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3 weeks ago | 
stageandcinema.com | Stan Jenson
AMAZING AND EPICPalm Springs’ queer theatre company, The Bent, is justifiably proud that they are the first non-professional company on the West Coast to be granted the rights to Matthew Lopez’s The Inheritance, Part One, a play that The Telegraph described as “The most important American play of the century.” Almost every actor in The Coachella Valley parlayed for one of the 10 roles in this noteworthy production.
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4 weeks ago | 
stageandcinema.com | Stan Jenson
A HILARIOUS DRIVE DOWN MEMORY LANEOf course I love a big musical with choruses singing and dancing, but on reflection, several of my favorite shows have intimate casts such as Nunsense, The Fantasticks and the original You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown. Firmly holding a place on that list is the four-hander Forever Plaid, so I was glad that Palm Canyon Theatre booked it as the penultimate show of their 28th season.
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1 month ago | 
stageandcinema.com | Stan Jenson
Upon entering Palm Canyon Theatre, one first sees the onstage set for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Designer J. W. Layne has created a very naturalistic dayroom of a mental hospital. Especially effective are ceiling beams which extend almost to the front row of the theatre which makes the audience feel a more like they are part of the action. When the show begins, the inmates of the facility come shuffling in – literally.
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1 month ago | 
stageandcinema.com | Stan Jenson
TRY TO FIND A HAIRSPRAY WITH BETTER HOLD; THIS ONE WORKS FROM HEAD TO NECK!As I was driving to the Rancho Mirage Amphitheatre I noticed that the regular Friday Night Stress was lifting from my shoulders. I already loved Hairspray and Desert Theatricals can be quite stylish and classy, but I soon discovered that this one topped even their normal high level—but it ends on Sunday.
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2 months ago | 
stageandcinema.com | Stan Jenson
HOW TO SUCCEED SUCCEEDS AND HOW!Reams can and have been written about the glories of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. With music and lyrics by Frank Loesser, and book by Abe Burrows, Jack Weinstock & Willie Gilbert, the 1961 musical satire that landed virtually unanimous raves would go on to run for over three years (1,417 performances).
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2 months ago | 
stageandcinema.com | Stan Jenson
VA-VA-VOOM TO VICTOR/VICTORIAThe story of Victoria who becomes Victor impersonating Victoria has been around for a while. It started as a 1933 German film. Then writer/director Blake Edwards (Pink Panther) made a hit movie of it in 1982 starring his wife, Julie Andrews. It featured several songs by Henry Mancini and Leslie Bricusse.
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Mar 10, 2025 | 
stageandcinema.com | Stan Jenson
TOOT-TOOT-TOOTSIE, HELLO!I was worried about attending a local production of Tootsie. I had seen the national tour and enjoyed it immensely. I worried that I might be so spoiled that I couldn’t enjoy any other production. My worries were unfounded. Desert Theatreworks’ (DTW’s) production of Tootsie was one of the most consistently enjoyable musicals I have seen in the Coachella Valley all season. Much of that goes to director Michael Pacas who excels at farcical musicals such as this.
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Mar 9, 2025 | 
stageandcinema.com | Stan Jenson
At the end of last season, Desert Theatricals warned audiences that, due to renovations at the Rancho Mirage Amphitheatre, they would have to skip the 2025 season. Then, somehow, the construction work got postponed, allowing this delightful theatre company to schedule two musicals before the jackhammers begin. The first, Oliver!, was mostly a delight—like visiting an old friend. At the outdoor amphitheater, the show was just as brisk as the weather.
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Feb 13, 2025 | 
stageandcinema.com | Stan Jenson
GUARANTEED HAPPINESS AWAITSIt was just slightly over a year ago that the newcomer Revolution Stage Company staked its claim as one of The Valley’s top production companies with their presentation of Avenue Q (see Stage and Cinema‘s review) There was a bit of concern when the company announced that it would be restaged for this season with several roles played by different actors. The good news is that the current production is at least as good as last year’s presentation, if not better.
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Feb 10, 2025 | 
stageandcinema.com | Stan Jenson
THIS CLASSIC MUSICAL STILL SPARKLESBy and large, I don’t understand why people are so eager to return to familiar musicals. We know that Curly and Laurie are going to get hitched and that Annie is going to enjoy a plush life with Daddy Warbucks. For that reason, I have avoided My Fair Lady for decades. My opinion of the show was changed this week by Palm Canyon Theatre’s production of the Lerner and Lowe classic.
