The Montalbán — Attraction in Los Angeles

I took my grandson to see The Vampire Circus at the Montalban. This review concerns performances that are indoors and not the rooftop movie, although I would love to go sometime.

The theater itself is a great vintage theater, located in the heart of Hollywood on Vine, right before Hollywood Blvd. and other great things to do nearby. There is also a cool breakfast eatery right across the street.

Parking can be a tad of a bear. There is a lot right next to the theater, but getting in and out takes longer than it should. This lot is not owned by the theater so there is nothing they can do about this. You can find parking on the street, but mind the signs.

The exterior is pretty cool. Again, this is a vintage theater and I know that the owner is continually working on it to bring it back to its all time glory. Such a task is expensive so it is taking some time. It is super pretty though outside. The lights are nice as is the marquee.

The interior, an ongoing work in progress is super cool. The seats are comfortable and the spacing is nice. They also have a nice balcony. It is large enough for a concert or any performance, yet small enough to where you will be able to see well.

The place is clean and comfortable.

The sound for The Vampire Circus was very good. My grandson just loved the show. There were some issues with seating, but this is not the fault of the theater, rather the seller of tickets (Fever) who just made a mess of assigned seating. We got in fine, we got a seat we wanted and the show did not have to start too late--again, the ticketing agency is the one that made a mess.

Everyone working there was very nice and it must have been a stressful night for them with seating issues.

We will be back. The owner is super nice and it is great to support these older theaters.

Have...

Oh man, where do I even start? My friends had been hyping up The Montalbán Theatre for months, insisting that I wasn't truly experiencing Hollywood until I checked out their legendary rooftop movie screenings. They kept saying, "You think you've seen LA? Wait till you watch a classic film under the stars on that rooftop!" I finally caved and went – and let me tell you, they were NOT KIDDING. This place is an absolute gem, and it delivered an unforgettable night that captured the magic of old-school Hollywood in the most spectacular way.

The Setup and Ambiance smack right in the heart of Hollywood on Vine Street, the place is a historic theater that's been beautifully preserved. But the real star here is the rooftop – it's like stepping into a postcard of Tinseltown glamour. It's spectacular, no exaggeration!

If you're a film buff or just love unique outings, this is next-level. The sound quality is crisp, the screen is huge, and they even have concessions like popcorn, craft cocktails, and gourmet snacks to elevate the whole thing. Pro tip: Go for a sunset showing – the views as the sky turns pink are unbeatable.

Friends Were Right: I thought I'd seen Hollywood after hitting the Walk of Fame and Griffith Observatory, but this rooftop event proved my friends right. It's not just a movie; it's an immersive slice of LA culture that feels exclusive yet accessible.

Tickets are reasonably priced (around $20-25, depending on the event), and they host everything from classics to cult favorites. Check their website for the schedule – they often theme nights around holidays or film anniversaries. Just bundle up if it's a cooler evening; rooftops can get chilly!

The only "downside"? You'll want to...

It was a rough start to the adventure. The theater was very disorganized, and we don’t know that we were seated in the section we paid for. They said it was a computer system error, so it was general seating. But, ushers seemed to be just putting people in seats randomly.

The show itself had some great talent. But there was no cohesive story or vampire theme, beyond recorded pre show comments that mentioned vampires. Kind of. No blood, anywhere, beyond a few red cloth representations. No bats. No real feeling of horror or menace. The acts were all gothed up, with make up and costumes that were cool and black and that’s about it.

The host was sad. We really didn’t need him. Or really, we needed a much more charismatic Ringmaster of a host who could keep the show moving.

Instead, between acts, we mostly got a clown, who was funny and did a bunch of classic clown bits. But, his bits were just stunts that led nowhere and didn’t have an ending. And he didn’t seem to care. He was incredibly low energy and lazy, and we saw a looooooooot of him.

This show needed a better writer, a better director, better lighting design, and at least some effort to make it a vampire circus.

With all that, the acts themselves showed great skill, and were, at times, so dangerous that it made the audience nervous. There were some honest gasps. Almost everyone who performed was sexy, and had a loose style that felt like someone could be very hurt at any moment. No one got hurt. Everything went flawlessly. I’m glad I went.

It’s no cirque. And it’s barely vampire. But, it’s mostly a circus. And these...