The Group Rep at the Lonny Chapman Theatre

darned good. everything I’ve seen there is worthwhile.

This hidden gem has become a favorite. After buying tickets to a few shows on Plays411, we took the plunge and became subscribers. It’s been worth it.
The theatre itself is cozy. The cast all top-​notch, with several regulars. They are very clever with staging in props in a very little space. But, as the most famous writer in the English language said, «the play’s the thing.»
Lonny Chapman finds different, interesting little plays. A couple originals, and some of the standard crowd-​pleasers. We just saw Bach at Leipzig — a witty staging of «Thomaskirche Idol» and the conniving that undoubtedly went into snagging the most prestigious musical position in the world. It’s a little wonky, but for me that was part of its charm. I can imagine repurposing much of the script for a ditty about how it was decided who would follow Bill Gates or Steve Jobs.
In about 15 plays, we have seen only one klunker — but others liked that one. That comes with the territory of doing a range of artistic material, and not just the same same crowd pleasers (their «Cat on a Hot Tin Roof» was great!). I’ll take variety over 100% vanilla, thank you.

I have never been to a small theater like this before, but when I read ‘That Lovin Feelin’ was playing there, the story that chronicles The Righteous Brothers life, I thought I’d like to see that. I loved the story, the music and the actors! What a story those two had! I laughed a lot too, that Bobby Hatfield was a crackup! All the actors in this play were fantastic in their parts.
Will go back to this little theater… and all this for $ 25! Amazing!

A friend who often frequents the small (99 seat or less) theaters, contacted me in the morning saying «so-​and-​so can’t make it to the play tonight, the ticket paid and yours if you want it. Do you want it?»
Normally I’d pass because the idea of schlepping through traffic for an hour and a half to go to a play, just doesn’t appeal to me. However in this case, I decided to go anyway and my friend came by to pick me up.
This is an interesting little 70 seat theater. Small lobby area and «snack bar», nice shoe-​box shaped lay out in the theatre, comfortable, elevated theatre seating, good sound and rather importantly as I’ve discovered in these small theatres, good ventilation!
The Group Rep has been around since 1973 and consists of 80 of actors, directors, etc. They have produced over 200 productions, including 37 world premieres and they’ve been in this same location since 1980.
The play was «Tiger By The Tail». It’s the story of a man in LA who answers a personal ad, becomes pen-​pals with a guy in prison in Florida and the «relationship» that ensues. It was well written, flowed very well and I never found myself bored, which is a very good thing! The performances by the actors were damn near flawless, very well done!

OVERALL: A nice little Equity theater (less than 100 seats) and a great place to see some really good performances!

I love this theater and the theater company itself. Such great people and great shows. Another amazing place to see fantastic theater!!!

The theater is nice. Seats about 90. Temperature, seats, lighting, and sound were all fine. The slope of the rows is steep enough (but just barely) to enable seeing over the person in front of you. 4 stars.
The show we saw, «Don’t Dress for Dinner», was also very good. 4 stars.

(Attended 12÷28÷14 SU @ 2:00pm): This unassuming little 40-​year-​old-​plus theatre in an industrial part of North Hollywood would’ve made its namesake proud!
Thanks to an incredible offer found on Goldstar, I snatched-​up a ticket to «Don’t Dress For Dinner» at The Group Rep At The Lonny Chapman Theatre — a sequel to «Boeing Boeing» which I also saw at this theatre and thoroughly enjoyed with side-​splitting laughs. Now, here was my experience:
Food — Although I didn’t purchase anything, an assorted bag of chips, candy bars, bottled water, sodas and glasses of wine were offered for between $ 1.00-$ 3.00 cash only.
Seats ($ 10.00) — A steal at $ 5.00 «Special General Admission» pricing plus $ 5.00 Service Fee, seating was open so I went for my usual elevated back-​row center seat. Otherwise, all sightlines were unobstructed. There was hardly any space for patrons to pass down each row, so you had to stand each time.
The Show — A sequel to the hilarious «Boeing Boeing», nearly ten years past since we last saw the bachelor antics of Bernard and Robert as they devised a scheme for Bernard to juggle three women all in the setting of his apartment in early 1960’s Paris. Flash-​forward to a country home in 1973 outside Paris, Bernard has since «settled down» and married to Jacqueline, but the hanky-​panky continued. How it all unravels was a comedy of errors one must see to believe! Here were some notables (sorry, no pictures allowed out of respect for proprietary work):
1. Patrick Burke (Bernard), who formerly played Robert in «Boeing Boeing», was simply a joy to watch as he tried to worm his way out of one predicament after another.
2. Jennifer Laks (Suzette) simply stole the show as the chef turned «Jill-​of-​all-​trades» with the multiple characters she had to take on — and not of her own doing — at $ 200 Francs a character (you had to see the play); a meaty role, indeed! I fell in love with her!
3. The set design was based on 1973 decorations, simplistic and never changed as all the action took place in the living room of said house.
4. Costume design was period to 1973 and only a few costume changes (Bernard changed the most with mishaps to his shirts).
Service — I showed my printed confirmation at the ticket window inside the lobby, received a show program that acted as my ticket and then waited for about ten minutes until they opened the house. Those with reserved seating sat in the front two rows while the rest (me included) chose from general admission seats. Easy peasy.
Parking (Free) — They had a small compact parking lot along the side of the building. Otherwise, there was plenty of free parking along the main drag of Burbank Blvd. and all surrounding streets (please be mindful of any posted signs).
Atmosphere, décor, ambience — Housed in a small building, a two-​colored slightly dirty façade plainly had a two-​sided marquee with the theatre’s name and show information
. I liked the fading mural on the outside wall that faced their parking lot; hopefully they can save it
. Once you entered through the door you were in slim lobby where you retrieved your ticket/​program, pictures and posters hung on the walls
, various promotional collateral placed about, and a small concession corner. Then, you walked down a narrow pathway that led to the stage and barely 100-​person seating area. The stage was surprisingly roomy. Hardly amphitheatre in style, there were seven rows of twelve small cushioned seats each. The acoustics were fine in the quaint space, but at times you heard planes as they flew overheard from the nearby Bob Hope Airport. House electic (no natural) lighting was bright when the actors weren’t on stage. And, there were no TVs or background music.
Attire — As I’ve always said, «it’s the performing arts in a theatre so show respect for the craft and medium and dress at minimum business casual.» Sorry, no t-​shirt, boardshorts, and flip-​flops this time around.
Overall, I had a fun time watching «Don’t Dress For Dinner» at The Group Rep At The Lonny Chapman Theatre on a lazy Sunday afternoon. I found very good value based on the prices, service, and experience noted above (total experience was around $ 10.00; no tip required). At $ 25.00 full ticket price I might’ve thought twice, but at $ 12.50 discounted tickets, the nearly two-​hour two-​act play was a good bargain. And, my credit card of choice was accepted by the theatre (online) for future purchases… AMEX! 4.0 STARS

First time here and had a good experience. Older crowd but very nice people working there. My little sister and I were a few min. Late they spotted us walking towards theater and helped us right in. So cool of them to wait a bit for us… We saw «Don’t hug me we’re married». Gunner /​Trigger had me in stitches. This actor was hilarious. The rest of the cast was really entertaining too… Small theater. Lil parking are. Enough street parking. But don’t think its Pantages now! Will return soon for another show. That’s entertainment…

It wasn’t the Best experience and it wasn’t the worst. I’ve seen 2 show and neither knocked my socks off. We saw Boing Boing and Streetcar. Both productions were pretty good.

Such a nice theatre! Lovely space and great productions! Plus there’s parking!

Great place for theatre! I’d call it a neighborhood playhouse but it seems much more than that. Comfy old school theatre seats, professional stage lighting, great natural acoustics. Turn off the TV and go out and see a play here!

NICE little theater! We saw Moon over Buffalo last night and laughed plenty! It was delightful and highly recommended for all ages. The venue is charming and comfortable inside — though not much on the outside. Always a line at the one person bathroom. Street parking.

Just finished going to this theater, I am so glad I did. Although the neighborhood is a little rough. It is a hidden gem. I was nervous when I first parked in the lot, but after entering the theater, my nervousness disappeared. Its a small theater, non profit organization. My niece and I had the best time, watching «And then there were none». The seats were comfortable. The play very entertaining. Even my teenage niece enjoyed the performance (which says alot for a teenager). For the price you can’t go wrong. Plus you feel good, supporting the Arts.

The theater is great, friendly staff, talented actors. I saw a play called And then there were none. The biggest dissapointment ever! The ending of the greatest mystery was changed to an all American happy end! Pathetic. Agatha is turning in her grave.

This theatre is a gem. Recently saw WAIT UNTIL DARK (Audrey Hepburn starred in the film version) & was truly impressed with this production. My friend & I were on the edge of our seats. Along with the talented cast, the directing & set design were really top-​notch & well done. I look forward to seeing more shows here & highly recommend this theatre to everyone. You will certainly leave entertained & transformed!
(Note: As for «good for kids,» this theatre is like any other where it generally depends on the show.)

I just saw A Christmas Carol… loved it. I tend to have a short attention span and this kept it occupied the whole time. I was entertained… and it was unique. What more can you ask?
This was a new interpretation but had the ghosts with twist and the same story with some song. I was surprised and enthused. In fact, I’ve said a number of times about different places… I need to Unilocal about this or that. This is my first review ever. I must have loved it.

Just saw three shows here in Rotating Repertory and ALL THREE WERE AMAZING. Boston Marriage, Painting Churches and Heroes are all wonderful! All three are a MUST SEE. They all close the weekend of November 8, 2009. Don’t miss them!
This company has really grown in the past year. Great acting, great production values. They just remodeled the lobby and the front of the theatre and they look great. Easy parking and a great night out. First Class! I highly recommend seeing a show at The Group Rep.

Just saw Over the River and Through the Woods — this was a delightful show. it is a story about the close bonds and the support of family. It is witty — all the characters are well drawn and likable. we laughed and felt the heart tugs as well. it was wonderful… my friend who accompanied me is going to urge all of her Red Hat ladies to get tickets — it is a wonderfully warm show.

Saw ENCHANTED APRIL directed by Pat Willson… Fabulous! The company did an excellent job with the production, the cast was wonderful with newcomers to keep an eye on.
(Side note about survey questions — the theatre generally has productions that are «good for kids» but this current production is definitely PG-​13.)

What a great theater! They always have a great show running and since the theater seats about 100, there is not a bad seat in the house. I am looking forward to seeing more shows there!