Alice in Wonderland – website

Location: The Apollo Theatre, 2540 N. Lincoln Avenue, Chicago

Phone: 773-935-6100

Performances: Runs July 10-December 29. A full performance schedule is available online.

Admission: Tickets start at $13 for children and $16 for adults. PROMO CODE – Throughout the month of August, enter the code EATME for a FREE adult ticket to any performance when you purchase a child’s ticket.

Parking: Metered street parking is available.
The Fullerton L stop (Red, Brown, & Purple lines) is only a short walk from the Apollo Theatre.

Bathrooms: The women’s bathroom has a changing table in the handicapped stall. The soap and paper towels are a bit out of reach for kids. There is no changing table in the men’s room.

Nursing: There is no designated nursing area.

Handicapped/stroller accessibility: The Apollo Theatre is upstairs and requires the assistance of an employee to use the handicapped lift. The women’s bathroom is handicapped accessible, but very narrow and would likely be difficult to maneuver. The men’s room is not accessible but has a sign indicating that an employee can assist patrons in gaining access to an accessible bathroom. Handicapped accessible tickets can ONLY be purchased from the box office at 773-935-6100.

Other amenities: Books and souvenirs are available for purchase in the lobby. Each show has a pre-show craft and the actors are available after the show for photos and autographs. Birthday party packages and group rates are available. There are two different programs – one for adults and another for kids. The program for kids includes activities for them to do after the show.

Special events: 

• Alice’s Ice Cream Social – Saturday performances from July 21-August 25 will include homemade ice cream for attendees after the show from Bobtail Ice Cream and an opportunity to hang out with your favorite Wonderland characters. A $3 event premium applies.

Food: There are refreshments and snacks available in the lobby, including alcohol. There are children’s items, such as small bags of fruit snacks and juice boxes available for $1 each. The Apollo is located in Lincoln Park and is surrounded by restaurants within walking distance.

We paid: $4 for parking at a metered spot. We received complimentary tickets to the show.

Our experience:

Saturday performances of Alice in Wonderland are followed by an Ice Cream Social so we had to attend on a Saturday, of course! We arrived early so the kids could do the pre-show craft. They each colored a paper tea cup to use during the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party.

This was our second time at the Apollo Theatre; our seats were very good, but all the seats in the theatre are good seats. The set and costumes were impressive – very colorful and imaginative. The characters in the play really make use of the aisles, running in and out and sitting on the stairs. They interacted with the audience a bit too.

I was a little concerned about the boys being scared of some of the characters, in particular the Queen of Hearts, but she wasn’t a very scary character. She did say, “Off with their head!” a lot, but the boys didn’t seem scared by it and I’m pretty sure they didn’t even know what that meant. The caterpillar looked a bit scary too me, but Alice wasn’t scared so the boys seemed fine; I think the tone of the show made a big difference. If Alice had been scared they might have, but it was light and cheerful most of the time.

The story of Alice in Wonderland is, of course, totally confusing and nonsensical, but the boys didn’t seem bothered by that a bit. They laughed and pointed and seemed pretty entranced throughout the show.

After the show was over we went into the lobby for the Ice Cream Social. Everyone got a small cup of Bobtail Ice Cream, which was delicious! The boys (and John and I) gobbled up the ice cream. The characters from the show were available in the lobby for autographs and photos with the audience. Cooper was happy to approach the rabbit and the Queen of Hearts (Dexter wasn’t going to go near anyone), but he wasn’t too sure about Alice and the Mad Hatter so we kept our distance. I think he was a little unnerved by the Mad Hatter’s costume.

The boys really enjoyed the show and we all had a fun afternoon.