The Bent, the Coachella Valley’s LGBTQ+ theatre company, is presenting its first musical, A MAN OF NO IMPORTANCE, written by Terrence McNally (book), Stephen Flaherty (music), and Lynn Ahrens (lyrics). The writers and composer have put together a moving book, lyrics, and score that create a deeply affecting and emotional story, with just enough hilarity to soften the upsetting moments. The brilliant acting, singing, directing, and design make this show a must-see.
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.
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.
The Palm Springs Young Playwrights Festival (PSYPF), which promotes and encourages theatrical creative writing among elementary, middle, and high school students within Riverside County, has announced that it is now accepting submissions for the 9th Annual Palm Springs Young Playwrights Festival.
Against a backdrop of cultural tensions and renewed challenges to LGBTQ+ rights nationwide, The Bent —one of only a handful of exclusively LGBTQ+ focused theater companies in Southern California—announces its 25/26 season: a rich tapestry of plays, musicals, cabarets, and staged readings that shine a light on the complexity, resilience, and vibrancy of queer life.
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.
Sometimes I get to see a very good production of a very good play, and I go home feeling satisfied. As a reviewer, I sometimes have to see that same play again at another theatre with an entirely different cast and an entirely different directorial approach. It’s a bit like the remake of a classic. At first you wonder why it needs to be remade, and then having already seen what you consider the gold star, the outcome is less satisfactory.
It’s all in good (and a little naughty) fun at Skippy and Bitsy’s All-Star Christmas TV Extravaganza on “live television”. This is a tv special you might have run across while surfing cable access tv, or in an SNL Christmas skit from the 1980s where it’s live and it’s a trainwreck, and there ain’t nothing you can do about the disaster happening around you except punt and hope for the best.
Palm Springs’ THE BENT presents Academy Award® nominee Cathy Moriarty as the ruthless Hollywood powerhouse talent agent Sue Mengers in John Logan’s one-woman, one-act play, “I’ll Eat You Last: A Chat with Sue Mengers,” directed by Steve Rosenbaum.
Joe Dipietro’s play explores the different dynamics between men and the thrill of anonymous sex. The comic throughline of “Why do we bang strangers? Because it feels fantastic!” propels the action, and comedy carries the night but buried underneath are some deeper emotions, and complicated situations. When the opportunity to have a meaningless encounter occurs, there is always discussion leading up to it, but there is always an encounter because… see title.
The Lincoln Debate, an original play by Terry Ray, is a great concept: Debate the long bandied about “rumor” that Abraham Lincoln was gay or, at very least, bi-sexual, and throw in some comic re-enactments.
It's the final week left to vote for the 2023 BroadwayWorld Palm Springs Awards! Voting ends on 12/31 at midnight. Don't miss out on making sure that your favorite theatres, stars, and shows get the recognition they deserve!
There's just two weeks left to vote and we have the latest standings as of Monday, December 18th for the 2023 BroadwayWorld Palm Springs Awards! Don't miss out on making sure that your favorite theatres, stars, and shows get the recognition they deserve!
It's the final 3 weeks and we have the latest standings as of Monday, December 11th for the 2023 BroadwayWorld Palm Springs Awards! Don't miss out on making sure that your favorite theatres, stars, and shows get the recognition they deserve!
It's December, and the first standings of the month have been announced as of Tuesday, December 5th for the 2023 BroadwayWorld Palm Springs Awards! Don't miss out on making sure that your favorite theatres, stars, and shows get the recognition they deserve!
What did our critic think of THE BOYS IN THE BAND at The Bent?I went into this production by The Bent with some provenance. Back in the 20 teens I had the privilege of interviewing Larry Luckinbill on the 50th anniversary of Boys in the Band which was also the same year the remake came out. I watched the film. I read all about when the stage play came out in the 1960s, which is a powerful story in and of itself. I read about the playwright Mart Crowley, that there were two straight guys in the original production, and almost all of the other actors succumbed to AIDS.
What did our critic think of GENTLY DOWN THE STREAM at The Bent? The Bent, Palm Springs' new LGBTQ theatre company, is alive and well, and I couldn't be happier. Our previous gay theatre company drifted away from gay-centric pieces in its last seasons, and I didn't realize how much I missed seeing such shows. As I watched The Bent's recent production of Martin Sherman's Gently Down the Stream, exploring an older gay man's memories, I found myself saying 'These are my people. I know their story.' Not only is The Bent telling gay stories - they are consistently telling them damned well!
