Rhapsody Theater celebrates grand opening in historic Rogers Park space
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The new Rhapsody Theater celebrated its grand opening Tuesday in a historic auditorium space in Rogers Park.
Dr. Ricardo T. Rosenkranz – a Chicago neonatologist and assistant professor in clinical pediatrics at Northwestern University – purchased the theater, at 1328 W. Morse Ave., for $2.5 million from Col. Jennifer Pritzker's Tawani Enterprises.
Rosenkranz is also an illusionist known for starring in "The Rosenkranz Mysteries," and plans to make the Rhapsody Theater into "a new destination for magic, music, and more."
The official debut of the 200-seat space Tuesday evening featured magician Carisa Hendrix – better known by her stage name, Miss Lucy Darling.
Miss Lucy Darling's "Indulgence" show will be appearing through July 16. Psychic Ross Johnson's performance, "A Funny Thing Happened… Tomorrow" follows from July 26 through July 31.
The Rhapsody Theater opened in 1912 as the Morse Theatre – a vaudeville and movie house that seated 650, according to Cinema Treasures. The venue was remodeled in an art-deco style and renamed the Co-Ed Theatre in 1938, Cinema Treasures reported.
The Co-Ed Theatre closed in 1954, and the space housed a synagogue from 1956 until 1977, Cinema Treasures reported. In 1986, it became the Cobbler's Mall – a space that included a shoe repair store – the website reported.
The space was renovated and reopened once again as the Morse Theatre in 2008, and then the Mayne Stage beginning in 2010. The Mayne Stage opened as a concert venue, but later narrowed its offerings to special events.