Lillian Theatre

One of the coolest theaters in LA, that will sadly be closing in September. If you have a chance to see one of the shows there before it closes, do yourself a favor and go!

Intimate theater. I had a good seat!

I saw Lost! the musical here and had a blast! Of course, your experience of the theater will really depend on what show you see, but I found the staff to be helpful, the cost reasonable and since it’s such a small theater, it’s tough to have a bad seat. Street parking only (if I didn’t miss anything) but I didn’t have any trouble finding a spot about one block away.

Stylish venue! Last night we saw Martini & Olive there. Hilarious! Great music and funny as hell. The Lillian is a cozy theater with very comfortable seating and really cool exposed brick walls. The best theater on Hollywood’s theater row.

Saw LOST the Musical with my teenager who really enjoyed the show. Lillian is just what you’d expect from a waiver theatre in Hollywood. Great staff. 2 nice bathrooms. (No long line). We were nicely surprised to find easy parking on the street. A mic or two would have helped to hear the singers but a Giod experience overall.

(Attended 10÷13÷13 SU @ 3:00pm): Intimate local theatre close to home — amen!
Thanks to Katie B., Unilocal’s Los Angeles East Community Manager, she arranged complimentary tickets to the play «What Kind Of God?» at the Lillian Theatre in Hollywood. Found among others along Theatre Row in this part of town, I last saw a play («Pulp Shakespeare») at the nearby Asylum Theatre.
Food ($ 4.00 — cash only) — There was a tiny concession stand from which they served various drinks and baked goods purchased from the local grocery store. I hadn’t eaten anything all day so I opted for some Chardonnay wine served in a plastic cup and a cookie that tided me over. Honestly, no critique was needed about the snacks.
Seats ($ 0.00 — complimentary) — It was general seating, so as if I were still in school I sat in the back away from others. The seats were tiered and on risers so unless a giant sat in front of you your vision was good. There were three seating sections with unobstructed views and close enough to the stage.
The Show — An exploration and questioning of religion and all its various customs, a young man began navigating his way through life and self realization as he soon found himself embattled in ideas and thoughts foreign to him and contradictory to his raised beliefs. Extremely thought-​provoking regardless of your religious affiliation, you’re guaranteed to leave with questions of your own. Here were some notables (sorry, no pictures allowed):
1. The set design was simple and efficient with rotating pieces between the outdoors, a school, and various housings
2. The powerful theme weighed heavy throughout this 1 ½-​hour play as the lack of intermission added to the explicit tension
3. All five actors did a beautiful job, and I was especially drawn to Emily Faris, who played the main female lead (Lisa). Not only was she physically attractive but I saw her character as a beacon to help lighten the load. Brent Donaldson, who played the lead male (Aaron), drew the majority of the dialog but his mannerism of scratching areas around his face started to become a distraction to me.
4. Costume design was simple and undated like a Gap ad.
Service — It was all pretty seamless from when I got my ticket to the refreshments I purchased and finally being seated. The same gentleman helped with my ticket and concessions and a female with the seating. All was simple.
Parking — As far as I knew, the only parking available was street parking along the main drag of Santa Monica Blvd. and all of the surrounding side streets (please be mindful of the posted signs for any restrictions). I parked just over a block away.
Atmosphere, décor, ambience — The open-​aired entrance to this mid-​sized neighborhood theatre reminded me of a decorated cinder block garage. Concrete steps led you up into the waiting area which felt like a parlor room in a turn-​of-​the-​century home. The brink walls were covered with past programs, photos of the current cast, a fanciful chandelier, and some industry advertisement and literature for perusing. A few chairs were available. Although there was electricity, it was all about the natural lighting. Once you passed through the curtains into the stage area, rickety cushioned seats were plentiful throughout a warehouse cavernous setting with a high industrial ceiling and brick walls. The acoustics were a bit dampened and there was a tendency for outside noise to seep in. No TVs or background music were present anywhere.
Attire — It’s the performing arts in a theatre so I showed respect and dressed business casual. Sorry, no t-​shirt, boardshorts, and flip-​flops this time around.
Overall, my sincere gratitude went out to Katie B. of Unilocal fame, those associated with the play, and ultimately the Lillian Theatre for this kind opportunity for religious entertainment on this fine Sunday afternoon instead of going to church. I loved the medium-​sized yet intimate theatre. As this particular theatre was part of a bigger group, I wished them the best in continued success. I found great value based on the prices, service, and experience noted above (total bill was around $ 10.00; I contributed $ 6.00 as a donation). The full ticket price of $ 23.00 was more than fair to help support local thespians and the arts in general. And, it appeared it was cash only onsite, but my credit card of choice was accepted on their website to purchase tickets… AMEX!

Among Theatre Row’s many engaging, independent theatres, there is the Lillian. Like the others, it houses less than 100 seats and promotes an ambitious array of stand-​out, thought-​provoking performances and productions. Its staging is small, intimate; however, its potential – in celebrating inspiring talent – is limitless.
Steve Julian’s «What Kind of God?” – the first in his trilogy of plays which addresses the unjust silencing of others – left me, in fact, speechless. That was the intended irony, I suppose. The highly-​talented cast of five – each demanding equal presence and respect – spared no time engaging the audience. I was barely allowed time to breathe before the plot – in its richness, in its depth, in its ugliness – pushed forward. Great acting promises that, allowing you to forget you’re merely observing, safely outside looking in.
Emily Faris’ performance as «Lisa» was most captivating. She was seemless. Even during moments of quiet, it was evident that «Lisa» was conflicted, continually. Emily’s «Lisa,» even when she first stepped into scene – innocent, seemingly unafraid, optimistic – was hiding something, questioning, censoring. Emily, with apparent ease, delivered.
«What Kind of God?» demands discussion. And when the show ends, and you are walking out the door on your way to your car, you find that you are, in fact, strolling. You’re thinking. You’ve left, yet you’ve taken something with you. Maybe it’s a line. Maybe its a gesture. Maybe its a question, an idea. This is a play you’ll want to talk about after the fact. The Lillian knew it. And the play expects it.

Great theater. Every seat is fanstic. Parking sucks but what parking is great in LA.

Part of the elephant Theatre complex I don’t just like the place because I’m in a show there right now
Or because I’ve been in other shows in that space. No. I’ve seen multiple shows there and it’s and interesting space — in the shape of an L — part of the Elephant Theatre complex. Some great shows come in there. There isn’t a bad seat in the house. There’s a convivial atmosphere which embodies the best of LA 99 seat theatre.
So come on down, try it out and see what live theatre is for nearly the same price as a movie ticket.

A haiku review:
Nice, quaint theater
Tucked away on a side street
Intimate seating

We were also at the Lillian yesterday afternoon and were left standing in the street for well over 30 minutes past curtain. We were finally told that the theater was experiencing technical issues. I think the crowd would have been disappointed, but would have understood if the theater staff had told us that from the start, rather than leaving people standing on the sidewalk in the sun. As another reviewer stated, there were elderly people waiting, too. Many people had been there as early as 1p as was recommended on the Goldstar website.
I also thought it would have been a nice gesture if Ms. Brown, the star of the play, addressed the audience personally. Just saying it would probably have been good PR, since the audience was there to see her.
Technical difficulties are totally understandable. Mistreating the audience is just rude!

I will never go to the Lillian Theatre again and I would most definitely not recommend it to anyone else. The staff and venue are very unprofessional! The doors were supposed to open at 1pm for a 2pm show. No one came outside until 2:30pm to tell us they would be opening the doors shortly. There were over 50 patrons (some seniors) standing outside for over an hour. When the lady came outside she wasn’t even apologetic. We were let into the theater at 2:40pm. My mom, myself, and several other people left at 3:15pm when the show had still not begun. I’ve gone to several venues and have never experienced anything like this before. Such a disappointment! I will never go here again and you shouldn’t either!!!

I’ve been to this theater only once (thanks to
!) but am a huge fan already. I loved the theater itself — very warm and cozy, contemporary and artsy. The staff and the cast were amazing — highly professional and yet very humble and approachable. An extremely pleasant and sweet experience overall, and I definitely will be coming back!

I’ve been to this little theater twice so far and both times were just amazing.
The venue is small enough that every single seat gives a great view of the action — yet you never feel cramped or blocked in.
The staff is really nice and parking is ample in this area.
I highly recommend this theater and in general, I am a huge supporter of local arts and theater — so go out and sea something LA!

We came here first a few months back, to watch The Violet Hour, and a second time last week to see Glory Days — both excellent productions.
Elephant Stages is on the corner of Santa Monica Blvd. and Lillian Way, not to be confused with the Asylum Theater, just on the other side on SMB. Parking was easy enough to find on the street, but read each and EVERY sign carefully, as Hollywood is known to be sneaky that way.
Will call is roofed, but technically outside, as it’s not exactly closed by walls or a door. There are a few benches to sit on, along the entrance, and the Lillian Theater does allow food and drink; candy ($ 1) and wine ($?) are sold at the will call counter. The staff is welcoming and were obliged to answer our parking questions .
The theater is unusually set up. The stage takes over one corner and the house seating takes over the other 3, so you get a wraparound-​style audience seating arrangement. Seating as been first come first serve both times that I’ve visited. This theater is well-​ventilated and I believe every seat is a good one, since you get a very broad view of the stage anywhere. There are also 2 bathrooms inside the theater; I’ve used one, on the far right, and it lacks coat hooks and water pressure. Oh well.
Still, this is one of the most interesting theaters I’ve had the pleasure of visiting and I anticipate the next production :)