BWW Review: Desert Theatreworks Does Christmas Its Way by Channeling Frank SinatraDecember 12, 2016Desert Theatreworks (DTW), Palm Desert's 501(c)(3) community theatre, has chosen something different for its 2016 Christmas production. SINATRA: CHRISTMAS MY WAY is a sweet, light, feel-good cabaret simulation featuring Frank Sinatra's holiday music and a few silly jokes. Even though I'm not a Sinatra fan, I enjoyed the show.
BWW Interview: Daniel Taylor as John Lennon in LENNON – THROUGH A GLASS ONIONNovember 9, 2016Part concert and part biography, LENNON - THROUGH A GLASS ONION celebrates the genius of John Lennon. The show, starring Daniel Taylor and Stewart D'Arrietta, features 31 of John Lennon's iconic hits. The show will appear at the Fox Performing Arts Center, in Riverside, for two performances, on Saturday, November 19, 2016, at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.
BWW Interview: Matt Hovde, Director of UNELECTABLE YOU, Discusses Political SatireNovember 2, 2016On Saturday evening, November 5, 2016, at 7 p.m., at Riverside's Fox Performing Arts Center, members of the Second City comedy troupe will apply their unique comedy style to this election season, in a performance of UNELECTABLE YOU: THE SECOND CITY'S COMPLETELY UNBIASED POLITICAL REVUE. UNELECTABLE YOU, jointly presented by Second City and Slate Magazine, is a fast-paced combination of sketch, improvisation, music, and multi-media that takes a hard-hitting look at the United States' election process in general and the improbable events of 2016 in particular.
BWW Review: Coachella Valley Repertory Starts its Season with a Spirited Production of ANNAPURNA, a Comic Drama with HeartOctober 31, 2016Coachella Valley Repertory's (CVRep's) first play of the 2016-17 season, ANNAPURNA, is a finely acted and directed, intelligent comic drama that generates plenty of laughs on its way to a moving ending. ANNAPURNA, which tackles CVRep's theme for the season, 'love, marriage, and life changing events,' with heart and grit, will satisfy theatergoers seeking a play with intellectual and emotional depth.
BWW Feature: Desert Theatreworks Presents SHOW WRECK, a Musical Revue, as a FundraiserOctober 27, 2016Desert Theatreworks presented SHOW WRECK, a musical parody revue, as a fundraiser. Arnie Kleban, Adina Lawson, Lance Phillips-Martinez, Luke Rainey, and Karen Schmitt presented numbers originated by FORBIDDEN BROADWAY, all of which made fun of theatergoers' favorite New York street. Desert Theatreworks is beginning several new project that require funding to continue.
BWW Preview: Desert Rose Playhouse, with Ten Desert Star Nominations, Discusses its Upcoming SeasonAugust 26, 2016Desert Rose Playhouse, the Coachella Valley's 501(c)(3) LGBT-oriented theatre, has received ten nominations for the Desert Theatre League's 2016 Desert Star awards, for three different shows: the drama, ANGELS IN AMERICA, PART ONE, and the comedies, COCK and LOOT. This season, Desert Rose plans to present a largely light-hearted lineup.
BWW Preview: Desert Theatreworks Discusses Its 2016-17 SeasonAugust 25, 2016Desert Theatreworks (DTW), Palm Desert's 501(c)(3) community theatre, has received 64 nominations for the Desert Theatre League's 2016 Desert Star awards, the most of any company. Lance and Ron Phillips-Martinez, the spouses who serve as DTW's artistic director and executive director, respectively, sat down with Broadway World to discuss the company's nominations and its upcoming season. The 2016-17 season consists of two comedies, a murder mystery, two musicals, and a holiday revue featuring Frank Sinatra's songs: The Realistic Joneses, A Murder is Announced, Christmas My Way: A Sinatra Holiday Bash, 45 Seconds from Broadway, The Drowsy Chaperone, and Next to Normal.
BWW Feature: Desert Theatreworks Plans KidsWorks, a Training Program for ChildrenAugust 23, 2016Audiences that attend some of Desert Theatreworks' (DTW's) productions this season will get an added treat - a pre-show in the form of a musical revue put on by the participants in DTW's new, tuition-free training program, KidsWorks. The program, which will meet every Saturday, will teach approximately twenty students from ages eight to sixteen how to act, sing, perform comedy, and tap dance. Each fifteen-minute revue will complement the subject matter of the main production.
BWW Review: Desert Rose's World Premiere Musical JUNK is Sweet, Funny, and Highly EnjoyableMay 13, 2016Desert Rose Playhouse, the Coachella Valley's main LGBT-friendly theatre, is currently presenting the world premiere of JUNK, a sweet, funny musical, written and composed by Michael Penny. The talented actors perform their roles with panache, and the company's behind-the-scenes designers help give Mr. Penny's clever material a top-notch introduction to audiences.
BWW Review: DETC Triumphs with its Production of BAD JEWSApril 12, 2016The Desert Ensemble Theatre (DETC), in Palm Springs, has put together a fabulous production of Joshua Harmon's off-Broadway hit, BAD JEWS. The four young actors and director Rosemary Mallett have done a superb job with the one-act comedic drama that presents the story of two brothers and their cousin arguing over a piece of religious jewelry after the death of their grandfather.