BWW Review: DETC's Production of ELECTION DAY is a WinnerFebruary 19, 2018Desert Ensemble Theatre's production of Josh Tobiessen's off-Broadway comedy, ELECTION DAY, is a winner. All five actors deliver howlingly funny performances, full of mostly impeccable timing and seemingly effortless physical comedy.
BWW Review: CVRep's ROMANCE ROMANCE is a Sweet, Feel-Good WinnerJanuary 21, 2018Coachella Valley Repertory (CVRep) has a winner in ROMANCE ROMANCE, two one-act musicals by Keith Herrmann (music) and Barry Harman (book and lyrics). The superb cast makes the most of the material; it is a pleasure watching these four Equity performers own the stage.
BWW Review: Desert Rose's TIME SQUARE ANGEL is Moving and Excellently PresentedDecember 5, 2017Desert Rose Playhouse's director, Jim Strait, and musical director, Joel Baker, have added popular numbers and Christmas songs to Charles Busch's TIMES SQUARE ANGEL to create what the playbill calls a musical pastiche. Their fine work, along with the terrific acting and singing, result in a production that provides laughs, while tugging at the heartstrings.
BWW Review: CVRep Presents an Excellent Production of a Disturbing PlayOctober 31, 2017Coachella Valley Repertory's (CV Rep's) first offering of its 2017-18 season is David Ives' Tony-nominated VENUS IN FUR. Primarily a drama, the play hooks the audience with comedy in the early minutes. Later, as things get more serious and more disturbing the script introduces a mystery, and eventually, a thriller. Towards the end, the plot veers towards the supernatural. The director and the two actors do a top-notch job with the difficult play, which is presented in one long scene, without intermission.
BWW Preview: CVRep Presents a Robust Series of Summer Offerings.June 23, 2017Coachella Valley Repertory (CVRep) has a robust summer season planned, which is already in progress. Its offerings consist of plays, cabaret, jazz, and classical music. This weekend, Perry Ojeda, who played Gabey in the 1998 Broadway Revival of ON THE TOWN, will perform in concert. Mr. Ojeda will sing the songs of Betty Comden and Adolph Green.
BWW Interview: Tyler Jacobson, of PIPPIN, Coming to the Fox Performing Arts Center in RiversideMay 22, 2017The national tour of PIPPIN is coming to the Fox Performing Arts Center in Riverside, for two shows only, on Saturday, June 3, 2017, at 7:00 p.m., and Sunday, June 4, 2017, at 1:00 p.m. Naysh Fox plays the title character, and Housso Semon showcases her powerful voice as the 'Leading Player.' Broadway World interviewed Tyler Jacobson, who is one of the show's acrobats.
BWW Review: CV Rep's LATER LIFE is an Engaging Play, Expertly PresentedMay 2, 2017CVRep is currently presenting an engaging production of A.R. Gurney's one-act dramedy, LATER LIFE, directed by theatre veteran Luke Yankee, making his CVRep debut. All four cast members, each of whom has an impressive list of credits, are a pleasure to watch, as they expertly use their voices, bodies, and faces to pull us into their characters' stories.