Ahmanson Theatre — Attraction in Los Angeles

The show (Prom) was well done! Has some flaws, but overall I found it very charismatic and entertaining.

While the service was nice enough (bar was understaffed and the poor guy was stressing trying to serve the line before intermission was over) I think the eating/drinking policies are confusing and a bit disingenuous. There’s an announcement prior to the show over the PA system asking everyone to open their snacks before it begins, as to not disturb the rest of the audience with crinkling bags and such (completely understandable). This implies that it’s permissible to eat the food item you purchase during the performance. There are also (apparently because I didn’t see them) signs that say no eating in the auditorium, and ushers enforcing those signs. Clearly, this is contradictory information. Myself as well as some of the people I was with wouldn’t have even purchased food items if we’d known that it wasn’t permitted to be eaten during the performance, but of course there is no PA announcement informing of you this because (like another reviewer implied) I’m assuming because they want all of the vending revenue they can obtain. I’m not upset with the ushers for doing their jobs, I am very disappointed in the venue for not making their policies clear.

I completely understand wanting to keep food out of the auditorium to keep it clean and minimize noise distractions during the show. If that’s the case, just get rid of the announcement prior to show as to not confuse any of your paying attendees. I also think the COVID guidelines of the venue are very ineffectual. If you’re going to enforce masks you should also be enforcing a social distancing policy and NOT be selling out the auditorium to full capacity. AND you shouldn’t be allowing any eating outside of the auditorium as well, if you’re really attempting to create these policies in good faith and not as gilded gestures of “caring” about the state of the general public’s health.

Overall, the Ahmanson is a nice theatre but they’re always little annoying experiences like this that stick out in my craw. My biggest complaint is that my concerns seemingly fell on deaf ears, which isn’t surprising but I suppose I expected better. Hope my experience next time around is better...

I saw Parade recently and what an incredible show. I am very grateful to the folks at the Ahmanson theater and TodayTix for giving me the opportunity to see it with my daughter in front orchestra seats. We had AA 13 and 14 and the views were very nice. The line of sight was pretty good. Sometimes those front rows are the worse if the stage is too high but these seats at the ahmanson were good (pictures are the views from our seats). I have been to this theater multiple times and always have a good experience. Parking is $10 cash and not $30 or $50 or more at some other theaters. Their web page give you directions on how to enter their parking lot and it update you if there are closures of the roads around the theater. Please always check the website the day of the show. They also emailed you if you purchased a ticket with your email address about nearby closures, but its good to check the website the day of the show. I have seated in the balcony and the mezzanine and the voice quality isn't bad. However to experience live theater, one should be able to see it from an orchestra seat. I used to go onto their website and utilize their ticket Tues for discount shows, Now I use the TodayTix app. It has become my favorite app for most broadway musicals. After the show and heading back to your car, do not go towards the escalator lines like everyone. Look across the way for the person carrying a flashlight or waving a lighted stick pointing to a staircase. Go down those set of stairs and it should put you down to level one... walk across to the escalator and enter the line from there... you have bypass at least 500 other people who are still waiting upstairs. Everyone working at the theater is very kind. I can remember the first time we were there, I was a bit lost. I tried to enter through the wrong door. The attendant at that door walked me to the stairs leading to the correct door (it was on a different floor). The women's bathroom lines can be long during intermission but it goes quickly. These bathroom are clean and has everything even at the end of the night. This facility is well cared for and nicely maintained thanks to the kind and...

The performing arts center at the Los Angeles Music Center is really well designed with multiple theaters, the famous Walt Disney Concert Hall designed by Frank Gehry and lovely reflecting pools, outside seating and related perks. I've been to the Ahmanson Center State theater for the show "The New One" about the journey of becoming a new father and it was really funny and well done. I'd like to say the same about 2:22, A Ghost Story, however, it was a very different experience. The main problem for me was the constant dropping of the F-bomb for no other reason than poor script writing. I'm for it if it adds punch, however, in this show, it depleted the energy because it didn't need to be there. Take 90% of it out and you'll be cutting the script by 30% or more - it's just filler. For me, the acting was a bit wooden or flat, however, I felt the family friend Lauren's boyfriend Ben was interesting. Maybe the F-bombs kept throwing them off...; ) In between each scene, the stage is outlined in neon red and a piercing woman's scream goes for about 15 seconds. Rather than add atmosphere, it's really just annoying. Howling coyotes are also added for atmosphere, however for me they were also distracting. If they're not part of the story, they're sort of just noise. Every time the sliding glass door opened, it appeared that the outside motion sensor light activated in a giant LED flood which also seemed odd. Somehow this part of the scenery could use some better blending. Finally, the end of the play rang a big bell for me that I had to think about for a while. It did come to me and I subsequently rented that "piece of media" to confirm. Ironically, that story supposedly copied another, older story. Ultimately, I'm glad I only paid for the balcony seats. The show didn't work for me, however, I always...