Barbara and Lawrence Fleischman Theater

This theater is absolutely charming. It mimics the style of a Greek amphitheater which obviously is very much in keeping with the theme of the Getty Villa. In addition, I believe most, if not all, of the productions are adaptations of Greek tragedies, again very apropos. Lastly, although I have only seen one performance at this venue (Mojada:A Medea is Los Angeles), it was cleverly written and well performed.
So why not 5 stars? The tiny venue itself is not ideal when it comes to comfort. While it is very beautiful and blends with the environment, the seats are arranged as a concrete Greek amphitheater would be, with no seat backs and with rows that are VERY close together. I noticed many patrons slumping, shifting and cramping throughout the 90+ minute performance (with no intermission to stand and stretch). In addition the floor space between rows is very narrow and in fact isn’t deep enough to actually accommodate the shoes of many of the patrons. I saw several people who were forced to turn their feet and bodies sideways when seated in order to fit. One tip I can offer is that the last row does provide more floor space for your feet and has seat backs but the acoustics do suffer at this vantage point as the sound of the nearby crickets often drowned out a lot of the dialogue.
In summary, I would recommend this venue as the positives definitely outweighed the negatives. It’s a pleasant, smaller alternative to some of LAs other outdoor venues like the Hollywood Bowl or the Greek Theater. My only tip: schedule an appointment with either a chiropractor or a masseuse for the next day and you’ll be good to go!

war |wôr|
noun
a state of armed conflict between different nations or states or different groups within a nation or state
The Barbara & Lawrence Fleischman Theatre at the Getty Villa once again serves to educate, to evoke, to entertain with this years’ production «Persians».
War by New Oxford American Dictionary definition (above), its impact on people, hasn’t changed much since «Persians» author Aeschylus fought in the 472 B.C. waged at sea, Battle of Salamis, documented his experience eight years later with this play.
Spears then, hackers, drones today, always boots on the ground…
«Persians»: September 4 –27
Tickets:

Located inside the Getty Villa you will find an outdoor amphitheater fit for the Gods. With the entrance to the museum being the center stage the backdrop to all performances is breathtaking.
The Outdoor Classical Theater performances start in September and run through the first week of October. They alternate between Comedy and Tragedy from year to year.
I watched 2009’s comedy production of Aristophanes’ Peace by Culture Clash and it was outstanding! From the actors themselves, to the sound, lighting, props and costumes these OCT performances at the Villa are truly a great show. I think the ticket cost is slightly on the high side ($ 40 per ticket) but the performances run about 90 minutes so you get your moneys worth. Cushions are put down for seating but I recommend dressing on the warmer side and bringing a blanket as the ocean mist rolls in pretty thick in the evening.
The Café on site offers boxed meal pre-​orders for the shows. If you miss the pre-​order cut off not to worry as the Café is open for concessions and offer the same menu as well as beer and wine (No Red wine though as it stains the theater seating area and cushions when spilled). Yes I know we are all adults but at the performance last year the lady next to me kicked her wine glass all over on the lady sitting in the row in front of us. The lady was wearing all white. Can you imagine if red wine was served. Eek Gods! So no red wine. It stains and is not fun.
This year in 2010 the performance Elektra, is a drama which is a continuation of 2008’s Agamemnon. I did not see Agamemnon but was able to catch on pretty quickly to the story line. Tess M. was also kind enough to send me a cheat sheet link so I was able to read up on good ol’ Agamemnon before I saw the complete show of Elektra.
I would say that the OCT performances at the Villa are definitely worth seeing at least once. Just pick the right poison for you (comedy or tragedy) and sit back and enjoy the show.

Four stars for one of the most beautiful performance facilities on the planet… or at least, certainly, in Los Angeles. One star off because the current production, though sold out, is truly a museum piece (not in the best sense of the word), but that might not be true when you actually read this review. You’ve already seen the glowing reviews about the Getty Villa itself, but this outdoor performance facility is truly breathtaking — the size and scale of the slate stage and the two or three-​story backdrop building is amazing, and the acoustics seem to be about perfect. The steep rake of the audience makes one wonder if this is how the Greeks watched theatre, and there’s beauty everywhere you look. Of course, I hear all of the outdoor productions are going to be the Greek tragedies, so you’ll have to have a taste for those. If K-​Soaps and Spanish telenovelas are soap operas on steroids, the Greek plays are soap operas on crack — lots of lust, incest, and Gods behaving badly. But… that theatre!