The Briar Street Theatre is a theatre located in Lake View, Chicago, and was home to the long-running Blue Man Group. Originally the carriage house for the Marshall Field and Company horses, the space was purchased by Walter Topel and reconstructed into a theater.[1] The Briar Street Theatre is most notably associated with the Blue Man Group act, which began performing at the Briar Street Theatre in 1997 and, as of January 2025[update], has ceased performances.[2]
Built in 1901, the space was used as the stables where the horses used and owned by Marshall Field's would stay. These horses were used for the company's delivery service. As time passed, the lot became useless and in 1970, Walt Topel, founder of Topel and Associated, Ltd., bought the building from Werner Kennelly Moving and Storage Company and redesigned it into a sound stage and office where his film production company would thrive from. From 1977 to 1985, this building also housed Walt Topel's post-production company, Cinetronics, Ltd. This business was later renamed Swell and moved downtown in 1984. In 1985, the theater was reopened and became a part of the culture of Chicago. Today, the Topel family is still the owner of the venue and the original second floor actually hangs from the ceiling by large turnbuckles that can still be seen.
Notable performers
The Briar Street Theatre has hosted many performers:
Since the opening of the Briar Street Theatre, singers have not been the only performances held. Other noteworthy productions hosted at the theater have been run by Fox Theatricals and have included the following:
Blue Man Group is a group of three bald men dressed in black clothing with the remaining showing skin painted blue. The Blue Man Group formed in the late 1980s and have performed in many major cities.[note 1] Performances began here in 1997 and ended in January 2025.
The theater has 625 seats. The dimensions of the Briar Street Theater's stage is a proscenium of 38'w x 20', a width of 36'4", a depth of 32', and a height of 23' to grid. The theater is also wheelchair accessible and offers closed-circuit headsets.
The venue also has artworks within the lobby created by artists such as Van Gogh, Brancusi, Stanton, Picasso, and the Blue Man Group.
Notes
↑Chicago, Boston, New York, Las Vegas, Berlin, Toronto, and London.
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