Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts Reviews

Give yourself plenty of time because finding the entrance to the place is confusing. You can find free parking at Beverly Hills City Hall across the street

Beautiful building. Easy flat rate parking. Theater seats were comfortable and there was decent legroom.

Amphitheater style seating so the person's head in front of you does not block your view. The theater appears to be well designed so that all seats even those on the side have a decent view of the stage

Very nice comfortable venue. No food options in house. Should really provide sandwiches.

I've been to the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts numerous times. To date, I ve seen productions for Dunsinane, Twyla Tharp, City of Conversation and Kneehigh's 946: The Amazing Adolphus Tips.

The Wallis consists of 2 performing spaces: The Bram Goldsmith Theater (500 seats) and the Lovelace Studio Theater (150 seats). I've been in both theaters, most recently for a monologue reading by Christine Lahti in the Lovelace Studio Theater which was set up like a cabaret theater for the reading.

The Bram Goldsmith Theater (500 seats) theater is not as deep as the Pantages theater's so the sets tend to be very minimalistic and staging of action is at times somewhat limited. However, the acoustics were very good on both visits and I felt were better than Dorothy Chandler Pavillion and UCLA's Royce Hall. Even with orchestra seats way in back, my view of the stage and the performers was excellent. With the intimate size of the theater, terrace and balcony seats are of quality as well regarding views and sound.

The staff over the phone and in person are courteous, helpful and in my experience, not typically BH snooty.

There's a public underground parking garage run by the City of Beverly Hills, but on performance days, the city jacks up the price to $8-10. Cheaper parking is available nearby, but the garage is well lit and seems safe with the bicycle patrol and staff on-site.

The concessions are small, but offer wine, beer and snacks. You're allowed to bring drinks purchased at their concessions to your seats. Several eateries are within walking distance on Canon Drive and Santa Monica Boulevard. The ones on Canon Drive stay open later (Wally's Beverly Hills located less than a block away closes at 2am). Some of the fine dining restaurants on Canon Dr. such as Spago offer specials for Wallis theater goers. I much prefer the dining options and close proximity of restaurants to the Wallis than what's available for UCLA's Royce Hall.

The program offerings aren't the strongest when compared to intimate theaters like Pantages or UCLA's Royce Hall, but the pros outweigh the cons, which is why I'm a fan.

Newly converted performance space with bars and other social amenities.

World class performing arts center. A must attend when in LA.

Absolutely the Best Joe Morgan as Dick Gregory the best live performance I've ever witnessed. The Theater was great with great parking. Fun atmosphere the employees were polite and personable. I highly recommend The Wallis Annenberg Theater.

The Wallis is one of the most intimate professional theatres in LA. You feel like you could reach out and touch the performers. The programming here is thoughtful and out of the mainstream. I've seen two productions here, and I can't wait to go back.

We were guests of Beverly Hills friends for an evening here. Employees and docents were uniformly rude and bitchy. I guess they can't be bothered with patrons. After all, what is the place for if not to serve THEM.
Maybe it is just LA culture. But these folks were off the chart on attitude and courtesy- really bad. Shame on them.

The physical plant is fine, and the garden is even charming at night.

Love this place! I did a poetry performance here, beautiful setup, amazing lighting and decorations! The staff are very patient.

Amazing acoustics and lovely venue. Absolutely recommend attending events here

Gorgeous theater complex . Get tickets every year I go west. Have seen some memorable shows here.

Absolutely love "The old man and the old moon" Brilliant. I have been here for several shows always an amazing experience. The bar is spectacular it was built by my fiance. Gorgeous..

Beautiful theater! Staff are friendly & Helpful. Wonderful productions

Great theatre..... blues in the night..... unforgettable!!!! The best!

Under used and still hasnt found its artistic voice. Given time the rating will rise.

Such a beautiful venue (historic)! I have seen many plays and productions there (my favorite being the Hershey Felder ones). Easy parking, too! Highly recommend!

Easy to get to, lots of good restaurants walking distance. Good acoustics, no bad seats

Tons of great theater, wonderful community outreach and a gorgeous, comfortable setting make the Wallis a cultural gift to Beverly Hills and greater Los Angeles.

Outstanding theater. Great seats. Fine sight lines and acoustics.

Fabulous venue with great acoustics and comfortable seating

Great place for a field trip. Students have a blast. Very interactive and not a bad seat in the house.

The thoughtful selection of performances to contribute to the cultural development of the metropolitan Los Angeles area is deeply appreciated.
They do a great job of reaching out to schools and extending the arts to students, who are awed by the beautiful splendor of the building.

Beautiful theater! Good variety of productions that change up usually every 2/3wks! Musy check it out!

Amazing theatre space. In the heart of Beverly Hills, very busy venue with a lot of great talent.

Lovely building, beautiful ground and truly the cultural heart of Beverly Hills

Great small venue where visibility of performers is first rate.

If you have a physical handicap (I limp and use a cane after 5 back surgeries), but are not in a wheelchair, do not come to this theater. I was sent to the 2nd level parking, no handicap spots at all. The escalator wasn't working. The elevator from the parking lot lets you off on the street, not in the building, and it's a distance to the theater itself with one elevator to take guests down two very long and steep flights of stairs. Following orders, the usher shut the theater door in my face literally one second (no exaggeration) after the guest in front of me was allowed in before opening curtain. Monitors for lobby viewing face west and at 7 pm in May the sun obliterates the viewing capability. I had top dollar tickets but I had to climb down several stairs to get to my seats because the lower level entrance to the theater was "unavailable." There are handrails on only one side of the aisle. Hard to find restrooms if you listen to the ushers directions and many stairs to climb again if the side entrances/exits are closed to get to the elevator. The doors of the elevator that was supposed to return me to the lower orchestra level hit me and did not stop closing on top of me without the efforts of two other people. Once on the ground floor the doors did not open at all and the elevator took me back up to the very top mezzanine where I encountered the rudest usher ever. I barely made it back into the theater after the intermission, only after i wrestled my ticket out of the usher's hand who was on some weird power trip that surely would have left me standing in the lobby again looking at a monitor if I had allowed her to engage me or detain me any further.

Not to confuse this poorly executed theater with the actors' performance, Spring Awakening by Deaf West was wonderful.

I thought the show was creative and very entertaining . I loved the music.

A gorgeous building that was once a post office.
Now a place for performing arts, The Wallis features the best talent money can buy.
From plays to concerts and everything in between, you will have a memorable time and want to come back.
George Vreeland Hill

Great theater once you get inside. However, there is no elevator from the parking lot to the lobby. If it's raining, you get wet.
Other than that, the Productions are truly wonderful and the box office staff and everyone else is superlative. I can't wait to go again!

I was at the UNITEDF RLANDO benefit last night. It was great! I've never been to this theater but I loved it! The seats were very comfortable and there was an elevator for the those of us who needed it. Nice sized stage. I'd love to see a theatrical production here. Kudos to all the people who volunteered their time for a worthy cause.

I think this is a converted post office. The interior feels like a period set in the 30s or 40s with all the marble every where. The staff is cordial. The theater is intimate and not too big. There's really not a bad seat in the house. Saw the great OSF production of Into the Woods here.

Best theater experience L.A. has to offer. Easy access, inexpensive parking directly under the building, spectacular bar and the shows can't be beat!

A great variety of shows in two wonderful theaters. They also host festivals and free Sunday dance classes with Debbie Allen. Check their website for more details. They feature world class productions.They have a beautiful outdoor area and a bar in the lobby, with tables and chairs. Downstairs, in their big theater, they have a concession stand. Clean restrooms and terrific ushers. They have reasonable parking in a nearby lot.

A beautiful, two theatre performing arts centre housed in the former historic Beverly Hills post office. My only problem is that the main entrance can be a bit confusing if you're driving and trying to figure out exactly where the theatres, box office and parking area are located.

This theatre CONSISTENTLY has the most ENTERTAINING, CREATIVE and INTERESTING productions coming through Los Angeles. Do yourself a favor and see EVERYTHING you can. I have seen 4 shows so far and every single one has been incredible.

A theater that presents some unusual and fantastic performances!

We loved the intimate theatre and every seat is was good. Jeremy Irons and the cast of Long Day s Journey into the night was superb! The cocktails were excellent too.

Attended Patricia Ward Kelly's Gene Kelly: The Legacy on 28 April 2018. Impressed with visibility and acoustics of the well designed, more intimate downstairs theater (I sat in the mezzanine). And was grateful for the reasonably priced valet parking ($16) for a theater in the heart of Beverly Hills; also reasonably priced self-parking available. There is a very small bar just inside the main entrance that carries a few cookies, but no other food. The larger bathrooms have the dreaded self-flushing toilets that many people could not figure out how to manually flush (there is a round silver button on the side of the plumbing works if you need to know). With this limited experience I've had with the Wallis Annenberg theatre, I give the complex a definite thumbs up.

Awesome venue. Super classy and a great place to watch performances!

Center superb, but this evening it took 45 mins to get out of the adjoining underground car park. And the machine charged $22 instead of the event rate of $8. Go see Vitebsk - but park elsewhere.

The former Beverly hills post office turned into a theater how amazing what a great use of a building attended a show here almost a year ago absolutely loved it very intimate little theater that packs a big punch I've visited a few times because my girlfriend is part of a wonderful program here great people great staff helpful and friendly this is a fun place to visit :)

Attended Emmy Nominated Performers Pre-Party. Venue was gorgeous indoor and outdoor as well

The inside is equally beautiful as the outside is. The Center is located across from the City Hall and because of the square shape, it's hard not to notice.

Came for Frankenstein.
Walking directions from Parking to Lovelace Studio Theater was not friendly.

Love the warm ambience at the Lobby with easy pick up at the Box Office.
BaskinBar @The Wallis has a nice selection of beverages while waiting.
Friendly staff.

Perhaps a first world problem: lack of ladies washroom cubicles. As usual in many theater, a queue is a common sight.

There were two performances happening, the announcement that 10mins more til the show begins, led many visitors to a hush-hurry. The miscommunication was the announcer did not mentioned which show was particularly ready for seating.

Frankenstein is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Looking forward to upcoming performances happening at The Wallis!

I have been several times and have never been disappointed.

Gorgeous facility and interesting edgy daring program choices.

long days journey into night was the best beautiful theater

Who said theater didn't exist in L.A.? Beautiful theater...great shows.

Great theater, easy parking, right in the heart of beverly hills. From their own productions to the very best international tours, the Wallis is one of the best theater complexes in the city.

The Beverly Hills Main Post Office was built in 1933 as a Works Progress Administration project, part of the new Civic Center on the site of the former Pacific Electric Railway station.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985, and it is City of Beverly Hills Landmark No. 5.
The building was sold to the city in 1999 after the post office moved to a new location, and the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts opened in 2013.

Very clean, many programs on the calendar so there is a variety of artists performing all the time. Some returning favorites also.

Given what I learned about Beethoven tonight, the maestro would have been both, terribly annoyed and surprised that his creations are still spellbinding audiences some 200 years later. The entire show is told through the eyes of a Viennese doctor, Gerhard von Breuning who spent his boyhood by Beethoven's side. This captivating "musical impressionistic" story was written and performed by the inimitable Hershey Felder who plays multiple characters (3? 4? 5?) with delft perfection.

The best part? Everything in the show is based on authenticated letters left behind by Dr. Breuning.

I was charmed at every turn by Felder's artistic rendering of the great master's lifetime from an abusive, difficult childhood to his celebrated success to his ultimate health decline. I learned. I laughed. I cried. I trembled when some of his most famous, striking notes were played. This performance moved me and I highly recommend it to art and music lovers in Los Angeles. The live piano performances are simply breathtaking.

Felder even gave a surprise Q&A after his performance to answer audience questions. Once in a lifetime experience. Additionally, The Wallis hosted a post-show cocktail party with traditional Viennese pastries and coffee out on the upper terrace.

After all these years hearing his familiar sonatas, this was my first time hearing Beethoven's music live at The Wallis and I'll never forget it as long as I live.

outstanding venue with world class performing arts offerings