Goodnight Moon The Musical – website

Location: Victory Gardens Biograph Theatre, 2433 N. Lincoln Avenue, Chicago

Phone: 773-871-3000

Hours:  Goodnight Moon The Musical runs through December 23.
There are no shows on Mondays, but shows most other weekdays at 10:15 and, and weekends at 11:00 am and 3:00 pm.

Admission: $26 for children, $36 for adults. Use the code RED BALLOON for $5 off. This code is valid in person, via phone, or online.

Parking:  Metered street parking is available for $1.50/hr with a three hour maximum.
To travel by train, use the Red, Brown, or Purple line; the closest El stop is Fullerton. To travel by bus, take the Lincoln Avenue (#11), Fullerton (#74), or Sedgwick/Ogden (#37).

Bathrooms:  There are public bathrooms (the women’s is to the left when you enter the building, with a private handicapped bathroom next to it, and the men’s is straight ahead past the bar. There are no changing tables in the bathrooms, but there is a bench in the women’s room.

Nursing: There is no designated nursing area.

Handicapped/stroller accessibility: The theater is very accessible. There is a ramp next to the stairs inside the entrance, and an elevator to the second floor. There is a separate private handicapped bathroom near the women’s bathroom. The theater offers a stroller parking area.

Other features: The Chicago Children’s Theatre is working with the Pajama Program and Scholastic Books. There will be a donation box available in the lobby during each show for donations of new pajamas. For each new pair of pajamas donated, Scholastic Books will donate an early learning book for disadvantaged children.

Food: The Biograph Theater has a concession bar with beverages and snacks. We attended Goodnight Moon on a weekday and it was not open; it was open when we attended a Saturday performance of Dot & Ziggy in the past.  They also have an online list of nearby restaurants that offer discounts to ticket holders.

Special events:

• Friday, December 9 and 16 at 7:00 pm – Goodnight Moon Pajama Parties. Families are encouraged to wear their pajamas to the show and a milk and cookies reception will take place after the show.

We paid: We received complimentary tickets. I attended with both boys so it would have cost us $88. We paid $4.50 for metered parking.

Our experience:

We saw Goodnight Moon The Musical on a weekday morning. There was plenty of street parking available and we parked only about half a block from the theatre. We found seats in the front section of the theatre.

The show starts out with the bunny in the rain, so the theatre is dark and then the stage lights up. The sets were great – a little cartoony, very colorful, and true to the Goodnight Moon illustrations. There are only four actors in the play, but they play several characters.

The show was a lot of fun. It was about an hour long. There was lots of singing and dancing, and lots of props doing things you don’t expect (moving lamp, talking phone, dancing books). The kids, both my own and the others in the crowd, seemed delighted and often called out to the actors asking, “What’s that?” or yelling, “Over there!” They were especially entranced by the Handshake Tornado, which you can see a video of on the Chicago Children’s Theatre’s Facebook page.

After the show we got a little sneak peak at the stage; the boys got to walk around and explore the set and some of the magical props.

I have to admit – I’m not a fan of the book Goodnight Moon. (I know, I know; it’s a classic, but it’s kinda boring). I had my doubts about a performance based on the book, but I adored the show. The kids loved it and so did I.