The Pantages

In the nearly 28 years we've lived in Claremont, we had never been to the Pantages Theater in Hollywood. Until now. I do not know what it has taken so long. We've been to the Music Center downtown, Disney Concert Hall, Segerstrom Hall in Costa Mesa - all of those venues on multiple occasions. 

So, here is the exterior of the Pantages at the corner of Hollywood and Vine. We wandered down Hollywood Blvd. looking at the various stars on the walk of fame, the people hawking tours, the open-air buses, the sleazy stores, and we asked each other - why would people consider this as a tourist destination? 

Then we walked inside the Pantages, and wow! It is like someone on Art Deco steroids went crazy. My camera would not take very good pictures in the darkly-lit interior, but if you google the theater and look under images, you can see much better photos than I would have taken. I especially loved the light fixture at the very center of the ceiling. 

We saw the show The Book of Mormon, and the production was very good, but despite some very funny parts and good music, it just didn't rise to the top of my favorite shows list. Lion King, Wicked and Sweeney Todd still sit there.