A teenage Judy Garland worked this stage in vaudeville's waning years, and the 1928 Mighty Wurlitzer that accompanied silent films still rises from the pit. The Orpheum Theatre at 842 South Broadway opened on 15 February 1926 as the fourth and final Los Angeles home of the Orpheum vaudeville circuit. The architect was G. Albert Lansburgh, the circuit's favoured designer, delivering a French Baroque auditorium behind a Beaux Arts facade - his last commission for the company after a falling-out during construction - topped by an enormous roof sign once visible across a low-rise downtown. The bill of honour runs deep: Mae West, the Marx Brothers, Jack Benny, Lena Horne and Nat King Cole all played the room, which pivoted from vaudeville to film through the 1930s and 1940s as Broadway became one of America's great theatre streets. The restoration made it the street's benchmark: a 3-million-dollar renovation begun in 1989 and completed in 2001 rebuilt seats, plumbing, wiring and seismic bracing while regilding the copper-and-gold ceiling, making the Orpheum the most fully restored of downtown's historic movie palaces. The Wurlitzer is a survivor twice over: the Style 240 Special installed in 1928 is one of very few theatre organs in Southern California still in its original home, and it played the Conservancy's first Last Remaining Seats classic-film night in 1987 - a series that continues today. Practical notes: the 2,000-seat house now hosts concerts, premieres, award shows and constant location shoots; the Broadway corridor has regained its nightlife, and the balcony's wall boxes offer the room's most atmospheric perch. The screen credits rival the stage ones: the auditorium and its lobby are among Hollywood's most-filmed interiors, and American Idol used the theatre for its audition and Hollywood Week rounds across multiple seasons - one reason the marquee stays lit even between concert bookings.

Type: Theater / Concert Hall

Address: 842 S. Broadway, Los Angeles, CA, United States, 90014

Website: https://www.laorpheum.com

Cover Charge: 1

Capacity: 2000

Opening Date: 15/02/1926

Accessible