Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts — Attraction in Beverly Hills

I've been to the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts numerous times. To date, I’ve seen productions for Dunsinane, Twyla Tharp, City of Conversation and Kneehigh's 946: The Amazing Adolphus Tips.

The Wallis consists of 2 performing spaces: The Bram Goldsmith Theater (500 seats) and the Lovelace Studio Theater (150 seats). I've been in both theaters, most recently for a monologue reading by Christine Lahti in the Lovelace Studio Theater which was set up like a cabaret theater for the reading.

The Bram Goldsmith Theater (500 seats) theater is not as deep as the Pantages theater's so the sets tend to be very minimalistic and staging of action is at times somewhat limited. However, the acoustics were very good on both visits and I felt were better than Dorothy Chandler Pavillion and UCLA's Royce Hall. Even with orchestra seats way in back, my view of the stage and the performers was excellent. With the intimate size of the theater, terrace and balcony seats are of quality as well regarding views and sound.

The staff over the phone and in person are courteous, helpful and in my experience, not typically BH snooty.

There's a public underground parking garage run by the City of Beverly Hills, but on performance days, the city jacks up the price to $8-10. Cheaper parking is available nearby, but the garage is well lit and seems safe with the bicycle patrol and staff on-site.

The concessions are small, but offer wine, beer and snacks. You're allowed to bring drinks purchased at their concessions to your seats. Several eateries are within walking distance on Canon Drive and Santa Monica Boulevard. The ones on Canon Drive stay open later (Wally's Beverly Hills located less than a block away closes at 2am). Some of the fine dining restaurants on Canon Dr. such as Spago offer specials for Wallis theater goers. I much prefer the dining options and close proximity of restaurants to the Wallis than what's available for UCLA's Royce Hall.

The program offerings aren't the strongest when compared to intimate theaters like Pantages or UCLA's Royce Hall, but the pros outweigh the cons, which is...

Historical plaque inscription: On this site was the original inter-urban railway junction (circa 1897), named after the original Hammel & Denker ranch, which was subdivided in 1906 to create the City of Beverly Hills. It was an important hub to bring prospective homebuyers to the new City. The station was demolished in 1933 to make way for the new post office. A replacement station, named Beverly Hills, was built across the street in 1934.

In early 1888, landowners and hoteliers Hammel & Denker envisioned a townsite called Morocco at what is today Beverly Hills. After the great land boom waned in late 1888, the proposed townsite never materialized. At the time, the railway line between Los Angeles and Santa Monica had little reason to stop for passengers in or around the area. Hammel & Denker sold their ranch land to Amalgamated Oil Company who began drilling for oil, which proved elusive. In 1906, the Rodeo Land & Water Company bought the Amalgamated holdings and planned a grand city with fine homes and landscaping. On November 14, 1906, the subdivision known as Beverly was recorded. One of the first substantial buildings constructed in the town was the stucco station depot called Beverly located on the east side of Canon Drive between Santa Monica Boulevard and South Santa Monica Boulevard. Beverly served as the junction of two lines that provided service from Los Angeles to the Santa Monica area, and it became a stop on the famous Balloon Route offered by the Los Angeles Pacific Electric Railway. In 1933, the original Beverly station was demolished to make way for the new post office, and a new station called Beverly Hills was built across street on the west side of Canon Drive in 1934. Service on the two interurban rail lines along this route ended in the early 1940s. The depot was later demolished and developed with a modern multi-story office building (1959) and...

If you have a physical handicap (I limp and use a cane after 5 back surgeries), but are not in a wheelchair, do not come to this theater. I was sent to the 2nd level parking, no handicap spots at all. The escalator wasn't working. The elevator from the parking lot lets you off on the street, not in the building, and it's a distance to the theater itself with one elevator to take guests down two very long and steep flights of stairs. Following orders, the usher shut the theater door in my face literally one second (no exaggeration) after the guest in front of me was allowed in before opening curtain. Monitors for lobby viewing face west and at 7 pm in May the sun obliterates the viewing capability. I had top dollar tickets but I had to climb down several stairs to get to my seats because the lower level entrance to the theater was "unavailable." There are handrails on only one side of the aisle. Hard to find restrooms if you listen to the ushers directions and many stairs to climb again if the side entrances/exits are closed to get to the elevator. The doors of the elevator that was supposed to return me to the lower orchestra level hit me and did not stop closing on top of me without the efforts of two other people. Once on the ground floor the doors did not open at all and the elevator took me back up to the very top mezzanine where I encountered the rudest usher ever. I barely made it back into the theater after the intermission, only after i wrestled my ticket out of the usher's hand who was on some weird power trip that surely would have left me standing in the lobby again looking at a monitor if I had allowed her to engage me or detain me any further.

Not to confuse this poorly executed theater with the actors' performance, Spring Awakening by Deaf West...