Saban Theatre

Great local, intimate theater with a lot of character. Saw Jesse Cook here last night with my wife and some friends.
We all liked the venue a lot. Place is small enough so you can see decent enough from any seat. We sat in the orchestra section but I walked up to the mezzanine to get a look after the first intermission. Loved the architecture and the vibe of Saban Theater. Didn’t expect the lobby area to be so large with the large bar and sitting area available to hang out at prior to the show. So get there early to get in a few drinks and people watch if you can.
Or meet next door at the Hill Bar and have a drink and some eats before heading over. That’s what we did and it made for a perfect night.
Parking is free on some of the streets where there are meters. Check out the Saban website for specific info on that.
BTW, the guy at the ticket window was great too. Really friendly and helpful when we were doing our will call.
This is one of my favorite venues in LA now.

I flew in from Denver to check mark my Bucket List: to see Don Rickles. What a beautiful place. I felt like I was back in time, so elegant, absolutely fantastic! The seating was very comfortable. The staff great! I look forward to coming back!
Terri L

The Saban sucks. Just went to see Don Rickles. Spend $ 93 for balcony seats and the acoustics were horrible! I am sure he was funny, but I couldn’t understand a word he said. Shame on the Saban for ripping people off.

The best venue in Southern California. Each time I go here it’s awesome. I’ve seen five Artist here and the acoustics for all were great!

I came here for a Brian McKnight concert that i got tickets for through Goldstar. Great location near some yummy restaurants so you can really make a great evening of it. For the event they had a parking garage just across a small street for $ 10. This small/​intimate venue is beautifully decorated and you feel like you’re taken back in time. In addition because of it’s small size I doubt there are any bad seats.
I would definitely go to another show at this location.

We really had a great time here with Brian McKnight! The seats were perfect, and the concert was amazing too. We will definitely be coming back here in the future. We are celebrating our 31^st anniversary and this was a perfect night.

Enjoyed this small theatre. Love the looks of this place. Saw Zappa plays Zappa and loved it. I was sitting main level and the sound was very good. Don’t know what the balcony is like. Nice bar and lobby. Two bathrooms with the larger one up the stairs. Parking is a hassle on the street (lots of permit parking only signs for residents) but we found a place charging 10 dollars half block away that was nice.

The venue was awesome for music. We just saw Berlin & The Motels here. Great seats, clean place. Good surroundings, good people. Sound was quality. Lighting was good.
Parking wasn’t great for me, but I have a large Van… so no big deal.
Drinks were WAY expensive though. Either $ 16 or $ 18 for a Rum & Coke. (Was bigger than usual though) The bartender’s were good & cute. Prices at bar should be lowered, then I’d order more.
If the prices were at $ 10 or per drink, I’d have given a 5-​star rating.

Had a GREAT time last night at the Saban!
We saw Anderson Ponty Band with Jon Anderson & Jean Luc Ponty.
They sounded amazing! But enough about them. The Saban Theatre itself is simply gorgeous.
The seats were very comfortable.
Sound was excellent.
This is small theatre. All seats are fantastic. No need to pay more money for «better» seats.
Wine and beer okay. Prices are expensive but not crazy.
Clean theatre
Friendly staff
I took a Lyft car so as to not worry about parking. I definitely recommend doing the same. Looking forward to coming back!

A beautiful theatre with acoustics to match. We were there for the old 60’s rock group The Zombies performing their seminal album The Odyssey and Oracle in its entirety. They have jazz and classical influences and the superb acoustics really helped increase the audiences enjoyment. Even the extensive in between song banter by the singer and keyboard player (and main songwriter) was clear enough to be understood by this partially deaf old fella. Even with their charming British accents.
Some history gleaned from their website;
Originally named the Fox Wilshire, opened its doors on September 19, 1930. Designed by renowned theater architect S. Charles Lee, the Fox Wilshire building serves as an interesting example of Lee’s early Art Deco style. With its rich plaster work and heavy sculpture, this theatre is reminiscent of Lee’s other early work like the Baroque masterpiece The Los Angeles Theater and the Tower. Lee would later become famous for his clean simple Art Deco lines with theaters like the Bruin and the Academy Theater
An explanation of the name change from Wikipedia;
In March 2009, owners announced that the Wilshire would be renamed the Saban Theatre in recognition of a $ 5 million grant from Haim and Cheryl Saban.
For those of you too young to remember The Zombies;

This theater is beeee-​yoooo-​tiful. It’s a classic, old-​school movie palace that’s been amazingly well-​kept with all of its ornate details. It feels intimate, but also grand. We saw Snoop Dogg here last weekend and although we were at the top of the balcony, the seating is so vertical that every seat has clear view of the stage. Yes, the restrooms are on the second floor, but what’s a short flight of stairs? They may have been just here for this event, but every security guard, attendant, bartender, and ticket both staff member was extremely friendly and positive. Who knows, maybe they were just as excited as I was to be in the same room as Snoop, but it added to our positive experience. Gorgeous, well-​run theater and worth a visit.
Parking is terrible, but this is Beverly Hills! We found a metered spot a few blocks away but it was no big deal.

I would give this place more stars but when I came for a Boyz to Men concert the air conditioning was turned off during the show!!! How do you turn OFF the air DURING the show??? It was so hot! Good thing we weren’t all up dancing or drinking too much or people might have passed out!!! People around me were fanning themselves (mind you, we’ll all in seats) from the obvious stuffiness and warmth.
The venue was decent though overall. Pretty small but kept fairly clean… And it’s a pretty unique looking theater.
The sound was ok. I think other smaller venues have better sound quality. We were sitting in pretty good seats up in the mezzanine. By the way, upon checking in with our tickets, the had issues scanning them. I wish they were more friendly about the mishap (which was their fault) but I understand they don’t give a sh$&.
The projector screen they used (not sure if it’s from the venue or third party) but was very pixelated/​blurry.
Bar drinks were decent but pricey. Average $ 13/​mixed drink… Seems sort of high.
Towards the end of the show I felt some air coming back on… Lol
Boyz 2 Men was awesome though.

Came here for the «RENT» musical last week. This theatre is beautiful. It seemed like a little hidden gem because on the outside it looked plain and simple. The actual theatre inside looked very new and glamorous. very fancy! It’s no where near as big as Pantages but it definitely is no where as small as Cupcake Theatre!
The audio system was sufficient and the seats were larger than most I have sat in and was actually comfortable! My main complaint was regarding the cast for RENT. How could the cast at this theatre which is much larger than Cupcake. have such a bad cast? I mean, they’re not terrible. But they were no where near the hole-​in-​the-​wall Cupcake theatre cast for RENT. Some of the singers were gasping for air and just sounded winded and could not keep up.
I hope they get some better acts/​musical products here because I really do enjoy this theatre. The staff is very friendly and they usually have a small back drop where you can take photos at!
+NOTE+ Parking is BAD here. So come early or you’ll regret it! Oh, the drinks are real expensive too. Maybe a little pre-​party before you go in?

The overall atmosphere felt like a somewhat rundown high school auditorium …
Saban Theatre was originally opened in 1930 and at that time it was called the Fox Wilshire. In 2009, it was renamed to the Saban Theatre in honor of a $ 5 million grant from Haim and Cheryl Saban.
Snacks: $ 5 for a small popcorn and $ 10 for a large popcorn. You get one free refill and CASH only.
Parking: $ 10 event parking right across from the street OR street parking. Be very careful — you are in Beverly Hills and some residential areas require the city’s parking permit. I was able to find free parking spot near the intersection of Le Doux Rd & Gregory Wy (2 hours free parking from 8 AM to 6 PM) approximately three blocks away from the theater (you might have a good shot if you drive around the Beverly Hills Tennis Center).
You’ll have to walk upstairs (2^nd floor) for restroom for both men and women. There is a restroom on the 1^st floor, but only allows one person at a time.
Biggest complain (I over-​heard this complains from the person sitting behind me) — these seats DO NOT have a cup holder!
I do wish these seats are a bit more comfortable, but other than that — just enjoy whatever show you’ll be watching here!

venue is okay.
but what’s up with the drink prices? I ordered a whiskey and soda, which was $ 26 and a ciroc and soda that was only $ 3…
the next time I ordered a drink it ended up being $ 32 for two ciroc and sodas!
do the bartenders make up their own drink prices? I’m so confused…

Like many others say, the terrible sound system ruined the show for us. We attended an improve show with several «Who’s Line» people. Those people who could hear seemed to really enjoy the show. For us, it was an exercise in frustration.
We were in the balcony, and maybe it was better on the main main floor, but the words were either garbled or too soft.
We don’t plan on returning

The theater is classy and very luxurious. It was beautiful. The stairs made it seem like you were at a ball. The staff was friendly and interactive, which I truly admire.
Parking is a hassle. It took my friend and I a really long time to find parking, which was really frustrating. The fact that we had to walk a couple blocks to get to the theater was definitely a mood kill.
When we got in, I wanted a cup of water and something to snack on. When I got charged, I was shocked at how much they charged with bottled water and m&ms. Seriously!?! I already paid my live’s savings on parking, my check on movie tickets, and I was down to my piggy bank savings for food. I actually had to reimburse the tickets because the timing was awkward as well as the seats.
Although the appearance of the theater was truly magnificent, the price for the service is not worth it. I am very reasonable and deal with overpriced services most of the time, but this was out of hand.
I would recommend coming here to enjoy the look of the theater but I would keep it at that. Thankfully the location had other restaurants, so I was able to munch on food that was well worth its price.

I just purchased tickets from «JR» at the ticket counter, and he gave me EXCELLENT customer service. He walked me into the theater to show me the vantage point from the different seats I was considering. Way above and beyond!

I’ve been there twice before, but regretfully did not review it, as I don’t really remember what I thought of it either of those times. I don’t think I sat in the balcony before though. I saw Styx there last night. They were pretty good, but up in the balcony, the sound was horrible. The drums sounded like toy drums. When they talked, most of the time I could not make out what they were saying. There were no speakers/​monitors aimed toward the balcony, so the sound was very muddy and details were drowned out. The view was great, and I doubt there’s a bad seat in the place if you disregard the audio.
Parking is $ 10 across the street. Don’t even bother looking for street parking, as you will not find it nearby.

Never knew this theatre existed until Theresa Caputo set foot inside here. I was fortunate enough to be given an unused ticket from a co-​worker to see Theresa, and it was at Saban. I loved the intimacy of the theatre, the classic lines/​architecture, and the fact that Theresa Caputo was doing her thing right in front of us. Regarding her show specifically, we were seated on an aisle up in the balcony in the first 2 rows. Maybe they call that the mezzanine, but whatever that upper level is called, it goes waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay high up. In fact, at our show, Theresa did come upstairs and went all the way up to the TOP row to see someone who responded to one of her questions. It was quite a hike for her. She walked RIGHT BY us and stopped right at our row to talk to the audience. We could see all her beautiful jewels, sparkly shoes, glittery dress, and even her skin had a beautiful shimmer to it (she must’ve used a shimmery powder, lotion or something). She is one tiny gal, and her nails are amazingly long, which I knew they’d be since that’s one of her trademark looks… that, and her poufy blonde hair. But I digress…
The only thing I really didn’t like about the theatre is getting there. It was rush hour, it’s on Wilshire Blvd., and well, there wasn’t a good way to avoid the traffic… and as one approached the theatre for a mile before, it took us FOREVER. Let’s just say that a trip that would NORMALLY take 40 minutes from where we came, took us 2 hours and 15 minutes… that was not fun to me. Never is dealing with traffic and time limitations.
Seeing Theresa do her thing, especially with the mother who lost her daughter in a boating accident (NOT ONE DRY EYE IN THE AUDIENCE after that exchange), it was soooooooooooooooo worth it. That was amazing, touching, beautiful, tragically sad, and even for all the crying I did, I loved it all. It was everything I thought it’d be. The only aspect that would have been better would have been if she had stopped to talk to ME. That would have been a mind-​blowing experience, but it still was amazing even without all that.
I look forward to returning to this theatre again, but hopefully NOT on a work night with rush hour traffic. That was a bit trying, to say the least.