Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet set in a hard-edged inner-city world of guns and gangs, but speaking the Bard’s tongue, then screened in one of LA’s most opulent movie palaces: this must be Los Angeles. And the kind of night only an Angeleno would have the opportunity to be a part of, and all for a good cause.
As a benefit to the Los Angeles Historic Theater Foundation (LAHTF), a non-profit organization dedicated to protect and preserve Southern California’s historic theaters, Cinespia is screening Baz Luhrmann’s modern interpretation of Romeo + Juliet (1996) at the restored, and rarely-open, Los Angeles Theatre on Saturday, Feb 9th, 2013.
The film features young Claire Danes (now of Homeland fame) and Leonardo DiCaprio as the star-crossed lovers speaking Shakespeare but set in modern times. Add to this the lush velvet and gold-leafed surroundings of the theatre and lobby, a full-bar with “mixologists”, DJ David Holmes spinning records, and the movie palace free to roam till 2 am, and this could be a downtown Los Angeles experience you don’t want to miss.
Tickets are just $15, but order ahead online via Cinespia if you want to be sure to get in. Check out the trailer for Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet below, to get a taste for the flick if you haven’t roamed this territory before.
About Julie Grist
Julie co-founded the Larchmont Buzz with fellow buzzer Mary Hawley in 2011 and served as Editor, Publisher and writer for the hive for many years until the sale of the Buzz in August 2015. She is still circling the hive as an occasional writer.
