The Annoyance Theater and Bar

went to their hitchcocktail show
I have never even seen a hitchcock film but it was lolz
basically the crowd is asked for an unusual fear, then the cast needs to lolz about and freestyle a play revolving around this lolzy fear in the vein of a hitchcock thriller.
there’s all sorts of lolzy rules that force the audience and the cast to drink like any good drinking game should (name dropping a hitchcock film title, gunshots, screams, etc)
the play in itself was lolz. it turned into a strange Soviet-​in-​America, heist/​forbidden love story.
the drinking game was lolz too. had like 5 american mules (forget what they were bc the quantity i drank, but hey that means they must have been pretty good, right?)
Thus, if you are looking for some lolz on a lolzy night and want to lolz around and get lolzy while doing so, this is the place to lolz
lolz

I just got back from their standup open mic andI had the most enlightening and real experience I’ve had in chicago in quite some time. The atmostphere was great, I didn’t feel alone, I felt accepted. I didn’t have the courage to go up theiir myself, but I haven’t rehearsed a bit either. Every comedian tonight showed a humbling insecurity that they’ve either conquered or are fascinated by. It was brilliant. Racism and understanding is still a struggle in chicago and that was real and honest and somewhat over magnified because I saw real people just go for it. There were no other asians there, but I intend to say my peace but not wave my flag at the same time. I learned a lot tonight. Thanks to all the comedians that performed tonight.

Was here a couple weeks ago for a comedy show that one of my friends had written/​directed. This is a great little place, and I of course love that you can bring drinks into the theater! They have a bar where you can wait before the show and get drinks, and there’s also table service once you get in. It’s not a huge place, so it’s worth it to get there early to get in line and get good seats (my friend said one time she came late and had to sit behind a pole), but it’s also nice that it’s an intimate setting. The beverage selection seemed pretty good, and reasonably priced as well.

They have a great hangout/​bar on the second floor which was super crowded on the Saturday night through midnight.
Amusingly, I don’t even drink but loved the mostly young and diverse mix of people.
They host an open mic for amateur stand up comedians that starts around 10:30pm on Saturdays. At least that’s the one that we have been to twice.
It’s pure and free fun for almost an hour & also includes «Grossed out» cookies & Candies from the dollar store. Yes they are edible though I did not try any of that.
Each performer gets about 5 minutes of stage time and the hostess picked out 15 names from a bowl at the beginning of the hour.
And they come up to the stage in the same order.
The room /​theater itself is quite small but at least it gives the performer a packed house kind of feeling. People can buy their drinks from the bar located immediately outside and enjoy the live fun.
Truthfully, some of the guys and a lady were really hilarious, others were like 6.5÷10 & maybe 3 out 15 were no fun at all.
Overall, we had a great time.

Literally the worst comedy I have ever seen. Super painful to watch. Please I beg you, don’t spend any money to see anything here. It will only lead to disappointment and probably nausea.

Saw a talented group of improvisers put on a good show. Why the low rating? Perhaps this was my fault for not noticing, but the show I bought tickets for was only 45 minutes long. With a 15 minute interview process for a couple in the audience, that left 30 minutes of funny.
The tickets *were* inexpensive, perhaps that should have been my clue. But, this left me on a Saturday night at 9p with no plans. What comedy show has tickets still available… sigh… Chicago ComedySportz. The exact show I was hoping to avoid, but, I had some people to entertain.
So, Annoyance has some talented people doing comedy there. You may just want to double-​check the length of the show.
I went and saw a show in the «small theater», I think it’s called. The name of the show was «Beer and Life», or some-​something.

A really amazing place. Passed by so many times and finally went in for a Second City hosted show. Cute social bar at top and theater in back. Great show. Only positive things to say. Hope to go again soon.

This place is one of the best theaters I’ve ever been to. Venue is amazing, intimate but not over crowded, with great service. We saw the Power of Prom. It was fantastic. All actors were on and amazing. The bar area is inviting and draws you in. Everything is clean and comfy.
I am looking forward to making this a habit. I hope all performances are top notch like Prom was.

So funny! The improv guys are hilarious and they all hang out at the bar afterwards. The box office is so accommodating, the drinks are great!

LOVE this place. I started taking classes here a few weeks ago and it’s really great. The teachers are very experienced and good at making you feel welcomed. I came here with terrible stage fright and anxiety, but now absolutely love going up to do a skit.
Drink prices are reasonable and the atmosphere is always nice. I’m definitely going to continue taking classes here in the future and coming to the shows.
I recommend going to Hitchcocktail nights on Fridays! :)

My friend and I had a great time at the midnight Skinprov show! We headed over at about 11, sat down at the bar for some strong, moderately priced alcoholic beverages and enjoyed our evening. I hadn’t been here since they moved to the new space and I was very impressed. We thought the show was pretty damn funny. I’ll probably be back.

The place looks really cool! The poppers were amazing and so were the fried pickles! And the drinks were good too! The improv could of been funnier. We went on a Tuesday night. But will def come back again some time soon!

This new location has been open for about a year and it still looks brand new. Everything is really clean including the bathrooms.
They have a bar that has reasonably priced drinks, and they serve a small amount of food that’s both inexpensive and pretty good. Mostly appetizers.
The performances are on the top level so be prepared to walk up some stairs. However, there is an elevator in the back.
The shows here are about $ 5-​$ 7 which is pretty reasonable. They also offer improv classes.

I have just seen a ‘Big Sausage Pizza’ show and it was HILARIOUS! I had no idea that how original and funny the cast was. Very sexual and 90s references for sure. I loved the atmosphere of a dark and small stage it made you feel like you were in the show. The audiences laughter basically was contagious. Creative improvisation and an a special art of its own!

I love the atmosphere and they have great options on drinks along with some food. Great for coming for a show and/​or drinks

This place has two theaters, one large theater and one small theater. The small theater holds about 40 people. They just arrange chairs as needed.
We rented the small theater for one night for a very simple theatrical show. The cost was very reasonable and they also offered a tech person for an additional, but also very reasonable cost. We had the theater for 2 hours for our show. Our artist was able to meet beforehand to go over the show with the tech person.
Working with the staff to work out the logistics of the show and contract terms of the ticket sales was a great experience. They were prompt and helpful. You can pre-​sell tickets and they offer a link you can share with your viewers. Viewers can also just pay at their box office.
The theater is on the second floor and there are stairs or an elevator to get there. Their bathrooms have several stalls so the line problem will be minimal.
There is a full bull with draft beers, cocktails and food. They have a good amount of seating in the bar area. You can bring your drinks into the theater so viewers can continue to enjoy a beverage during the show.
I’d host another show at this space in the future. I’d also love to check out other shows there as well since it was a comfortable and clean space to hang out.

Had an awesome time here.
Cast was hilarious and most importantly very original will definitely be coming back.
Really good beer deals.

A quiet bar with a friendly staff. Came here on a Sunday night after seeing Blue Man Group down the street. Was an easy walk and a great place to catch up with friends.
3 rounds of (not house liquor) drinks for 3 people came to $ 50 which I thought was pretty reasonable. Plus, they had the SNL 40^th Year Reunion on the TVs which was super entertaining.
I did not get a chance to experience any performances in their theaters– but I did walk by them and they seem like small venues for real intimate performances.
If I’m ever back in Chicago in this area– I will definitely stop in for a drink again!

The Annoyance Theatre offers something different then any other place you’ve ever been. They don’t follow the rules. You will see unique shows here. Not your run of the mill things that you may find at Second City or iO.
Second City focuses on Sketch Shows. Which are great and funny to see but they follow a set of rules that are hardly ever broken. So after seeing countless shows you get to know the formula they follow.
IO does a lot of long form Improv and usually follows the rules of the Harold. It’s awesome to see, but you know at the end everything will blend together.
Annoyance doesn’t follow these rules. They have Improv and Sketch but usually it’s amplified beyond what you’d expect.
I respect each place but I think a place like the Annoyance is needed to stretch the boundaries and make new art possible.
You may think a show went to far, but that is the exact reason it is here. For art pushes the boundaries we already have to convey a strong message.
After taking lessons here my Improv has gotten so much better. I get complements all the time on how much I progressed. Money well spent.

The Annoyance Theater is back! They recently opened their new location in Lakeview (they were previously located in Uptown). I came and watched «Hitch*cocktails,» an improvised Hitchcock-​themed murder mystery show in which the actors find every excuse to drink while on stage. Compared to iO’s Improvised Shakespeare, the performance was rougher around the edges, but it was still very entertaining. The tickets are $ 20 regular admission, $ 15 for students, and the show runs for about 90 minutes, not including a 10-​minute intermission. (Unrelated: during intermission the pianist played music while one of the announcers sang several songs quite well, which I thought a nice touch.) At the time of writing the theater was half full for this performance at 10 pm on a Friday.
This new building for Annoyance Theater is great: the theater is nice, the bar area is spacious, and the bathrooms are clean. Drinks at the bar are reasonably priced; I paid $ 5 for a pint of Allagash White Ale and $ 6 for a tequila sunrise. The staff were friendly and provided prompt service. Moreover, Annoyance Theater is conveniently located nearby the Belmont El stop as well as a variety of quick eateries, sit-​down restaurants, and other bars, making this theater a great way to spend part of your night out in Lakeview.