News And Blogs

You give a living thing a little chance to grow. That lyric, written by Marsha Norman for The Secret Garden, neatly captures the spirit of hope that has engaged fans of the 1911 children’s literature classic, its countless movie and TV adaptations and, of course, Norman and Lucy Simon’s 1991 Tony Award-winning musical....

Taking Time to Grow

“Sometimes since I’ve been in the garden I’ve looked up through the trees at the sky and I have had a strange feeling of being happy.”– Frances Hodgson Burnett, “The Secret Garden”

Inspired by The Secret Garden: Gardening Benefits that Shouldn’t Be a Secret

Ain’t Too Proud is back in Los Angeles at the Ahmanson Theatre, and the city is ready for more. Following their Pre-Broadway performance in 2018, the show went on to garner 12 Tony Award nominations and win the 2019 Tony Award for Best Choreography. Now, audiences and fans of The Temptations (sometimes referred to as “The Temps”) are flocking...

The Legacy of The Temptations Lives on at the Ahmanson Theatre

This month’s 2:22 – A Ghost Story at the Ahmanson Theatre follows a couple and their friends as they attempt to discover what is haunting their home at 2:22 am each evening. But 2:22 – A Ghost Story isn’t the only spectral sensation to have appeared on our stages. Take a look back at some of the spooky stories that have graced our stages....

A Haunted History: Ghastly Ghosts of Center Theatre Group’s Past

Creating a new benchmark for Broadway, Hadestown demanded that theater make space for diverse voices. The show’s modern premise reflects the values of our changing culture through a transformative musical experience that reimagines Greek mythology. In 2019, it garnered 14 TONY nominations, winning eight of them, including Best New Musical. Critic...

Diversity and the Dynamic Women Behind 'Hadestown'

Could Hadestown writer and composer, Anaïs Mitchell have subconsciously predicted key elements of the world’s most devastating global crisis? The show’s world is one of suffering. Power and wealth reign supreme; the poor go hungry; seasons are unstable, and love is lost. In the real world, COVID-19 wreaks havoc, systematic racism forces persis...

'Hadestown’s' Hope and Healing Powers

From musicals to stage plays to miniseries and films, adaptations of A Christmas Carol continue to be produced, performed, and patronized. During Christmastime, homes are decorated, specialty dishes are made, carolers sing, photos are taken with Santa, gifts are purchased, and A Christmas Carol is enjoyed. Charles Dickens’ classic story of a co...

The Magic of 'A Christmas Carol' Lives On

With America preparing for its annual 4th of July celebration—albeit in a physically distanced way, perhaps unlike any time before—it must be remembered that the meaning of independence has never been equally applied to all Americans. This point is clearly taking center stage in the national dialogue, especially leading into this year’s Indep...

Exposing America's History Onstage

Sting—yes, that Sting—believes in the power of women. “Women are very important in this play—men have messed it up, we really have,” the Grammy®-winning songwriter, musician, and actor said in an interview last year about the musical he created and stars in, The Last Ship. “This is one of the main tropes of the play: it’s women who s...

'We Need More Women in Power'

Here at Center Theatre Group, we’re no strangers to showcasing spectacular love stories by way of musical theatre. The Ahmanson, in particular, has visited the crossroads of song, dance, and romance continuously since its first season more than 50 years ago through today with The Last Ship....

When Love Takes Center Stage

The Last Ship—onstage at the Ahmanson January 14 – Febuary 16, 2020, is set in Sting’s hometown of Wallsend, Tyne and Wear: a town in North East England with a rich history of not only shipbuilding, but community action. The show is set in 1986; strikes and unrest have roiled British industry for some time, and, under the leadership of Prime...

A Community of Strength: the Compelling History Behind Sting's Hometown