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PERFORMING ARTS
BASS TICKETMASTER (323/381-2000) offers tickets to almost every concert,
performance, and event in town, including, during the high holidays, passes
to the larger and more popular synagogues. A few venues, such as the Mark
Taper Forum (see Theater and Comedy, below), offer day-of-performance
or two-hours-before-performance half-price tickets, but you must appear
in person to pay for them.
MUSIC: Founded in 1919 and now under the auspices of the brilliant and
engaging director Esa-Pekka Salonen, the LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC (323/850-2000;
www.laphil.org) is one of the world's most acclaimed orchestras. During
their 26- to 30-week winter program, which opens each October, they're
in residence at the Los Angeles County Music Center's Dorothy Chandler
Pavilion (135 N Grand Avenue, near West Temple Street; 213/972-7211).
During their 12-week summer season, the Philharmonic plays under the stars
at the spectacular Hollywood Bowl (2301 N Highland Avenue, north of Hollywood
Boulevard,
south of the Hollywood Freeway; 323/850-2000). The Philharmonic's repertoire
includes critically acclaimed interpretations of the classics, as well
as the cutting-edge GREEN UMBRELLA CONCERTS performed by their New Music
Group. During the winter season, the Philharmonic's renowned CELEBRITY
RECITAL SERIES is incorporated into the program at the Dorothy Chandler.
During summer, these recitals become the VIRTUOSO SERIES and a component
of the program at the Hollywood Bowl. Summer is also the time to enjoy
the Philharmonic's CHAMBER ORCHESTRA for its season at the historic, open-air
John Anson Ford Theater (2580 Cahuenga Boulevard, east of Franklin Avenue;
323/461- 3673). There isn't a seat in the house more than 100 feet from
the stage,
and it's also the venue for an eclectic variety of other music and dance
programs. Pre-performance picnicking at the Hollywood Bowl and the John
Anson Ford Theater is a beloved Los Angeles ritual. In 2002, when construction
of the new WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL (adjacent to downtown's Music Center)
is scheduled for completion, the Philharmonic will leave the Dorothy Chandler
Pavilion and take up residence there. The new facility, with a seating
capacity of more than 2,300, is a Frank Gehry & Associates design
and is, itself, a symphony of stainless steel panels, bearing an alarming
resemblance to a series of toppling drive-in movie screens. In the most
stunning example of philanthropic
largesse the world of performing arts has ever encountered, the Disney
family is footing the hundred-million dollar (and still counting) tab
to make this tribute to Walt Disney a reality.
The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion is also where the LOS ANGELES OPERA (213/972-8001;
www.laopera.org) resides. The company, which has traditionally included
a large stable of young talent, debuted in 1986with the world's foremost
tenor, Placido Domingo, as the lead in Verdi's Otello. In 1995 Domingo
assumed the position of artistic director and principal guest conductor,
and he still functions frequently as both a performer and a conductor.
The season, which begins in October, includes standards as well as rarely
staged works. Peter Hemmings, who served a long tenure as managing director
of the London Symphony Orchestra, is the company's general director. In
December 1998, the company pr miered Tobias Picker's Fantastic Mr. Fox.
The final resident of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion is the country's
number one professional chorus, the LOS ANGELES MASTER CHORALE (213/626-0624).
Their repertoire ranges from classical to Broadway to pop. They occasionally
perform at the Hollywood Bowl and often accompany the Philharmonic.
The recently restored and renovated Deco revival WILTERN THEATER (3790
Wilshire Boulevard at Western Avenue; 213/380-5005) presents a diverse
program of performances, which have included the Dance Troupe of Lyon,
Harry Connick Jr., and Yo-Yo Ma. Other terrific venues for enjoying an
extensive array of performances include the GREEK THE-
ATER (2700 N Vermont Avenue in Griffith Park; 323/665-1927); the UNIVERSAL
AMPHITHEATER (100 Universal City Plaza near Lankershim Boulevard, Universal
Studios; 818/622-4440); the UCLA CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS (Royce
Hall, 405 Hilgard Avenue on the UCLA campus in Westwood; 310/825-4401);
the SHRINE AUDITORIUM (665 W Jefferson Boulevard west of S Figueroa; 213/749-5123);
and the SANTA MONICA Civic AUDITORIUM (1855 Main Street at Pico Boulevard
in
Santa Monica; 310/393-9961).
DANCE: Los Angeles doesn't have a resident ballet company like San Francisco
or New York, but check out the schedules for the Wiltern Theater, the
Music Center, and Grand Performances; all present dance events by small
local or touring companies.
THEATER AND COMEDY: The AHMANSON THEATER and the MARK TAPER FORUM (www.taperahmanson.com)
combine with the DOROTHY CHANDLER PAVILION (see Music, above) to form
downtown's Los Angeles Music Center trinity. The incomparable Gordon Davidson
is artistic director for both. The Ahmanson Theater was recently renovated
to improve sight lines, enhance acoustics, and move the mezzanine closer
to the stage. With its 2,600-seat capacity, it has been—since 1967—home
to grand and glitzy musicals, revivals, and dramas such as Wendy Wasserstein's
The Heidi Chronicles, Phantom of the Opera, 11 plays by Neil Simon and,
more recently, Rent, Fosse, and Titanic. More than 50 productions at the
Ahmanson have received prestigious and coveted
Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards. The Ahmanson uses the James A.
Doolittle Theater (1615 N Vine Street, north of Sunset Boulevard; 323/462-6666)
as an annex for mounting smaller productions like Yasmina Reza's Art,
starring Alan Alda. The thrust stage at the Mark Taper Forum is only one
of the reasons this little jewel is just about the most
popular and certainly the best place in L.A. to see theatrical productions.
Since its inception more than 30 years ago, the Taper has presented consistently
knockout productions of dramatic and comedic plays. The Taper is now viewed
as an Off-Broadway venue since many of the plays originally produced here
have moved to Broadway, where they've garnered both commercial success
and critical acclaim. Two—The Kentucky
Cycle and Angels in America—have received Pulitzer Prizes. The S
HUBERT THEATER (2020 Avenue of the Stars at Constellation Boulevard, Century
City; 800/447-7400; www.shubert.com), which more than any other theater
in Los Angeles feels like one of the big Broadway theatrical houses, best
accommodates larger productions. Ragtime is among its
recent successes. The GEFFEN PLAYHOUSE (10880 Le Conte Avenue, near Westwood
Boulevard; 310/208-5454) in Westwood near UCLA mounts a diverse selection
of productions, which in previous years has included Sir lan McKellen's
Acting Shakespeare and Steve Martin's Picasso at the Lapin Agile.
Richard Pryor got his start at THE COMEDY STORE (8433 W Sunset Boulevard,
a block east of La Cienega, West Hollywood; 323/656-6225); so did Jim
Carrey, Rosanne Barr, and David Letterman. Pauly Shores mom, Mitzi, is
the owner/proprietor. They all come back now and then and join the new
talent. THE LAUGH FACTORY (8001 Sunset Boulevard
at Crescent Heights Boulevard, Los Angeles; 323/656-1336) is another Sunset
venue that often showcases big-name performers. The wildly outrageous
Groundlings troupe, appearing regularly at the GROUNDLINGS THEATRE (7307
Melrose Avenue, near Poinsettia Place, Los Angeles; 323/934-4747) is one
of the best improv groups in the city. Alumni include Jon Lovitz, Phil
Hartman, Julia Sweeney, and Pee Wee Herman. THE IMPROV (8162 Melrose Avenue,
west of Crescent Heights Boulevard, Los Angeles; 323/651-2583) is extremely
popular and usually packed. Occasionally, one the bigger names in the
comedy pantheon
drops in to check out the new competition, or to test the yuk power of
new material.
FILM: The AFI (American Film Institute) LOS ANGELES INTERNATIONAL FILM
FESTIVAL (323/856-7600), which runs for two weeks every October, is the
best and the biggest of the Los Angeles celluloid celebrations. Its focus
is broad and multicultural, and it premieres the work of many emerging
directors. The SANTA MONICA FILM FESTIVAL (1328 Montana Avenue, Santa
Monica; 310/823-3323) is ongoing, presenting 12 monthly series of broad-spectrum
independent films. Screenings occur on the third Thursday of the month,
usually at the Aero Theater. The LOS ANGELES INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL
(323/937-9155), which high lights the works of independent filmmakers,
begins the third week of April at Los Angeles's Laemmle's Sunset 5 and
other theaters around Hol-
lywood. OUTFEST: THE LOS ANGELES GAY AND LESBIAN FILM FESTIVAL
runs for 10 days in mid-July and features films by, about, and for gays
and lesbians. Their main venue is the Directors Guild of America (DGA)
theater, at 7920 Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, two blocks west of Fairfax
Avenue; contact 323/960-9200 or www.outfest.org. Also screening at the
DGA each April is the CITY OF LIGHTS/CITY OF ANGELS FILM FESTIVAL presenting
a selection of French-language films (310/289-2000).
The NUART THEATER (11272 Santa Monica Boulevard, between Sepulveda Boulevard
and Sawtelle Avenue, Santa Monica; 310/478- 6379) is L.A.'s best art house,
offering screenings of the work of dare-to-be-different filmmakers, as
well as cult classics such as Eraserhead and The Rocky Horror Picture
Show. Other excellent art-film venues include
American Cinematheque, which specializes in retrospectives, tributes,
and infrequently screened films at Hollywood's newly restored historic
Egyptian Theater (6712 N Highland Avenue, Hollywood; 323/466- 3456); Laemmle's
Sunset 5 (8000 Sunset Boulevard, at Crescent Heights Boulevard, Los Angeles;
323/848-3500); Laemmle's Music Hall (9036
Wilshire Boulevard near Doheny Drive, Beverly Hills; 310/274-6869); The
Royal (11523 Santa Monica Boulevard, five blocks west of the San Diego
Freeway (405), West Los Angeles; 310/477-5581); and the Samuel Goldwyn
Theaters at the Westside Pavilion shopping mall (10800 Pico Boulevard
at Westwood Boulevard, Rancho Park; 310/475-0202). To find out where the
movie you want to see is currently playing and to charge tickets, call
the Los Angeles Times MovieFone, 777-FILM; the number works within all
the region's area codes.
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