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.
The Los Angeles Theatre 615 S Broadway in downtown LA Parking available at Pershing Square Doors open at 8 pm, film at 9 pm