The PrivateBank Theatre

Address:	18 W Monroe St, Chicago, IL 60603, USA
Phone:	+1 312-977-1700
Site:	broadwayinchicago.com
Rating:	4.4

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 6

Mitch Gordon

If you have seats on the floor, which are pretty common, dont get the suite service. This is odd because some of the best seats are on the floor, and youd expect those people to be the ones interested in a little more TLC. My theatre experience was severely affected by Bank Of Americas suite service. It is a total rip-off at any price, in this case it cost me $70 for two of us. First of all, the suite is on the third floor...so you have to go up and down three flights of stairs three times. Not only is this a pain, it takes time when the theatre is crowded. Its neither relaxing nor convenient. Supposedly a perk thats listed is a "coat check" in the suite, which is actually an open closet with some coat hangers. But you cant really use the closet because, as I found out the hard way, if you leave your coat there until the end of the show you have to climb up the three flights while the entire population of the theatre is going DOWN the stairs. So what else do you get for $70? A coldly lit room with a scattering of stand-up tables with a few conference chairs positioned by them so if you sit down the table is at eye level, a formica table with a dish of cold vegetables that looked as though they were just dumped out of a bag from Jewel, some tiny sandwiches that had already been sitting around for a while, bar service (we unwisely chose the champagne, which was very low-end and gave us a headache by the end of the show) and a late warning from someone there who was incorrect about the remaining time of the intermission so we had to negotiate our seats while the show had already started. This is just a crude and opportunistic ploy for the theatre to make some more money without putting any effort into it - its the worst Ive seen - dont fall for it!

L. M.

My husband and I go to shows a lot, in St Louis and Chicago and smaller theaters all over IL. Every time weve purchased tickets at any other theater if the seats we were looking at had a view obstruction they would charge less and disclose the obstruction up front (these obstructions are usually minimal blocking at most 10-15% of the stage). At ThePrivateBank Theater (which by the way is the dumbest name) these were the most expensive tickets weve purchased in a long time, there was no disclosure, and we arrived to find that over 50% of the stage and set were in no way visible from our seats. These were the worst seats I have literally EVER seen! And they were $400/person! If you have to go to this theater do NOT accept any of the seats underneath the balcony area. The balcony hangs down so low that the entire top half of the set is completely blocked and to make matters worse its held there by pillars all over the area. My poor husband kept having to shift back and forth to look around the pillar. Ive never been more disappointed, and more horrified to realize how much money Id wasted. If you can, go to The Fox St. Louis or one of the other Chiland Theaters. Every other theater Ive been to in the region puts this one to shame and many of them charge less to boot. ThePrivateBank Theater should be ashamed to charge so much for so little and larger more in demand production teams should really just avoid playing there it all together for the sake of their fans.

ZENOBIA SHELBY

My daughter was there to see Hamilton thanks to the generosity of donors. I rely on paratransit services as I am visually impaired to get us to and from destinations and the rides are scheduled in advance. Well I asked an usher for help in getting my daughter downstairs so we could catch our ride. This usher and other patrons rudely shoved me to the side as I was told I needed a ticket to get in. I went to abother usher to explain I would have to wait for another ride for about 2 hours. This usher also told me nothing she could do and that I would just have to wait. Not a single staff person would help me get my daughter and I did explain I have my ID and hers if it was a question of guardianship. When my ride arrived, one staff member tried to "sweet talk" the driver into waiting past my 5 minute window. That wasnt going to happen. I missed my ride and I had to wait 45 minutes for another ride for me and my daughter. Better than 2 hours. Nonetheless the "help" I received was deplorable!!!!! I want to however thank the generous donors who gave her the opportunity to to attend a world class musical. As far as the staff, I wouldnt step foot in that theatre again even if it was for free!!! Absolutely disgusting!!

A Private User

Get main floor or balcony! dress circle is AWFUL! Absolutely AWFUL! The dress circle is a sliver of seats between the balcony and main floor. What that means is unless you have the first your view is cropped by the overhanging balcony. We went to see Jersey boys a week ago and the stage is set up with a high cat walk so when ever the actors were on the cat walk all we could see was their legs. There were also screens used in the show showing clips that we did not even know were there until the end of the show and we walked up to the front. To make things worse the seats are not arranged with a stagger like most theaters. So if someone with high hair or is very tall sits in front of you. You will not see anything. Dont get to hung up on getting center seating tickets. the side seats are just fine. I wish I would have bought the balcony seats on the far right side that were available than these center dress circle seats. Live and learn I guess.

Betsy Thompson

This past weekend, I was probably one of the last people in Chicago to see Book of Morman at the Bank of America Theatre. Naturally I had balcony seats since thats about all I can afford, and the view was pretty good. My only annoyance was the girl in front of me that was constantly moving forward and around blocking my view at times. (hint, if everyone sat back in their seats, everyone behind them can see!) Yes, its steep up there and seats are close together, but hello, this place is over a hundred years old. Thats how those old-timey theatres were built! Im glad they kept most of the original building and decor intact when they renovated almost ten years ago. The beauty of the fixtures and tiling is exquisite. Concessions are pricey, as expected, but at least they will allow you to consume your drinks and snacks while you are watching the performance.

Errin Hatter

If you are in the right seat, everything will be fine. Its a beautiful theater, smaller than I thought it would be. The only reason I didnt give it 5 stars is when they say online that the view "may" be obstructed, they mean the view "will" be obstructed. In the rear of the orchestra seats there are columns for support. I honestly feel like there should not be seats there, but since there are, buyer beware. We sat Orchestra Left row Y, and basically the column blocked everything that happened center stage and the set on stage had a second level, so we missed any action that happened stage Right and on the second level. This is just a warning for anyone thinking of purchasing the "obstructed view" tickets. If you can live with that, then go ahead. You will have a good experience. If you dont want that, I suggest purchasing tickets in another section.