Stan Jenson

ICE, LOVE, AND LOOP PEDALS A technically dazzling two-hander that charms with ingenuity Coachella Valley Repertory closes its season with the inventive two-hander Ernest Shackleton Loves Me, a production that reflects the company’s recent pivot toward more musical offerings; it’s a shift that’s paying off. On the surface, the show—with a book by Joe DiPietro—seems…

PALM SPRINGS DISPATCH FROM HEADAH HOPPER  Your faithful correspondent in the desert My dear reader, If you are planning a visit to Palm Springs and think your evenings will be limited to early dinners, tasteful cocktails, and discussions of real estate values, allow me — helpfully, lovingly — to redirect you. You are going to…

PLAIDS, CAROLS & COMIC CHAOS A tuneful Yule celebration filled with charm, harmony, and holiday silliness If you’re craving holiday nostalgia served with tight four-part harmonies and a side of goofy, good-hearted comedy, Plaid Tidings at Revolution Stage Company should be on your December shortlist. Stuart Ross’s follow-up to his wildly popular 1989 revue Forever…

A DARKER LOOK AT THE GANG WE GREW UP WITH Dog Sees God, Bert V. Royal’s 2004 reimagining of the Peanuts universe, wonders what might happen if those familiar childhood figures stumbled into late high school. The answer is a swirl of drugs, profanity, identity crises, and more than a little homophobia. Though the script…

SUNNY SIDE UP IN PALM SPRINGS A production that belts, dances, and tail-wags its way into the season ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ Palm Canyon Theatre’s production of Annie delivers a sleigh-full of Christmas delights. All the elements of great musical theatre are here: talented performers, a terrific show and…

BLOOD AND GORE HAVE NEVER BEEN SO MUCH FUN – OR TUNEFUL This Halloween season has seemed to be unusually focused on horror movies so it came as a welcome relief for Revolution Stages to produce Evil Dead The Musical, a side-splitting parody of the Evil Dead movie franchise. Five college students – Ash (Julian…

WITH DISCO, DRAG AND DESERT DRAMA, PRISCILLA GLITTERS AT PALM CANYON THEATRE The Palm Canyon Theatre’s production of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert is a glittery, high-octane joyride packed with campy humor, outrageous costumes, and jukebox favorites that never quit. Based on the beloved 1994 film, this jukebox musical bursts to life in a Sydney…

The Bent Theatre Company Tackles – and Conquers – Part 2 of Matthew Lopez’s Epic The Inheritance This past May, Palm Springs’ LGBTQ+ company The Bent Theatre staged The Inheritance, Part 1 as the final offering of their third season. They were justifiably proud to be the first non-professional theatre on the West Coast granted…

A man leaves his wife to start a relationship with another man. Together, the two men—Marvin and his new partner, Whizzer—try to co-parent Marvin’s twelve-year-old son, Jason, alongside Marvin’s ex-wife, Trina. Over time, Whizzer becomes a close friend to Jason, while Trina begins a relationship with Marvin’s psychiatrist, Mendel, whom she eventually marries. They are…

AMAZING AND EPIC Palm 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…

A HILARIOUS DRIVE DOWN MEMORY LANE Of 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,…

THE INMATES ARE EASY TO LIKE IN PALM CANYON’S CUCKOO’S NEST 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…

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…

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…