David Green - Page 22

Varla Jean Merman brings her hilarious new show Varla Jean Merman: A Little White Music ("a honky hit-parade of the whitest music you've ever suffered through!") to Palm Springs' Copa Nightclub and Cabaret on October 14 and 15 at 8PM. Jeffery Roberson aka Varla Jean Merman (who boasts that Ernest Borgnine is her father and Ethel Merman is her mother) is perhaps best known for her role in the independent film Girls will be Girls. She had a co-starring role in the 1997 film, Franchesca Page. Merman was also one of the performers featured in the HBO original documentary Dragtime.

Emmy and Golden Globe Award winner Jane Lynch comes to the McCallum Theatre on Saturday, October 29, at 8:00pm for her Palm Desert solo concert debut in "See Jane Sing." Fresh from her iconic portrayal of Sue Sylvester on "Glee" and her Broadway debut as Miss Hannigan in Annie, Jane will bring her comic skills and musical prowess to the theatre stage. Audiences should prepare for a side-splitting evening of musical comedy, with more than a dash of wit as Jane explores her love of the beauty and absurdity of the American standard and show tune.

The McCallum Theatre will kick off its 2016-17 season with the Fifth Annual McCallum Theatre Family Fun Day set for Sunday, October 23, 2016 featuring a performance of the critically-acclaimed The Underwater Bubble Show.   Proceeds from this special annual event will support theatre operations including the McCallum Theatre Institute, the Theatre's award-winning arts education program that provides arts training to 40,000 students and educators annually, serving 70% of Coachella Valley classrooms.

The Queen of Mexican Music, Aida Cuevas and America's first all-female mariachi ensemble, Mariachi Reyna de Los Angeles, unite for ¡Viva la Mujer Mariachi!, a concert extravaganza celebrating women in mariachi on Saturday, October 15, at 8:00pm. Latin Grammy winner Aida Cuevas is Mexico's most important female voice celebrating a long lasting career, leaving a remarkable imprint in the history of Mexican music. Today's highest example of female mariachi performance, Mariachi Reyna de Los Angeles bring sensitivity, beauty, warmth, and a vivacious spirit to the historic art of mariachi.

The incomparable Kristine W will headline Halloween Palm Springs, Saturday, October 29 from 6:00-10:00 p.m. Kristine W has scored 16 potent #1 dance hits and a record-setting string of nine consecutive #1s on the Hot Dance Club Songs chart over the past 16 years, earning Kristine third place on Billboard's Best of 2000s Dance Club Play Artists rankings and landing this highly-musical and multitalented independent entertainer squarely within a pantheon of legends and major stars. I had a chance to catch up with Kristine W as she was beginning to prepare for her upcoming Palm Springs appearance, to talk about both the Halloween Concert and all things Kristine W.

The Annenberg Theater at the Palm Springs Art Museum will be the setting for An Intimate Evening with Linda Lavin & Billy Stritch on December 10, 2016 at 6 p.m. This is the 2016 Temple Isaiah Benefit Concert and it will feature the legendary and Tony® award-winning Linda Lavin, joined by her music director Billy Stritch as they present a delightful evening of jazz standards and show tunes. Broadway, Television and Film star Linda Lavin has received a Tony®, a Drama Desk, an Outer Critics,' and a Helen Hayes award. Billy Stritch, one of the premier singer-pianists on the New York and national jazz and cabaret scenes joins Ms. Lavin as they present jazz standards and show tunes that are sure to delight the audience.

Halloween Palm Springs has quickly become one of the hottest SoCal events, with visitors from across the nation flying in to enjoy the annual festivities. This year will be no exception, with Kristine W headlining on the MainStage, Saturday, October 29 from 6:00-10:00 p.m. Kristine W has scored 16 potent #1 dance hits and a record-setting string of nine consecutive #1s on the Hot Dance Club Songs chart over the past 16 years, earning Kristine third place on Billboard's Best of 2000s Dance Club Play Artists rankings. Her latest single 'Out There' is currently climbing the Billboard® Dance Chart and will be on sale and autographed at the event. 

The Coachella Valley is quickly becoming a mecca for exceptional theatre. And Dezart Performs' THE OUTGOING TIDE is no exception. Under Michael Shaw's skilled and measured direction the three actors bring tremendous honesty and poignancy to dialogue that could have easily waded into "made for television movie" territory. But the high level of craft, and the artistic collaboration between actors and director insure an evening that is profoundly moving, highly emotional and deeply thought provoking. 

AGNES OF GOD is challenging theatre at every level. It demands a lot of its audience. It demands its audience be engaged and active at every turn. It is both emotionally and intellectually stimulating and provocative. It is ninety-plus minutes of thought provoking dialogue with minimal action. One must listen. It asks a lot of questions and delivers few answers. It requires three exceptional actors with the dexterity to bounce effortlessly and honestly between strength and pathos and vulnerability, over and over again - to bring believability and life to an arduous load of complex dialogue.  It requires the deft hand of a skilled director to delicately weave these three divergent character arcs into a seamless singular story arc, where the story's quieter moments are equally as riveting as the more chaotic ones. Fortunately for desert audiences, Coyote Stageworks delivers on all counts. This AGNES OF GOD is well crafted, expertly acted and is cerebrally, spiritually, psychologically and emotionally fulfilling. 

Michael Childers' ninth annual One Night Only benefit concert, which is entitled Sondheim in Love, will be presented tonight at 6:30 PM at The McCallum Theatre in Palm Desert. Directed by Lucie Arnaz, the evening will feature musical direction by John McDaniel. The show will feature Sondheim's most romantic songs sung by a starry line-up of Broadway's most prolific musical storytellers.

Desert's theater-lovers will get a special bonus this month when innovative performing arts company Dezart Performs adds a fourth full production to its season. The award-winning work to be presented is "The Outgoing Tide," written by Philadelphia playwright Bruce Graham. World premiered in Chicago in 2011 and performed in New York the following year, the deeply moving drama has not previously been seen in Los Angeles or the Coachella Valley. "The Outgoing Tide" opens Friday, April 22, 2016, and runs for three weekends, closing on Sunday, May 8.  

The desert's theater-lovers will get a special bonus this month when innovative performing arts company Dezart Performs adds a fourth full production to its season. The award-winning work to be presented is "The Outgoing Tide," written by Philadelphia playwright Bruce Graham. World premiered in Chicago in 2011 and performed in New York the following year, the deeply moving drama has not previously been seen in Los Angeles or the Coachella Valley.

The McCallum Theatre announced today its new lineup of world-class entertainment scheduled for the 2016-2017 season that includes Broadway hits Mamma Mia, The Sound Of Music and Chicago, concerts with Bernadette Peters and Kristin Chenoweth, family-friendly musicals and entertainment, holiday surprises, comedy legends and solid gold memories, all part of a very full and exciting roster.  Subscriptions go on sale on Tuesday, April 5th at 8am for the Broadway Blockbuster Series, Broadway and Beyond Series, Fitz's Jazz Cafe at the McCallum Series, Keyboard Conversations® with Jeffrey Siegel Series, as well as a Create-Your-Own Series which allows patrons to mix, match, and program one performance or a full season of entertainment tailored to their own individual tastes. 

Disney's Beauty and the Beast, the award-winning worldwide smash hit Broadway musical, is returning to Palm Desert. Produced by NETworks Presentations, this elaborate theatrical production will come to life on stage at the McCallum Theatre on Friday March 25, at 8:00pm, Saturday, March 26 at 2:00pm and 8:00pm, and Sunday, March 27, 2:00pm and 7:00pm. Disney's Beauty and the Beast features the Academy Award®-winning score with music by Alan Menken and lyrics by the late Howard Ashman, with additional songs composed by Alan Menken and lyrics by Tim Rice. The book is written by Linda Woolverton. 

The McCallum Theatre welcomes the return of Shirley MacLaine on Monday, March 7, at 8:00pm. Academy Award-winning actress, dancer and author Shirley MacLaine will share with the audience a montage of memorable film moments and private revelations about her extraordinary life, career and spiritual journey. Shirley MacLaine's illustrious career comprises more than 50 feature films highlighted by an Academy Award® win and six nominations, six Emmy® Award nominations, seven Golden Globe® Awards - including the Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award - and the title of international best-selling author.

Before I even begin my review of SUICIDE DOGS, which opened last Friday evening in Palm Springs for a limited two week run, I want to give Dezart Performs a standing ovation. Dezart Performs is dedicated to the development of new theatrical works, providing a safe haven for new plays and giving voice to burgeoning playwrights at all stages — from table readings to staged readings and, for some, full blown productions. And that effort and commitment is to be applauded and rewarded. Rewarded, how? By getting into the theatre and supporting this vibrant theatre company as they showcase these new works, and providing the authors the vital “next step” in their process — the critical eye of a live audience. I urge you to put Dezart Performs squarely on your radar — both their mission and the professional quality of their work deserve an audience!!

Coyote StageWorks, the award-winning Actors' Equity professional theater company, will present eleven performances of "Art" by French playwright Yasmina Reza at the Annenberg Theater beginning March 25, 2016. A 1998 Tony Award winner for Best Play that has been packing in audiences worldwide ever since, "Art" raises questions about art and friendship. In an ironic twist of casting, the comedy will bring together on stage for the first time three original founding members of Coyote StageWorks: Founding Artistic Director Chuck Yates, as well as Larry Raben and David Engel, who are company members and serve on the board of the organization. They have been friends for more than 25 years and the Desert Theatre League has bestowed numerous Desert Star Awards on each.

Singer/Actress Frenchie Davis brings her brash wit and iconic vocal style to The Copa in Palm Springs for two intimate performances, January 16 and 17 at 8:00 pm. Davis auditioned for the second season of the groundbreaking FOX show "American Idol" and her tremendous success on the show launched a career that has taken her to Broadway (Rent, Dreamgirls and eventually becoming a Grammy-nominated artist for the revival of Ain't Misbehavin') and, perhaps, her highest profile gig as one of the top four finalists in the first season of The Voice. Her cover of 'When Love Takes Over' landed at #3 on the iTunes Dance Chart. I had the chance to chat with French as she was preparing for her Palm Springs engagement. Here are a few excerpts from the conversation:

Dezart Performs presents the World Premiere of a new comedy. Suicide Dogs, for a limited run, January 22 through January 31, at The Pearl McManus Theater in Palm Springs. When then 22-year-old playwright Jess Honovich submitted her engaging drama-comedy, “Suicide Dogs” to Palm Springs-based performing arts company Dezart Performs for its 2015 Play Reading Festival, she had no idea whether it would be selected for a staged reading, but “Suicide Dogs” went on to win the Festival's top honor. As Audience Favorite, she learned, it would be fully produced during the 2015/2016 season.

The National Tour of PIPPIN is, hands down, the finest touring production to land at The McCallum Theatre during my tenure in the desert cities. Passionate. Polished. Near Perfection! It is a glorious spectacle of sight, sound and immaculate storytelling that, despite its mesmerizing visual feast of circus spectacle, remains honest and intimate and, at every turn, very human.