Lincolnshire theater marks a milestone as area's longest-running musical theater

For 40 years, audiences have been making the drive to Lincolnshire to see some of the best locally produced musical theater in the Chicago area.

Despite the challenges of its intimate 881-seat theater-in-the-round, the Marriott Theatre has tackled and adapted big Broadway spectacles like "Show Boat" and "Les Miserables" while also vividly staging smaller off-Broadway hits like "Godspell" and "Nunsense."

"I'm proud that we're the longest-running musical theater in Chicago, and that we employ more professional actors each year than any other Chicago theater," said Marriott Theatre executive producer Terry James in a statement. "At some point in 2015, we will sell our 11 millionth ticket!"

So in honor of its 40th anniversary season, here are some interesting facts about the Marriott Theatre:

• The theater's first production in 1975 wasn't a musical; it was Neil Simon's 1961 comedy "Come Blow Your Horn."

• Marriott's most produced shows are "The King and I," "Brigadoon," "South Pacific" and "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" with three productions apiece.

• Marriott sells more than 400,000 tickets a year, and has presented more than 165 productions to an estimated 8 million people.

• Marriott has received a record 507 nominations (and 93 wins) for Joseph Jefferson Awards - Chicago's highest theatrical honor.

• The theater often gets the rights to produce the regional premieres of Broadway hits after they complete their initial New York and national touring runs. Examples include "The Producers" and "Miss Saigon."

• Marriott has produced many world premieres, including eight in the past 10 years like "Hero" and "Once Upon a Time in New Jersey." This August, the Marriott teams up with Universal Studios for a world premiere adaptation of the 1999 film "October Sky."

• Two Marriott world premieres have made the leap to London. "Matador" premiered in Lincolnshire in 1989 before it played London's West End in 1991. A musical adaptation of the film "Peggy Sue Got Married" also played the Marriott in 1999 before London in 2001. Marriott's revised "Hot Mikado" from 1993 also made it to London in 1995.

• No Marriott world premieres have made it to Broadway - yet. "Annie Warbucks," a sequel to the 1977 hit "Annie," got the closest with a 1993 off-Broadway production after its 1992 Marriott debut.

• A number of stars have gotten an early start at Marriott. Among them are Grammy Award-winners Heather Headley and Jennifer Hudson.

Headley appeared in the 1996 revue "And the World Goes 'Round" before later winning a 2000 Tony Award for "Aida," while Hudson appeared in 2001 in "Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" before finding fame on TV's "American Idol" and winning an Academy Award for the 2006 film version of "Dreamgirls."

Most recently Evanston native Jessie Mueller honed her craft in many Marriott shows before building a successful New York career. Mueller just won the 2014 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for starring in the title role of "Beautiful: The Carole King Story."