PALM SPRINGS THEATER REVIEWS

At Revolution Stage Company, you will find a triple-threat tour-de-force in Nathan Wilson’s Direction AND Choreography AND Performance as the Leading Player in Steven Schwartz’ Pippin. Pippin is a very successful musical staring Bruno Satalino as the title role. Satalino was simply gorgeous in h...

Good theatre can be socially and emotionally regulatory. Finding a safe space to talk about heavy things in a nice way, in an ugly way, straight forward, or hidden in plain sight—The Bent’s production of In the Wake by Lisa Kron offered this in a really good piece of theatre....

The Bent, the Coachella Valley’s LGBTQ+ theatre, is presenting a wonderfully directed and acted and technically superb dramedy, IN THE WAKE, by Lisa Kron. The play is well-written and generates lots of laughs and lots of pathos, although I consider it a bit too wordy. Still, it is well worth seein...

Neil Simon’s LAUGHTER ON THE 23rd FLOOR is a brilliant comedy with a great deal of bite, but without the underlying tone of sexism aimed at entitled women that Simon’s work sometimes displays. Desert Theatreworks (DTW) presents a top-notch production with an A-list cast that more than does justi...

Desert Ensemble Theatre’s (DET’s) world premiere production of DISPERSION OF LIGHT, a historical drama by Richard Rubin, is, as usual, brilliantly directed and acted and technically superb. Mr. Rubin has written a dark psychological study that requires a great deal of thought on the audience’s...

Whether or not you are familiar with this chaotic style of British comedy, Richard Bean’s One Man, Two Guv’nors offers an enjoyable introduction to fast-paced, wacky farce. And I mean wacky. There’s nothing serious or thought-provoking about it. There’s enough of that on the news. And “guv...

Let’s talk about community theatre. Boy, does it have a reputation. Revolution Stage Company’s production of Stephen Sondheim’s “ASSASSINS” was nothing short of a Revolution....

I knew who Christine Ebersole was, that is - when you said her name I could immediately envision her face, hair and distinctive voice - but role-wise I often mix her up with Caroline Rhea, and Melissa Peterman....

Grab Grandpa, the kids, and all of your retro-loving pals some tickets to Revolution Stage Company’s production of Plaid Tidings this holiday season!...

The Tony Winning Best Musical MOULIN ROUGE was the highly anticipated opener to the McCallum's Broadway Season and it brought an enthusiastic audience all the promised spectacle, glitz, excess, bawdiness and More, More, More!!! There is much to love about this thrill ride of a production -- but the ...

A DOUBLEWIDE, TEXAS CHRISTMAS is loaded with groaner puns and double entendres, the physical humor is anything but highbrow, and the characters are loony, with the audience frequently howling with laughter, especially during the insane second act....

Coachella Valley Rep opens its season with Dear Even Hansen, winner of six Tony awards in 2017. A strategic move; this title carries an intrigue due to its familiarity; the promotional imagery of the boy’s arm in a cast, awash with moody blues suggests this show may be of the “coming of age” v...

Dog Sees God is a play that takes the gang from the world of the Peanuts comic strip and reimagines them as angsty, troubled teenagers. Although the names are changed, author Bert V. Royal makes it clear who our favorite cartoon characters have become in this dark interpretation....

Desert Ensemble Theatre’s (DET’s) first offering for 2025-26, THE ROOMMATE, a one-act two-person dramedy written by Jen Silverman, is, as is common for DET, brilliantly directed and brilliantly acted. This season will be its last, and it is clear that DET intends to go out with a bang....

To catch a few hours with some of the strongest talent we have in the desert, head to Revolution Stage Company and grab some tickets to the ultimate pride event: RENT....

What did our critic think of THE ADDAMS FAMILY at Rancho Mirage Amphitheater?...

Fans of Rocky Horror, Halloween-y entertainment, and those looking for memorable nighttime entertainment with friends should run, not walk, to Revolution Stage Company for their very fun production of Evil Dead- The Musical. But beware— you may be seated in the blood pack splash zone. ...

Matthew Lopez’s The Inheritance Part Two opened the 2025–26 season at The Bent in Palm Springs on Friday, October 17. This follows The Inheritance Part One, which closed the 2024–25 season....

When I was a kid, I’d come home after school, immediately turn on the tv and watch Sally Starr (the blondest, ponytailed cowgirl in the tristate area) introduce cartoons and episodes of The Three Stooges (not a fan, I’d go get a snack). And then in 1966 Dark Shadows premiered at 4pm on channel 7...

CVRep is on fire this summer with a terrific line up of Broadway stars gracing their stage in the form of entertainment our valley is becoming known for: cabaret. ...

Alix Korey is an outstanding entertainer. It’s no wonder that an appreciative audience (including me) stood up as one to acknowledge your performance at the Cabaret season opener at CV Rep, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. The show was a wonderful 75-minute break from the ordinary. And it is always a delig...

Have you ever left a theater wishing the performer you just enjoyed could be your friend? That’s how I felt after hearing Susan Edwards Martin sing at CV Rep’s Cabaret Series. Susan has the knack of embracing you with her voice and making a place for you in the living room of her heart....

What did our critic think of BROADWAY'S BAD GUYS at Revolution Stage Company? Musical Director Chip Prince did a fantastic job keeping the two-man band tight and did double duty on vocals....

The world premiere at CV Rep of Beverly Hills Hotel Peace Talks by Gregg Ostrin is definitely a show worth seeing. The dialogue grabbed me from the first line. The acting does justice to the script. Although not a strict comedy genre, I found myself and the audience laughing at Ostrin's skill in han...

There is universal and personal anguish for all of us who can remember the frightening AIDS epidemic in the 80s. No one was left unscathed, and many families and friends were devastated with a feeling of fear and uncertainty about the enduring impact it would have for future generations....