Dolby Theatre in LA to get National Tours in 2020

[OrchardAndRivington]

Posted: 8/15/18 at 3:55pm

It was announced today that the Dolby Theatre in LA will be a touring venue in 2020.. Timing seems to line up for Hamilton to move its sit down to LA after a year in SF.. (also probably why Frozen is launching with a long Fall of 2019 Tour Stop at the Pantages..?)

If I remember correctly this also happened during a recent long term stay for Wicked at the Pantages. 

Has anyone seen a small scale tour at the Dolby? I'd imagine the bigger shows (Lion King, Aladdin, Wicked) would fill the space well, but a small scale tour like The Bands Visit or Come From Away would get swallowed up by the Dolby space..

 

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 8/15/18 at 3:59pm

source: http://www.playbill.com/article/los-angeles-dolby-theatre-home-of-the-oscars-will-soon-host-national-tours

[OrchardAndRivington]

Posted: 8/15/18 at 4:02pm

Thanks. Totally forgot to include the link!

[RemlapLBC]

Posted: 8/15/18 at 4:03pm

and 2020 is the answer to the often asked question, "When is Hamilton coming back to Los Angeles?"

 

For the record, the Dolby has some awful seats, but hopefully as a subscriber, I won't be totally screwed.  I hope the number of "Presidents Club" seats doesn't expand in the new venue.

[Wicked Fanatic]

Posted: 8/15/18 at 5:56pm

and 2020 is the answer to the often asked question, "When is Hamilton coming back to Los Angeles?"

 

For the record, the Dolby has some awful seats, but hopefully as a subscriber, I won't be totally screwed.  I hope the number of "Presidents Club" seats doesn't expand in the new venue.

And yours is the right answers as it would be perfect timing when the SF sit down probably ends.

The last time the Pantages had a sit down for Wicked LA their season was moved to a smaller venue in Westwood.  Their subscriber base plummeted until they ended the Wicked LA run.  As a result they've made sure this won't happen again by moving their next subscription season to the Dolby and allowing Hamilton to return to the Pantages.

[QueenAlice]

Posted: 8/15/18 at 6:22pm

Seeing a show in The Dolby would basically be like seeing a show at Radio City Music Hall without the video monitors . Not ideal and I think they will have trouble filling it. I mean it’s 3,400 seats- twice the size of the biggest theatre on Broadway.

[emo_geek]

Posted: 8/15/18 at 6:32pm

I hope this is just to supplement more shows into the season and not because the Pantages is unavailable for a sit down. If it is Hamilton, I hope it will be a limited run.

[UncleCharlie]

Posted: 8/15/18 at 8:22pm

RoadGypsy2010 said: "Has anyone seen a small scale tour at the Dolby? I'd imagine the bigger shows (Lion King, Aladdin, Wicked) would fill the space well, but a small scale tour like The Bands Visit or Come From Away would get swallowed up by the Dolby space."

Come From Away is already scheduled to play the Ahmanson later this year and I'm betting The Band's Visit will play there as well. I wouldn't worry too much about it.

[DAME]

Posted: 8/15/18 at 9:11pm

This is a awful venue for touring shows.  I saw two musicals there.  A scaled down Networks production of Full Monty and the infamous Val Kilmer in Ten Commandments.  This place should be a dedicated concert venue.  I really doubt any smart producer will let their first national tours stop there.  

[BJR]

Posted: 8/15/18 at 9:48pm

Blech. What a barn of a theatre. And what's sad is LA doesnt get second string tours. There are many houses across the country just as cavernous, but LA is full of industry folks who see shows there. This house will do a disservice to nearly any show. But you know, money.

[DAME]

Posted: 8/15/18 at 10:06pm

BJR said: "Blech. What a barn of a theatre. And what's sad is LA doesnt get second string tours. There are many houses across the country just as cavernous, but LA is full of industry folks who see shows there. This house will do a disservice to nearly any show. But you know, money."

We used to get second string tours.  They used to play venues like Pasadena Civic Auditorium or the Long Beach Terrace.  Both equally as bad. 

[brettarnett]

Posted: 8/15/18 at 10:37pm

What house in Westwood did the use during the Wicked years?

[RippedMan]

Posted: 8/15/18 at 11:20pm

I wish Hamilton would take one of the Downtown LA theaters. So many gorgeous theaters that don't seem to get much use/love. 

[QueenAlice]

Posted: 8/16/18 at 12:12am

The gorgeous theatres downtown though really couldn’t accommodate modern musicals without the kinds of multimillion dollar renovation the Pantages had. They were designed to be movie theatres and the stages aren’t big enough and they don’t have any of the modern infrastructure or contemporary mechanics new musicals require. It was thrilling seeing the stage musical CARRIE in one of the old downtown theatres but for that show they basically tore all the seats out and built a new theater space inside the auditorium.

[Wicked Fanatic]

Posted: 8/16/18 at 12:54am

What house in Westwood did they use during the Wicked years?

It was the Wadsworth Theatre off of Wilshire Blvd in Brentwood which was a smaller version of the Pantages as seen in these photos.      

https://losangelestheatres.blogspot.com/2017/03/wadsworth-theatre.html

 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 8/16/18 at 1:03am

Oh, what company would have done all that for Carrie? Interesting. I know Ru Paul always does the finale at the hotel downtown and the theater seems gorgeous. 

[QueenAlice]

Posted: 8/16/18 at 1:23am

The ACE Theatre and the Orpheum are the two theatres downtown that have been fully renovated, but I don't think either could actually accommodate full production scenery. Those venues are mostly used for concerts and television broadcasts with one standing makeshift set piece -  but I don't think either space really has much in the way of wings or fly space.

[MorrisLACat]

Posted: 8/16/18 at 4:25am

 I miss the Schubert Theatre in Century City.

[lite2shine]

Posted: 8/16/18 at 1:53pm

MorrisLACat said: "I miss the Schubert Theatre in Century City."

 

Me too! I saw Ragtime there before moving to Broadway. 

 

 

[Wicked Fanatic]

Posted: 8/16/18 at 1:56pm

^

Me Three.  Sad to think they tore it down for a parking garage 

[Brave Sir Robin2]

Posted: 8/16/18 at 3:07pm

I was lucky to see MAMMA MIA pre-Broadway at the Shubert. I miss having a touring venue on the west side, especially that housed such big productions. The Los Angeles runs of SUNSET BOULEVARD, RAGTIME, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, CATS, and LES MISERABLES played there.

 

A year of HAMILTON makes sense, and a year is enough time to make it not burn out too quickly. WICKED came to Los Angeles for two years after their run in San Francisco. The Dolby is a nice venue for shows like the Academy Awards or my favorite Cirque show, IRIS, but I can't imagine how this will fare for shows on tour. The Ahmanson already has a great season this year, and next season will probably get all of the first-run tours (BAND'S VISIT, MEAN GIRLS, MY FAIR LADY, ONCE ON THIS ISLAND).

 

If they're smart, the Pantages will get back the Wilshire, where shows like CABARET and URINETOWN played on tour, or even a venue like the Orpheum. 

[SomethingPeculiar]

Posted: 8/16/18 at 4:58pm

Not just the size of the theater, but the shows themselves are going to look awful and tiny on that enormous stage...hopefully it's just temporary to make room for 1-2 years of HAMILTON?

Also, for some reason it strikes me as funny that the Tonys venue is nearly twice the size of the Oscars venue.