Pantages Theatre, Los Angeles

One of the best theatres for live performances in Los Angeles is the Pantages Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard.

This wonderful theatre with its 2500 seating capacity and great acoustics was opened for the first time in 1930. Built in Art Deco design by B. Marcus Priteca, it was the last building commissioned by the great vaudeville impresario, Alexander Pantages.

Pantages was a very shrewd businessman; he knew that the “talkies”, as sound films were called, would soon mean the decline, if not the end, of live performances. This, he knew, was due to several factors: the sound in “talkies” was steadily improving; the price of cinema seats was less expensive than theatre ones and the films were action-packed, swash-buckling affairs designed to take people’s minds off the Depression that was spreading across the United States.

His theatre was therefore a mixture of movies and live vaudeville performances, therefore providing something for everyone. The building was also designed to give maximum comfort, with plenty of restrooms and lounges. The theatre operated with way for two years, until being sold to the Fox Theatre Company. From 1932 until 1977 it was exclusively a movie theatre. Howard Hughes bought it in 1949 for the RKO Theatre Circuit and had his offices on the second floor. Between 1949 and 1959 it was the hosting theatre of the Academy Awards.

In 1977 it closed as a cinema and after expensive remodeling it reopened as a live theatre. Since then it has staged many plays and comedy musicals, such as the Lion King and other Broadway hits. It is also a favorite venue for rock concerts and is often used as a backdrop in films.