One of the most visually oriented companies on the Chicago theatrical scene, Lookingglass produces original shows and unusual literary adaptations in a highly physical, imaginative style. (Its location in the Water Tower Pumping Station -- just off Michigan Ave. and within walking distance of many downtown hotels -- makes it especially visitor-friendly.) The company, founded more than a decade ago by graduates of Northwestern University (including Friend David Schwimmer), stages several shows each year. Recent offerings included Metamorphoses, a sublime and humorous modern recasting of Ovid's myths that became a hit in New York, and Lookingglass Alice, an acrobatic retelling of Alice in Wonderland. Ensemble member Mary Zimmerman -- who directed Metamorphoses -- has built a national reputation for her creative interpretations of literature, so if she's directing a show while you're in town, don't miss it. Schwimmer also appears here occasionally, as either an actor or director. Lookingglass shows emphasize visual effects as much as they do acting, whether it's having performers wade through a giant shallow pool or take to the sky on trapeze.

Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's Chicago 2009, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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