Kay Kudukis - Page 9

Saturday was beautiful night under the stars and LimonCarr Desert Theatricals, in partnership with the City of Rancho Mirage, provided just the right entertainment with their production of The Pirates of Penzance.

It was a tech rehearsal for Tym Moss's cabaret show Tym Moss (A) Live at Desert Rose Playhouse, yet he gave it his all, and his all is everything.

Almost everyone has fallen on hard times. Sometimes they're financial, sometimes they're emotional, sometimes they're both. It's how we get through them that defines us. A deep look into who we are, and what we will do to survive those times, David Lindsay-Abaire's 2011 play Good People explores all of that and more.

Following their highly successful production of the musical CHESS, the premiere production in their brand-new CVRep Playhouse in Cathedral City, Coachella Valley Repertory has selected the award-winning play, GOOD PEOPLE by David Lindsay-Abaire as their next and last major production of the season to be performed from May 1 through May 19, 2019.

He's a handsome Catholic widower, and she's got 'good legs for a Baptist', also recently bereaved. Together, this down-home odd-couple of next door neighbors generate sparks, laughs and more than a bit of Faulknerian introspection in Audrey Cefaly's Maytag Virgin, the season closer for Dezart Performs. Directed by Deborah Harmon, this 'Southern love story' is the ultimate offering of the critically acclaimed and almost completely-sold-out 11th Season from the award winning Palm Springs ensemble. The play runs April 5 - 14 at the Pearl McManus Theater (at the historic Palm Springs Woman's Club / 314 S Cahuilla Road, Downtown Palm Springs).

Greater Tuna is a strange little play that was written in 1982 and was a huge hit in middle America before it made its way Off-Broadway, and eventually to HBO. There are three plays in the series, and Coyote Stageworks has mounted the first one as their final production in their 2018/2019 schedule as a nod to their first season.

Playwright Terry Ray's Electricity, the story of two gay men trying to figure out how they fit into each other's world, is a powerful reminder that we are worthy of being loved, even if we think we are broken. Not to mention, you'll laugh your past off.

The dramatist.com website describes White Guy on the Bus thusly: Week after week a wealthy white businessman rides the same bus, befriending a single black mom. As they get to know each other, their pasts unfold and tensions rise, igniting a disturbing and crucial exploration of race.' While that is true, it doesn't even come close to describing what a powerhouse of a play Bruce Graham has written, and in the case of DezArt Performs, what a powerful and humorous production in the hands of Director, Michael Shaw and his brilliant cast of actors. So, yes, it's about a white guy on a bus, yes it is about racism, but it is not heavy (okay, some of it is heavy, but it's steeped in story). The play deftly grabs your psyche, twists it, turns it and then messes with your perceptions on race - no matter how evolved you think you are - and smacks you full-on in the face, sometimes light-heartedly, and sometimes with a vengeance. Even if you think you're woke, you might find out that you're not. We'll get into that in a moment, but first, let's discuss Thomas Valach's set.

After months of preparation and great anticipation,The Coachella Valley Repertory Theatre (CVRep) has announced it will open their newly renovated, 208 seat, Cathedral City playhouse with the dynamic musical, CHESS - Music by Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson of the Rock Group ABBA Lyrics by Time Rice and Book by Richard Nelson.

Country music is like cilantro. Either you like it or you don't. I fall into the latter category on both. It's not a snobby thing. My dislike for cilantro, I'm told, has to do with genetics and my country gene seems to either be latent or missing. I mean, all of my friends love it, and I'd like to get with the program, I swear. And someday maybe that latent gene will kick in, but for now neither are on my menu nor playlist. So, imagine my surprise when I found myself quite enjoying the two-character musical, Honky Tonk Laundry, a celebration of all things country.

CV Rep's last production at its old space is James iJames' black comedy, White. And what a way to go.

Everyone has a secret or two stashed away. We hide them for fear of being shamed or in some cases, worse. Shame is solely the product of 'agreed upon' societal 'norms'; if we don't fit into any given box then we have an Achilles heel, something others can use to hurt or destroy us. Mean girls, churches, and government have always been exceptionally good at shaming.

The Lavender Scare - one night only at Camelot Theatre, presented by DezArt Performs

LimonCarr Desert Theatricals, in partnership with the City of Rancho Mirage, is excited to present SINATRA, FOREVER! -A Tribute to 'Ol' Blue Eyes'. The Las Vegas Sun calls it 'the closest thing to Frank Sinatra you will ever hear'.

James iJames play WHITE at CV Rep JANUARY 23 - FEBRUARY 17, 2019

Director Michael Shaw talks comedy, and more with actress Phylicia Mason who is appearing in DezArt Performs next show 'Perfect Arrangement' opening on January 11th.

Dezart Performs Continues 11th Season with Perfect Arrangement. Secret Lives set in the midst of the 1950s Red Scare is the focus of thhis dark but witty comic work by Topher Payne

CHURCH AND STATE by DezArts Performs' opening night brings the audience to their feet with a well-deserved standing ovation.

It's 12:01 a.m. and a message slides into your inbox. It holds a secret location and a hint - what you should wear - and it all means your next adventure with P.S. Underground is beginning to unfold.