Inside: The Morse Theatre

Photos:

“I could have easily retired to Wisconsin,” says Morse Theatre venue director Andy McGhee. “And written singer-songwriter songs and taken bad photographs for the rest of my life and been reasonably satisfied by that.”

Boy, are we glad he didn’t. Though it took three years and a reported $6 million-plus of work, the Morse Theatre is up and running in Rogers Park. Transformed from a nickelodeon/vaudeville house that opened in 1912, the Morse—a live music venue that will focus on jazz, blues and folk—aims to restore  the ’hood’s liveliness that McGhee, a more than 30-year resident of Rogers Park, says has faded. Opening the Morse wasn’t easy, particularly after an apparent arson caused an estimated $500,000 in damage two months ago and forced several shows to be moved or canceled. But the theater is open at last.

Scene
Watch out, Old Town School of Folk Music: The Morse has the potential to score a variety of sophisticated artists and draw crowds that prefer to hit music clubs that don’t feature $2 Bud Light specials or floors stickier than a movie theater.

The opening night crowd defied generalization, though it included enough locals that McGhee said he knew half of the audience by face. With average ticket prices at $25, though, the Morse may be less of a neighborhood spot than a destination for Chicagoans to enjoy culturally rich concerts in a cozy setting.

Inside
Main floor seats—none more than 50 feet from the stage—offer great views, as do seats at the front of the upstairs level. While the lobby bar’s carpeting and limited seating reminded us of a cold hotel bar, the warm, comfortable theater’s masculine color scheme of heavy greens and browns lend an almost woodsy feel. Add that warmth to the fact that shows will be considerably brighter than your average mood-lighting jazz shows, and you’ve got a place where the audience is welcome to interact with each other and with the band onstage (on opening night, it was the excellent Winard Harper Sextet.) The padded wooden chairs, which don’t do your caboose any favors, may be moved to allow room for dancing but typically will be set up for general admission, no-standing-room seating.

Sound
Wow, is that crisp. The Morse has a state-of-the-art sound system intended for recording—watch out for live broadcasts of classical station 98.7 WFMT—and it shows. The volume levels were perfect, making the sizzle of the cymbals and the precision of the trumpet sound exquisite.

Drinks
Full bars in the theater lobby and on the mezzanine level offer  wine, liquor and 12 beers on tap, all available through table service once the show begins. Drinks are affordable, with glasses of wine ranging $6-$12 and beer $4-$6. Note: There isn’t much room to walk on the main floor. If you’re sitting near the aisles, prepare to pass drinks and tap people on the shoulder when the waitress is trying to get their attention.

Eats
When the Century Public House opens (see more info below), the theater’s bars will begin selling hors d’oeuvres. Until then, the Century offers free buffet-style grub for ticketholders.

In the works
McGhee says he’s considering using the theater’s 18-foot projection screen during local film festivals and even for a film fest of its own. Other changes include commissioned murals on the theater walls and possibly lowered railings on the mezzanine level.

Bottom line
Classy but inviting, casual but professional, the Morse has already made an impression on us with a performance that, as the music swung and the crowd clapped and tapped along, felt like a communal celebration.

Matt Pais is the Metromix music and movies producer.

mpais@tribune.com

The Morse Theatre
Tickets: Available at themorse.com
Capacity: 299; seating for about 250
Parking: Limited free and metered street parking. Space sometimes available in church lot at Ashland and Morse.

Coming soon: The Century Public House
Rogers Park gets a new restaurant and music fans get an easy spot to grab a bite before a show when the Century Public House opens adjacent to the theater in late October. Executive chef Peter Camphouse, a lifelong Midwesterner who last cooked at Prairie Grass Cafe, has put together a menu of regionally focused fare influenced by his family’s Eastern European heritage—think smoked trout cakes with remoulade and liver-encrusted elk rib-eye with mashed potatoes and cranberry-red wine reduction. Mains will range $18-$30, but there’s also a pub lineup of less expensive pub fare such as house-made brats and sausages, burgers and sandwiches. At the bar, whiskey takes center stage. Look for about 70 options as well as a couple of flights. --M. Kathleen Pratt, Metromix dining producer