The Los Angeles Theater Scene

The Los Angeles Theater Scene

Los Angeles is known the world over for its movie stars and television actors. Yet when "The Theater" is mentioned one immediately thinks of Broadway and not the City of Angels.

However, Los Angeles has a bustling theater scene replete with award winning talent and state-of-the-art venues. After all, actors and directors need to do something in between film projects.

The Pantages Theatre is located on Hollywood Boulevard and is one of the city's most endearing landmarks. The theater opened in 1930 and was once owned by Howard Hughes.

The theater seats over 2,600 and is a great place to see some of Broadway's best musicals.

"Rent," "Grease," "Mamma Mia!," "Dirty Dancing," "Fiddler on the Roof," "Legally Blonde" and "How The Grinch Stole Christmas," are all schedule to perform at the Pantages in 2009.

"Rain: The Beatles Experience," is a Beatles cover-band that will having you believing it's 1965 all over again. The fake fab four has been booked for an extended engagement in April.

The Ahmanson Theatre is located at 135 North Grand Avenue and is one of the premier venues in Los Angeles for plays, musicals, classics and revivals.

The Ahmanson has debut six Neil Simon plays and featured performances by such legends as Katharine Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor, Rex Harrison, and James Earl Jones.

Remodel in 1995, the state-of-the-art theater has a seating capacity of 1,600 to 2,000, depending on size and scope of the production. This historic and versatile venue has the largest subscription base of any theater on the West Coast.

In 2009, you can expect to see "Minksy's" a musical set in the prohibition era, "Frost/Nixon" starring Stacy Keach, and the Tony Award winning musical "Ain't Misbehavin."

Later in the year, the Ahamanson will be visited by Dame Edna, the Ballet Hispanico, and Patti Lupone & Mandy Patinkin.

The hilarious musical comedy "Monty Python's Spamalot" will raise Ahamanson's curtain as well as the 2008 Pulitzer Prize winning play, "August: Osage County."

Come 2010, look for performances of "Mary Poppins" and "DreamGirls."

The Ahamanson Theatre is located within the Los Angeles Music Center, which is one of the three largest performing arts centers in the United States.

Besides the Ahamanson Theatre, the Music Center encompasses three other venues: the Mark Taper Forum, the Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.

The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion used to host the Academy Awards but the last time the Pavilion gave out Oscars was in 1999.

The Pavilion seats 3,197 and is home to the Los Angeles Opera.

Upcoming performances at the Pavilion include the first two operas in Wagner's ring cycle, "Das Rheingold" and "Die Walkure." Also on the schedule is Verdi's classic "La Traviata."

Also appearing at the Pavilion

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