Steve Simmons Writes

Reimagined ‘Sweeney Todd’ Gets To The Heart Of Stephen Sondheim’s Masterwork

By steve.simmons0211 February 17, 2024Theatre

Julia Rodriguez-Elliott is taking a stab at Sweeney Todd. Co-artistic director of Pasadena’s A Noise Within, known for its inventive interpretations of classic plays, she’s helming the company’s production of Stephen…

‘Dog Man: The Musical’ Brings Dav Pilkey’s Beloved Children’s Characters To Tuneful Life

By steve.simmons0211 December 20, 2023Q&A, Theatre

Brian Owen enjoys being a dog. He’s currently starring as the title character in Dog Man: The Musical, the tune-filled version of Dav Pilkey’s wildly popular children’s book, playing now…

Playwright Josefina López Sees Her Dream Come True With Debut Of ‘Real Women Have Curves’ Musical

By steve.simmons0211 December 8, 2023Theatre

Josefina López is having a good year. The musical version of her pioneering play Real Women Have Curves debuts Thursday, Dec. 14 (previews started Wednesday) at American Repertory Theatre (ART)…

Michael Michetti Helms Pasadena Playhouse’s ‘Fresh Take’ On Classic American Drama, ‘Inherit The Wind’

By steve.simmons0211 November 1, 2023Theatre

Michael Michetti is enjoying the challenge of reimagining a classic play. He’s helming the Pasadena Playhouse’s “fresh take” on Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee’s Inherit the Wind, opening today,…

Birding Connects Father, Daughter’s Complex Relationship In Odyssey’s Moving ‘Birds Of North America’

By steve.simmons0211 October 6, 2023Theatre

Family relationships—and all their intricacies—have long been fodder for novels, movies and plays. Anna Ouyang Moench’s idiosyncratic play about a father and daughter straining for a meaningful relationship and bonding…

In ‘Walking In Space,’ A Family Finally Takes Action To Save Their Mother–And Themselves

By steve.simmons0211 September 10, 2023Theatre

Drug addiction is a blight on society. Playwright Garry Michael Kluger puts a human face on the epidemic with his new play, Walking in Space, now playing at Theatre West…

ICT’s World Premiere Of Wendy Graf’s ‘Exit Wounds’ Tackles Gun Violence From A Unique Perspective

By steve.simmons0211 August 24, 2023Q&A, Theatre

Gun violence and school shootings are an epidemic plaguing our society. Wendy Graf’s play Exit Wounds takes a hard-hitting and moving look at the issue from the point of view…

Alysia Velez Lets Her Hair Down In Center Theatre Group’s ‘Into The Woods’

By steve.simmons0211 July 15, 2023Q&A, Theatre

Fairy tale characters, including Rapunzel, have settled into L.A.’s Ahmanson Theatre. She joins other classic folk-tale figures in Stephen Sondheim’s beloved musical Into the Woods, playing through Sunday, July 30.…

Casa 0101 Goes Classic With Arthur Miller’s Timeless ‘Death Of A Salesman’

By steve.simmons0211 June 12, 2023Q&A, Theatre

By Steve Simmons It’s Miller Time at Casa 0101. The Boyle Heights-based theatre company, known for showcasing Latino playwrights and artists, is presenting Arthur Miller’s American classic Death of a…

Local Tenor Todd Wilander Joins The Verdi Chorus To Celebrate Its Namesake Composer, Plus Strauss

By steve.simmons0211 April 25, 2023Music

Arcadia native Todd Wilander will show what makes him a popular leading tenor with opera companies around the world when he joins The Verdi Chorus and three other soloists for…