The Lyric Opera House
The Lyric Opera House
4.5
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Neighborhood: Downtown / The Loop
Often visitors' first stop in Chicago, The Loop is a good starting point to sample the city's energy and flavor. This central business district boasts Michelin-rated restaurants, upscale hotels, premier shopping, and enough arresting architecture to keep your camera busy for hours. You won’t find too many photo galleries of downtown Chicago without a shot of Millennium Park and Cloud Gate (“The Bean”), one of the most iconic landmarks in the city. A stunning skyline coupled with cultural attractions like the Art Institute of Chicago present a Downtown where work and play peacefully coexist.
How to get there
- Washington/Wells • 4 min walk
- Chicago Union Station • 6 min walk
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
33 reviews
Excellent
25
Very good
5
Average
3
Poor
0
Terrible
0
HurdisDavis
Chicago, IL4 contributions
Sep 2023 • Solo
I have gone to plays before. However, when I attended The Lyric Opera House I felt like a instant Celebrity. I was seated on the top floor and I was able to see every move each Actor made during the play. I went to see McBeth.
Written August 18, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Angela A
Chicago, IL25 contributions
Feb 2020
The Lyric is beautiful and ornate. As a family we went to see Madam Butterfly, currently playing at the Lyric. The Stage was amazing, it was well thought out. It incorporated the east and the west into the scenery. It is helpful to read the program before the Opera begins, the three Acts have a synopsis so it was easy to follow; especially if you are not familiar with the story line. If you find yourself falling behind, the translation is right above the stage. Don't miss it.
Written February 15, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
notpracticing
Lille, France179 contributions
May 2018 • Friends
An amazing place to see a show. Great acoustics in a glorious room. But be prepared for some ridiculousness.
I am surprised by the number of photos on this Yelp page, as I was kicked out of the building for taking a picture -- and I was in the lobby, not even in the auditorium.
I had a ticket for an evening event but I was nearby earlier in the day and the lobby was open so I popped in to take a look. It was very ornate and beautiful. I took a picture and a security guard rushed over and told me it was prohibited to take photos "anywhere in the building."
I can hardly believe that is true. The building is a skyscraper with hundreds of offices that above the Opera house. Is some poor tenant up on floor 35 going to get evicted for taking a picture of the office? And if there really IS such a rule, it is remarkably stupid and as this page proves, totally ignored. What possible justification is there for prohibiting a photo in the open lobby of a prominent building?
The show I saw was great, but unfortunately my main memory of the Civic Opera building is going to be of the idiotic stuff.
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I am surprised by the number of photos on this Yelp page, as I was kicked out of the building for taking a picture -- and I was in the lobby, not even in the auditorium.
I had a ticket for an evening event but I was nearby earlier in the day and the lobby was open so I popped in to take a look. It was very ornate and beautiful. I took a picture and a security guard rushed over and told me it was prohibited to take photos "anywhere in the building."
I can hardly believe that is true. The building is a skyscraper with hundreds of offices that above the Opera house. Is some poor tenant up on floor 35 going to get evicted for taking a picture of the office? And if there really IS such a rule, it is remarkably stupid and as this page proves, totally ignored. What possible justification is there for prohibiting a photo in the open lobby of a prominent building?
The show I saw was great, but unfortunately my main memory of the Civic Opera building is going to be of the idiotic stuff.
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Written May 19, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sandysisland
Portage, IN247 contributions
Jan 2019
We saw La Boheme and it was magnificent! This was the first opera for us. The Lyric is beautiful on its own and the production was fantastic! Set designs were wonderful and don't worry if you do not understand Italian they have English translations. I would highly recommend this even if it is just a bucket list adventure or a regular date night for you!
Written August 14, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
markers
Salem, Oregon164 contributions
Oct 2016 • Couples
Even if you can't afford to see an opera here, do visit the Civic Opera House, and excellent architectural example of the grand houses once erected to feature grand opera. The structure sits along the Chicago River, and although this is not the side where one enters, it is worth the short walk westward to see how its imposing bulk towers over the river (the east facade is equally impressive). Inside one is treated to the many pleasing features associated with opera buildings of this era, and the hall itself is both beautiful and comfortable, with excellent acoustic properties. Try to experience an opera here if you can, but if not, at least admire the structure.
Written November 10, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Vanyaviews
12 contributions
Oct 2019 • Couples
My partner and myself visited the Lyric as part of an Open House weekend to marvel at Chicago’s many architectural wonders. I happened to get into conversation with an employee of the Opera House called Paulette. She was wonderfully engaging and knowledgable about the Lyric and about Chicago more generally. Paulette was extremely generous with her time and so courteous with visitors. She is a credit to the Lyric and to Chicago and made me fall even more in love with this wonderful city.
Written October 24, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bill
Naperville, IL7 contributions
May 2019 • Couples
For my wife's birthday, I bought box seats to her favorite musical, West Side Story and made reservations for dinner at the Sarah and Peer Pedersen Room. Show was at 7:00, dinner at 5:30. We had plenty of time to eat, drink walk around and see the opera house, which is an amazing building, and be in our seats with plenty of time to spare. Every person that works or volunteers there is very friendly and helpful.
Yes, the meals are catered at the Pederson Room , but 5 star catering! Presentation was second to none! Price was surprisingly inexpensive- $85 for two people! Food was fantastic.
My wife was very pleasantly surprised with this gift. Yahoo, I finally did something right.. HaHa.
If going to a show at this wonderful histric venue, I highly recommend doing dinner at one of the "Rooms" at the Lyric Opera House. They don't just have operas, they also have Broadway musicals and concerts.
I'm definately going to take a tour of the building soon.
Yes, the meals are catered at the Pederson Room , but 5 star catering! Presentation was second to none! Price was surprisingly inexpensive- $85 for two people! Food was fantastic.
My wife was very pleasantly surprised with this gift. Yahoo, I finally did something right.. HaHa.
If going to a show at this wonderful histric venue, I highly recommend doing dinner at one of the "Rooms" at the Lyric Opera House. They don't just have operas, they also have Broadway musicals and concerts.
I'm definately going to take a tour of the building soon.
Written May 30, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
snickes
Chicago, IL142 contributions
May 2019 • Family
We made a last minute decision to go see West Side Story. The website was easy to use to buy tickets online. We picked the "cheap seats' at the top in row "O" so I was a little hesitant as to what it would be like. Fortunately, the acoustics were excellent and we could see the performers fairly well. The seats were comfortable and angled enough so that I had a good view of the stage. The first half of West Side Story is much longer than the second half so play any needed restroom breaks accordingly! Also, they had a photo booth in the lobby area which was fun and free and you get a physical picture right there and they email one to you as well. If you are driving to the Lyric Opera house, they offer discounted parking in the Poetry Garage less than 2 blocks away. We went on a weeknight and for 3pm arrivals and after, it is only $12 but you must order ahead of time on the Lyric Opera website. For comparison, Spot Hero was running around $20 for similar parking. Additionally, for those not familiar with the surrounding area (us!), we had a lovely dinner at South Branch Tavern Grill (excellent Mahi Mahi tacos!) and it was only a few blocks away. We made an Open Table reservation and I requested patio seating. They put us in a booth right on the river where we could watch the boats go by. We were then going to take the water taxi to go exploring as it is right across from the Opera House, however we decided to save money and just walked around the Loop area on foot. Upon our return back to the Lyric Opera House area to attend the show, we were a few minutes early so ducked into Rivers Restaurant right near the theater for a drink before the show. They had a nice patio by the river as well but it was full so we just sat inside which felt great after a busy few hours playing tourist. We left the restaurant around 6:30 to walk over to the Lyric Opera House; get through bag security; get our tickets scanned; get a photo taken; and find our seats. Everything was perfect and made for a memorable night out! Exiting the show was a breeze and we were with a mass of people in a well lit area heading to the same parking garage so I felt very safe. There was a delay getting out of the parking garage due to everyone leaving at the same time but that was to be expected.
Written May 24, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stephanie C
Mundelein, IL2,476 contributions
Mar 2019 • Couples
This was my first visit and what a treat. It’s an amazing place to see and hear opera. I especially like the pre opera show that explains the origin and characters of the opera. Can’t wait to see another performance.
Written March 26, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
desrlmt
Denver, CO267 contributions
Oct 2017 • Couples
I only visit opera houses when I'm going to Grand Opera, and I can't quite imagine how any other of the performing arts would fit. It seems to me that the opera and the opera house are inextricably linked. I've seen no better pairing than Chicago's Civic Opera House and Lyric Opera of Chicago. It's a magnificent form of virtual reality, in being transported for three hours or so to the finest form of entertainment of the 18th and 19th centuries. If possible, go early and stay after, so you can wander a little among the various levels of the theater and gain close-up appreciation of the fine architectural detailing that's not much repeated in modern structures. One warning: Plan to drink only water while you're there; alcoholic concoctions on offer are pricey and little more than water themselves. Do you think that happened in the 18th and 19th centuries?
Written October 16, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
cawa634
Chicago, Illinois
What tickets for West side Story are available for a wheelchair user (also the price)?
Written June 20, 2018
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