Ricky Scaggs

Things to Do This Week, March 9-16

Fifteen-time Grammy winner Ricky Skaggs brings the sweet blend of country and lbuegrass music to the McCallum, hike the desert at night, and enjoy several free community concerts.

Emily Chavous Foster Attractions, Current Digital

Ricky Scaggs
Ricky Skagg and Kentucky Thunder combine their talents for a show March 12 in Palm Desert.
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY MCCALLUM THEATRE
GROOVE: Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder / March 12

Country and bluegrass singer Ricky Skaggs has spent 60 years making sweet music on the mandolin — and he’s only 65. The 15-time Grammy winner and Country Music Hall of Famer takes to the McCallum Theatre stage with his band Kentucky Thunder. mccallumtheatre.com

GO: The Mikado / March 9

The McCallum Theatre presents this 1885 comic opera about topsy-turvy legislative drama in a Japanese town. The work, a satire of British institutions at the time of its first staging, is one of the most frequently played musical theater productions in history. mccallumtheatre.com

EAT: Citi Taste of Tennis / March 9

Guests will enjoy incredible cuisine prepared by the valley’s top chefs and “served” by the best tennis players at the Citi Taste of Tennis in Indian Wells. tasteoftennis.com

GO: Full Moon Hike / March 9

Experience the desert after dark with this guided hike in the La Quinta Cove. Lucky explorers might hear an owl’s call or spot a glowing scorpion caught in their docent’s blacklight beam. desertmountains.org

SING: Broadway at the River / March 12

This show features a fully-staged and costumed song and dance celebration of music from the movies featuring the students from David Green’s Musical Theatre University and a three-course dinner. This show features Hollywood’s Bruce Vilanch joining the cast. palmspringslife.com

GROOVE: OneGunn / March 13

Milwaukee-born entertainer OneGunn embodies reggae pioneer Bob Marley with crowd favorites like “One Love,” “No Woman No Cry,” and more, as part of Spotlight 29 casino’s “Next Best Thing” tribute series. spotlight29.com

GROOVE: Pitbull / March 14

See Mr. Worldwide right here in the Coachella Valley. The rapper, singer, and philanthropist — he’s contributed significantly to educational initiatives that bolster and support the Latino community — appears at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino. fantasyspringsresort.com

Pitbullfantasysprings

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY FANTASY SPRINGS

Pitbull

go: Art on Main Street / March 14

More than 100 artists vend paintings, ceramics, jewelry, and more in Old Town La Quinta, a charming collection of restaurants and boutiques designed to reflect the lively but peaceful city centers of Europe and Northern California. oldtownlaquinta.com

groove: Jeremy Jordan / March 14

Fans of the CW’s Supergirl will recognize Jeremy Jordan as Kara Zor-El’s tech-genius bestie Winn. He’s also a Tony-nominated Broadway performer flexing his vocal chops at the Annenberg Theater in Palm Springs. psmuseum.org

GROOVE: Music in the Park Free Concert Series / March 14

Jazz vocalist Roberta Gambarini returns to the Rancho Mirage Amphitheater for a second appearance. She has a program of surprisingly diverse songs, at a variety of tempos, in English, Italian, French and Spanish. Pre-registration is advised but not required. palmspringslife.com

GROOVE: John Stanley King Band / March 14

Now in its 22nd year, the Gardens on El Paseo’s charity concert series has drummed up more than $1 million for local nonprofits with eats, sips, and songs on the lawn in front of Sak’s Fifth Avenue in Palm Desert. The series closes with the John Stanley King Band to benefit the YMCA. thegardensonelpaseo.com

GROOVE: Desert Hot Springs Classical Concert / March 15

Daria Binkowski (flute) and Kimberly Fitch (viola) will present a program of duos and solos at Grace Church in Desert Hot Springs. Admission is free, but donations at the door are welcome, and go directly to supporting the concert series. palmspringslife.com

GROOVE: Keyboard Conversations with Jeffrey Siegel / March 16

Jeffrey Siegel is a piano man with the gift of gab — he furnishes his catalog of melodic classics with commentary on the origins and importance of each song and its composer. His latest concert at the McCallum Theatre celebrates Romantic era icons Frédéric Chopin, Robert Schumann, and Franz Liszt. mccallumtheater.com

JeffreySiegel

PHOTOGRAPH BY PETER SCHAAF / COURTESY MCCALLUM THEATRE

Jeffrey Siegel

THEATER

The Pajama Game / Through March 15
Fans of Newsies will be drawn to the Palm Canyon Theatre’s production of this 1954 musical, which centers on a labor dispute at the Sleep-Tite Pajama Factory. palmcanyontheatre.com

Beautiful Thing / March 6–29
This 1993 play is a tender, triumphant story about coming out, coming of age, and falling in love. Watch teenagers Jamie and Ste navigate life in working-class Thamesmead, England, at the Desert Rose Playhouse in Palm Springs. desertroseplayhouse.org

The City of Conversation / March 11–29
The titular “city” in this political drama at Coachella Valley Repertory is Washington, D.C. The conversation is between a liberal senator’s wife and her family. 
cvrep.org

Chicago / March 13–15
Audiences at the McCallum Theatre are transported to the Windy City, where the women’s block of Cook County Jail is the launch pad for the sensational vaudeville careers of two singing murderesses. mccallumtheatre.com

The Producers / March 13–29
This Mel Brooks musical about two scheming Broadway producers won 12 Tonys in 2001. See the outrageous romp unfold at Desert Theatreworks in Indio. dtworks.org

Sordid Lives / March 26–29
The Palm Canyon Theatre presents this dark comedy about family tensions following the accidental motel-room death of the family matriarch. The play’s 2000 film adaptation is an LGBTQ cult classic that also spawned a TV series. palmcanyontheatre.com

ART EXHIBITS

Imaging Change: History, Memory, and Social Justice / Through April 5
Inspired by Dawoud Bey’s moving photographic series honoring and remembering the six children who were murdered by white supremacists in Birmingham, Alabama, on Sep. 15, 1963, this exhibition at the Palm Springs Art Museum in Palm Desert features artists whose photos engage with the past, the contemporary moment, and the need for a different future. psmuseum.org

Lino Tagliapietra: Il Deserto Fiorito / Through April 12
Renowned Italian glassblower (and mentor to American glass master Dale Chihuly) Lino Tagliapietra exhibits more than 30 vibrant glass sculptures at the Palm Springs Art Museum. psmueum.org

Gerald Clarke: Falling Rock / Through May 31
Palm Springs Art Museum mounts Cahuilla artist Gerald Clarke’s first major solo exhibition, highlighting about 80 works. It’s an eclectic mix of items like branded books and metal signs, all of which approach modern issues with a dry wit and a singular cultural perspective that refuses to let viewers shy away from America’s fraught history. psmuseum.org

Reach for the Sky: Tradition + Inspiration / Through June 7
A striking 30-foot-tall totem pole has greeted visitors to Walter and Leonore Annenberg’s Rancho Mirage estate, Sunnylands, since 1978. Carved by indigenous artist Henry Hunt and later restored by his son Stan and grandson Jason, the totem pole serves as the focal point for a new exhibition featuring work by the Hunts and American sculptor Herb Alpert. sunnylands.org

Jim Isermann. Copy. Pattern. Repeat. / Through Sep. 27
With his colorful paintings, sculptures, and more, Palm Springs resident Jim Isermann transforms the Palm Springs Art Museum Architecture and Design Center into an exuberant pop art garden. psmuseum.org