Major Theaters & Companies
Tickets for most plays usually cost $10 to $35, although big-name shows at the major theaters can fetch up to $75 for the best seats. Theatre League Alliance (tel. 213/614-0556; www.TheatreLA.org), an association of live theaters and producers in Los Angeles -- they also put on the yearly Ovation Awards, L.A.'s theater awards -- offers same-day, half-price tickets via Web Tix, an Internet-only service at www.TheatreLA.org. Tickets are available Tuesday through Saturday from 4am to 11pm; purchase them online with a credit card and they'll be waiting for you at the box office. The site features a frequently updated list of shows and availability; you can also sign up for e-mail alerts. If you didn't bring your computer, log on at any public library, Internet cafe, or office service store.
The all-purpose Music Center-Performing Arts Center of Los Angeles County, 135 N. Grand Ave., Downtown, houses the city's top two playhouses -- the Ahmanson Theater and Mark Taper Forum. They're both home to the Center Theater Group (www.taperahmanson.com), as well as traveling productions (often Broadway or London bred). Each season the Ahmanson Theater (tel. 213/628-2772) hosts a handful of high-profile shows, such as Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera, the Royal National Theatre's production of Ibsen's Enemy of the People, starring Sir Ian McKellan, and ballet impresario Matthew Bourne's Cinderella. Tip: The theater is so huge that you'll want seats in the front third or half.
The Mark Taper Forum (tel. 213/628-2772) is a more intimate, circular theater staging contemporary works by international and local playwrights. Neil Simon's humorous and poignant The Dinner Party and Tom Stoppard's witty and eclectic Arcadia are two recent productions, each ideally suited to this intimate setting. Ticket prices vary depending on the performance.
One of L.A.'s most venerable landmarks, the Orpheum Theatre, 842 S. Broadway at 9th St. (tel. 213/749-5171; www.laorpheum.com), has recently reopened after a 75-year hiatus. Built in 1926, this renowned venue has hosted an array of theatrical productions, concerts, film festivals, and movie shoots -- from Judy Garland's 1933 vaudeville performance to Ally McBeal. The 2,000-seat theater is home to the Mighty Wurlitzer, one of three original theater organs still existing in Southern California theaters.
Across town, the moderately sized Geffen Playhouse, 10886 Le Conte Ave., Westwood (tel. 310/208-5454; www.geffenplayhouse.com), presents dramatic and comedic work by prominent and emerging writers. UCLA purchased the theater -- which was originally built as a Masonic temple in 1929, and later served as the Westwood Playhouse -- back in 1995 with a little help from philanthropic entertainment mogul David Geffen. This striking venue is often the West Coast choice of many acclaimed off-Broadway shows, and also attracts locally based TV and movie actors eager for the immediacy of stage work. One recent production featured Annette Bening in Ibsen's Hedda Gabler. Always audience-friendly, the Playhouse prices tickets in the $25 to $38 range.
You've probably already heard of the Kodak Theater, 6834 Hollywood Blvd. (tel. 323/308-6300; www.kodaktheater.com), home of the Academy Awards. The crown jewel of the Hollywood & Highlands entertainment complex, this modern beauty hosts a wide range of international performances, musicals, and concerts ranging from Prince and Elvis Costello to the Moscow Stanislavsky Ballet and GREASE starring Frankie Avalon. Guided tours are given 7 days a week from 10:30am to 2:30pm.
The recently restored Pantages Theatre, 6233 Hollywood Blvd. between Vine and Argyle (tel. 323/463-4367), reflects the full Art Deco glory of L.A.'s theater scene. Opened in 1930, this historical and cultural landmark was the first Art Deco movie palace in the U.S. and site of the Academy Awards from 1949 to 1959. The theater just finished a multiyear run of Disney's The Lion King and is now showing Mel Brooks' smash hit, The Producers.
Located at the foot of the Hollywood Hills, the 1,245-seat outdoor John Anson Ford Amphitheatre (tel. 213/974-1343; www.lacountyarts.org/ford.html) is located in a county regional park and is set against a backdrop of cypress trees and chaparral. It is an intimate setting with no patron more than 96 feet away from the stage. Music, dance, film, theater, and family events run from May through September. The indoor theater space, a cozy 87-seat space, that was extensively renovated in November 1998 and renamed [Inside] The Ford, features live music and theater year-round.
One of the most highly acclaimed professional theaters in L.A., the Pasadena Playhouse, 39 S. El Molino Ave., near Colorado Boulevard, Pasadena (tel. 626/356-7529; www.pasadenaplayhouse.org), is a registered historic landmark that has served as the training ground for many theatrical, film, and TV stars, including William Holden and Gene Hackman. Productions are staged on the main theater's elaborate Spanish Colonial revival.
For a schedule at any of the above theaters, check the listings in Los Angeles Magazine (www.lamag.com), available at most area newsstands, or the "Calendar" section of the Sunday Los Angeles Times (www.calendarlive.com), or call the box offices at the numbers listed.
Smaller Playhouses & Companies
On any given night, there's more live theater to choose from in Los Angeles than in New York City, due in part to the surfeit of ready actors and writers chomping at the bit to make it in Tinseltown. Many of today's familiar faces from film and TV spent plenty of time cutting their teeth on L.A.'s busy theater circuit, which is home to nearly 200 small- and medium-size theaters and theater companies, ranging from the ?round-the-corner, neighborhood variety to high-profile, polished troupes of veteran actors. With so many options, navigating the scene to find the best work can be a monumental task. A good bet is to choose one of the theaters listed below, which have established excellent reputations for their consistently high quality productions; otherwise, consult the L.A. Weekly (www.laweekly.com), which advertises most current productions, or call Theatre LA (tel. 213/688-2787) for up-to-date performance listings.
The Colony Studio Theatre, 555 N. Third St., Burbank (tel. 818/558-7000; www.colonytheatre.org), was formed in 1975 and has developed from a part-time ensemble of TV actors longing for their theatrical roots into a nationally recognized company. The company produces plays in all genres at the 276-seat Burbank Center Stage, which is shared with other performing arts groups.
Actors Circle Theater, 7313 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood (tel. 323/882-8043), is a 47-seater that's as acclaimed as it's tiny. Look for original contemporary works throughout the year.
The Actor's Gang Theater, 6201 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood (tel. 323/465-0566), is not one to shy from irreverence. Back in 1997 the in-house company, a group of UCLA alums, presented Bat Boy: The Musical, based on a story in the bizarre tabloid Weekly World News.
The classical theater company A Noise Within, 5151 State University Dr. (tel. 323/224-6320), has performed everything from Shakespeare to Coward to Molière. It's located at the Luckman Fine Arts Complex on the campus of Cal State L.A., located northeast of Downtown. Recent highlights included Shakespeare's Cymbeline and Williams's Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.
Founded in 1965, East-West Players, 120 N. Judge John Aiso St., Los Angeles (tel. 323/625-7000; www.eastwestplayers.com), is now the oldest Asian American theater company in the United States. It's been so successful that the company moved from a 99-seat venue to the 200-seat David Henry Huang Theater in downtown L.A.
The 25-year-old L.A. Theatre Works (tel. 310/827-0889) is renowned for its marriage of media and theater and has performed more than 200 plays and logged more than 350 hours of on-air programming. Performances are held at the Skirball Cultural Center, nestled in the Sepulveda Pass near the Getty Center. In the past, personalities such as Richard Dreyfuss, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jason Robards, Annette Bening, and John Lithgow have given award-winning performances of plays by Arthur Miller, Neil Simon, Joyce Carol Oates, and more. For nearly a decade the group has performed simultaneously for viewing and listening audiences in its radio theater series. Tickets are usually around $35; a full performance schedule can be found online at www.skirball.org.
Founded in 1981, West Coast Ensemble Theater, 522 N. La Brea Ave., between Melrose and Beverly, Hollywood (tel. 323/876-8723; www.wcensemble.org), is a nonprofit multiethnic assemblage of professional actors, writers, and directors. The ensemble has collected accolades from local critics, as well as many awards for its excellent production quality. Expect to see well-written, well-directed, and socially relevant plays performed by a talented and professional cast. Ticket prices range from $15 to $22.
Great Theater, Cheap Tickets -- Two hours before curtain time, the Mark Taper Forum offers specially priced $12 tickets which must be purchased in person with cash.
