A 'Broader Renaissance' For L.A.'s Broadway

"But unlike the Broadway of New York City, where -- when stagehands aren't on strike -- throngs arrive in tour buses to see "Mamma Mia" or "A Chorus Line," the 12 theaters in L.A.'s version of the Great White Way have long been neglected and sit mostly unused."

"The baroque and gothic venues, built between 1910 and 1931 for vaudeville acts and movies, line a six-block stretch that today is a mélange of retail marts, check-cashing outlets and bridal shops. Two theaters serve as churches, and another has become a flea market. This street teems with activity by day but largely empties at dusk."

"For the first time in decades, though, there is hope that the city's faded theater district can be revived -- as a broader renaissance of downtown Los Angeles takes hold."