Jason Mannino

WHEN THE DEVIL’S IN THE DETAILS (AND IN THE ART WORLD) For a limited engagement, Kevin Rolston brings his darkly whimsical Deal with the Dragon to the Palm Springs Cultural Center, and it’s a thrilling, compelling reminder of how a single performer can conjure an entire world onstage.   Written by and starring Rolston, Deal…

FUNNY GIRL, SERIOUS STAKES ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ In the world premiere of The Beverly Hills Hotel Peace Talks, now running at Coachella Valley Repertory, playwright Gregg Ostrin (The Spy Who Went Into Rehab) blends political farce, nostalgic Hollywood glamor, and razor-sharp insight into an unexpectedly moving comedy that…

A Stunning Dissection of Family, Politics, and the Conservative Mythos CV Rep’s Other Desert Cities is nothing short of revelatory. John Robin Baitz’s lacerating family drama, set in a chic Palm Springs home but echoing across decades of American political history, finds fresh fire in this masterful production directed by Philip Wm McKinley. Gorgeously acted…

AN ABSURDIST ROMP INTO MODERN LOVE AND MADNESS Desert Ensemble Theater presents Christopher Durang’s hilarious comedy, Beyond Therapy, through April 27. The play is an exploration of neurosis, relationships, and the absurdity of modern psychobabble, and in this staging, directed by Jerome Elliott Moskowitz, the production delivers a chaotic cocktail of comedy and existential dread that…

If you need proof that Andrew Lloyd Webber was more consistent in creating great musicals before helping turn Broadway into the spectacle-driven British juggernaut of the 1980s, look no further than Jesus Christ Superstar, now playing at CV Rep through March 23. Few musicals have the staying power of this groundbreaking rock opera penned by…

IS IT REALLY HUMAN TO FORGIVE? Dezart Performs’ Grand Concourse—which opened on Friday—is a stunning interpretation of Heidi Schreck’s (What the Constitution Means to Me) introspective, emotionally rich drama about faith, service, and the limits of forgiveness. Set in a Bronx church’s soup kitchen, the play follows Shelley, a nun grappling with a crisis of…

A LUSH, ROMANTIC JOURNEY THROUGH LOVE AND TRANSFORMATION Since Adam Karsten‘s arrival as Artistic Director at CV Rep, the quality and consistency of the theater’s productions have improved exponentially. The current production of The Light in the Piazza, directed by Karsten, takes this progress to the stratosphere. Mollie Vogt-Welch, Daniel Lopez, Logan Graye This 2005…

WHAT A PIECE OF WORK IS FAT HAM Dezart Performs solidifies its reputation as one of the premier theater companies in The Valley—and possibly all of Southern California—with its current production of Fat Ham, running through January 26. Given the lack of diversity on Coachella Valley stages, it’s invigorating to see a play featuring a full…

39 STEPS IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION Adapted by Patrick Barlow from John Buchan’s novel and Alfred Hitchcock’s 1935 film, The 39 Steps is a comedic thriller blending spy drama, physical comedy, and theatrical ingenuity. In the outrageous, hilarious spoof, now playing at CV Rep, Richard Hannay (Matthew Floyed Miller), a dashing Canadian visiting England, meets…

LOOT IS A HOOT Loot is Joe Orton’s darkly comic masterpiece that eviscerates societal norms and exposes the hypocrisies of authority figures with razor-sharp wit. Two young men, Hal and Dennis, rob a bank next to a funeral parlor and attempt to stash their ill-gotten gains in the coffin of Hal’s recently deceased mother, Mrs….

ABNORMALLY REAL CV Rep opened it’s 24/25 season this past week with a triumphant production of the rock musical Next to Normal, ably directed by CV Rep’s Artistic Director Adam Karsten.  Groundbreaking in its exploration of mental illness, grief, and the impact these issues have on a family, the show won the Pulitzer Prize for…

OOH LA LA FOR  LA CAGE AUX FOLLES With songs by the incomparable Jerry Herman, bookwriter Harvey Fierstein once again broke ground after his Torch Song Trilogy with La Cage aux Folles. It was groundbreaking as the first Broadway musical to prominently feature a gay couple as main characters along with an ensemble of drag queens,…