FRITZ COLEMAN’S HIT COMEDY, UNASSISTED RESIDENCY, BEGINS THIRD YEAR AT EL PORTAL MONROE FORUM WITH FULL SCHEDULE OF NEW DATES, AS EL PORTAL CELEBRATES ITS CENTENNIAL YEAR
Fritz Coleman’s show, Unassisted Residency, has just completed its second year of playing to capacity houses at the intimate Monroe Forum at the historical landmark El Portal Theatre in North Hollywood, itself celebrating its Centennial year in 2026.
Marking 100 years as an entertainment venue, the El Portal started as a vaudeville house, then showed movies, later switching to Spanish-language films. Designated a Los Angeles Historic Cultural landmark in 1993 before being damaged by the Northridge quake the following year. The theatre was restored and re-opened as a multi-stage performing arts complex in 2000. Originally designed by noted architect Lewis Arthur Snith, featuring an Art Deco marquee, the lobby was later enhanced by bas-relief artwork by Anthony Heinsbergen illustrating scenes from California history. The restored venue is a beautiful place to host entertainment, often called the “Jewel in the North Hollywood Crown.”
Unassisted Residency, created and performed by Fritz Coleman, is the longest-running solo show in the history of the El Portal.
Fritz is a beloved figure locally. The Honorary Mayor of Toluca Lake, the five-time Emmy® Award winner spent 39 years at KNBC Channel 4 where he was the public’s go-to person to get the up-to-date information about California’s weather. Unassisted Residency returns him to his comedy roots, as he was a comedian before becoming a weatherman and popular local television personality.
Comedy is certainly what we can all use in these turbulent times. Fritz delivers a show with clean content (a rarity in live comedy these days), filled with the warmth, wisdom, and wit that his many, many fans have come to expect from Fritz Coleman.
Fritz is now a senior, and that’s the basis of Unassisted Residency.. Says Fritz, “I’m old and I can’t do anything about it. I spend an hour and a half describing the common experience of aging—what it’s like to be a grandparent, what it was like having your grandkids home during the pandemic, all the changes that happen to your body, your mind, and your family life.” The show is a platform to talk about those topics which emerge from Fritz’s current perspective: that of a still vital seventy-something, covering things like retirement, becoming vegan, pharmaceuticals, celebrating growing up and growing old. The show will also feature some of his favorite stories and observations about modern life.
The show is a matinee performance. Fritz says, “The show starts early…because I’m trying to be sensitive to the needs of my particular demographic….old people and their parents. I promise to have you home by dark.”
Each monthly show will open with a special surprise guest.
“RECOMMENDED….Beguiling and very funny.”—Stage Raw
“Wonderful…Each show will continue to have the audience reflecting on their own life, while rolling in laughter.”—-Splash Magazines
“Coleman is always welcoming….We DO need a weatherman to know the way the wind blows.”—Showmag.com
Join Fritz and have the time of your life at Unassisted Residency.
WHAT: Unassisted Residency. The hit comedy show created and performed by Fritz Coleman.
Also, a special guest each month/
WHERE: El Portal Theatre, in the intimate Monroe Forum, 5269 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood, CA 91601.
WHEN: Sundays at 3 p.m. on March 1, April 26, May 31, June 28, July 26, August 30, September 27, October 25, and November 29, 2026.
ADMISSION: $40. Cocktail seating $50 (must purchase two tickets for cocktail seating).
ONLINE TICKETING: https://elportaltheatre.com/fritzcoleman.html
