Hello my Friends,
For today’s post, I wanted to share my recent experience at the Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles. It is such a beautiful theatre and has a long history in Hollywood. It was fun to walk along Hollywood Boulevard and read some of the star’s names. It is located almost to the famous corner of “Hollywood and Vine.”
Photo by John O’Neill
There has been a impressive attempt to maintain the original architecture and decor, built by a gentleman named, oddly enough, Alexander Pantages, for vaudeville in 1930. In 1949, Howard Hughes bought the property for RKO –remember that name?
The Academy Awards were held there from 1949-1960. It is known as one of Los Angeles’ leading venues for live theater, and host of the Academy Awards from 1949 to 1960.
The Art Deco interior is still amazing. It is striking with lots of gold and vivid blues and reds. It is a fantastic example of Art Deco and is a designated Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument.
Here are some photos of the beautiful interior:
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- Hollywood Pantages 1
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- Hollywood Pantages 2
The photos don’t do it justice, but it is a wonderful experience to see theatre there. My husband, son and I went recently to see my absolute favorite musical The King and I by Rogers and Hammerstein, who wrote so many amazing plays. The production received a Tony award as the best musical revival and is highly acclaimed. Since I missed it 30 years ago when Yul Brynnar was there, it was a must-see for my family! It was so well done. The singing of many wonderful songs was spot on! Do any of these songs sound familiar to you?
- Getting to Know You
- Hello Young Lovers
- I Whistle a Happy Tune
- We Kiss in a Shadow
- Something Wonderful! (My favorite!!)
The King and I at Pantages Theatre
The play will be at the Pantages only through January 21st, but if you can get tickets, I highly encourage you to see it. If not, the next showing will be in Seattle and it will continue to tour around the country. Here is the link to the tour schedule in case you will be traveling to any of these cities: https://www.broadway.org/tours/details/the-king-and-i-,651
OK, I am NOT receiving any compensation for this post, but I do think plays and musicals are an enriching experience for everyone in your family. We took my son to many as he was growing up (we all loved Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King!) and he still remembers seeing Chitty Chitty Bang Bang from our London trip in 2005. He said he’d forgotten how much he loves plays and enjoyed getting a little culture! (Hey, you get it when you can from your kids, right?)
We are looking to visit again soon with the production of Motown. Doesn’t that sound like a fun musical!!
I hope you enjoyed hearing about my experience and that you will take the opportunity to visit the Pantages and see a play soon–you won’t regret it!
Warmly,
Darlene
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