Chicago Theater Works

My group went to see We Gotta Bingo here and we had a great time. It was my sister’s birthday so we did something crazy. It was alot of fun, the guys at our table got up to sing with the cast and the food was great. I’d recommend this show even if its’ just because you get to dance to live band polka music to Blondie, OutKast, Pharell and that’s just totally cool you can’t get anyplace else on an accordion! Go here.

I went to the Bingo show here and my group had a good time. The ticket price was worth the event because you got appetizer, salad, lasagna and lemon bar or brownie for dessert all from Giordano’s AND it’s a bar AND it’s also a play with dancing and music and actors running all over the place AND it’s also a bingo parlor (although the prizes aren’t cash, they are funny). You can use crayons to mark your cards or buy a souviner dauber from the crazy cat lady. The comedy is about Irish and Italians trying to get along from two different churches. The humor is about what you’d expect from a loud and boisterous place like this, but it’s a good time to drink, dance a little, play a few games and have a good time. I’d say its worth a night out with friends to eat, drink and have fun!

This show is hysterical! From the time I walked through the door until I left (with polkas swirling through my head), I could not stop laughing.
Upon entering, you find yourself in a German beer hall (Der Brew-​Ha-​Ha) which is hosting the first combined bingo night of two recently merged Catholic parishes in Chicago: the Irish-​populated St. Patrick’s and the Italian-​dominated St. Dominic’s. You suddenly find you are on one side of the two competing parishes and If you’re willing to play along, you will have an absolute blast.
And you really get to play several games of bingo, called by used furniture salesman, Bucky Fuller, along with the help of his flighty assistant, Darla Blue. And the prizes — they’re wacky, kitschy and I wanted them all! (But I sadly did not win anything even though Mary Ed Sullivan, the bingo fanatic, walks from table to table giving some of her tips on the game and making sure you’ve covered all of your numbers as they’re being shouted out quickly.) The entire cast is so talented in each of their roles and they are always «on.» I never saw one of them break character the entire evening.
Led by a polka band known as the Voekel Chords, the music is high-​energy and infectious. Where else can you hear (and dance if you choose) to standards such as Beer Barrel Polka but also songs by OutKast, the Black Eyed Peas and George Harrison. (Oh, and my favorite Chelsea Dagger, known best to Chicagoans and hockey fans as the Blackhawks goal song.) But to sing along Hey Ya with a polka band still cracks me up each time I think about it.
The food is catered by Giordano’s (well, Rosa Dimini will tell you that she made it all) and it is pretty tasty. The admission price includes a family style feast of bruschetta, salad, bread, lasagna and a little later, assorted brownies/​bars that come out in Tupperware containers which I thought was dang funny. (You are in a German beer hall after all…) There is a full cash bar (I think soft drinks come with the admission price) so come a little early to enjoy the music and have a drink beforehand.
I guarantee that if you are in the mood for a great night out (it helps to bring a few friends along as the jokes get even funnier and you get a little braver with your participation), you will leave with a little more spring in your step than when you came in. I hope this show runs a good long time since there are a few different sets of family/​friends that I’d like to experience it with in Chicago. This is a show the entire family from 8 to 80 (and beyond) can enjoy!

I’m glad i got to check this place out for a live show and dinner. People who haven’t been to one should check this place out for a night of food, fun and laughter.

Thanks to Unilocal I recently had the opportunity to check out the wacky stage show «We Gotta Bingo» at Chicago Theater Works on Belmont. Not only did we get to eat lasagna (served to the peeps at my table — by me!) and drink cans of Corona beer, but we got to play real-​live bingo games and interact with the ensemble of over-​the-​top actors. The awesome house polka band was spot-​on, playing deadpan versions of a diverse range of cuts by Blondie, The Clash and Outkast. It’s ultimately a harmless and goofy evening of bonding with your Unilocal friends and tablemates within the framework of a live show. Cheers!

I think that it is a kind of show that you like-​it-​or-​not. And it was not my style! I don’t think it is everybody type of humor… The place is nice and the actors are quite good but their jokes are not funny to me. I think towards the end they made a couple of minutes in which it was a musical and it was quite good.
Plus, the food is bad… I am Italian, so I am very judgemental about Italian food but the lasagne was pretty bad. It was quite fatty and 2 people at my table did not have it.
The price is 55 $ on a preview but I think it is not worth so much… I would not go back if it was not for a Unilocal event.

Look, I wanted to like it. I really appreciate Unilocal and the venue for hosting Unilocalers. However, this was just not my type of humor. It’s very slapstick, over-​the-​top kind of bawdy humor and it wasn’t my style. I think if you’re looking for that kind of humor, this would be the place to go. A lot of people at the table really enjoyed it but it was just way too much for me.
It’s an interactive experience with a lot of «enthusiastic» characters. Some way too enthusiastic. There are moments when you have to get up and dance (think chicken dance…) just to give you an idea of the humor of the show.
The way I like to make an analogy is, if you like intellectual humor (Stephen Colbert, Jon Stewart, etc), don’t come here. If you’re looking for a cheap laugh and are of the older demographic (a lot of sububanites who came), then come here.
The food is just lasagna, salad, and bread. Lemon bars/​brownies in the end. It’s food capable of being mass-​produced.

It’s been ages since I’ve played BINGO. This was a great throwback. Along with a show, you get dinner. (That’s a plus!) It’s an Italian style dinner with Lasagna, Salad and Bread. The food was pretty tasty.
It’s an interactive show where you are playing a couple of rounds of BINGO throughout the show. There are prizes and you get a throne, until the you become dethrone. The cast was very entertaining, talented, and friendly. Some of the lines were cheesy, but that was expected.
I would recommend this for a group style activity and company events.
I want to thank Unilocal for inviting me to this production, it was a great way to spend a Friday night.

I got to go here to see we gotta bingo for a Unilocal event. I would’ve never guessed this theater was here, it’s a hidden gem. Once we were able to enter the theater area, we recieved an. enthusiastic welcome. And once we sat down everyone was so warm and friendly.

What a pleasure it was getting to experience my first theatre show in Chicago at a Unilocal Elite event (thanks Chicago Theater Works and Danny W. for making it happen!)
The concept reminds me so much of Medieval Times. You get to dine and enjoy a show– a very interactive one at that!
This little theater seems almost like a really good kept secret. We almost missed it if we hadn’t looked for the giant BINGO sign outside the venue. The night was wonderful, hilarious, and very heartwarming. The battle between the Irish and the Italians while playing BINGO with polk dancing and music throughout the evening. Couple that with hilarious characters all around that entertain you while you eat and sip on some fine Italian.
Oh yes, dinner is served here too! You start with some bruschetta for an appetizer, following a full on main lasagna course with salad and garlic bread. Don’t forget the dessert– you get a treat with either a brownie or a lemon bar to finish your meal, all in this 2.5 theatre show extravaganza.
Thanks CTW for hosting this fantastic production, and to Unilocal for making it all happen. I definitely enjoyed my first elite event in this new city!