Center Theatre Group Mark Taper Forum

I have season tickets to mark taper forum. I was there last night and I just can’t say enough about the center theatre group! Everyone there is so nice and helpful! And the restrooms are always tended to and clean! And the new season has really gotten off to a good start! Great show there right now“father comes home from the wars part 1−2&3
Los Angeles theatre goers — get a ticket and see this wonderful play! restaurants are also great but if you walk a couple blocks past — by the museum– they have a cpk that’s sooo good!

I am annoyed that the Mark Taper Forum offers food and beverages and does not allow you to consume them in the small theater. I know that this is standard procedure in most venues but it wasn’t abundantly clear (ex «No food or drink beyond this point»)
Anyway, my girlfriend and I enjoyed the current show very much, but felt there wasn’t anything worthy of note about this venue other than the friendly ticketing staff and excellent programming.

04÷05÷16
Father Comes Home
from the Wars
Mark Taper is not a high school gymnasium, where one might find exceptable Michael Jordan gym shoes, 2016 Timberland boots, 1990 house shoes, 2010 jackets etc, on characters portraying a 1863 time period.
«Father Comes Home from the Wars», performed on a most appropriate and impressive Set, was injured by the ever distracting mixture of mordern clothing and 1863 costuming.
This appeared to be an insult to the Mark Taper audience, but most importantly, an insult to the actors themselves, who generally gave strong and impressive performances.
Any sort of emblematic communication embedded with the application of modern clothing, is completely loss to the audience and would only satisfy the artistic ego of the play write, or director.
Timberland boots, etc on black slaves of 1863 stimulates confusion and assumption on the part of the audience that appropriate costuming was not included in the production budget.
If all the characters wore modern clothing, then the audience might consider some sort of emblematic inference.
The mixture of modern and 1800s costuming was only distracting and reduced the audience experience of the era.

The current production… «The mystery of love and sex» This play has serious antisemitic issues. Written by a «Jewish» playwright with antisemitic, self loathing problems. Caricatures of predictable, stereotyped, dysfunctional, duplicitous relationships (the parents) expressing self deception, hate, bigotry and repression (except for the two youngsters that came out as gay of course). Yuck!

Great lesser known plays, but it’s the theater that stands out. There are few set changes in most plays, and most plays are thinkers (not musicals) which I like a little more than musicals. The seats are comfortable and the theater is just very nice. The bathrooms are ample (Ahmanson, take a hint). Overall a great place to see play.

This is a great theater. It is small. You are close to the stage from any seat. The show we saw had no microphones because you could clearly here the conversations naturally. They do have speakers for special effects and some music. The seats are fairly comfortable with a decent amount of leg room.
They have a small snack shop. The nice thing is that you can pre order your drinks for the intermission. Then when you walk out of the theater they have a nice area where your drinks await. They offer wine and some mixed drinks as well.
The main bathrooms are in the floor below the main level. The bathrooms were large and that keeps there from being long lines. There is parking under the plaza. There is always a lot of activity in the plaza outside the theater too. If you like a more intimate show experience you will certainly enjoy Taper.

I recently watched «Bent» here and loved the play but I guess this should be about the theater, right? It was very nice — it’s on the smaller side, which is fantastic — makes things feel more personal. Everyone at the theater was very helpful and the bathrooms were clean. I will definitely keep the Mark Taper Forum on my return list.

Excellent theatre. One short block from Metro’s Civic Center station and just across the street from Grand Park. I’m glad I had to opportunity to see Bent in this theatre.

There isn’t a bad seat in the Taper, unless at the very edges of the audience. Smaller and intimate a great space.
HOWEVER, their latest production of BENT left something to be desired. First in light of gay marriages’ passage, the discrimination angle probably lost its edge. The holocaust is a serious and needed event that should be studied and shown as a cautionary tale about extremist views, but this production was lacking. The lead actor looked like he had just left Equinox Gym and was not believable in the role of a man in a concentration camp. I am quite tired of so called theater actors, while good at acting, completely ignoring their duties to the physical nature of their roles. Pacino, Bale, Deniro, even Jake G all embody their roles physically. I don’t like actors using the stage in Los Angeles as prolonged auditions for soap operas and TV shows.

I like the sz of the theatre. Been here multiple times. Every seat we’ve ever had has been a «good» seat.

Not a bad seat in the house sensational sound, great sets & acting beyond compare. We in Los Angeles are truly blessed.

Beyond stellar legitimate theater is alive and well at the Mark Taper Forum in the Center Theatre Group.
Dinner options are not great in the area. There is a Chez BK around the corner or you can shell out $ 10+ for a limp leafed green salad in their plaza area.
Their shows are awesome and the seating is amazing with no bad views anywhere.

Warm, intimate theater. My boyfriend and I watched «What The Butler Saw» and truly enjoyed it. It was indeed a comical masterpiece. The actors/​actresses really fulfilled their role and consistently delivered their character. No complaints to be made here!

Such a lovely theater, no bad seat in the house. I was comfortable at a respectable lady height of 5’8“ish, and my uncle was also comfortable at a giant stature of 6’4“ish, which says a lot.
The will call window is a bit hidden… it’s at the mouth of the theater, just between the two bodies of water that bookend it, but once you find it, you’re easily on your way to an intimate performance that feels like it’s being played out for just you and your guests.
Acoustics are superb, the staff friendly and oh so helpful, and the restrooms beckon a time of yore when going to the theater was a pastime of only the upper class!

They’re fine as a theatre (except for the seats that give you even less legroom than an airline, hell for the tall), but I really don’t appreciate being treated like a criminal.
Allow me to explain. I walked in to see a show, and an usher told me for «security» reasons that I had to check my «backpack.» The «backpack» in question is normal-​sized timbuk2 messenger bag, not even a backpack at all. I told that to the usher, and he asked a rent-​a-​cop, who confirmed that yes, for some bizarre reason he too has delusions about what is and what is not a backpack.
They stuck my bag in an empty closet, and, to the usher’s credit, apologized for the «security» rule. I saw nobody else being asked to check bags of similar or larger dimensions, including women with large purses as well as men with briefcases. For some bizarre reason I was singled out and treated as some kind of criminal.
They have nothing to steal (it’s a theatre, not a store), and any weapon that would have fit in my bag would also have fit in dozens of other bags in the building that passed without a blink. So what is it? Age? Clothing? Something more sinister? Whatever it is, this is the last time they will have to be confronted with my suspicious custom.
This is a sad epidemic in our bizarre, paranoid culture. Any moronic policy or arbitrary decision by anyone in a momentary position of power gets labeled as «security,» no matter how pointless or irrelevant, and the rest of us are expected to sit quietly in a corner and moo our way to obedience. «Sing the Star-​Spangled Banner backwards to prove your loyalty!» «Why?» «Security rule.» «Yes sir! I wouldn’t want Osama to come back from the dead and kill us all! Thank you for keeping us safe with your wise rule.» I, for one, am bloody sick of it.
(Edit: I am moderately less furious, now, because a kind manager-​type apologized after the show.)

As part of the Center Theater Group along with the Kirk Douglas Theater and the Ahmanson, the Mark Taper Forum is located in downtown LA on a beautiful plaza with the Ahmanson and the Dorothy Chandler theaters.
Walking in, the lobby is small with a bar and a staircase leading to the facilities downstairs. The theater features a circular design. Comfortable, lime green seats surround a large stage in a semicircular arrangement. The setup allowed for the entire audience to have a great view of the stage.
This was a perfect venue for the hilarious one-​man show, Buyer & Cellar. Michael Urie demonstrated his comedic genius as he captivated the audience for almost two hours. The Mark Taper Forum likely works best for this type of show where the action is very focused and the set is simple. This is a great place to come and enjoy an evening at the theater.

Very nice, cozy theater. Helpful staff and easy to get to from the Metro. Great ticket deals for students!

I’ve seen two plays at this venue. Both have been great. The venue is top notch. The restrooms are clean and modern. They also have hand towels in a stackable container on the counter and not in those annoying pull-​down dispensers. The theater seating is ok, but the venue is small enough that all seats are probably good, in terms of a view. The cost of refreshments is high – I recommend sneaking in a bottle of water.

Had a really good time watching A show at the Mark Taper forum. This is a theater complex, so there are three theaters within the one place, the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Ahmanson center and this one.
It seems like they share the same structured parking lot, which is underground.
Now, without further ado, let’s talk about this theater. Not a whole lot to talk about. The theater is a half circle with the stage in the end. Therefore, any seat you have is close to the stage and pretty good visibly.
The artist entry is on the opposite side, outside. If you really love the artist or the show or both, stick around and catch the artist as they leave to get their autograph and maybe a snap a photo.

«Oh, come on, you have to see this show with us, I saw it in New York and it is AMAZING!»
Really? What’s it about?
«It’s this guy and he works in Barbra Streisand’s basement!»
Oh.
«No, really, it is soooooo good! It’s not really a basement, it’s like a mall, ’cause she has soooo much stuff! And she hires him to work in it!»
Oh. Like a yard sale?
«Noooooo! People can’t just come in!!! It’s Barbra Streisand! Oh, forget it, just trust me. It’s sooooo good!!!»
I’m not really a Barbra fan. Like, if one of her songs is on the radio, I change the station.
But I am a fan of my friend and, as usual, he was right. Buyer and Cellar starring Michael Urie was amazing. Incredible. A tour de force of acting.
And, of course it’s not just about Barbra’s basement.
It’s about love and our fascination with celebrity and validation and life and authenticity and the 405.
It made me laugh and it made me cry.
Thank you, Michael Urie, for such a mind-​blowingly good performance. Oh, and your autograph! And for being so nice.
And thank you, my friend, for insisting that we go.
Oh. The theater is pretty cool too. There are no bad seats as far as I can tell.
Go. Just go. You will not regret it.

Saw my first show at the Mark Taper today. Great venue! Only about 780 seats. If you’re considering a show here, know that there really isn’t a bad seat in the house. Honestly, I think a seat in the last row in the corner would still provide a fine sight line to the stage. The online seating chart is deceptive as it makes the theater look bigger than it is in person.
STAGE
The stage isn’t huge, but for the one-​man show I saw it was fine. It is surrounded on three sides with semi-​circle seating. Again, it’s easy to see it from anywhere.
SERVICE
The ushers were friendly and accommodating. I visited with a friend who uses a walker; they were very helpful in storing the walker and returning it promptly after the show.
PARKING
I intended to use the valet service on Hope because I visited with a person who uses a walker, and with her handicap placard, the fee would only be $ 9 which is the same as self-​parking. However, the valet lane was packed with empty cars. There were no signs to indicate if it was full, and cars were lining up in the street still trying to get in. So, I parked in self-​parking off of Grand for $ 9. We were directed to level 4 for handicap parking only to discover the handicap section was full. So I maneuvered into another section next to handicap parking that was marked full and found a spot. Once parked, we discovered that even if we had found a spot in the actual handicap section, there is not an elevator to performance level. So my friend and I used the escalator, closing and reopening her walker at every level interval. Awkward at best.
I share all of this to warn you: their parking is pretty sucky, especially if you require handicap access. I recommend arriving at least 45 minutes before your show time to navigate the underground parking lot, especially if there are shows taking place at the Ahmanson and/​or Dorothy Chandler as they share the same lot.
From past experience, it’s probably just easiest to park at the non-​Music Center lot at the corner of Hope and Temple and cross the street to the Ahmanson. There are a significant number of stairs using this route, so be warned if you’re with someone who struggles with them.
MUSIC CENTER
There is a café at the Music Center which I did not utilize.
NUTSHELL
In the future, if there is a show that I want to see and it’s at the Mark Taper, I would be happy to get tickets and wouldn’t worry about getting the «best». I’d go for inexpensive and be fine with wherever the seats are.

I saw «Buyer & Cellar» at the Mark Taper today and I was truly impressed with the venue. It was my first time here and honestly for the first time I can say there really isn’t a bad seat in the house and for smaller productions it’s perfect. It felt very intimate and I think my enjoyment of the show was enhanced by the wonderful surroundings.

I like this theater… small & intimate. Every seat is a good seat.
It is clean and maintained nicely. The staffs are very polite and friendly. Always good plays performing there.
Parking is $ 9 below the theater. Tough to find street metered parking.

After all these years I had never been in the Mark Taper — it sits quietly between the Dorothy Chandler and Ahmanson and I’ve only sat beside it but never attended a play here until this evening when I went to see Tribes. What an amazing theatre — the smallest of the three downtown but larger than their Kirk Douglas in Culver City.
Really, CTG can do no wrong in my book — I simply love them! They bring me so much joy year in and year out with many of their productions.
I am so happy I was able to see Tribes before it left — it was wonderful in many ways and I have always had such a strong desire to learn ASL so this play really hit home, exploring the deaf community — from deaf from birth to late deafened adults to supportive hearing families and friends and the debate of «ASL or oralism».
I have never wanted to become fluent in ASL as much as I do this evening. It is on my immediate to-​do list.
Awesome theatre, wonderful staff — looking forward to catching another play here sometime soon.
Underground parking structure $ 9
Beautiful, romantic atmosphere in the evening with the lights and fountains going — simply magical.
A not to be missed place in LA, great for families, friends, children, date night, solo date night ;) in my case this evening — you name it
You will not be disappointed.