Review: A DOUBLEWIDE, TEXAS CHRISTMAS at Desert Theatreworks is a Great Deal of Fun

Christmas plays come in all flavors. A DOUBLEWIDE, TEXAS CHRISTMAS isn’t quite a farce, but it’s darned close, full of what I would call “idiotic hilarity”. The script is loaded with groaner puns and double entendres, the physical humor is anything but highbrow, and the characters are … idiotic, with the audience frequently howling with laughter, especially during the insane second act.

The play, written by Jones Hope Wooten (no, they’re not a law firm, but a successful trio of television writers, movies, and off-Broadway and community theatre comedies), contains plenty of jokes about bodily functions, far-left Oregonians, and pain in the neck daughters-in-law, but much of the humor that kept the audience laughing the night I attended is visual. I credit director Stan Jenson for adding the sight gags to the thin script and coming up with something delightful. (Disclosure: Stan and I are good friends and have worked together).

Doublewide, Texas, is a trailer park that would like to incorporate as a town. However, the paperwork keeps getting lost, and it appears that Doublewide needs to attract some new residents before it will qualify as a municipality. After a great deal of craziness involving, among other things angry raccoons, a television news item designed to attract new residents, and a sweet potato that looks human, every bit of lurking sadness gets wrapped up in a happily ever after, all in time for the town’s Christmas dinner.

The characters are written to be over-the-top, and fortunately, the director, actors, and designers know how to translate the written meshugas to generate laughs from movement.

DTW has a go-to cadre of actors that it usually casts in comedies, several of whom appear in DOUBLEWIDE. These include director Stan Jenson, who usually is on the stage, instead of behind the scenes, as well as Tanner Lieser, who has returned to the Coachella Valley, after an extended sojourn out of town; the always hilarious Bonnie Link; and Jana Baumann, whose evil laugh as Patsy rivals Margaret Hamilton’s in THE WIZARD OF OZ.

DTW has also cast some new performers, including several that I very much hope we’ll see again. These include Sharon Boucher (Ethel) in her second DTW show; Judy Ewing Wilkinson (Georgia Dean Rudd) in her first; Margo Blessing (Lark Barken); Mark Frank (Haywood Sloggett), a Second City alum that the desert is fortunate to have gained; and Valerie McClure, who aces her “straight woman” role as the long-suffering Joveeta. Aaron Hadley deserves special mention as Norwayne “Baby” Crumpler. He is appearing on stage for the first time, and steals every scene in which he appears; the man is very much a natural at physical comedy.

The set design, costumes, and props very much add to the Texas trailer park atmosphere. Set designer Lance Phillips has chosen to decorate the set in 1960’s era wood paneling — perfect for an aging double-wide trailer that has seen better days. Geo Medina’s costume designs are a hoot, consisting largely of clashing patterns and stereotyped Texas rural clothing, although Joveeta wears sophisticated outfits and understands design. I don’t want to give anything away about Ms. Medina’s props, but they are hilarious.

I do have one very minor nit to pick about this wild show. Although the lighting design (by Vanity Holston) and Tanner Lieser’s sound design (Miguel Arballo is the sound engineer) are excellent, there is one sound effect missing. Specifically, Lark’s baby (portrayed by a doll in a front carrier) never laughs, cries, or coos, even in a scene where Lark gets excited and jumps up and down with the baby in the carrier. Still, this is a minor problem.

As I often say about trailer park screwball comedies, Shakespeare it ain’t, but A DOUBLEWIDE, TEXAS CHRISTMAS will sure give its audiences lots of laughs -- it's as much fun as a gaggle of insane raccoons. (That’s foreshadowing, by the way.

Desert Theatreworks is located at the Indio Performing Arts Center, 45175 Fargo Street, Indio, CA 92201. A DOUBLEWIDE, TEXAS CHRISTMAS will run from now through December 28, 2025. Evening performances (Thursdays except Christmas, Fridays, Saturdays, and Monday, December 22nd and Tuesday, December 23rd) begin at 7:30 p.m. Sunday matinees take place at 2:00 p.m. Tickets are $46.50. Purchase tickets and obtain further information at www.dtworks.org or call (760) 980-1455.

The rest of DTW’s 2025-26 season consists of:

LAUGHTER ON THE 23RD FLOOR (January 23-February 15, 2026).

Inspired by Neil Simon’s days in the writers’ room of YOUR SHOW OF SHOWS, this behind-the-scenes comedy captures the antics and camaraderie of a team of comic geniuses. Rating: PG-13 

THE GRADUATE (February 14-March 8, 2026) —Black Box Theater, presented in the round.

Benjamin Braddock, a recent college graduate returns home facing uncertainty about his future. Mrs. Robinson, the wife of his father’s business partner, seduces him, only to have him fall for her daughter. Comedy/drama. Rating: R

THE CHER SHOW (March 13-April 4, 2026).

This dazzling jukebox musical features Cher’s biggest hits, stunning costumes, and show-stopping performances. It tells her story through three actresses portraying Cher at different points in her life. Rating: PG-13

THE CRUCIBLE (April 17-May 3, 2026).

Palm Springs Awards - Live Stats

Best Musical - Top 3

1. NEXT TO NORMAL (CV REP)

22.6% of votes

2. HAIRSPRAY (Desert Theatricals)

21.5% of votes

3. LA CAGE AUX FOLLES (Palm Canyon Theatre)

21% of votes

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