How many theaters can boost ownership in 1949 by the eccentric Howard Hughes, having been the home to the Academy Award ceremonies from 1949 to 1959 and having lured audiences from all over the world with some of the greatest productions ever?

The upcoming Broadway/L.A. season at the Pantages Theater at Hollywood and Vine in Los Angeles has more Tony and other awards than I can even almost start to count. It is old Hollywood reincarnated with red carpet opening nights accessible to anyone in the area.

The excitement of Hollywood nightlife is in the air. Star sightings are the norm rather than the exception.

On June 5th, The Addams Family Musical opens running to June 17th. What could be more frightening than Wednesday Addams, the ultimate princess of darkness confiding to her dad that she has fallen in love with a sweet, smart young man from a respectable family? On top of that, she begs her dad, Gomez Addams not to tell her mother, Morticia. I’m counting the days until I see what happens on the fateful night that Wednesday’s, “normal” boyfriend and his parents have dinner with this macabre family.

 On June 19th and running thru July 1st, Million Dollar Quartet, the hit musical inspired by the recording session on December 4th, 1956 in the Sun Studios in Memphis opens. This impromptu session united the rock ‘n’ roll icons, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins for the one and only time for what would be the greatest jam session in history.

George Hamilton and Christopher Sieber star from July 10th to 22nd in La Cage Aux Folles, with book by Harvey Firestein and lyrics and music by Jerry Herman. It is the only musical, which has won the Tony Award for Best Revival of a musical twice and the only show that has won a Best Production Tony Award (best musical or best revival of a musical) for each of its Broadway productions. 

Next, from July 31st to August 12th, Broadway/L.A. presents the winner of the 2010 Best Musical Tony Award, Memphis. This is a musical by David Bryan and Joe Pietro, loosely based on Memphis DJ, Dewey Phillips, one of the first white DJs to play black music in the 1950s.

Beginning on September 5th for a strictly limited 12 week engagement, Broadway/L.A. at the Pantages Theater presents, the 2011 Tony Award-Best Musical, winner of the New York Drama Critics Circle Award-Best Musical, winner of the Drama Desk Award-Best Musical, winner of the Outer Critics Circle Awards-Best Musical, winner of the Drama League Award-Best Musical, the Grammy Award-Best Musical Theater Album. According to Ben Brantley of the New York Times, The Book of Mormon is “the best musical of this century.”

That’s a lot of “bests”. This winner of 9 Tony Awards, The Book of Mormon, features book, music and lyrics by Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone.

 Parker and Stone are the four-time Emmy Award-winning creators of the animated series, South Park. Tony Award-winner Lopez is co-creator of the long running hit musical comedy, Avenue Q. The musical is choreographed by Tony Award-winner Casey Nicholaw (Monty Python’s Spamalot, The Drowsy Chaperone) and is directed by Nickelaw and Parker.

The Pantages Theater is located at 6233 Hollywood Boulevard in the midst of the Hollywood entertainment scene.

Tickets for Broadway/L.A. productions start at $25.00 in the orchestra. Prices are subject to change. For more details, please visit www.BroadwayLA.org 

What a perfect time to combine ocean and beach time with shopping and stargazing, friends and family visits with some of the best theater ever!!

Stay tuned for more. Feel free to contact me at [email protected]  with questions and more recommendations.