BWW Preview: The Palm Springs Area has a 'Cool' Summer Lineup

Coachella Valley performing arts fans who stay in town this summer will not be bored; there are many cabarets, staged readings, and full-fledged theatrical productions to keep everyone occupied. Here are some in the Palm Springs-Rancho Mirage-Palm Desert area:

Coachella Valley Repertory

The Coachella Valley Repertory (CVRep), an Equity theatre company during its regular season, is presenting a summer jazz series and a set of cabaret offerings, as well as staged readings by community theatre actors of three one-act plays, directed by Jim Spalding. The one-act plays, which will be performed on July 9th and 10th, are tied together by a common theme - people talking past each other without successfully communicating. Tickets for the staged readings are $10 each.

In its jazz series, CVRep, in association with Bill Saitta, is presenting the Sherry Williams Quartet from June 23rd-25th; three different nights of hot jazz, from July 21st-23rd; and the Jennifer Leitham Trio from August 25th-27th. Tickets are $30 each.

The cabaret series features two offerings. Julie Garnye, who wowed the audience in CVRep's A CLASS ACT, will appear from July 15th-17th, performing songs from Broadway to American classics. Janene Lovullo, along with musical director Christopher Marlowe, will perform a concert celebrating the music of Johnny Mercer and Harold Arlen, August 5th-7th. Tickets are $25 each.

CVRep is located in The Atrium, at 69-930 Highway 111, Suite 116, in Rancho Mirage. See the web site, www.CVRep.org, for more information or tickets, or call the box office at 760-296-2966.

Desert Rose Playhouse

The Desert Rose Playhouse, the Coachella Valley's LGBT-friendly theatre, will present the area's debut of PARTY, a comedy by David Dillon, from June 24th - July 31st. PARTY, which explores adult themes and contains nudity, describes a weekly get-together by a group of gay men, who decide to play a strip version of "Truth or Dare." By the end of the evening, they are laughing and dancing in companionship and brotherhood - without a stitch of clothing.

Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 PM and Sundays at 2:00 PM. Tickets are $33 for the evening performances and $30 for matinees.

The Desert Rose Playhouse is located just north of Frank Sinatra Boulevard, near the Emperor Buffet, at 69-620 Highway 111, Rancho Mirage, CA 92270. The Box Office opens at 4 p.m. before evening performances and at noon on Sundays. Tickets are available at the box office, by phone at 760-202-3000, and by Internet at www.desertroseplayhouse.org. There is no service charge for Internet or phone orders.

Desert Theatreworks

Desert Theatreworks, a community theatre in Palm Desert housed in the Joslyn Center's Arthur Newman Theatre, will present LOVE, SEX, AND THE IRS, from June 17th- 25th. This screwball comedy by Billy Van Zandt and Jane Milmore, pays homage to the sitcoms of the 1970's, with a passing resemblance to WHERE'S CHARLEY? The plot concerns a man who tries to pass his male roommate off as his non-existent wife when the IRS comes calling, without alerting his mother or fiancee to the ruse. Because of mature themes, the play is recommended for theatregoers aged 12 years and over. Performances will take place June 17, 18, 24, and 25, 2016 at 7p.m., and June 18 and 25, 2016 at 2 p.m.

The company will also present a radio broadcast of a lighter variation on WAR OF THE WORLDS on July 22nd and 23rd.

All shows take place at the Arthur Newman Theatre, in the Joslyn Senior Center, 73-750 Catalina Way, Palm Desert CA, 92260. Tickets can be purchased online at www.dtworks.org, in person at the Joslyn Center, and by phone at 760-980-1455. General admission is $26, senior admission is $24, and student admission (with i.d.) is $16. Groups of 8 or more should call the box office at 760-980-1455.

Palm Canyon Theatre

From July 8th-17th, the Palm Canyon Theatre will present FOOTLOOSE, a musical based on the film of the same name. The story describes the efforts of a high school student in a small town to organize a senior prom, even though the municipal government has banned dancing.

Performances will take place on Friday and Saturday, July 8th, 9th, 15th, and 16th at 8:00 p.m., Sunday, July 10th and 17th at 2:00 p.m., and Thursday, July 14th at 7:00 p.m.

Regular tickets are $36, with senior tickets priced at $32. The box office is open from Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets are also available by telephone at (760)323-5123, and by internet at www.palmcanyontheatre.org/.

The theater is located at 538 North Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, CA 92262, at Alejo Road, between North Palm Canyon Drive and North Indian Canyon Drive.

Keep cool and carry on!

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