David Green - Page 23

Pippin, Broadway's high-flying, death-defying hit musical drops in at The McCallum Theatre for a week long engagement, January 12-17. Full of extraordinary acrobatics, wondrous magical feats and soaring songs from the composer of Wicked, Pippin 'lifts you up and leaves you smiling', say press notes. Directed by Diane Paulus, the revival of Pippin won four 2013 Tony Awards® including 'Best Musical Revival' and has been hailed as 'an eye-popping, jaw-dropping extravaganza' (NY1). Erik Altemus originated the role of Lewis in the Broadway revival and is now on the road, reprising his role, in this national touring iteration. I had the opportunity to chat with Erik about the production and 'all things Erik'. Here are a few excerpts from that conversation.

The 28th Frank Sinatra Celebrity Invitational, February 18-20, 2016, will be a very special event honoring '100 Years of Sinatra' and the life of one of the most celebrated singers of this century.  Frank Sinatra is known as an iconic entertainer who comes along once in a lifetime and on December 12 this year he would've been 100 years old. This year's memorable two-day celebrity-amateur golf tournament will be held at Eagle Falls Golf Course at the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California.  Barbara Sinatra is the gracious hostess along with Joe Mantegna, current star of the CBS hit drama Criminal Minds.  Barbara and Joe will be joined by celebrities such as: Tom Dreesen, Grant Fuhr, Beverly Johnson, William DeVane, Jim McMahon, Ann Meyers-Drysdale, Elke Sommer, Kevin Sorbo and many more to be announced at a later date.

The Palm Springs Cultural Center and Musical Theatre University (MTU) are teaming up this year to create a brand new holiday show - White Christmas - A Palm Springs Holiday Spectacular. 'This is a perfect way to celebrate the holidays with the whole family,' said David Green, Founder of Musical Theatre University. 'We plan to screen the holiday classic, White Christmas, at the Camelot Theatres, and combine the screening with a live thirty minute fully staged holiday production featuring the kids from Musical Theatre University.' This is the first time any theatre in The Inland Empire has combined a live theatrical event with a motion picture screening. And as an added treat -- it will actually SNOW in the theatre!

Grammy Nominated Singer-Songwriter Lisa Loeb brings her signature vocal stylings to The Copa Palm Springs for one special performance, December 11 at 8:00 pm. Loeb is a touring artist, author and philanthropist who started her career with the platinum-selling Number 1 hit song "Stay (I Missed You)" from the film Reality Bites. A trailblazing independent artist, Lisa was the first pop musician to have a Number 1 single while not signed to a recording contract. She followed that remarkable feat with the hit singles 'Do You Sleep,' 'I Do' and 'Let's Forget about It " and the albums Cake and Pie and No Fairy Tale, among others. I had the chance to catch up with Lisa as she was preparing for her upcoming Copa Concert. Here are a few excerpts from that conversation; 

The Palm Springs Cultural Center and Musical Theatre University (MTU) are teaming up this year to create a brand new holiday show - White Christmas - A Palm Springs Holiday Spectacular. 'This is a perfect way to celebrate the holidays with the whole family,' said David Green, Founder of Musical Theatre University. 'We plan to screen the holiday classic, White Christmas, at the Camelot Theatres, and combine the screening with a live thirty minute fully staged holiday production featuring the kids from Musical Theatre University.' This is the first time any theatre in The Inland Empire has combined a live theatrical event with a motion picture screening. And as an added treat -- it will actually SNOW in the theatre!

For one 'wonderfully entertaining' night only, Coyote Stageworks brought to the stage an all-star cast in a tremendously engaging staged-reading of Oscar Wilde's THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST -- with a twist! Helmed, and created, by Tony Winner David Zippel, this EARNEST was set in modern day Manhattan and The Hamptons and was a (mostly) very satisfying adaptation. This special benefit performance marked the start of Coyote Stageworks' seventh season in the desert and their highly anticipated return to their home at The Annemberg Theatre in Palm Springs. As my readers know, I have long hailed Coyote Stageworks as the benchmark for professional theatre in the Coachella Valley and this stellar production gave no exception to that rule.

The quintessential backstage musical comedy classic 42nd STREET comes to the McCallum Theatre with a sparkling new production for seven performances tonight, November 24, through Sunday, November 29.

The McCallum Theatre and Fitz's Jazz Cafe at the McCallum present Al Jarreau tonight, November 21, at 8:00pm.

Through the generosity of Tim and Barbara Arnstein, the McCallum Theatre presents humorist Jeanne Robertson on Today, November 20, at 8:00pm. Jeanne Robertson charms audiences with her humorous observations about life around her. This former Miss North Carolina, standing tall at 6'2", has an infectious personality and sense of humor. Jeanne achieved national attention after a handful of humorous clips from her talks became viral videos in 2009.  With seven DVDs, three books and more than 18 million YouTube hits, the demand for Jeanne's family friendly and engaging brand of comedy has grown exponentially. Her anecdotes air regularly on satellite radio comedy channels including XM Radio's Laugh USA - The Family Comedy Channel. Some of her most popular anecdotes include 'Don't Go to Vegas Without A Baptist,' 'Don't Bungee Jump Naked' and 'Don't Send a Man to the Grocery Store.'  Her witty depiction of everyday situations never fails to have audiences of all ages rolling with laughter.

The McCallum Theatre presents Jason Petty tonight, October 24, at 8:00pm. Jason, who wowed the McCallum audience with his portrayal of Hank Williams, is back with a new show Hank and My Honky Tonk Heroes. Hear the great songs of country music legends like Jimmie Rodgers, Roy Acuff, Ernest Tubb, George Jones and, of course, Hank Williams in this energetic show!

The quintessential backstage musical comedy classic 42nd STREET comes to the McCallum Theatre with a sparkling new production for seven performances Tuesday, November 24, through Sunday, November 29.42nd STREET is the song and dance fable of Broadway, with an American Dream story and some of the greatest songs ever written, including "We're In The Money," "Lullaby of Broadway," "Shuffle Off to Buffalo," "Dames," "I Only Have Eyes For You," and, of course, "42nd Street." Based on a novel by Bradford Ropes and Busby Berkeley's 1933 movie, 42nd STREET tells the story of a starry-eyed young dancer named Peggy Sawyer who leaves her Allentown home and comes to New York to audition for the new Broadway musical Pretty Lady. When the leading lady breaks her ankle, Peggy takes over and becomes a star.

The 28th Frank Sinatra Celebrity Invitational, February 18-20, 2016, will be a very special event honoring "100 Years of Sinatra" and the life of one of the most celebrated singers of this century.  Frank Sinatra is known as an iconic entertainer who comes along once in a lifetime and on December 12 this year he would've been 100 years old. This year's memorable two-day celebrity-amateur golf tournament will be held at Eagle Falls Golf Course at the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California.  Barbara Sinatra is the gracious hostess along with Joe Mantegna, current star of the CBS hit drama Criminal Minds.  Barbara and Joe will be joined by celebrities such as: Tom Dreesen, Grant Fuhr, Beverly Johnson, William DeVane, Jim McMahon, Ann Meyers-Drysdale, Elke Sommer, Kevin Sorbo and many more to be announced at a later date.

The McCallum Theatre and Fitz's Jazz Cafe at the McCallum present Al Jarreau on Saturday, November 21, at 8:00pm. Al Jarreau's innovative musical expressions have made him one of the most exciting and critically-acclaimed performers of our time with seven Grammy® Awards, scores of international music awards and accolades worldwide.

The City of Rancho Mirage and the McCallum Theatre present The Kingston Trio on Sunday, November 22, at 3:00pm. In 1957, America was ready for a new style of music. Just out of college, Bob Shane, Nick Reynolds and Dave Guard took folk music and gave it an irresistible comic twist. The music was rooted in American popular culture, but performed with a style that now seems timeless. When "Tom Dooley" went Gold in 1958, the folk revival was born, setting the stage for Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Peter Paul & Mary, The Byrds and the protest movement of the 60s.

Through the generosity of Tim and Barbara Arnstein, the McCallum Theatre presents humorist Jeanne Robertson on Friday, November 20, at 8:00pm. Jeanne Robertson charms audiences with her humorous observations about life around her. This former Miss North Carolina, standing tall at 6'2", has an infectious personality and sense of humor. Jeanne achieved national attention after a handful of humorous clips from her talks became viral videos in 2009.  With seven DVDs, three books and more than 18 million YouTube hits, the demand for Jeanne's family friendly and engaging brand of comedy has grown exponentially. Her anecdotes air regularly on satellite radio comedy channels including XM Radio's Laugh USA - The Family Comedy Channel. Some of her most popular anecdotes include 'Don't Go to Vegas Without A Baptist,' 'Don't Bungee Jump Naked' and 'Don't Send a Man to the Grocery Store.'  Her witty depiction of everyday situations never fails to have audiences of all ages rolling with laughter.

The COPA Palm Springs presents funny lady Sarah Colonna for one very special performance on Saturday, October 24 at 8:00 pm. Sarah is well known as a popular roundtable regular on the hit late night talk show “Chelsea Lately.” She also served as a full time writer on “Chelsea Lately,” as well as a producer, writer and star of the show's spin-off scripted series “After Lately.”She was recently seen in Michael Rosenbaum's new movie “Back in the Day,” alongside Rosenbaum, Nick Swardson, Harland Williams, Morena Baccarin and many others.  She's also recently appeared in Diablo Cody's “Paradise,” CBS' “Battle Creek,” and “Killing Hasselhoff” with Ken Jeong. Her first book, “Life as I Blow it,” debuted at number 5 on the New York Times Bestseller list, followed with a sold out book tour in several major cities in the country. I had the chance to chat with Ms. Colonna for a few minutes as she was preparing for her stint at The COPA. Here are a few excerpts from that conversation:

CHARLES BUSCH, author and star of such plays as Psycho Beach Party, Times Square Angel, The Lady in Question, Red Scare on Sunset, You Should Be So Lucky, Shanghai Moon and The Divine Sister brings his iconic Cabaret stylings to The COPA Palm Springs for two 'sure to be sell-out' performances, October 16 and 17 at 8:00 pm. His most recent plays are Judith of Bethulia, produced at Theater for the New City in 2012 and The Tribute Artist, which reunited him with Julie Halston, produced by Primary Stages Theatre Company in 2014. In 2003, Mr. Busch received a special Drama Desk Award for career achievement as both performer and playwright and was honored with a star on the Playwrights Walk outside the Lucille Lortel Theatre. I had the chance to catch up with Mr. Busch as he was preparing fort his cabaret performances this week in San Diego and Palm Springs. Here are a few excerpts from that conversation:

CHARLES BUSCH, author and star of such plays as Psycho Beach Party, Times Square Angel, The Lady in Question, Red Scare on Sunset, You Should Be So Lucky, Shanghai Moon and The Divine Sister brings his iconic Cabaret stylings to The COPA Palm Springs for two 'sure to be sell-out' performances, October 16 and 17 at 8:00 pm.   Born in New York City, he began his theatrical career shortly after graduating from Northwestern University in 1976.  After spending two years in Chicago working with different local theatre companies, he returned to his home town of New York City with a solo play called Hollywood Confidential, which he performed as a weekend late show at Charles Ludlam's Ridiculous Theatrical Company's theatre at One Sheridan Square. 

CHARLES BUSCH, author and star of such plays as Psycho Beach Party, Times Square Angel, The Lady in Question, Red Scare on Sunset, You Should Be So Lucky, Shanghai Moon and The Divine Sister brings his iconic Cabaret stylings to The COPA Palm Springs for two 'sure to be sell-out' performances, October 16 and 17 at 8:00 pm.   Born in New York City, he began his theatrical career shortly after graduating from Northwestern University in 1976.  After spending two years in Chicago working with different local theatre companies, he returned to his home town of New York City with a solo play called Hollywood Confidential, which he performed as a weekend late show at Charles Ludlam's Ridiculous Theatrical Company's theatre at One Sheridan Square. 

Tom Goss is an unabashed romantic, known for his expressive and personal songs about love and longing. A self-taught musician and songwriter, Tom has performed to tens of thousands in the United States and Europe, and has been heard on ABC, HBO and several independent films. An dynamic performer, Tom has performed over 1,000 shows, in 100 cities and 5 countries. On October 10, he brings his unparralled vocal stylings to The COPA Palm Springs for just one performance, at 8:00 pm.