Photo: Bryant Manning
As it has been reported, operators of the Morse Theatre and its investors have been feuding over the future of the months-old Rogers Park venue. This morning I noticed a post on Aaron Parks’s blog frustratingly announcing the cancellation of tomorrow’s gig at the space.
I reached out to Andy McGhee, venue director and head of booking at the Morse, to get an official word. Indeed, McGhee confirmed the shuttering of the theater. Back in October, our Bryant Manning visited the Morse during the final stages of its construction, and has enjoyed many WFMT-sponsored performances at the state-of-the-art room.
Here is an emailed statement from McGhee:
We will be closing.
We intend to hold the following concerts in March:
WFMT Live from the Morse – Sunday March 1 @11:00am live on the air $10
WFMT Presents Endemble Al Niente – Sunday March 1 @ 7:30pm $15
Duncan Sheik – Friday March 6 @ 8:00 $30/$35
Paris Delane - Saturday March 7 @ 8:00 $20
That will be it.
Be sure to take in a concert there, especially a visit from the wonderful Juana Molina this Sunday.
The closing of the Morse Theatre space likely means the end of the restaurant in the same building, Century Public House, which TOC Senior Food Writer David Tamarkin praised for Chef Peter Camphouse’s jahrhundertwurst, chicken and pot roast entrees and housemade chocolate ice cream.
We will have more on this story in the coming days.
Oh this is a bummer! We could have used a place like this on the far north side. :(
The Morse Theatre is not a bouncy castle. It cannot be deflated and trucked away. It has one of the best sound systems in the city, a brand-new kitchen and interior.
Andy McGhee is being thrown out for the financier’s reasons, whatever they are. The longer McGhee fights, the longer the change will take. Whenever McGhee realizes that he is out, the financier can hire a new management company and the theater will reopen.
McGhee is out, but the theater is not going anywhere.
Yeah but the devil’s in the details. You need someone to book and maintain a place like this. I’m not trying to doom it from ever opening again, but look at HotHouse: That’s a great space for many reasons but it closed and has yet to reopen. The reasons for that are complex and different than what’s going on with the Morse but having a great space isn’t enough.
HotHouse wasn’t owned by James Pritzker. HotHouse was fun the handful of times I went there but it was as luxurious as a church basement. Money isn’t everything but it’s why this theater won’t stay closed long.
Yes, millions were spent on this project. I would be shocked if it closed. It’s sad if McGhee is booted out but he had a multi-million dollar opportunity. From what I experienced the music venue was fairly well run. The restaurant? That was not so well done. No cohesive vision came across to me from that place.
Will the Morse’s music policy change to being more rock and hip-hop friendly if they have a new manager? I would like to see it just to see Howard Reich go into apoplexy.
The restaurant was a HUGE disappointment. No appetizers and no vegetarian friendly entrees. You just cant do that in Rogers Park. Throw in a few musical acts no one has heard of and you have a recipe for instant failure. I’m not surprised by the closing but I hope it reopens with some sense to accommodate to the locals.
NO VEGETARIAN OPTIONS. I would have loved to spend my money there …. but I had to walk out the door and look somewhere else to eat. What a disappointment.
It’s a fantastic location for small intimate concerts of all kinds. We had some GREAT breakfasts and the space in the restaurant was very inviting. They needed more time to get the booking schedule established. I know of several big names who were hoping to play there. I would have developed but there wasn’t time for any growing pains or delays or identity issues, given the huge costs and losses in getting started. — BUT: This is Chicago. Someone wants to keep this alive and has what it takes to make it happen. It will happen. This is too good of a resource to fail. I wish Andy the best.