Audrey Liebross - Page 8

A fun-filled evening of song, filled with favorites by Rodgers and Hammerstein, awaits those who attend Desert Theatreworks' cabaret-style concert, SOME ENCHANTED EVENING. 

Desert Rose Playhouse, the Coachella Valley's LGBTQ+ theatre, has mounted a must-see production of Matthew Lombardo's LOOPED. The script and brilliant acting and directing strongly complement each other to create an R-rated experience that is both hilarious and moving for theatregoers of all orientations and genders.

Alisha Bates, from La Quinta, is planning to sing and dance from California to Europe, as part of the January 2019 UP WITH PEOPLE six-month tour. She is currently trying to raise the final $3000 to participate.

Desert Theatreworks' THE SOUND OF MUSIC is a must-see, with great acting, singing, staging, and technical production.

Desert Rose Playhouse's latest production, CHRISTMAS WITH THE CRAWFORDS, is a juke box musical drag show, with an uproarious combination of fine singing, acting and dancing; ridiculous jokes; sarcasm; over-the-top costumes; and sophisticated set design that itself becomes the butt of humor.

Encore Theatre District's current production, BAGGAGE, by Sam Bobrick, will play for one weekend, through Sunday December 2, 2018. The rom-com play, about two nutty characters who meet when their luggage is accidentally switched, has lots of laughs.

Theatre 29!'s current production, the Broadway perennial favorite, ANNIE, presents an impressive array of adult and child cast members with comedic and vocal ability, all of whose enthusiasm is catching. The show is a great deal of fun.

JIM BORAX'S CALIFORNIA CABARET is a hidden gem. It consists mostly of standards from the Great American Songbook, sung by Broadway-quality performers. There are also dancing and audience participation sing-alongs.

The Desert Rose Playhouse, the Coachella Valley's LGBTQIA theatre, has a winner in THE SUGAR WITCH, one of its first productions since Robbie Wayne became producing artistic director and Kam Sisco managing director.

Desert Theatreworks has mounted a must-see production of Stephen Sondheim's and James Lapine's INTO THE WOODS. The acting, singing, and choreography are superb.

The Off Broadway Corona Theater (OBCT), is performing Yeston & Kopit's PHANTOM through Sunday, September 30th. All performances take place at the historic Corona Civic Center Theater, 815 W. 6th Street. This extraordinary production is not to be missed.

Desert Theatreworks has opened its 2018-19 season with a hilariously funny production of SOUTHERN FRIED FUNERAL. A clever script, great acting by the ensemble cast, great direction, and great set and costume designs ensure that audiences will have a great deal of fun at the dysfunctional Frye family's send-off for their husband and father.

One of the newest community theatres in the area is the Encore Theatre District, which is about to open its second season. Its first show is a one-night only reprise performance of a staged reading of LYDIA, featuring last year's cast.

MENOPAUSE THE MUSICAL is coming to San Bernardino for one performance, at the California Theatre, 562 W. 4th St., on Saturday, September 29, 2018 at 2 p.m. Prices are $38.50 - $77.50.

Encore Theatre District is providing a welcome addition to the Coachella Valley theatre scene. The cast of its current play, Durang's BEYOND THERAPY, is filled with talented performers who all do a fine job with their roles and who provide a great deal of laughs. Director Tiffanie Patscheck has the actors engage in some very funny visual business, much of it involving glasses of water and a yoga-obsessed therapist, which alone are worth seeing. 

Riverside's May the 4th Fest - the annual unofficial party for 'Star Wars' fans - returns, when else, on Friday, May 4, 2018, at the Riverside Municipal Auditorium 3485 Mission Inn Avenue, Riverside, CA.

DAMN YANKEES is one of those fun, classic musical comedies with no message and familiar tunes. The show is a bit too long, and many of the lyrics are dated. Still, in the hands of a company such as Palm Canyon Theatre, a community theatre with the expertise to present large-cast musicals, the feel-good, dance-intensive show will leave the audience smiling and humming. 

The final production of Dezart Performs' 10th anniversary season, MOTHERHOOD OUT LOUD, is an anthology of sketches and monologues by different writers about the trials and tribulations of motherhood, with a few fatherhood ideas mixed in. The writing is funny and touching, and Susan R. Rose and Joan Stein, who conceived the show, which ran off Broadway, wisely avoided anything truly upsetting. Michael Shaw's expert direction and the charismatic ensemble cast's top-notch performances contribute to a laugh-out-loud, feel good couple of hours, that will have audience members nodding in recognition; director Shaw and all of the cast members successfully deliver the pacing and timing that are key ingredients in a production like this.

There is much to enjoy in Coyote Stageworks' production of THE COCKTAIL HOUR, by A.R. Gurney: the script is funny, the directing is top-notch, and there is a great deal of excellent acting. Unfortunately, one actor was sick at the performance I attended, resulting in problems for the show that night.

CVRep's production of Albee's THE GOAT, OR WHO IS SYLVIA? is worth seeing for those who don't mind weirdness. However, theatregoers need to be aware that this is a disturbing play.