Palm Springs Theater Reviews: Best Shows & Critic Recommendations Page 13

BWW Review: Desert Theatreworks' Murder Plot in CLUE THE MUSICAL is a Hoot to Solve
by Audrey Liebross - March 14, 2016

CLUE THE MUSICAL, as interpreted by director Lance Phillips-Martinez and music director Joel Baker, Desert Theatreworks' production is a great deal of family-friendly fun. Mr. Phillips-Martinez and Ashley Hernandez (who also plays the multiply-widowed Mrs. Peacock) have provided superb choreography....

BWW Review: DETC's Production of ENDANGERED SPECIES is Thought-Provoking and Superbly Performed.
by Audrey Liebross - March 14, 2016

Desert Ensemble Theatre (DETC), in Palm Springs, is presenting ENDANGERED SPECIES, a richly layered work written by founder and producing artistic director Tony Padilla. Mr. Padilla directs a fine ensemble cast that does justice to the difficult material in this unsettling play....

BWW Review: THE PRODUCERS, at the Fox Performing Arts Center, in Riverside, is Rollicking Fun
by Audrey Liebross - February 16, 2016

The national tour of THE PRODUCERS, the Mel Brooks musical farce,is a hilarious production.The Tony-award winning musical, which originally starred Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick, ran from 2001 to 2007 on Broadway. The touring production is hilariously funny and will play several nearby venues in...

BWW Review: Palm Springs' DETC Presents a Fabulous Production of Caryl Churchill's A NUMBER
by Audrey Liebross - February 15, 2016

Palm Springs' Desert Ensemble Theatre Company (DETC) has scored a coup with its production of Caryl Churchill's 2002 four-character, two actor play, A NUMBER. Ms. Churchill, a British playwright whom dramatist Tony Kushner calls 'the greatest living English language playwright,' provides an exceptio...

BWW Review: Splendid BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Reanimated at 3-D Theatricals
by Michael L. Quintos - February 12, 2016

Leave it to the creative folks over at 3-D Theatricals, Orange County's award-winning Broadway-caliber theatrical company, to be the entity responsible for this splendid new regional production of DISNEY's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST---the 1994 stage adaptation of the studio's gorgeous Academy Award-winnin...

BWW Review: South Coast Repertory Paints Bold Strokes with RED
by Michael L. Quintos - February 09, 2016

Now on stage in an exquisite new regional production at South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa through February 21, 2016, John Logan's riveting Tony Award-winning two-character play RED imagines a specific time period in the life of world-renowned abstract expressionist painter Mark Rothko (played with...

BWW Review: THE ILLUSIONISTS Bring Their Magic Skills from B'way to Segerstrom Center
by Michael L. Quintos - February 06, 2016

Filled with eye-popping visuals, optical trickery, risky stunts, hilarious audience participation, and lots of hammy showmanship (complete with Solid Gold-style background dancers-slash-magicians' assistants), THE ILLUSIONISTS - LIVE FROM BROADWAY is a supremely entertaining if occasionally cheesy s...

BWW Review: Desert Theatreworks's Presentation of Neil Simon's Comedy LAUGHTER ON THE 23rd FLOOR is Side-Splitting.
by Audrey Liebross - February 01, 2016

Neil Simon's autobiographical play, LAUGHTER ON THE 23rd FLOOR, as presented by Desert Theatreworks (DTW), provides a side-splitting few hours of theatre. The play is based on the mayhem in the writers' room of Sid Caesar's YOUR SHOW OF SHOWS. Director Lance Phillips-Martinez does a fine job of dire...

BWW Review: BULLETS OVER BROADWAY at Fox Performing Arts Center in Riverside Shoots 'Em Dead
by Audrey Liebross - January 29, 2016

BULLETS OVER BROADWAY's national tour tour shot over to the Fox Performing Arts Center (PAC) in Riverside for a single performance on January 27th, after a run at the Pantages. The top-notch cast delivered a hilarious night of theatre at the Fox, with fabulous dancing and singing....

BWW Review: Dezart Performs Delivers A Polished and Poignant SUICIDE DOGS At The Pearl McManus Theatre
by David Green - January 26, 2016

Before I even begin my review of SUICIDE DOGS, which opened last Friday evening in Palm Springs for a limited two week run, I want to give Dezart Performs a standing ovation. Dezart Performs is dedicated to the development of new theatrical works, providing a safe haven for new plays and giving voic...

BWW Review: EMPIRE THE MUSICAL Aims for the Sky
by Ellen Dostal - January 27, 2016

EMPIRE THE MUSICAL has been knocking around in the wings ever since Caroline Sherman and Robert Hull began writing it in 1999. Its first fully-staged production took place at the Hudson Theatre in Hollywood in 2003 and it has had periodic readings through the years in both Los Angeles and New York. ...

BWW Review: CVRep's A CLASS ACT is Enjoyable Musical Theatre
by Audrey Liebross - January 25, 2016

CVRep has undertaken something new -- a medium-sized musical comedy with a four-piece orchestra. The result of its production of A CLASS ACT, the story of A CHORUS LINE's lyricist, is an enjoyable evening of theatre, with fabulous dancing....

BWW Review: Idina Menzel Concludes Final Week in IF/THEN Tour at OC's Segerstrom Center
by Michael L. Quintos - January 21, 2016

Much like the opening night performance I experienced at the show's debut at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood last month, I was once again blown away by Menzel's incredible musical gifts with the show's opener at Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa (which plays through January 24). Even be...

BWW Review: Non-Equity BULLETS OVER BROADWAY National Tour Kills in Fun L.A. Premiere
by Michael L. Quintos - January 21, 2016

While certainly far from a perfect show (both in staging and execution), the bus-and-truck version of BULLETS OVER BROADWAY - THE MUSICAL---the quirky and highly-amusing stage musical adaptation of the 1994 big screen comedy penned by Woody Allen and Douglas McGrath---is nonetheless a supremely fun ...

BWW Review: Desert Rose's Gritty Production of ANGELS IN AMERICA, PART ONE, is Top-Notch, Although Depressing.
by Audrey Liebross - January 18, 2016

Desert Rose Playhouse succeeds spectacularly in its 2016 Gay Heritage play: Tony Kushner's ANGELS IN AMERICA, PART ONE: MILLENIUM APPROACHES. Director Jim Strait superbly stages the iconic show about the challenges of being gay in the 1980's. The cast and design are excellent. The production is a mu...

BWW Reviews: A Definitive 'Morning Glow' Lingers After a Glorious PIPPIN at The McCallum Theatre
by David Green - January 13, 2016

The National Tour of PIPPIN is, hands down, the finest touring production to land at The McCallum Theatre during my tenure in the desert cities. Passionate. Polished. Near Perfection! It is a glorious spectacle of sight, sound and immaculate storytelling that, despite its mesmerizing visual feast of...

BWW Interview: Jemma Jane About Her Role as Olive in the BULLETS OVER BROADWAY Tour
by Audrey Liebross - December 29, 2015

BULLETS OVER BROADWAY became a screwball Broadway musical comedy in 2014, written by Woody Allen (adapted from his film) and directed and choreographed by Susan Stroman. The production, which consists of songs adapted from those popular in the Roaring Twenties, was nominated for six Tony awards. The...

BWW Preview: Tony Kushner's Pulitzer Prize Winning ANGELS IN AMERICA - PART I Will Play at Desert Rose Playhouse
by Audrey Liebross - December 29, 2015

The Desert Rose Playhouse, in Rancho Mirage, will present Tony Kushner's award winning play, ANGELS IN AMERICA, Part 1- MILLENNIUM APPROACHES, as its 2016 Gay Heritage production. Jim Strait directs the ensemble cast. The play will run for six weeks, from January 15, 2016 through February 21, 2016....

BWW Review: Desert Theatreworks' New Version of A CHRISTMAS CAROL is a Joy to Watch
by Audrey Liebross - December 14, 2015

Desert Theatreworks's new version of A CHRISTMAS CAROL is touching and funny. Director Lance Phillips-Martinez adapted the Charles Dickens novella by using Dickens' words for narration and dialog. He also selected period Christmas carols, sung primarily by the chorus,The clever staging, the use of a...

BWW Review: GUYS AND DOLLS, Reinvented and Rich with Life at The Wallis
by Ellen Dostal - December 11, 2015

Luck has nothing to do with it. Mary Zimmerman's GUYS AND DOLLS is a well thought out, surprisingly fresh reinvention of one of the best golden age musicals ever written. The charming production just concluded a 9-month run at Oregon Shakespeare Festival and can now be seen on stage at the Wallis An...

BWW Review: Desert Rose's A QUEER CAROL is Funny and Imaginative
by Audrey Liebross - November 30, 2015

Desert Rose Playhouse's production of A QUEER CAROL, by Joe Godfrey, is well-acted and funny, A QUEER CAROL is a modern take on the classic Dickens tale, with Scrooge as a talented interior designer and Marley as his late business and life partner....

BWW Review: Coyote Stageworks' Zippel-Directed BEING EARNEST IN NEW YORK a Triumph at the Annenberg
by David Green - November 25, 2015

For one 'wonderfully entertaining' night only, Coyote Stageworks brought to the stage an all-star cast in a tremendously engaging staged-reading of Oscar Wilde's THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST -- with a twist! Helmed, and created, by Tony Winner David Zippel, this EARNEST was set in modern day Manh...

BWW Review: Coachella Valley Repertory's HAPPY HOUR is Outstanding in Every Way, and Another Must-See
by Audrey Liebross - November 02, 2015

Rancho Mirage's CVRep is premiering George Eastman's dramedy, HAPPY HOUR. Director Ron Celona, veteran actor Gavin MacLeod, and Los Angeles-based actor John Hawkinson do justice to Mr. Eastman's sensitive and intelligent play about a son's worries over his aging father's safety. The result is anothe...

BWW Review: Shakespeare's History Plays Become a Zany STRANGE EVENTFUL HISTORY
by Ellen Dostal - November 02, 2015

One of the things Independent Shakespeare Co. does exceedingly well is communicate Shakespeare's text to audiences who may have little or no background with Shakespeare in a way that they can understand it. And since an audience member rarely comes back to see another production when they haven't ha...

BWW Review: Desert Theatreworks Presents a Top-Notch Production of STEEL MAGNOLIAS
by Audrey Liebross - November 02, 2015

Desert Theatreworks, in Palm Desert California, has mounted a top-notch production of STEEL MAGNOLIAS. The acting is Broadway-quality, and the sets and costuming are also superb....