Audrey Liebross

I went on a fabulous cruise to Alaska on the Celebrity Solstice, through Seth Rudetsky’s Broadway Vacations. The best part was interacting with Seth, his husband (James Wesley) and the three other Broadway stars: Donna McKechnie, James Monroe Iglehart, and Ann Hampton Calloway. The scenery was impressive as well.

Desert Theatreworks has done a fabulous job with its final presentation of the season, THE LAST FIVE YEARS, a one act, two-character, mostly sung-through musical by Jason Robert Brown. Mr. Brown's take on the disintegration of a marriage, which unfolds before the audience's eyes and ears in eclectic musical styles, is emotionally powerful. The music, performed live by a keyboard and violin, and the superb on-stage performances in the production, help make this one of the most memorable shows I've seen.

Desert Theatreworks' (DTW's) hilarious production of THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG generates uproarious laughs at least once or twice a minute; I actually wanted the laughs to slow down because laughing so much made me cough. This show is a must-see.

Desert Ensemble Theatre (DET), has once again scored with its last production of the 2022-23 season. FUTURE THINKING, primarily a comedy albeit with serious moments, features fine acting and directing, a clever set and costumes, and a rich story that takes place at a geeky fan convention.

Christine Michele, a 36-year-old Coachella Valley native, is ready to try her hand at professional musical theatre, in New York City. She has been accepted into a two-week summer intensive course at the Actor Therapy workshop, ActorTherapyNYC.com, founded by Tony award winner Lindsay Mendez and Ryan Scott Oliver, an award winning composer and lyricist. She has created a Go Fund Me page to raise money for the program, https://gofund.me/3a4e4d43.

Desert Theatreworks showcases its talented cadre of singers, dancers, and comedic actors in its current production, the musical comedy JIMMY BUFFETT'S ESCAPE TO MARGARITAVILLE. Director Lance Phillips and musical director Douglas Wilson have done a superb job with this jukebox musical that features Buffett's tunes. A cast of twenty dances enthusiastically to excellent original choreography by rising Coachella Valley star Anthony Nannini, and impressively pulls off both sweet folk rock songs and belted numbers. The performances and strong visuals from the designers result in an enjoyable, cheerful evening, with numerous stand-out moments.

Desert Ensemble Theatre has done it again with its world premiere production of Rich Rubin's KAFKA's JOKE: It has put on a brilliantly acted theatrical experience that cause audiences to laugh, to feel the craziness of the situations that the characters face, and to keep thinking about the play long after it has ended. In short, director Jerome Elliott Moskowitz has come up with DET's latest must-see production.

I had a great time attending Desert Theatreworks' terrific production of Agatha Christie's THE MOUSETRAP. I am unsurprised that the directing, acting, and technical aspects of the show are fabulous -- that is DTW's modus operandi. The script leaves the audience guessing and laughing. This production is top-notch.

Desert Ensemble Theatre is presenting the Southern California premiere of Aren Haun's comedic drama, KILL THE EDITOR. As is usual with DET, the directing, performances, and technical aspects of the production are top-notch. What lowers the presentation from a 'must see' to a B or B+ is that, in my opinion, the script has some flaws.

If you’ve seen the original NUNSENSE, which consists of hilariously stupid (stupidly hilarious?) jokes and songs, you’ve seen NUNSENSE A-MEN! — same book and lyrics, same music, and same characters, but with a twist: The cast is entirely made up of men. DTW’s performers play their roles STRAIGHT rather than as if they were part of a drag show; if they wore stage makeup at all, they applied it with a light touch. Their earnestness adds to the hilarity, for example when rubber-faced, diminutive Raul Valenzuela glares at Charles Harvey’s Mother Superior, and the tall Mother Superior glares back. The even more diminutive Larry Martin, playing postulant Mary Leo, is a dentist in real life; he performs an excellent ballet routine. DTW veterans Mark Demry and Michael Hamlin round out the cast. They, too, are DIVINE; this ensemble cast works together seamlessly. They ace the singing and dancing (ballet, Broadway-style, and tap), and their chemistry is terrific.

There is a great deal of enthusiastic singing and dancing by a large, energetic cast in Desert Theatreworks' (DTW's) production of WHITE CHRISTMAS, with book by David Ives and Paul Blake, and songs and lyrics by Irving Berlin. Daniela Ryan directed this production, which features two choreographers - Stacy Casaluci-Grenrock, assisted by teenaged veteran DTW member Violet Feath (who also serves as dance captain) for the tap numbers.

The audience had one heckuva good time at the opening night of Desert Ensemble Theatre's (DET's) DO NOT REMOVE LABEL, a hilarious world-premiere farce that also includes serious elements and political satire. The play achieves a humor trifecta: Laughs from the clever script by DET's artistic director, Jerome Elliott Moskowitz; laughs from the great staging by director Michael Pacas; and laughs from the top-notch cast members' rubber facial expressions.

Desert Theatreworks (DTW) starts its 2022-23 season with a bang — its production of J. Dietz Osborne's and Nate Eppler's farce, SOUTHERN FRIED NUPTIALS, is a must-see. It is hilariously written, fabulously staged, and brilliantly acted.

CRIMES OF THE HEART, the 1981 Pulitzer Prize winner for drama and a Tony nominee for best play, is currently playing at Desert Rose Playhouse. The production is well-directed and well-acted, and the play itself is absorbing, with both shallow and deep moments. Desert Rose’s take on Beth Henley’s play is very much worth seeing.

Palm Canyon Theatre (PCT) deserves kudos for the fine singing, acting, dancing, and technical achievements in its production of Stephen Sondheim's INTO THE WOODS - the audience was highly enthusiastic the night I attended, for good reason. The show will play through Sunday, May 22, 2022.

Desert Theatreworks has mounted another must-see production with GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER, Todd Kreidler's stage adaptation of the beloved Spencer Tracy - Katherine Hepburn motion picture. The direction, the acting, and the technical design and execution of the comedic drama are first-rate.

Palm Canyon Theatre’s musical productions, with their terrific costuming, top-quality dance numbers, live music, and professional singing, usually dazzle audiences. MONTY PYTHON’S SPAMALOT, now playing at PCT, is no exception. The production is thoroughly professional in every way. Theatregoers who enjoy Monty Python’s zany humor will have a great deal of fun.

Although the technical aspects of the production are fabulous, the crown jewels here are what goes on on the stage. The sword fighting is impressive. Even the scene changes provide their own hilarious entertainment - while baroque music plays, a group of dancing and clowning nuns move the scenery. Saving the best for last, the acting in this production is extraordinary.

The latest extraordinary piece of theatre -- another must-see -- that I have had the privilege to attend is Desert Ensemble Theatre's production of Rajiv Joseph's ALL THIS INTIMACY, playing for one more weekend (April 1st to 3rd). The play has plenty of laughs, but it is not a comedy. It tells the story of a college professor who has impregnated three different women, and the fallout from this unintended happening.

There is a new must-see production in the Coachella Valley: Desert Theatreworks’ presentation of LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, the rock musical mash-up of comedy, horror, and sci-fi, with music by Alan Menken and book and lyrics by Howard Ashman. The directing, acting, singing, dancing, puppetry, and all-around technical quality make for a delightful afternoon or evening of entertainment.