sounds of music palm canyon theatre

Theater Season Kicks Into High Gear

Greater Palm Springs is home to many local theater groups offering an array of productions from drama to musicals running into July 2022.

Staff Report Arts & Entertainment, Current Digital

sounds of music palm canyon theatre

The Sound of Music runs through Dec. 19 at Palm Canyon Theatre in Palm Springs.
PHOTOGRAPH BY PAUL HAYASHI

Calendar
December 2021

3–19 / The Sound of Music Set in Austria on the eve of the Anschluss in 1938, the musical tells the story of Maria, who takes a job as governess while deciding whether to become a nun. She falls in love with the children and, eventually, their widowed father, Captain Von Trapp. He is ordered to accept a commission in the German navy, but he opposes the Nazis. Palm Canyon Theatre, palmcanyontheatre.net

9–26 / Christmas With the Crawfords We find Ms. Crawford prepping for her infamous 1940s Christmas Eve radio broadcast, with Christina and Christopher in tow. The show is a 90-minute parade of movie stars dropping by to sing, dance, and generally toss each other around. Brace yourself for Hedda Hopper, Ann Miller, Baby Jane Hudson, Judy Garland, Gloria Swanson, Ethel Merman, Carmen Miranda, Mae West, and even the Andrew Sisters. Desert Rose Playhouse, desertroseplayhouse.org

January 2022

7–Feb. 6 / Always, Patsy Cline This show is based on the true story of one wild night in 1961 Houston, when single mom Louise Seger became fast friends with her idol, Patsy Cline. Louise recreates her evening and correspondence with Patsy, as well as many of the singer’s highlights, in this touching, down-home country musical comedy. Featuring a live band, this rollicking musical tribute includes unforgettable hits such as “Crazy,” “I Fall to Pieces,” “Sweet Dreams,” and “Walkin’ After Midnight.” Indio Performing Arts Center, dtworks.org

14–23 / The Mountaintop The  Olivier Award-winning play by Katori Hall  is a reimagined depiction of Martin Luther King Jr.’s last night on earth set entirely in Room 306 of the Lorraine Motel on the eve of his assassination in 1968. After delivering his famous “I’ve been to the mountaintop speech,” King goes to the Lorraine Motel to rest. His world is spun on his axis when he meets Camae, a young, feisty, and foul-mouthed maid. Pearl McManus Theater, dezartperforms.org

21–Feb. 13  / Les Misérables Set in early 19th century France, Les Misérables is the story of Jean Valjean, a peasant, and his desire for redemption after serving 19 years in jail for stealing a loaf of bread for his sister’s starving child. Valjean decides to break his parole and start his life anew, but a police inspector refuses to let him escape. Palm Canyon Theatre, palmcanyontheatre.net

25–Feb. 6 / Life X 3 Yasmina Reza’s funny and thought-provoking play contrasts man’s ability to analyze and map the farthest reaches of the universe with his inability to rationally respond to the most trivial domestic mishap, and examines how a random event can derail the most elaborately laid plan.
Coachella Valley Repertory, cvrep.org

February

11–March 13 / Neil Simon’s I Ought to Be in Pictures Herb Tucker is a Hollywood screenwriter suffering from writer’s block. To make matters worse, his forgotten past shows up on his doorstep in the form of Libby, the teenage daughter he abandoned, along with her mother and brother, years earlier. Libby is a wisecracking, resourceful girl who comes to Hollywood to be an actor. She expects Herb to help because he “owes her.” With Steffy, his sometime girlfriend, Herb takes another stab at fatherhood in this heartfelt comedy. Indio Performing  Arts Center, dtworks.org

18–19 / Mamma Mia! In this smash ABBA musical, Sophie is ready to get married to her fiancée Sky, except for one thing: She has never met her father and wants him present for the big day. She invites three men that she discovers in her mother’s diary and believes to be candidates, but when they all arrive, Sophie’s mother Donna becomes distressed. Emotions run high and surprises abound.
Rancho Mirage Amphitheater, desert-theatricals.com

25–March 13 / Palm Springs Getaway This new musical is a nostalgic romp through Palm Springs, featuring the history and entertainers that made the city famous. The show takes audiences from the early desert landscape to the vibrant city it is today — and every decade in between. Palm Canyon Theatre, palmcanyontheatre.net

March

1–20 / Closer Than Ever A look into the private song vault of Richard Maltby Jr. and David Shire, Closer Than Ever is an exploration of everyday struggles in the modern world. Each song is a unique story told by a new character, taking audiences into the songbook of Maltby and Shire and into the minds of the individuals facing these completely relatable challenges. Coachella Valley Repertory, cvrep.org

4–13 / Grand Concourse Having dedicated her life to religious service, Shelley runs a Bronx soup kitchen with unsentimental efficiency, but lately her heart’s not quite in it. Her brisk nature masks an unsettling fear that her efforts are meaningless. When Emma — an idealistic but confused college dropout — arrives to volunteer, her reckless mix of generosity and self-involvement pushes Shelley to the breaking point. Pearl McManus Theater, dezartperforms.org

18–19 / Annie Get Your Gun In this classic Irving Berlin musical, Annie Oakley and Frank Butler meet when she beats him in a sharpshooting contest and the two have to negotiate between their competitive sides and their blossoming love for each other. Rancho Mirage Amphitheater, desert-theatricals.com

18–April 20 / Little Shop of Horrors A deviously delicious send-up of 1950s B movies, the musical follows a geeky florist shop worker who is secretly harboring a man-eating plant. His conundrum grows out of control as the sounds of early ’60s rock, doo-wop and Motown numbers fill the air.
Indio Performing Arts Center, dtworks.org

31–April 3 / Cyrano de Bergerac Cyrano de Bergerac is a brash, strong-willed man of many talents. However, he has an obnoxiously large nose that causes him to doubt himself, preventing him from expressing his love for the beautiful and intellectual Roxane. Palm Canyon Theatre, palmcanyontheatre.net

April

1–10 / Every Brilliant Thing  You’re 6 years old. Mom’s in the hospital. Dad says she’s “done something stupid.” She finds it hard to be happy. So you start to make a list of everything that’s brilliant about the world. Everything worth living for — ice cream, kung fu  movies, burning things, laughing so hard you shoot milk out your nose, construction cranes — and leave it on her pillow. You know she’s read it because she’s corrected your spelling. Soon, the list will take on a life of its own. This play by Duncan Macmillan with Jonny Donahoe shines a light on depression and the lengths we will go to for those we love. Pearl McManus Theater, dezartperforms.org

12–24 / Native Gardens Pablo, a high-powered lawyer, and doctoral candidate Tania, his pregnant wife, are realizing the American dream when they purchase a house next door to community stalwarts Virginia and Frank. But a disagreement over a long-standing fence line spirals into an all-out war of taste, class, privilege, and entitlement. The hilarious results guarantee no one comes out smelling like a rose. Coachella Valley Repertory, cvrep.org

15–16 / A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum Pseudolus, the laziest slave in Rome, has one wish: to purchase his freedom. When he finds out that the young master has fallen in love with a virgin in the house of Lycus, he concocts a deal whereby he will be freed if he can procure the girl for Hero. Rancho Mirage Amphitheater, desert-theatricals.com

22–May 1 / Monty Python’s Spamalot King Arthur is traveling around England recruiting his Knights of the Round Table. When he and his band of misfit knights finally gather in Camelot, they receive a charge from God to find the Holy Grail. The quest brings King Arthur and the Knights to strange places and into the company of strange characters. Palm Canyon Theatre, palmcanyontheatre.net

22–May 8 / Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner It is 1967 in San Francisco. Joanna is surprising her parents with a visit home and a fiancé. The families of the mixed-race couple must reckon with their ideas and prejudices. This new and timely adaptation of the classic movie still rings true and ultimately provides touching moments and hilarious comedy. Indio Performing Arts Center, dtworks.org

May

13–22 / Into the Woods James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim take everyone’s favorite storybook characters and bring them together for a timeless, yet relevant, piece ... and a rare modern classic. Palm Canyon Theatre, palmcanyontheatre.net

July

8–17 / Godspell A small group of people help Jesus Christ tell different parables by using a variety of games, storytelling techniques, and hefty doses of comic timing. An eclectic blend of songs — including “Day by Day” and “Learn Your Lessons Well” — advance the uplifting narrative.
Palm Canyon Theatre, palmcanyontheatre.net