 2020 season was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic and continued once it was determined to be safe to congregate.
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
- Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
- Titanic
- Always Something There world premiere
- Catch Me If You Can
- Million Dollar Quartet Christmas