Latest news with #Metzler
Los Angeles Times
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Playwright Molly Smith Metzler scores with ‘Sirens' on Netflix: L.A. arts and culture this week
'Sirens,' starring Julianne Moore, Kevin Bacon, Milly Alcock and Meghann Fahy, debuted over Memorial Day weekend as Netflix's most-watched show with 16.7 million viewers. What many of those viewers might not have known: The series is based on a play. Created by Molly Smith Metzler, 'Sirens' is adapted from a 2011 one-act, 'Elemeno Pea,' which Metzler wrote when she was at Juilliard. The play premiered that year as part of the 35th anniversary of the Humana Festival of New American Plays in Louisville. It also staged a run at South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa in 2012. 'Sirens' and 'Elemeno Pea' are about a young woman who overcomes a tough childhood only to drop out of law school and become a personal assistant to a billionaire's narcissistic wife. Cutting satire ensues when the girl's street-smart sister, who believes her sibling is being devoured whole by the 1 percent, intervenes to save her. The show is a meditation on class and what might best be described as a distinctly American caste system — one in which people from disadvantaged or working-class backgrounds can achieve the trappings of success without ever truly being accepted in the rarefied rooms they occupy. Metzler knows of what she writes — having ascended from the world of struggling playwrights to that of well-paid television writers while raising a young daughter. She was lucky to come into her own during the era of peak TV when the strong storytelling skills of playwrights were in high demand for screen projects. I first met Metzler in 2018 when I wrote about the West Coast premiere of her play 'Cry It Out' at Atwater Village Theatre. She is warm and welcoming, a devoted mother and a savvy businesswoman and artist. At that time Metzler had already written for the TV shows 'Casual' and 'Shameless,' but in 2021 she broke through as a showrunner for the Netflix limited series 'Maid,' which she adapted from Stephanie Land's bestselling memoir. The Emmy-nominated show became the streamer's fourth-most watched show that year. Metzler recruited fellow playwrights Bekah Brunstetter and Marcus Gardley to write for 'Maid.' Brunstetter, whose 2015 play, 'The Cake,' ran at La Jolla Playhouse, also penned an episode of 'Sirens.' The remaining four episodes were written by Metzler and her husband, Colin McKenna, also a playwright. When 'Elemeno Pea' first ran at South Coast Rep, Metzler was 33 and living with McKenna in Brooklyn Heights. The Kingston, N.Y.-native told The Times in an interview that the play was based on her own experience getting to know an outrageously rich woman on Martha's Vineyard during a post-collegiate stay to gather material for future plays. Back then Metzler told The Times: 'I don't want to be a screenwriter. I might write screenplays to pay my rent — most playwrights do — but I am compelled by how hard this art is. I love the challenge of it.' Metzler has now achieved a rare kind of success: She gets the best of both worlds. I'm arts and culture writer Jessica Gelt, binge-watching my way through Metzler's oeuvre. Here's your weekly dose of arts news. 'World of the Terracotta Warriors' has opened at the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana, with more than a hundred artifacts dating from 2300 BC and discovered in Shimao, one of the earliest walled cities in China. Life-size ceramic warrior sculptures are on view with jade, gold and bronze relics in an exhibition organized by the Bowers with the Shaanxi Provincial Cultural Heritage Administration, Shaanxi Cultural Heritage Promotion Center and Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum of the People's Republic of China. This special exhibition costs $11-$29. The museum is open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesdays-Sundays, through Oct. 19. President Trump announced Friday that he is firing Kim Sajet, the longtime director of the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery, for being 'a highly partisan person, and a strong supporter of DEI.' The move is Trump's latest push to align national arts institutions with his political agenda. In February, he dismissed much of the Kennedy Center board to have himself appointed chairman. In March, he targeted the Smithsonian Institution by issuing an executive order demanding an end to federal funding for exhibitions and programs based on racial themes that 'divide Americans.' Times music critic Mark Swed was in New York to gauge the reception to Gustavo Dudamel, a year ahead of his official start at music and artistic director of the New York Philharmonic. The verdict: So far, so good. Nadya Tolokonnikova, a founding member of the Russian all-female punk band Pussy Riot and a prominent political activist, is staging a durational performance piece at Museum of Contemporary Art titled 'Police State.' The work, which runs from Thursday to June 14, consists of Tolokonnikova sitting at a bare wooden table inside of a corrugated steel structure resembling a Russian prison cell. She plans to stay in this artscape throughout the day and night— eating, drinking and even going to the restroom. She will occasionally perform what the museum is calling 'soundscapes' — a mix of lullabies, screaming and noise rock. Visitors to the museum can watch her through peepholes and via feed from a security camera. Tolokonnikova's performance is born from hard, personal experience. She spent nearly two years in a Russian prison after being arrested for a 2012 performance in Moscow's Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. The world-premiere play 'The Reservoir' by Jake Brasch is in rehearsals at Geffen Playhouse in Westwood. The heartfelt comedy finds two hilarious grandparents, Shrimpy and Bev, helping their grandson Josh navigate life during a difficult stretch of time. Veteran actor Lee Wilkof plays Shrimpy, and the Geffen recently shared an interesting tidbit of trivia with The Times about him: In 1982 Wilkof originated the role of Seymour in the Workshop of the Players Art Foundation's off-off-Broadway world premiere of 'Little Shop of Horrors' alongside Ellen Greene as Audrey. The show soon debuted off-Broadway at the Orpheum Theatre in the East Village. In 1983 Wilkof and Greene performed the musical at Geffen Playhouse, which was called the Westwood Playhouse at the time. 'The Reservoir' marks Wilkof's return to the building and its stage. Here's a clip of Wilkof and Greene performing 'Somewhere That's Green' and 'Suddenly Seymour' on 'The Tonight Show' in 1983. Interested in tarot? A show with the lengthy and informative title of 'Tarot in Time: A Collection of Rare & Out of Print Decks and Original Tarot Art,' recently opened at the Philosophical Research Society. It's part of the inaugural Los Angeles Festival of Tarot, and it's scheduled to run through June 29. A mom-nod of approval for MOCA for providing children with worksheets relating to its Olafur Eliasson exhibition 'Open' at the Geffen Contemporary in Little Tokyo. The worksheets, which are handed out with a pencil and clipboard, give kids a series of questions relating to each piece of art, encouraging them to engage on a deeper level than they would if they were just cruising through with parents. Finished worksheets can be exchanged at the front desk for a prize: a cute pin that reads 'Art Is for Everyone.'
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Actor Lauren Weedman Was Diagnosed With Bell's Palsy. Then, Hollywood Showed Up In The Most Unexpected Way.
Actor Lauren Weedman has depended on her lovely, expressive face to make a living in Hollywood for more than three decades. Weedman cracked audiences up in projects including 'Date Night,' 'Looking,' 'Will & Grace,' 'Arrested Development,' 'Euphoria,' 'Special' and 'Mom.' Recently, she's had recurring roles on Emmy-winning comedies 'Abbott Elementary' and 'Hacks.' Then, last August, the 56-year-old actor experienced severe facial paralysis. Weedman had developed Bell's palsy, which temporarily paralyzes the muscles on one side of the face. The exact cause of the condition is unknown, but Bell's palsy often stems from a viral infection that inflames the facial nerve. Stress can be a contributor. Her symptoms included complete freezing of the right side of her face, an inability to align her lips and smile normally, an inability to close her right eye, headache and general malaise. The paralysis began at the start of a three-week break from work. Weedman wasn't auditioning for new gigs. She was already employed, having shot two episodes of the new hourlong dark comedy 'Sirens,' which premiered May 22 on Netflix. 'The idea of sitting out and waiting for it to get better just was not an option,' Weedman wrote in a text to me. Some patients diagnosed with Bell's palsy experience drastic improvement in a few weeks. Many performers might've stayed silent about the condition, hoping to pick up where they left off once production resumed. Weedman knew she couldn't afford to wait out the symptoms. Not only because the single mom needed the money, but because she desperately wanted to remain part of that stellar 'Sirens' ensemble. Created by showrunner Molly Smith Metzler and based on her play 'Elemeno Pea,' the sexy, suspenseful, female-focused limited series stars Julianne Moore, Meghann Fahy, Milly Alcock, Kevin Bacon and Glenn Howerton. Weedman was cast as Patrice, the longtime chef of Moore's family. With three episodes left to shoot, that show had to go on. But without Weedman? Not if she had her say. 'I wanted to talk to [the 'Sirens' team] about it as soon as I could so I wouldn't be stressed the whole time,' the actor told me over Zoom from her home in Santa Monica, California. A video conference was scheduled between Weedman, Metzler and Quyen Tran, the director of Episodes 3 and 4. 'At that point, I had fallen in love with Lauren like everyone else had,' Metzler said in a phone interview. 'I just felt awful that she was going through something like that.' Grateful for Weedman's forthrightness — and struck by how candidly and hilariously she spoke about her symptoms — Metzler let the actor take the lead in making next steps. Whatever she needed, they'd make her performance for the series happen. 'We didn't even wanna conceive of the show without her in it,' Metzler said. '[Molly] was so kind … But it was really hard for me to think that I mattered,' Weedman said. Part of it was her Midwestern upbringing. The actor was born in Terre Haute, Indiana, then adopted and raised in Indianapolis. Mainly, Weedman was embarrassed. 'You don't make a big thing out of being hurt or sick,' Weedman said. So, she suggested they write Bell's palsy into her character's storyline. Metzler, surprised and impressed that Weedman was 'so, so game,' agreed. 'It's such a terrific character trait,' Metzler said, adding that the tortured, long-suffering Patrice is made more relatable and likable by uttering the line, 'Every summer, this happens; the stress of this job, my Bell's palsy is back.' This wasn't Weedman's first bout with Bell's palsy. She'd had a mild case while pregnant with her son, Leo, now 15, but it resolved relatively swiftly. This felt dreadfully different. By the time she returned to set, Weedman had gone through steroid and antiviral therapy, was receiving acupuncture and had quit drinking to reduce inflammation. At night, she'd tape her right eye shut to keep it from drying out. While she feared her performance would suffer, it didn't. But the fatigue and pain were unrelenting, and the prospect of watching herself made Weedman cringe. 'If it serves the character, I don't care if I look heavy or fat or bad or whatever,' she declared. 'But this one was a new level of [vanity].' Once 'Sirens' wrapped, Weedman still wasn't out of the woods. She'd long ago booked two recurring guest spots: 'Abbott Elementary,' where she plays Kristin Marie Schemmenti, the snarky sister of Melissa (Lisa Ann Walter), and 'Hacks,' where she portrays feisty Las Vegas Mayor Jo Pezzimenti. In both, she took the same tack. 'Our first and foremost concern was her health, and whether she felt comfortable being on camera,' 'Hacks' creator, showrunner and director Lucia Aniello shared via email. 'When she said she wanted to shoot, we just went with it!' Quinta Brunson, creator and star of ABC's 'Abbott Elementary,' said she was 'really excited about the opportunity' to keep working with Weedman through the condition. 'The way I look at it, that is what normalizes any form of otherness,' Brunson said. 'Her dealing with it falls in line with who [Lauren] is. She just rolls with the punches and does her job.' Weedman's face has visibly improved since shooting 'Sirens,' 'Abbott' and 'Hacks,' but her neurologist recently cautioned it might take a full year for her to recover completely. She credits talent reps Christie Smith and Lindsay Cohen of Rise Management with recently helping her land a guest spot as a psychotherapist on the upcoming second season of Netflix's 'Nobody Wants This.' But she also said she lost parts on at least two series — a new comedy, an Emmy-nominated drama — due to not yet having regained full control of her facial features. Weedman is at peace with all of it because she's 'so happy' she was able to keep working. And so, she marches on, buoyed by the unconditional support of her teen son, who told her, 'Mom, it's no big deal. This is your Bell's palsy era, that's all.'
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Actor Lauren Weedman Was Diagnosed With Bell's Palsy. Then, Hollywood Showed Up In The Most Unexpected Way.
Actor Lauren Weedman has depended on her lovely, expressive face to make a living in Hollywood for more than three decades. Weedman cracked audiences up in projects including 'Date Night,' 'Looking,' 'Will & Grace,' 'Arrested Development,' 'Euphoria,' 'Special' and 'Mom.' Recently, she's had recurring roles on Emmy-winning comedies 'Abbott Elementary' and 'Hacks.' Then, last August, the 56-year-old actor experienced severe facial paralysis. Weedman had developed Bell's palsy, which temporarily paralyzes the muscles on one side of the face. The exact cause of the condition is unknown, but Bell's palsy often stems from a viral infection that inflames the facial nerve. Stress can be a contributor. Her symptoms included complete freezing of the right side of her face, an inability to align her lips and smile normally, an inability to close her right eye, headache and general malaise. The paralysis began at the start of a three-week break from work. Weedman wasn't auditioning for new gigs. She was already employed, having shot two episodes of the new hourlong dark comedy 'Sirens,' which premiered May 22 on Netflix. 'The idea of sitting out and waiting for it to get better just was not an option,' Weedman wrote in a text to me. Some patients diagnosed with Bell's palsy experience drastic improvement in a few weeks. Many performers might've stayed silent about the condition, hoping to pick up where they left off once production resumed. Weedman knew she couldn't afford to wait out the symptoms. Not only because the single mom needed the money, but because she desperately wanted to remain part of that stellar 'Sirens' ensemble. Created by showrunner Molly Smith Metzler and based on her play 'Elemeno Pea,' the sexy, suspenseful, female-focused limited series stars Julianne Moore, Meghann Fahy, Milly Alcock, Kevin Bacon and Glenn Howerton. Weedman was cast as Patrice, the longtime chef of Moore's family. With three episodes left to shoot, that show had to go on. But without Weedman? Not if she had her say. 'I wanted to talk to [the 'Sirens' team] about it as soon as I could so I wouldn't be stressed the whole time,' the actor told me over Zoom from her home in Santa Monica, California. A video conference was scheduled between Weedman, Metzler and Quyen Tran, the director of Episodes 3 and 4. 'At that point, I had fallen in love with Lauren like everyone else had,' Metzler said in a phone interview. 'I just felt awful that she was going through something like that.' Grateful for Weedman's forthrightness — and struck by how candidly and hilariously she spoke about her symptoms — Metzler let the actor take the lead in making next steps. Whatever she needed, they'd make her performance for the series happen. 'We didn't even wanna conceive of the show without her in it,' Metzler said. '[Molly] was so kind … But it was really hard for me to think that I mattered,' Weedman said. Part of it was her Midwestern upbringing. The actor was born in Terre Haute, Indiana, then adopted and raised in Indianapolis. Mainly, Weedman was embarrassed. 'You don't make a big thing out of being hurt or sick,' Weedman said. So, she suggested they write Bell's palsy into her character's storyline. Metzler, surprised and impressed that Weedman was 'so, so game,' agreed. 'It's such a terrific character trait,' Metzler said, adding that the tortured, long-suffering Patrice is made more relatable and likable by uttering the line, 'Every summer, this happens; the stress of this job, my Bell's palsy is back.' This wasn't Weedman's first bout with Bell's palsy. She'd had a mild case while pregnant with her son, Leo, now 15, but it resolved relatively swiftly. This felt dreadfully different. By the time she returned to set, Weedman had gone through steroid and antiviral therapy, was receiving acupuncture and had quit drinking to reduce inflammation. At night, she'd tape her right eye shut to keep it from drying out. While she feared her performance would suffer, it didn't. But the fatigue and pain were unrelenting, and the prospect of watching herself made Weedman cringe. 'If it serves the character, I don't care if I look heavy or fat or bad or whatever,' she declared. 'But this one was a new level of [vanity].' Once 'Sirens' wrapped, Weedman still wasn't out of the woods. She'd long ago booked two recurring guest spots: 'Abbott Elementary,' where she plays Kristin Marie Schemmenti, the snarky sister of Melissa (Lisa Ann Walter), and 'Hacks,' where she portrays feisty Las Vegas Mayor Jo Pezzimenti. In both, she took the same tack. 'Our first and foremost concern was her health, and whether she felt comfortable being on camera,' 'Hacks' creator, showrunner and director Lucia Aniello shared via email. 'When she said she wanted to shoot, we just went with it!' Quinta Brunson, creator and star of ABC's 'Abbott Elementary,' said she was 'really excited about the opportunity' to keep working with Weedman through the condition. 'The way I look at it, that is what normalizes any form of otherness,' Brunson said. 'Her dealing with it falls in line with who [Lauren] is. She just rolls with the punches and does her job.' Weedman's face has visibly improved since shooting 'Sirens,' 'Abbott' and 'Hacks,' but her neurologist recently cautioned it might take a full year for her to recover completely. She credits talent reps Christie Smith and Lindsay Cohen of Rise Management with recently helping her land a guest spot as a psychotherapist on the upcoming second season of Netflix's 'Nobody Wants This.' But she also said she lost parts on at least two series — a new comedy, an Emmy-nominated drama — due to not yet having regained full control of her facial features. Weedman is at peace with all of it because she's 'so happy' she was able to keep working. And so, she marches on, buoyed by the unconditional support of her teen son, who told her, 'Mom, it's no big deal. This is your Bell's palsy era, that's all.'
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Actor Lauren Weedman Was Diagnosed With Bell's Palsy. Then, Hollywood Showed Up In The Most Unexpected Way.
Actor Lauren Weedman has depended on her lovely, expressive face to make a living in Hollywood for more than three decades. Weedman cracked audiences up in projects including 'Date Night,' 'Looking,' 'Will & Grace,' 'Arrested Development,' 'Euphoria,' 'Special' and 'Mom.' Recently, she's had recurring roles on Emmy-winning comedies 'Abbott Elementary' and 'Hacks.' Then, last August, the 56-year-old actor experienced severe facial paralysis. Weedman had developed Bell's palsy, which temporarily paralyzes the muscles on one side of the face. The exact cause of the condition is unknown, but Bell's palsy often stems from a viral infection that inflames the facial nerve. Stress can be a contributor. Her symptoms included complete freezing of the right side of her face, an inability to align her lips and smile normally, an inability to close her right eye, headache and general malaise. The paralysis began at the start of a three-week break from work. Weedman wasn't auditioning for new gigs. She was already employed, having shot two episodes of the new hourlong dark comedy 'Sirens,' which premiered May 22 on Netflix. 'The idea of sitting out and waiting for it to get better just was not an option,' Weedman wrote in a text to me. Some patients diagnosed with Bell's palsy experience drastic improvement in a few weeks. Many performers might've stayed silent about the condition, hoping to pick up where they left off once production resumed. Weedman knew she couldn't afford to wait out the symptoms. Not only because the single mom needed the money, but because she desperately wanted to remain part of that stellar 'Sirens' ensemble. Created by showrunner Molly Smith Metzler and based on her play 'Elemeno Pea,' the sexy, suspenseful, female-focused limited series stars Julianne Moore, Meghann Fahy, Milly Alcock, Kevin Bacon and Glenn Howerton. Weedman was cast as Patrice, the longtime chef of Moore's family. With three episodes left to shoot, that show had to go on. But without Weedman? Not if she had her say. 'I wanted to talk to [the 'Sirens' team] about it as soon as I could so I wouldn't be stressed the whole time,' the actor told me over Zoom from her home in Santa Monica, California. A video conference was scheduled between Weedman, Metzler and Quyen Tran, the director of Episodes 3 and 4. 'At that point, I had fallen in love with Lauren like everyone else had,' Metzler said in a phone interview. 'I just felt awful that she was going through something like that.' Grateful for Weedman's forthrightness — and struck by how candidly and hilariously she spoke about her symptoms — Metzler let the actor take the lead in making next steps. Whatever she needed, they'd make her performance for the series happen. 'We didn't even wanna conceive of the show without her in it,' Metzler said. '[Molly] was so kind … But it was really hard for me to think that I mattered,' Weedman said. Part of it was her Midwestern upbringing. The actor was born in Terre Haute, Indiana, then adopted and raised in Indianapolis. Mainly, Weedman was embarrassed. 'You don't make a big thing out of being hurt or sick,' Weedman said. So, she suggested they write Bell's palsy into her character's storyline. Metzler, surprised and impressed that Weedman was 'so, so game,' agreed. 'It's such a terrific character trait,' Metzler said, adding that the tortured, long-suffering Patrice is made more relatable and likable by uttering the line, 'Every summer, this happens; the stress of this job, my Bell's palsy is back.' This wasn't Weedman's first bout with Bell's palsy. She'd had a mild case while pregnant with her son, Leo, now 15, but it resolved relatively swiftly. This felt dreadfully different. By the time she returned to set, Weedman had gone through steroid and antiviral therapy, was receiving acupuncture and had quit drinking to reduce inflammation. At night, she'd tape her right eye shut to keep it from drying out. While she feared her performance would suffer, it didn't. But the fatigue and pain were unrelenting, and the prospect of watching herself made Weedman cringe. 'If it serves the character, I don't care if I look heavy or fat or bad or whatever,' she declared. 'But this one was a new level of [vanity].' Once 'Sirens' wrapped, Weedman still wasn't out of the woods. She'd long ago booked two recurring guest spots: 'Abbott Elementary,' where she plays Kristin Marie Schemmenti, the snarky sister of Melissa (Lisa Ann Walter), and 'Hacks,' where she portrays feisty Las Vegas Mayor Jo Pezzimenti. In both, she took the same tack. 'Our first and foremost concern was her health, and whether she felt comfortable being on camera,' 'Hacks' creator, showrunner and director Lucia Aniello shared via email. 'When she said she wanted to shoot, we just went with it!' Quinta Brunson, creator and star of ABC's 'Abbott Elementary,' said she was 'really excited about the opportunity' to keep working with Weedman through the condition. 'The way I look at it, that is what normalizes any form of otherness,' Brunson said. 'Her dealing with it falls in line with who [Lauren] is. She just rolls with the punches and does her job.' Weedman's face has visibly improved since shooting 'Sirens,' 'Abbott' and 'Hacks,' but her neurologist recently cautioned it might take a full year for her to recover completely. She credits talent reps Christie Smith and Lindsay Cohen of Rise Management with recently helping her land a guest spot as a psychotherapist on the upcoming second season of Netflix's 'Nobody Wants This.' But she also said she lost parts on at least two series — a new comedy, an Emmy-nominated drama — due to not yet having regained full control of her facial features. Weedman is at peace with all of it because she's 'so happy' she was able to keep working. And so, she marches on, buoyed by the unconditional support of her teen son, who told her, 'Mom, it's no big deal. This is your Bell's palsy era, that's all.'
Cosmopolitan
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Cosmopolitan
Sirens creator shares hidden meaning behind Kiki's locket
PSA: Netflix recently dropped the most binge-worthy thriller series on the streaming platform, Sirens. The show follows Devon, a troubled young woman from Buffalo, New York, who travels to a lavish coastal island to reconnect with her sister, Simone. But when she gets there, she finds Simone engulfed in a cult-like world, working for enigmatic billionaire, Michaela "Kiki" Kell. Over the course of the five episodes, Devon tries to convince Simone to return home to help take care of their ailing father, who is suffering from dementia. But as she gets sucked deeper into the world of the ultra rich, she becomes concerned that Simone and Kiki's relationship is too co-dependent, and that her sister is losing sight of who she really is. For the eagle-eyed viewers amongst us, you'll have noticed that when Kiki welcomes people into her inner circle, she gifts them a locket, similar to her own. But, is there another hidden meaning behind this understated piece of jewellery? Sirens creator, Molly Smith Metzler, who penned the play Elmeno Pea, which the series is based on, recently shed some light on this. While speaking to Variety, she explained that the lockets are a real thing in Nantucket, Massachusetts, a wealthy island that the fictional locale of Port Haven bears a similarity to. Metzler said: "It's something you can only buy in Nantucket, they're called basket necklaces, and they usually have ivory from Wales in them. But they're very expensive, they're handmade, and everyone in Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard is wearing them." For context, Metzler used to work at the Yacht Club in Martha's Vineyard, and revealed that many of the show's details were inspired by her time working there. Metzler then shared that the necklaces are a "status symbol," and "you're not in the club if you don't have one." While the pieces in Sirens aren't from Nantucket, Metzler noted that the show's costume designer, Caroline Duncan, made these versions. She concluded: "It's a great symbol of having arrived. You have the key, you have the necklace, but it's a little culty. It's a little like wearing a cross, like a religion. You know something that everyone else doesn't." Sirens is now streaming on Netflix.
