John Simon News

Songwriter and country music artist Brenda Cay released the upbeat and foot stomping, toe tapping honky tonk single 1-2-3-Floor on February 21, 2020 to all digital and streaming outlets. The single is currently featured on Apple Music Hot Tracks. 

For the first time in its 20 years Dragon is mounting two plays at the same time on an alternating schedule. Why? Because while being very different plays, they share much of the same DNA.

Trisha Brown Dance Company will celebrate its 50th anniversary at The Joyce Theater (April 21-26) with an historical season commemorating Brown's extraordinary partnership with visual artist Robert Rauschenberg. Over the course of five decades, Brown and Rauschenberg maintained a remarkable creative dialogue, drawing inspiration from each other while investigating the visual and the kinetic. The Joyce program features two pivotal works: Foray Forêt, with original costumes by Rauschenberg, and Astral Converted, featuring Rauschenberg's costumes and mobile set of lighting towers. 

On Tuesday Evening, February 11th, Jennifer Pace* and The Jennifer Pace Quartet began residency at The Laurie Beechman Theatre on Theatre Row in NYC. She will be playing the 2nd Tuesday Night of every month through May. (Next up: March 11th at 7PM) . Featuring Gary Pace, John Simon, Tom Kirchmer, Gil Chimes, and Warren Vache. 

Jennifer Pace is an actress and singer who has performed in numerous theatres and clubs throughout the USA and abroad.

2019 has come and gone, and we are reflecting on those we have lost in the Broadway and theatre communities throughout the year.

Steven John Simon, rising country artist released his debut EP 'Story To Tell' on December 13, 2019. Steven John Simon's debut EP rounds out his first full year as a new country artist. This has been a year of 'firsts' for Steven John Simon.  The Marine Veteran went from working off-shore full time, single father of two to a whirlwind of studio time, song writing, taking care of his fast growing fan base to performing at festivals and venues in the south east. 

The American Dance Festival (ADF) will present the 2020 Samuel H. Scripps/American Dance Festival Award for lifetime achievement to acclaimed choreographer Shen Wei. Established in 1981 by Samuel H. Scripps, the annual award honors choreographers who have dedicated their lives and talent to the creation of modern dance. Shen Wei will be in residence at ADF during the 2020 season working on his latest ADF commission set on ADF students. ADF Director Emeritus Charles L. Reinhart will present the $50,000 award in a brief ceremony on Thursday, July 23rd at 8:00pm, prior to the Footprints performance in Reynolds Industries Theater.

Today's top stories: The Prom on Netflix has found its Emma, and more!

Today Keen Company Artistic Director Jonathan Silverstein announced his plans for Keen's Playwrights Lab, including readings from this year's participants as well as the playwrights for the 2020 Lab.

BroadwayWorld is saddened to report that theatre critic John Simon has passed away at the age of 94.

Juilliard Dance, under the direction of Alicia Graf Mack, announces New Dances: Edition 2019 taking place December 11-15, 2019, in Juilliard's Peter Jay Sharp Theater. The first-year dancers are working with alumna and acclaimed choreographer Amy Hall Garner. The second-year class is working with Jamar Roberts, a dancer and resident choreographer at Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.

Steven John Simon, rising country artist released his debut EP 'Story To Tell' for pre-order on November 15th. Steven John Simon's debut EP rounds out his first full year as a new country artist. The Debut EP will be released on December 13th 2019.  The EP 'Story To Tell' is composed of five tracks including his first release Tongue Tied written by Brenda Kornblum which debuted at #68 on iTunes.  Next on the EP play list is Eyes Closed written by Bryce Mauldin and Casey Carpenter followed by Life Is Good written by John Spears. The Title Track Story to Tell written by Rob Carona was pitched to Heart Songs Records by Carona. This song had a lot of personal meaning to me so finding the right artist to 'tell the story' was important. Steven Simon's true country vocal and his authentic delivery was so great to hear.' - Rob Carona, Songwriter

One Performance Only! This Sunday, November 3, 2019! Long ago but not far away at all, there were many TV Variety Shows, Award Ceremonies, Music Centers and Theatre abounding with live Musical Performances, all with massive budgets; and dancers in this town, Los Angeles, made a darn good living, albeit having to work their asses off to do so, but it was a good and plentiful, fulfilling life. Besides myself, there was a plethora of working, professional dancers who ended up bonding together pretty easily, as a dancer's life is one of a nomad, or gypsy, going from one job to another, but in doing so, finding kindred spirits and lifelong connections. Jay Johnson, husband of one of these dancers and artistically gifted himself, was part of the artistic community, as was his wife, Sandi, and, typical with dancers, became close friends and comrades with other dancers, choreographers, and like-minded performers. As Jay was earning international fame as a ventriloquist, actor and comedian, and starring on the hit TV Series 'Soap,' us dancers were slaving away, happy to be able to make a living doing what we loved. Jay is best known for his role on ' Soap' as Chuck Campbell, a ventriloquist who believed his puppet Bob was real and demanded everyone treat Bob as human.

Sundance Institute announced today two support tracks for artists from underrepresented communities, continuing the Institute's commitment to fostering inclusive artistic visions. Announced today are the eight members of the second class of the Momentum Fellowship, a full-year program of deep, customized creative and professional support for writers, directors, and producers from underrepresented communities who are poised to take the next step in their careers, working across documentary and feature filmmaking, and episodic content. Sundance Institute also announced the four awardees of the inaugural Launch Grant Fund, a new opportunity for emerging filmmakers from underrepresented communities launching their first feature film.

Jazz singer Mark Winkler has just released a new album on singer Bobby Troup and will do a CD release party at Feinstein's Upstairs at Vitello's on August 23. In our chat, Winkler talks about his background, his love for Troup, jazz and the overall world of music. Tell our readers about your background. Where are you from? How did you get interested in music, especially jazz?

The OutWrite LGBTQ Book Festival, a celebration of queer literature, runs from Friday, August 2nd to Sunday, August 4th. OutWrite is the premiere LGBTQ literature festival in the Washington, D.C. area. The festival features more than ninety authors, forty exhibitors, and a full day of readings and intimate panels. The festival concludes on Sunday with six writing workshops, open to emerging and experienced writers.

Grammy Award-nominated folk-rock singer-songwriter Steve Forbert brings his band, the New Renditions, and his distinctive folk-rock sound to Club Helsinki Hudson on Thursday, July 18, at 8pm. Best known for hit songs 'Romeo's Tune' and 'Goin' Down to Laurel,' Forbert was touted as a 'new Dylan' when he burst upon the scene in downtown New York in the mid-1970s.

Dance Theatre of Harlem celebrates 50 years of dance at Jacob's Pillow and commemorates the legacy of their late co-founder Arthur Mitchell in the Ted Shawn Theatre, July 10-14. Founding member and principal dancer Virginia Johnson now leads the multi-ethnic ballet company known for their innovative repertoire, acclaimed as "classy, earnest, and potent" (LA Times). Returning to the Pillow for the first time in five years, Dance Theatre of Harlem performs a program showcasing the dancers' diverse technical expertise in Darrell Grand Moultrie's Harlem on My Mind, Christopher Wheeldon's This Bitter Earth, George Balanchine's Valse Fantaisie, and premiering at the Pillow, an expanded version of Jacob's Pillow Dance Award winner Annabelle Lopez Ochoa's Balamouk.

In this one-man tour de force, Crawford plays a variety of roles brilliantly, including that of Barbra Streisand.