Review: TYM MOSS: (A)LIVE at Desert Rose

It was a tech rehearsal for Tym Moss's cabaret show Tym Moss (A) Live at Desert Rose Playhouse, yet he gave it his all, and his all is everything.

Like many creatives in the 80s, Moss's career was stunted by love of cocaine and alcohol. And that's a damn shame because Moss has a voice that will leave you on the floor wondering what just happened. Strong yet incredibly melodic, his range is "octavely" off-the-charts with a tone so rich and creamy it's almost decadent. Most notably, his version of "Creep" takes us to new levels of appreciation. That it was originally a rock song by Radiohead is but a distant memory when Moss makes it his own. Powerful and apropos to his personal journey, it is such a tour de force, he could have ended the show right there, but it happens early on in his story about his life's disappointing journey, and is just the tip of the iceberg.

From the time he was an adolescent, Moss knew he was gay, and while he is perfectly fine with that fact, it was nonetheless impactful when he was kicked out of a Christian singing group for drinking, smoking and the coup de gras, being gay. Those good Christians threw him off the tour bus, abandoning him in a cornfield in Ohio.

At 24 Moss finds himself in New York City at a lucrative job, and eventually as owner of a business he never wanted. With all that money coming in, and an unrealized dream, he dove head first into a life dominated by that sneaky, abusive lover known as cocaine. While it is a common story of the era, losing out on Moss's talent for 20 years due to cocaine and alcohol abuse is an artistic tragedy. And while no one gets a do-over, Moss is certainly making it up to us with this show.

What it is missing is a deeper dive into the specifics. He touches on all of it, but only briefly. There are questions we wanted to ask, things we wanted to know to take it to a deeper level but Moss is not here to tell you those stories, just broad strokes, which is a shame and blessing. The shame is missing out on the details, the blessing is more time to hear that voice of his. He turns 80s dance songs into cabaret-worthy fare; lyrics we never paid that much attention to suddenly have meaning.
Moss recently played for weeks to sold-out houses in New York, and now Palm Springs has him for just one weekend, May 18 and 19. Even if you have plans, you should adjust them and make the time to see the show. His voice was silent for 20 years, and thankfully we now have it back.

https://desertroseplayhouse.org/

69-620 Hwy 111, Rancho Mirage, CA 92270
Box Office: 760-202-3000