TASTE: Rancho Mirage Wine & Food Festival / Feb. 28–29
Oenophiles of all stripes head to the Community Park for two days of tastings that showcase the best of California wine and desert dining establishments at the Rancho Mirage Wine & Food Festival. There’s also live music, vino-related vendors, and a silent auction to support local nonprofits. ranchomiragewineandfoodfestival.com
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY RANCHO MIRAGE WINE & FOOD FESTIVAL
Taking place rain or shine, the Rancho Mirage Wine & Food Festival takes place over two days at the city's community park.
groove: Burton Cummings / Feb. 24
Fans of Canadian rock band The Guess Who (whose first 1968 album was a double-sided, Coca Cola–advert LP dubbed A Wild Pair that could be purchased for the price of 10 Coke caps and a buck for shipping) will flock to the McCallum Theatre for an appearance by the group’s former lead singer. mccallumtheatre.com
GROOVE: Judy Collins / Feb. 25
Judy Collins’ clear-voiced renditions of other artist’s compositions brought early attention to such denizens of the folk canon as Leonard Cohen and Joni Mitchell. She is joined on the McCallum Theatre stage by Kirsten Maxwell, an emerging New York-born folkster. mccallumtheatre.com
GROOVE: The Doo Wop Project / Feb. 26
The Doo Wop Project is just what it sounds like: a trip through the most iconic bops of the doo wop genre, courtesy a group of suave singers who formerly starred in Jersey Boys, Motown: The Musical, and A Bronx Tale. Hop over to the McCallum Theatre to watch the men croon their way through favorites by everyone from The Flamingos to
The Temptations to Michael Jackson. mccallumtheatre.com
GROOVE: Hollywood Revisited / Feb. 26
The glitz and glamour of the silver screen comes to the Helene Galen Auditorium in Rancho Mirage for this musical and costume revue benefitting Tools For Tomorrow, an organization that provides arts enrichment programs for Coachella Valley school children. toolsfortomorrow.org
groove: Legends in Concert: The Divas / Feb. 27
The McCallum Theatre plays host to three tribute artists emulating some of the most celebrated female powerhouses of all time: Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, and Barbra Streisand. mccallumtheatre.com
GROOVE: Michael Feinstein /Feb. 28
As a key architect of the Great American Songbook, singer and pianist Michael Feinstein is one of the major arbiters of our country’s music history. He presents selections from the Songbook at the McCallum Theatre in Palm Desert. mccallumtheatre.com
GROOVE: The Righteous Brothers / Feb. 28
Things are about to get righteous at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino. Talented tenor Bucky Heard stands in for original member Bobby Hatfield alongside charming baritone Bill Medley to play tunes like the 1964 sensation “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling.” fantasyspringsresort.com
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY FANTASY SPRINGS RESORT CASINO
Rock & Roll Hall of Famers The Righteous Brothers topped the charts for over four decades.
GROOVE: A Celebration of Ella Fitzgerald / Feb. 29
Hello, Ella! Multiple performers represent the varied eras of Miss Fitzgerald’s career, taking McCallum Theatre audiences on a musical odyssey through the life of the First
Lady of Song. mccallumtheatre.com
go: Wildflower 5K Trail Fun Run/Walk / Feb. 29
Sprint (or stroll) into spring at the Santa Rosa & San Jacinto Mountains National Monument Visitors Center, where all ages (but no strollers or pups) are welcome to join in on this short race on a trail framed by breathtaking desert wildflowers. desertmountains.org
GROOVE: Michael Bolton / Feb. 29
Agua Caliente Casino in Rancho Mirage presents a special concert in which Michael Bolton sings alongside a symphony orchestra. A genre-buster if there ever was one, Bolton started out playing heavy metal and transitioned to the pop-rock ballads we know and love in the late 1980s. hotwatercasino.com
theater
Old Jews Telling Jokes / Through March 15
Get ready for an outrageous evening of one-liners, double-entendres and hysterical routines. Created by Peter Gethers and Daniel Okrent, Old Jews Telling Jokes showcases five actors in a comedy that pays tribute to and reinvents classic jokes of the past and present. playhouseinfo,com
Rumors / Through March 1
Join Desert Theatreworks at the zany, mystery-packed anniversary party of the deputy mayor and his missing wife by Bronx-born playwright Neil Simon. dtworks.org
The Pajama Game / Feb. 21 – March 15
Romance is blossoming at the Sleep-Tite Pajama Factory in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Handsome new Superintendent Sid Sorokin falls hard for feisty Union rep “Babe” Williams, and, despite her dismissal of all things love-related, it seems she’s falling right back. palmcanyontheatre.org
McCallum Theatre Concert Band / March 29
Take a musical tour around the world with Mitch Gershenfeld and the McCallum Theatre Concert Band. Hear concert works and stirring marches from Canada to Argentina and from Norway to New Zealand. And there’s always free ice cream for all! mccallum.com
The Legends in Concert - The Divas at the McCallum / February 27
Legends in Concert is the longest-running show in Las Vegas history, and after 35 years is still voted #1 tribute show in the city. The internationally acclaimed and award-winning production is known as the pioneer of live tribute shows, and possesses the greatest collection of live tribute artists in the world. mccallum.com
Sister Act - A Divine Musical Comedy / Feb. 29
When disco diva, Deloris Van Cartier, witnesses a murder, she is put in protective custody in the one place the cops are sure she won’t be a found: a convent! Disguised as a nun, she finds herself at odds with both the rigid lifestyle and an uptight Mother Superior. theatre29.org
“Chicago” / March 13 - 15
There’s never been a better time to experience Chicago, Broadway’s razzle-dazzle smash. This triumphant hit musical is the recipient of six Tony Awards, two Olivier Awards, a Grammy, thousands of standing ovations and now the #1 longest-running American Musical in Broadway history. mccallum.com
Art Exhibitions
Alexander Girard: A Designer’s Universe / Through March 1
Girard wore many hats in the world of design — buildings, furniture, fabrics, and more all bear his mark. More than 400 objects, plus a replica of one of his celebrated interiors, bring the artist’s unique sense of whimsy to the galleries of the Palm Springs Art Museum. psmuseum.org
PHOTOGRAPH COIURTESY PALM SPRINGS ART MUSEUM
Salton Sea Stories / Through March 28
Experience the heyday of the Salton Sea through the 1962 photographs of George Mann and the story of Helen Burns, “Queen of the Salton Sea. playinlaquinta.com
Touching History: Stonewall 50 / Through March 29
Fifty years after the uprising at the Stonewall Inn in New York City that kickstarted the fight for LGBTQ rights, the Palm Springs Art Museum presents this beautiful exhibition of photographs and collages exploring the power of queer intimacy and touch. psmuseum.org
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 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 Taliapietra exhibits more than 30 vibrant glass sculptures at the Palm Springs Art Museum. psmuseum.org
Gerald Clarke: Falling Rock / Through May 31
Palm Springs Art Museum mounts Cahuilla artist Gerald Clarke’s first major solo exhibition, highlighting around 80 works, including branded books and metal signs, that 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 Anneberg’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 Sept. 27
Jim Isermann, a longtime Palm Springs resident, has over many years built an artistic practice that encompasses painting, drawing, sculpture, site-specific installation, and product design. Pattern, color, geometry, and repetition are the cornerstones and the generators of his work in all mediums. psmuseum.org
Lino Tagliapietra: Il Deserto Fiorito / Through April 12
This special exhibition includes more than 30 pieces created over the past 15 years, including new work. The selection highlights Tagliapietra’s creations in a range of spectacular and experimental forms, as well as his intense colors and intricate patterns. psmuseum.org
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