David Green - Page 7

Through the generosity of Donna MacMillan, the McCallum Theatre presents Keyboard Conversations® with Jeffrey Siegel on Monday, March 25, at 7:00pm. This evening's program, "Rags to Riches" features "Rialto Ripples," "Fascinatin' Rhythms," and "I Got Rhythm" (George Gershwin); "Wall Street Rag" (Scott Joplin); "Invitation to the Dance, Op. 65" (Carol Maria von Weber); "Polka in G Minor" (Bedrich Smetana); "Polka from The Age of Gold" (Dmitri Shostakovich); "Finale of Piano Sonata No. 1" (Alberto Ginastera); "Circus Polka" (Igor Stravinsky); "Evening in Granada" (Claude Debussy); and "Stars and Stripes Forever" (John Philip Sousa).

The McCallum Theatre is tuning up for the 7th annual concert by the McCallum Theatre Concert Band, with conductor and McCallum Theatre President & CEO Mitch Gershenfeld, on Sunday, March 24, at 3:00pm. Highlights of this year's concert will be a performance of the beloved 'Carnival of the Animals' by Saint-Saens featuring pianist Jeffrey Siegel and a new text written and performed by David Gonzalez, and special guest appearances by Gavin MacLeod (narrator) and former TEN Tenor Chad Hilligus (guest vocalist). And, after the concert, there is free ice cream for everyone! I had the chance to catch up with Maestro Gershenfeld to get a glimpse behind the scenes of this season's concert. Here are a few excerpts from that conversation:

It's time to strike up the band for the 7th annual concert by the McCallum Theatre Concert Band, with conductor and McCallum Theatre President & CEO Mitch Gershenfeld, on Sunday, March 24, at 3:00pm. Highlights of this year's concert will be a performance of the beloved "Carnival of the Animals" by Saint-Saens featuring pianist Jeffrey Siegel and a new text written and performed by David Gonzalez, and special guest appearances by Gavin MacLeod (narrator) and former TEN Tenor Chad Hilligus (guest vocalist). And, after the concert, there is free ice cream for everyone!

The McCallum Theatre presents Emmy and Tony Award winning actress and singer Kristin Chenoweth on Friday, March 22, at 8:00pm, and Saturday, March 23, at 8:00pm. The acclaimed star presents an intimate evening of iconic songs from her best known shows, popular standards, and classics from Broadway.

"Pie in the Sky" written by Lawrance Thelen is a bitter sweet tale of the love between a Mother and daughter.  The pair share memories including Mamma's secret recipe for apple pie as they literally bake a pie in the process.  Rebecca Havely directs the production at the Groves Cabin Theatre in Morongo Valley, 8758 Desert Willow Trail.

He's a handsome Catholic widower, and she's got "good legs for a Baptist", also recently bereaved. Together, this down-home odd-couple of next door neighbors generate sparks, laughs and more than a bit of Faulknerian introspection in Audrey Cefaly's Maytag Virgin, the season closer for Dezart Performs. Directed by Deborah Harmon, this "Southern love story" is the ultimate offering of the critically acclaimed and almost completely-sold-out 11th Season from the award winning Palm Springs ensemble. The play runs April 5 - 14 at the Pearl McManus Theater (at the historic Palm Springs Woman's Club / 314 S Cahuilla Road, Downtown Palm Springs).

Coyote StageWorks, the Coachella Valley-based award-winning Actors' Equity professional theater company, will conclude its Tenth Anniversary season with the comedy "Greater Tuna" that will run for nine performances from March 22-31, 2019 at the Palm Springs Art Museum's Annenberg Theater.  "Greater Tuna" is a hilarious send-up of small-town morals and mores. Set in a fictional small town in Texas, this popular comedy stars two skillful, transformative actors who will take on 22 roles as they portray the town's wacky inhabitants. "Greater Tuna" was written by Jaston Williams, Joe Sears, and Ed Howard and will star Alan Denny and Chuck Yates. The production will be directed by Larry Raben. "Greater Tuna" was the very first production Coyote StageWorks mounted ten years ago.

The McCallum Theatre presents Monty Python's Spamalot for five performances Friday, March 15, through Sunday, March 17. This outrageous musical comedy is lovingly ripped off from the film classic Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Monty Python's Spamalot tells the legendary tale of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, and their quest for the Holy Grail. Monty Python's Spamalot features a chorus line of dancing divas, flying cows, killer rabbits, taunting Frenchmen, and show-stopping musical numbers! The Broadway production won three Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and was followed by two successful West End runs. 

The McCallum Theatre presents Mystic India: The World Tour on Thursday, March 14, at 8:00pm. Created by Director Amit Shah and AATMA Performing Arts in 2011, Mystic India: The World Tour is an internationally acclaimed Bollywood dance spectacular based on the concept of ancient India's transition into modern India. The colorful costumes and elaborate sets have been custom designed by Amit Shah and hand-made in India's film capital by a team of 40 designers and workers over the course of four years. The team of diverse, impeccably trained dancers from the AATMA Performing Arts dance company combines authentic Indian and modern techniques bringing the streets of Mumbai and New York into perfect harmony.

The McCallum Theatre presents BRAVO Amici on Monday, March 11, at 7:00pm. BRAVO Amici is presented as part of the McCallum Theatre's Mitch's Picks series. From the creators of the world's first opera band, Amici Forever, comes BRAVO Amici, which includes founder and original cast member Geoff Sewell. BRAVO Amici's mix of handsome tenors and stunning divas perform an uplifting, moving collection of well-known classical and contemporary songs. I had the chance to chat with cast member Travis Nesbitt, who 'cut his performing teeth' on the McCallum Theatre stage, about BRAVO Amici and all things Travis. Here are some excerpts from the conversation:

The McCallum Theatre and Jim "FITZ" Fitzgerald co-present Steve Tyrell on Saturday, March 9, at 8:00pm as part of the Fitz's Jazz Cafe at the McCallum series. A McCallum Theatre regular for more than fifteen years, Steve reinvents and re-popularizes classic pop standards for a modern audience.  Grammy Award winning producer and vocalist Steve Tyrell is the definition of a Renaissance man. In his nearly five decades in the music business, he has achieved success as a singer, songwriter, producer, music supervisor, and most recently, radio host.

The McCallum Theatre presents BRAVO Amici on Monday, March 11, at 7:00pm. BRAVO Amici is presented as part of the McCallum Theatre's Mitch's Picks series. From the creators of the world's first opera band, Amici Forever, comes BRAVO Amici, which includes founder and original cast member Geoff Sewell. BRAVO Amici's mix of handsome tenors and stunning divas perform an uplifting, moving collection of well-known classical and contemporary songs.

The McCallum Theatre presents The Irish Rovers on Friday, March 8, at 8:00pm. Throughout the years, these international ambassadors of Irish music have maintained their timeless ability to deliver a rollicking, rousing performance of good cheer - one that will have you singing and clapping along. Their songs have become anthems of revelry and joy among generation after generation of fans. Don't miss your chance to hear this iconic band once again!

The McCallum Theatre presents the Oregon Ballet Theatre and "Rhapsody in Blue," with special guests Thomas H. Lauderdale and Hunter Noack, pianos, on Thursday, March 7, at 8:00pm. Oregon Ballet Theatre, OBT to its fans in the Pacific Northwest, is the largest professional ballet company in Oregon, attracting artists from around the globe with a reputation for excellence. With this McCallum debut program, OBT showcases three ballets which reveal how the emotional, social, and artistic aspects of dance can create an experience that moves the audience and transcends the art form. The highlight of the evening is "Rhapsody in Blue," with choreography by Nicolo Fonte and featuring Pink Martini founder Thomas Lauderdale and his partner Hunter Noack playing live.  Discover nuances you've never heard before punctuated visually by the lush, vibrant choreography that Fonte is known for the world over.

Desert Ensemble Theatre Company's (DETC)'s Eighth Season continues from March 15-17 and 22-24, 2019 with Proof by David Auburn, winner of the 2001 Pulitzer Prize in Drama and the Tony Award for Best Play. Proof explores the unknowability of love as much as it does the mysteries of mathematics. The play concerns Catherine, the daughter of a recently deceased mathematical genius, and her struggle with her own intellectual potential and possible mental illness.

The McCallum Theatre presents Neil Berg's Fifty Years of Rock and Roll for three performances - Tuesday, March 5, at 8:00pm, and Wednesday, March 6, at 2:00pm and 8:00pm.  With a cast consisting of both stars from Broadway's greatest rock musicals, as well as incredible Rock and Roll singers, Neil Berg shares the often-unknown stories from the fifty-year history of the music that changed the world forever. From the progenitors of Rock and Roll in the 1940s, through the glory years of the '50s, '60s, and '70s, up until MTV in the early '80s,

The City of Rancho Mirage and the McCallum Theatre present "Legends of Folk" starring The Limeliters and The Brothers Four on Sunday, March 3, at 3:00pm. The Limeliters launched their career in 1959 at San Francisco's famous Hungry i and, before long, founding members Alex Hassilev, Lou Gottlieb, and Glenn Yarbrough emerged as dominant voices of the early 1960s folk music scene. A string of best-selling albums and frequent television appearances quickly made The Limeliters a household name.

The McCallum Theatre presents Spanish guitarist Pablo Sainz Villegas on Monday, March 4, at 7:00pm. The guitar was brought by the Spaniards to the New World during the colonial period, absorbed and merged with indigenous instruments, and assimilated into the musical fabric of a wide geographical area. More than any other instrument, it defines the common musical heartbeat of the Americas from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego.  On this musical journey, rising Spanish star, Pablo Sainz Villegas combines the emotions of sensual Brazilian music, the nostalgic tango, vivid Venezuelan rhythms, and the exciting and colorful American bluegrass.

The fifth season of Desert Hot Springs Classical Concerts continues with a performance by pianist Monica Jakuc Leverett. The concert takes place on Sunday, February 24, 4 p.m., at Grace Church, 17400 Bubbling Wells Rd., Desert Hot Springs. Admission is free, but donations at the door are welcome, and go directly to supporting the concert series.

The McCallum Theatre presents Murphy's Celtic Legacy today, February 13, at 8:00pm. This is no ordinary Irish Dance performance - it is a battle of styles, a clash of colors. The cast ofMurphy's Celtic Legacy gives an invigorating performance of traditional Irish dance.  Featuring dancers and musicians from Riverdance, Lord of the Dance and Celtic Woman, Murphy's Celtic Legacy is the next generation Irish dance spectacular.  Created by Chris Hannon, former principal dancer for Lord of the Dance, Murphy's Celtic Legacy features original choreography combining traditional Irish and modern dance techniques presented with song and live music.