CHICAGO - Producer Anthony DeSantis is set to open his newest Drury Lane theatre, the sixth venue he's owned or operated in Chicago under that name since 1958. The $7 million Drury Lane Theatre Water Tower Place, sharing a prime Michigan Avenue address with Marshall Field's, Lord & Taylor, and the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, will officially open MayÊ20 (previews begin May 11) with "The Full Monty." The new commercial facility will be a 549-seat proscenium house designed by the architectural firm Daniel P. Coffey & Associates. The interior will boast a cream, gold, and dark red color scheme, with 14 rows of stadium seating on one raked level. The decor will incorporate several massive Austrian lead crystal chandeliers, a signature feature of all DeSantis' theatres.

The proscenium opening will be 35 feet wide by 17 feet high by 22 feet deep. A curved apron will add another 8 feet to the stage at its deepest point. The stage will have a turntable. An orchestra loft for up to eight musicians will fill the left side of the house normally occupied by a box. The venue's technical capabilities will be state-of-the-art, including an LCS sound system similar to those in the Goodman and Chicago Shakespeare theatres. Backstage, there will be six dressing rooms for up to 26 performers. The building stands across the street from the hallowed Chicago Water Works, the city's castellated symbol of survival, which predates the Chicago fire of 1871.

Though slightly younger than most, DeSantis certainly ranks among the nation's most venerable active producers. Indeed, he's no stranger to Water Tower Place: He operated a theatre on the same spot from 1976 to 1983.ÊDeSantis abandoned the stars and in-the-round configuration in 1984 when he constructed his fifth Drury Lane theatre, a 975-seat proscenium house (and a massive restaurant/banquet complex) in wealthy suburban Oakbrook Terrace.

Helming Drury Lane Theatre Water Tower Place will be Artistic Director Michael Weber and General Manager James Jensen. Most recently, Weber ran the nonprofit Theatre at the Center in Munster, Ind. Jensen, one of the city's most experienced managers, comes from the commercial Royal George Theatre. Also assisting will be longtime Drury Lane Oakbrook Terrace manager Diane Van Lente, and Gary Griffin, the Broadway-bound director of "The Color Purple," whom DeSantis nurtured early in the director's career. Billed as "artistic advisor," Griffin is likely to direct in the 2006 season.

DeSantis and his team will produce five shows per year beginning next January. Only four shows are planned for the inaugural season: "The Full Monty," Paul Osborn's "Morning's at Seven," the musical "Grand Hotel," and Stuart Ross' "Plaid Tidings." Weber's eclectic directing choices include Steppenwolf Theatre Company associate artist Jessica Thebus for the Osborn play and veteran Broadway and Chicago performer Jim Corti for the opener.

The venue will operate under an Equity Special Agreement largely based on the Equity Dinner Theatre contract. A similar Oakbrook Terrace pact is up for renewal in May. At that time, Equity expects to negotiate a new three- or four-year deal to cover both Drury Lane houses. The new venue will employ two full-time IATSE stagehands, while the orchestra minimum is expected to fluctuate between two and eight players, depending on the show.

Characteristic of DeSantis' brand of theatre, patrons will be offered numerous dinner-theatre packages at upscale restaurants in and around Water Tower Place. Sharply discounted parking ($7 for the evening) will also be offered there and at six other garages within two blocks. Season subscriptions will start at $112 for four shows. According to Jensen, the theatre's first-year goal is 3,000 subscribers.