Palm Springs Theater Reviews: Best Shows & Critic Recommendations Page 12

BWW Review: Dezart Performs' Outstanding CLYBOURNE PARK Is Successful Theatre At Every Level
by David Green - January 16, 2017

It's been a long time since I've used the phrase 'must see'. I intentionally use it on rare occasion so it doesn't lose it's meaning and become a trite 'catch phrase'. I want it to signify my whole hearted and highest endorsement of a theatrical production. Dezart Performs current production of  Bru...

BWW Review: It's Gonna Be Gone TOMORROW! ANNIE Brings Much Appreciated Optimism in Brief Stop at The McCallum
by David Green - January 11, 2017

Some people roll their eyes when you mention the musical ANNIE. But, I tell you what. ANNIE never disappoints. It is not Sondheim. It is not Hamilton. It is not Pasek and Paul. But -the book is strong - the laughs are genuine and plenty. The lyrics are clever and the melodies as singable as they com...

BWW Review: Desert Theatreworks Does Christmas Its Way by Channeling Frank Sinatra
by Audrey Liebross - December 12, 2016

Desert 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 Sinat...

BWW Review: NOT One Of My Favorite Things! THE SOUND OF MUSIC Misses The Emotional Mark At The McCallum
by David Green - November 23, 2016

Everyone deserves to see a great production of THE SOUND OF MUSIC in their lifetime. For those who attended the Jack O'Brien production last night at The McCallum, who have never seen one before, they are still waiting. It is a gorgeous, lavish production. The sets and costumes are beyond incredible...

BWW Review: THE SANTALAND DIARIES Generates Laughs at Desert Rose
by Audrey Liebross - November 22, 2016

THE SANTALAND DIARIES, Joe Mantello's stage adaptation of David Sedaris's memoir of his experience working as Crumpet the Elf, is playing in Rancho Mirage, at the Desert Rose Playhouse....

BWW Review: Lots of Fun with Miss Marple in Desert Theatreworks' Mystery Drawing Room Comedy
by Audrey Liebross - November 08, 2016

Desert Theatreworks' (DTW's) A MURDER IS ANNOUNCED, adapted by Leslie Darbon from the Agatha Christie novel, isn't exactly Noel Coward or Oscar Wilde, but the production's excellence provides a rollicking good time, and more than makes up for any weaknesses in the script....

BWW Review: Both Provocative And Poignant — And All Played In Pumps! CASA VALENTINA Engages, Educates And Delights At Dezart Performs In Palm Springs
by David Green - November 06, 2016

I had the absolute pleasure of seeing two things last night that I had never seen before. A production of Harvey Fierstein's CASA VALENTINA and a sold out, standing room only crowd at The Pearl McManus Theatre. Brava to Dezart Performs on both counts!! CASA VALENTINA is the premiere performance of D...

BWW Review: Cirque du Soleil Creates a Wondrous World in TORUK - THE FIRST FLIGHT
by Ellen Dostal - November 04, 2016

Don LaFontaine was one of the most prolific voice actors in the movie industry for more years than I can even remember, until his death in 2008. You may not know his name but you've certainly heard his deep bass voice and famous catch phrase, 'In a world…' in hundreds of movie trailers during his mo...

BWW Review: Coachella Valley Repertory Starts its Season with a Spirited Production of ANNAPURNA, a Comic Drama with Heart
by Audrey Liebross - October 31, 2016

Coachella 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,...

CASA VALENTINA Kicks Off Ninth Theatrical Season at DEZART PERFORMS in Palm Springs
by David Green - October 20, 2016

To kick-off its 9th season, DEZART PERFORMS will present Casa Valentina, a thoroughly entertaining Tony Award-nominated "dramedy" written by Harvey Fierstein, the multiple Tony Award-winning actor/playwright and American Theatre Hall of Famer. Fierstein's raucous dramedy, CASA VALENTINA, is a hugely...

BWW Review: Desert Rose Playhouse does a Fine Job with POZ, a Complex Play
by Audrey Liebross - October 06, 2016

Desert Rose Playhouse's production of POZ, by Michael Aman, is superbly acted and directed. The play is more o a sweet comic drama than the comedy, as which it was originally billed....

BWW Review: RTC's Revived CABARET Tour Returns to OC's Segerstrom Center
by Michael L. Quintos - August 16, 2016

CABARET's Tony Award-winning 1998 Broadway revival co-directed by Sam Mendes and Rob Marshall, still stands, arguably, as the show's definitive stage iteration. That same vibrant Roundabout Theatre Company production rightly serves as the basis for the newer 2014 revival that is now in the midst of ...

BWW Preview: Desert Theatreworks will Wreak Havoc on the IRS, as Well as on Love and Sex (Not Necessarily in that Order).
by Audrey Liebross - June 15, 2016

Desert Theatreworks (DTW), Palm Desert's community theatre, will present the zany LOVE, SEX, AND THE IRS, from June 17th-25th. Playwrights Billy Van Zandt and Jane Milmore pay homage to television comedies in the play, which takes place in the 1970's, when sitcoms ruled the airwaves....

BWW Review: Disney Premieres Gorgeous FROZEN - LIVE AT THE HYPERION
by Ellen Dostal - May 29, 2016

Frozen fans will be ecstatic with the way Disney has re-imagined its much-loved blockbuster film for the stage, now that the doors to FROZEN - LIVE AT THE HYPERION are open on the Hollywood backlot of Disney California Adventure. And with its stunning state-of-the-art visual technology and heart-ope...

BWW Review: Desert Rose's World Premiere Musical JUNK is Sweet, Funny, and Highly Enjoyable
by Audrey Liebross - May 13, 2016

Desert 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 M...

BWW Review: Dezart Performs Delivers A Highly Moving and Heartfelt THE OUTGOING TIDE At The Pearl McManus Theatre
by David Green - May 04, 2016

The Coachella Valley is quickly becoming a mecca for exceptional theatre. And Dezart Performs' THE OUTGOING TIDE is no exception. Under Michael Shaw's skilled and measured direction the three actors bring tremendous honesty and poignancy to dialogue that could have easily waded into "made for televi...

BWW Review: Coachella Valley Repertory Scores Another Coup with its Production of 4000 MILES
by Audrey Liebross - April 29, 2016

CVRep's current production, Amy Herzog's 4000 MILES, is a sweetly sentimental comedy with dramatic moments. Ron Celona's brilliant direction and the brilliant performances strike the perfect balance between humor and pathos....

BWW Review: Coyote Stageworks' AGNES OF GOD - An Emotional Powerhouse at the Annenberg
by David Green - April 25, 2016

AGNES OF GOD is challenging theatre at every level. It demands a lot of its audience. It demands its audience be engaged and active at every turn. It is both emotionally and intellectually stimulating and provocative. It is ninety-plus minutes of thought provoking dialogue with minimal action. One m...

BWW Review: FIGHTING SHADOWS - An L.A. Story of Love and Redemption
by Ellen Dostal - April 20, 2016

We tell a lot of stories in the theatre. Here in Los Angeles, however, we don't often tell stories that are authentically home-grown. FIGHTING SHADOWS is that rare exception, a deeply personal story of a Mexican-American boy who grew up in east L.A., survived abuse, gangs, prison, and drugs, ultimat...

BWW Review: DETC Triumphs with its Production of BAD JEWS
by Audrey Liebross - April 12, 2016

The 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 cousi...

BWW Review: Desert Theatreworks Presents a Brilliant Production of OTHER DESERT CITIES
by Audrey Liebross - April 11, 2016

Desert Theatreworks, Palm Desert's community theatre, hits the mark with Its current production, Jon Robin Baitz's OTHER DESERT CITIES, a must-see. The acting, directing, set design, and lighting are all top-notch....

BWW Review: Coyote Stageworks' Production of ART, at the Annenberg Theater, is Superbly Acted and Directed and Loaded with Dark Humor
by Audrey Liebross - March 28, 2016

In Coyote Stageworks' superb production of ART, a plain white painting that contains a bit of texture, and possibly, a few almost invisible tints, serves as the catalyst for three middle-aged men to examine their friendship.The expressions of emotion, whether through the writer's words or through th...

BWW Review: FORBIDDEN BROADWAY Leaves Them Laughing in Riverside
by Audrey Liebross - March 18, 2016

Theatergoers at the Fox Performing Arts Center (Fox PAC) in Riverside, California, had the pleasure of watching the hilarious FORBIDDEN BROADWAY revue. The audience laughed uproariously at the onstage antics, which consist of skewering Broadway's musical hits and stars....

BWW Review: Coachella Valley Repertory's I AM MY OWN WIFE is Another Must-See
by Audrey Liebross - March 18, 2016

Coachella Valley Repertory (CVRep), in Rancho Mirage, and its artistic director Ron Celona, have scored another coup with I AM MY OWN WIFE, the slightly fictionalized story of German gay rights activist and antique collector Charlotte von Mahlsdorf. Actor Vince Gatton brings her to life, along with ...

BWW Review: Desert Rose Playhouse's COCK is Superbly Performed and Directed
by Audrey Liebross - March 14, 2016

Desert Rose Playhouse, in Rancho Mirage, is currently presenting COCK, an intelligent and moving comic drama. It is sensitively directed (by artistic director Jim Strait), and performed superbly by a first-rate cast. COCK is a drama that is likely to interest both the LGBT community (Desert Rose's c...