Theater: Only the Smog

If a dedicated New York theatergoer were to spend several seasons in Sing Sing and miss all the shows, where could he go to catch up? A short time ago, the answer was nowhere. Today it is Los Angeles.

Los Angeles has become the U.S.'s second theatrical city, with more than 40 active theaters in operation. Many are occupied by road companies doing late successes from Broadway. Under the Yum-Yum Tree has been running in L.A. for 46 weeks. Also last week the ex-con could see Critic's Choice, The Best Man, Man in the Dog Suit, Everybody Loves Opal, Venus Observed. Off Broadway has been generously represented with The Blacks, The Connection, The Zoo Story.

Los Angeles' theaters contain more than revivals of New York shows, however. Various university organizations—most notably John Houseman's Theater Group at U.C.L.A.—present first-rate productions of dramatic classics. Elsewhere in the city, productions of As You Like It and Macbeth were on the boards last week. Most Los Angeles theaters are the small-capacity off-Broadway type (locally called "off Vine") that run smoothly on three-quarters of a shoestring and will try almost anything but a new play. Few make money, but some coin it. Two small L.A. theaters recently reported box-office receipts of $1,000,000 between them over the past two seasons.

Los Angeles has been struggling for years against smog and a stigma of cultural inferiority. Only the smog remains. As a vote of confidence, Producer David Merrick will launch the long-awaited British musical Oliver at the Philharmonic Auditorium in August. And this year Playbill, which prints all Broadway programs, started a Los Angeles edition.