Photos: Lyric Opera's Marquee Signs Are Meme-Worthy Brilliance
By Rachel Cromidas in News on Nov 18, 2016 3:29PM
Lyric Opera sign. Photo by Rachel Cromidas/Chicagoist
Running a performing arts organization in 2016 can be a financial struggle, but Chicago's Lyric Opera has found one way to catch our eyes: They've been writing pop culturally-relevant, meme-worthy messages on their Loop marquee signs and bringing us joy all year.
Reddit brought their latest sign, which borrows from contemporary poet Sir-Mix-a-Lot, below, to our attention, but we've also spotted several other excellent signs so far this year. Our favorite preaches: "More drama than Game of Thrones." Another one explains the true definition of FOMO: "Fear Of Missing Opera." They've also posted slogans pegged to the Cubs' amazing World Series win and the overwhelming interest in Hamilton tickets when the hit musical arrived in Chicago.
Another Lyric Opera sign. Photo by Rachel Cromidas/Chicagoist
The marquees are written by the Lyric Opera's marketing staff, Lisa Middleton, Lyric's director of marketing, told Chicagoist. They've been posting the humorous signs since May, which Middleton said can stay up for a few days or over a week depending on the context. So far, the reception has been great.
"Everyone is loving them," Middleton said in an email. "Our staff is getting a kick out of what we can come up with next. I walk to work every day and there hasn't been a day yet that I don't see someone(s) taking a picture of one of them, commenting about what they say, telling a friend about one they saw and loved. We've seen massive sharing of them on social."
Below is a collection of some of our favorite examples of the Lyric Opera's creative advertisements:
"I Like Big Operas..." Via Reddit:
You other brothers can't deny...This one pokes fun at the Hamilton frenzy:
Lyric Opera's twist on Flying the W:
Back to a simpler time, before we knew the outcome of the 2016 presidential election:
And more Cubs joy: