Abracadabra! Historic Theater Reopens With New Ownership & Programming

WDCB’s Gary Zidek catches up with Dr. Ricardo Rosenkranz, a managing partner and artistic director of the new Rhapsody Theater in Chicago.

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WDCB 90.9 FM · The Arts Section: The Rhapsody Theater Opens

“This is exactly that right venue for magic and a whole bunch of different things in music. Like chamber music, because chamber music was meant to be performed in a small intimate space. And this is a great venue for jazz, it’s a great venue for comedy, and for world music. I guess my two passions in art have always been music and magic, and now, somehow we’ve found a way to do (those) in this place.” - Dr. Ricardo Rosenkranz talking about the programming that for the new Rhapsody Theater.

Dr. Ricardo Rosenkranz standing in front of a vintage poster in the upstairs bar at the Rhapsody Theater.

The structure at 1328 Morse Avenue in Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood has seen a lot over the past century-plus. Originally called the Morse Theatre, it opened in 1912 as a vaudeville and movie house. Decades later it was revamped and renamed the Co-Ed Theatre. In the mid-50’s, the theater closed and the building housed a synagogue. It 1986 the space became a shoe repair shop and storage facility. Over twenty years later the structure underwent a $6-million renovation and reopened as a jazz club named … The Morse Theater. That endeavor was short lived as suspected arson damaged the space and it changed hands again. It reopened in 2010 as the Mayne Stage, with management presenting a mix of performing arts. After some initial fanfare surrounding the new venue, eventually the owners shifted the business completely to hosting private events. Then in 2020 the pandemic erupted and shut down the Mayne Stage.

This summer, the 110-year-old structure is starting a new chapter as the Rhapsody Theater. It officially opened its doors earlier this month with a magic show. The plan is for the historic 200-seat venue to present a mix of magic and music shows, and eventually open a full-service restaurant in the front of the house.

This latest iteration of the venue on Morse is being led by Dr. Ricardo Rosenkranz, a neonatologist/clinical pediatrics professor at Northwestern/magician.

The Rhapsody Theater is located at 1328 Morse Avenue in Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood. You can find more information at rhapsodytheater.com