David Green - Page 30

Coyote StageWorks is wrapping up its hugely successful 2012/13 Season at the Annenberg Theater with TRU, the award-winning play about Truman Capote, by the outstanding American screenwriter, playwright, stage director, television producer and novelist, Jay Presson Allen. Allen, who also wrote MARNIE, THE PRIME OF MISS JEAN BRODY, CABARET, FUNNY LADY and more, was said to have been at first hesitant to write a play about Truman Capote, who she had met but did not know. In the end, though, her work was praised by everyone, including Capote's family, as accurately portraying one of America's most controversial authors in his last years.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, beloved as one of the world's most popular dance companies, brings its 21-city U.S. tour to the McCallum Theater in Palm Desert for one performance tonight, April 11 at 8:00pm. Following record-breaking performances in New York City that brought full houses to their feet, Ailey's second season led by Artistic Director Robert Battle is thrilling audiences in major cities across the country. Artistic Director Robert Battle continues to surprise and delight audiences with premieres and new productions that expand his vision for the company, adding dynamic choreographic voices to the repertory that give Ailey's extraordinary artists new ways to inspire.

The Desert Rose Playhouse, the Valley's live stage company serving the LGBT community, will present Mart Crowley's classic play 'The Boys in the Band', at The Commissary in Rancho Mirage. The show will open tonight, April 5, 2013 for a five-week run closing on May 5.

The Desert Rose Playhouse, the Valley's live stage company serving the LGBT community, will present Mart Crowley's classic play 'The Boys in the Band', at The Commissary in Rancho Mirage. The show will open April 5, 2013 for a five-week run closing on May 5. It's Harold's birthday and his friends are throwing him a party he'll never forget, complete with his surprise gift --- a street hustler named Cowboy. As the evening progresses, many drinks are swilled and a game of Truth goes terribly wrong.

The McCallum Theatre announced today its new lineup of world-class entertainment scheduled for the 2013-2014 season with Tony Award-winning musicals and plays, legendary performers, beloved singers, Desert favorites, and international artistry all part of a very full and exciting roster. Subscriptions go on sale on Monday, April 8th at 8am for the Rabobank Broadway Blockbuster Series, Broadway and Beyond Series, Fitz's Jazz Cafe at the McCallum Series, Keyboard Conversations with Jeffrey Siegel Series, as well as a Create-Your-Own Series which allows patrons to mix, match, and program a full season of entertainment tailored to their own individual tastes.

Veteran Las Vegas performer Steve Connolly stars as the legendary Elvis Presley in the stage production SPIRIT OF THE KING, which premiered March 6 for an open-ended engagement in the Cascade Lounge of the Spa Resort Casino in Palm Springs. Dubbed "The hardest working KING in show biz," Steve Connolly has performed as Elvis Presley more than 4,000 times in his career and was chosen by the Las Vegas Review Journal's staff as "Best Elvis in Las Vegas" in 2006 and 2007. I had the chance sit down recently with Mr. Connolly to talk about his career and "all things Elvis". He was charming, funny, charismatic -- and, holds "The King" and his legacy in great reverence. Here are a few highlights from our brief chat:

NAKED BOYS SINGING just completed a rare West Coast engagement at The Palm Canyon Theatre in Palm Springs to sold-out, and very enthusiastic, crowds. In my recent review I singled out Christopher Trepinski and Juan Guerrero as the two stand-out talents in this particular troupe and had the wonderful opportunity to chat with them about their backgrounds, career aspirations and 'all things naked boys'. Here are a few highlights from that conversation:

I will admit, from the start, that I was not racing to the theatre to see BLUE MAN GROUP. Having only seen them once or twice on television, and never being blown away by what I saw, I was more attending the show to fulfill my obligation of covering all of the Broadway offerings at The McCallum Theatre than anything else. I assumed I might be mildly entertained. I was way off base in my assumption. The easiest way to write a review of BLUE MAN GROUP would be to head straight to the Thesaurus and find all of the superlatives that sound great in print. And they would all be true. To choose just one - BLUE MAN GROUP was astounding!

Everyone is familiar with the old adage 'You Get What You Pay For'. Never was it more true than with NAKED BOYS SINGING, now playing for a limited engagement at The Palm Canyon Theatre in Palm Springs. You get exactly what you pay for - six naked boys singing. So who could complain? They don't promise 'the best songs and the wittiest lyrics you've every heard' or 'Broadway caliber staging and choreography', or even 'the most talented males singers we could find in New York singing naked'. Simply 'naked boys singing', period. So, what's to critique? As I write, I am determined to labor over finding just the right words for this review because I promised myself I wouldn't fall into the trap of ANY double entendre 'genital puns' when describing the production.

Veteran Las Vegas performer Steve Connolly stars as the legendary Elvis Presley in the stage production SPIRIT OF THE KING, which premiered March 6 for an open-ended engagement in the Cascade Lounge of the Spa Resort Casino in Palm Springs. Dubbed "The hardest working KING in show biz," Steve Connolly has performed as Elvis Presley more than 4,000 times in his career and was chosen by the Las Vegas Review Journal's staff as "Best Elvis in Las Vegas" in 2006 and 2007. I had the chance to see the production on opening night and again this week and it could, and very well should, become one of the "must see" attractions in Palm Springs. But, even though Connolly is at the top of his game, it just misses the mark. It is, however, still a "work in progress" and so I have extremely high hopes for its success.

Coyote StageWorks is wrapping up its hugely successful 2012/13 Season at the Annenberg Theater with TRU, the award-winning play about Truman Capote, by the outstanding American screenwriter, playwright, stage director, television producer and novelist, Jay Presson Allen. Allen, who also wrote MARNIE, THE PRIME OF MISS JEAN BRODY, CABARET, FUNNY LADY and more, was said to have been at first hesitant to write a play about Truman Capote, who she had met but did not know. In the end, though, her work was praised by everyone, including Capote's family, as accurately portraying one of America's most controversial authors in his last years.

It is probably not the best form for a writer to begin a composition with “There are No Words To Describe” … but that is the first thing that came to mind after spending a glorious evening in the theatre with a true American Musical Theatre treasure, Barbara Cook, last Thursday at The McCallum. In actuality, there are words. Marvelous. Magnificent. Mesmerizing. And, many more. It was one of those – “Pinch me -- I'm so lucky to be here tonight” sort of evenings and one I will not soon forget. Ms. Cook, at 85, was suffering from an infection in her vocal chords and began the show with a tongue in cheek disclaimer – “Now, don't go home and tell everybody she's losing her voice” – but even at “partial voice' it was an evening not to be missed.

Last night I fell in love … again … with Disney's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST! And that was surprise. The Musical holds a very special place in my heart since Broadway's original Belle, Susan Egan, and Broadway's final Belle, Anneliese Vanderpol, are both former students of mine. I was looking forward to seeing the production - but I was, in no way, expecting to be so completely taken in. It was a first class production all the way and was, by far, for me, the best musical theatre production in the McCallum's 25th anniversary season and the perfect way for them to begin to bring down the curtain on a tremendous and memorable year.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, beloved as one of the world's most popular dance companies, brings its 21-city U.S. tour to the McCallum Theater in Palm Desert for one performance on Thursday, April 11 at 8:00pm. Following record-breaking performances in New York City that brought full houses to their feet, Ailey's second season led by Artistic Director Robert Battle is thrilling audiences in major cities across the country. Artistic Director Robert Battle continues to surprise and delight audiences with premieres and new productions that expand his vision for the company, adding dynamic choreographic voices to the repertory that give Ailey's extraordinary artists new ways to inspire.

Disney's Beauty and the Beast is coming to Palm Desert as part of the Rabobank Broadway Blockbusters Series at The McCallum Theatre and it stars "local girl' Hilary Maiberger as Belle. Produced by NETworks Presentations, this elaborate theatrical production will come to life on the McCallum stage for five performances on Friday, March 22nd at 8pm, Saturday, March 23rd at 2pm and 8pm, and Sunday March 24th at 2pm and 7pm. I had the chance to chat with Hilary about "being Belle", life on the road, career aspirations and a number of other things. Here are a few excerpts from that interview:

I am a big fan of The Palm Canyon Theatre. It is a community-based theatre with community at its heart. The casting and creative team is a mix of industry professionals with dazzling resumes (most of whom are locals) and 'just plain locals' with a passion, if not professional aspirations, for theatre. And that is part of its great charm.

'CLARENCE DARROW TONIGHT!', starring renowned actor and Emmy Award winner, Laurence Luckinbill, is set to be the first presentation in Coyote StageWorks' new free community outreach series, 'Play Dates'. Luckinbill, who has written and performed in a number of solo plays about such notables as Lyndon Johnson, Teddy Roosevelt and Ernest Hemingway, will read CLARENCE DARROW TONIGHT! at the Annenberg Theater today, March 10, 2013 at 2pm.

West Side Story is widely considered to be one of the finest musicals ever written and it can be one of the most moving and emotionally-draining experiences one can have in the theatre. It has the capability of taking the audiences on a roller coaster of emotional highs and lows - from laughter to despair -- that, in capable hands, is so satisfying. However, I found the production last night at The McCallum to be less than satisfying. It was pretty. It was polished. But it was also pat and predictable and not the emotional journey that it could have been. This touring production wavered between 'soap opera' and 'sitcom' and never quite hit the mark on a dramatic level.

Singer, recording artist and popular radio personality Joey English stars as Norma Desmond in The Palm Canyon Theatre's 'Sunset Boulevard' March 8-24, as part of the PCT's 16th season. The production is directed by Judith Chapman, star of television's 'The Young And The Restless'. I sat down with Ms. English in her beautiful Palm Springs home to chat about her career, the upcoming production and 'all things Joey'. Here are a few highlights from that conversation:

The tour of the smash hit Broadway revival of West Side Story is coming to the McCallum Theatre for five performances, tonight, March 7, through Sunday, March 10. This production is part of the Rabobank Broadway Blockbuster series. Tony Award-winning librettist Arthur Laurents' Broadway direction is recreated for the tour by David Saint, the Associate Director on Broadway. The original Jerome Robbins choreography is reproduced by Tony Award-nominee Joey McKneely (The Boy from Oz and The Life).