‘Simona’s Search’ to debut at Hartford Stage
Anew play set to come to Connecticut is aiming to take audiences on a journey of self-discovery. “Simona’s Search,” which is making its world premiere at Hartford Stage, tells the story of a girl aiming to learn more about her father’s mysterious past before he moved to the United States. The 90-minute play is set to run from Jan. 18 through Feb. 11.
The play is written by Martín Zimmerman, who is Latino as well as Argentine-American and is known for writing the crime TV series “Ozark.” Director Melia Bensussen said she has wanted to bring the show to the public since 2021 but was delayed due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s been three years that I’ve wanted to do this play,” Bensussen said. “Martín Zimmerman is incredibly generous. He is really collaborative and excited to be working with these actors. His writing allows for a lot of creativity. So it’s been really a pleasure.”
The play was originally commissioned by the La Jolla Playhouse in California, Zimmerman told the 50 Playwrights Project during an interview in 2017. During the same interview, he revealed plot details, including that Simona’s father is a political exile from Latin America. He also noted that, in an effort to understand her father, Simona becomes a trauma researcher and she begins to realize “how the trauma she’s inherited from her father” is effecting her own relationships.
“He’s so desperate to protect his daughter from the trauma and pain of his past that he tells her nothing about where she comes from—he doesn’t teach her Spanish, tell her about her heritage, etc. Of course, she slowly but surely (starting in childhood) starts to understand that her father is a deeply damaged man and that he’s hiding so much from her,” Zimmerman told the 50 Playwright’s Project in 2017.
The performance is set to star Alejandra Escalante as Simona. Escalante previously performed in plays like “All’s Well That Ends Well” at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater and “Measure for Measure” at the Goodman Theater in Chicago. Papi (Simona’s father) is played by Al Rodrigo, who has had voice roles in movies such as “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,” “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” and “Despicable Me.”
Bensussen said she hopes that the audience will have “something to think about” when they leave the theater and be able to relate the story back to their own lives.
“We’re all on some level, always trying to figure out who we’ve come from and how they’ve impacted us,” Bensussen said. “I really want people to sort of feel a greater understanding of the range of their lives and their experiences...I think people will have a range of opinions, and it’ll be fun for people to come see this play with a friend or a relative, so you’ll have someone to really talk about it.”
Bensussen said viewers can expect to hear a lot of music, observe movement and projections as well as “some surpises.” She also noted that the play has many humorous elements.
“I love how theatrical the play is. It’s going to be really visually interesting. The actors are wonderful. It’s really my favorite kind of thing,” Bensussen said. “You can’t tell it this way on any screen; you really have to be in a theater to experience the way the story is being told.”
Tickets are on sale for prices ranging from $20 to $100.