Marriott Theatre hopes Marx show will be first of many

Music will be heard Monday in the theater at Lincolnshire's Marriott Resort on what is usually a dark night.

That's significant because organizers hope the acoustic performance by 1980s pop icon Richard Marx opens the door to more concerts at the 33-year-old theater known for Broadway musicals.

"We always thought it would be fun to venture into that," said Terry James, Marriott Theatre executive producer. "We're always looking for something to bring to subscribers. If people seem to enjoy it, maybe we'll try it again."

The theater tried a Monday night concert once before with Amanda McBroom, who wrote the score to "Heartbeats," during the musical's run in 1995. But the idea fell by the wayside afterward.

Today, the venue sits dark Mondays and Tuesdays when there aren't free readings of musicals or new works performed for theater patrons.

"It's an opportunity to build a new audience and bring a new demographic into the theater," said Sam Samuelson, a longtime Chicago theater actor and agent who is co-producing Marx's show.

Samuelson said he chose Marx for the first concert because of his name recognition and reputation for "artistic integrity."

"He is really a master of songwriting," he said. "When you're starting something new, the smartest thing to do is to bring in something that has substance, and the substance brings in the audience. The whole point is word-of-mouth is only spread when there's quality."

Marx, a Highland Park native and winner of multiple platinum records and Grammy awards, has written and produced albums for some of the biggest names in music, including Keith Urban, Michael Bolton, Barbara Streisand, and 'N Sync.

More than half the tickets are sold for Marx's show, which includes guest vocalist and guitarist Matt Scannell of the band Vertical Horizon. Organizers expect to fill the 625 seats for this concert before Monday.

Marx will play piano and Scannell the guitar. The audience would be able to interact with Marx, which is virtually impossible at major concert venues.

"It's going to be very intimate. Marriott unplugged," James said. "We're only seven rows deep."

Marx, 44, who has performed concerts for 22 years across the globe, said he is at home with any size audience.

"I don't care if it's 500 people or 25,000 people, as long as they are into it," he said. "I try and be entertaining, make people laugh, feel like they hung out with me. I think I'm playing to the exact same audience that I played 20 years ago. It's just that they are 20 years older, just like I am."

Samuelson said future concerts would likely have headliners of Marx's caliber, but shows won't be limited to pop/rock concerts.

Richard Marx with Vertical Horizon's Matt Scannell

When: 7:30 p.m. Monday

Where: Marriott Theatre, 10 Marriott Drive, Lincolnshire

Tickets: $45. Call (847) 634-0200 or visit marriotttheatre.com

Parking: Free