The Desert Rose Playhouse, the Valley’s LGBTQ stage company, will present the West Coast Premiere of POZ, a stylish new gay comedy by Michael Aman, opening Friday, September 30, 2016 for a four-week run. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 PM and Sundays at 2 PM, through October 23, 2016.

POZ is the tale of “Edison”, a young actor/waiter with leukemia, and “Robert, an older HIV+ lawyer. Add into the mix of characters an aging stage star; an eccentric lesbian medium; a flamboyant old-school queen; and a dancer’s ghost; and you get a funny, thought-provoking, and very unconventional love story.

The comedy is a wonderful new work that blends realism with other-worldly fantasy in a script that’s fresh and smart and has some supremely likeable characters. The script alternates its humor between a warm glow and sharp, laser-like bursts finding the most unlikely path, constantly surprising with the off-ramps, each of them shockingly funny and breathtakingly beautiful. It’s funny, it’s tender, and it rings with truth. If there’s such a thing as farce with a heart, then POZ is it.

Starring in POZ are DRP company members Adina Lawson as “Catherine”, Lorraine Williamson as “Maia,” Terry Huber as “Oscar,” and John Fryer as the ghostly dancer “Arthur”. Joining them are Richard Marlow as “Robert” and Los Angeles actor/musician Peter Stoia as “Edsel”. Jim Strait directs the production with scenery by Thomas Valach, scenic painting by Walter Lab and costumes by Robbie Wayne. Phil Murphy designs the lighting.

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The Desert Rose Playhouse is a project of Desert Rose Productions, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit public benefit corporation. POZ continues Desert Rose Productions’ mission to produce and present literate, relevant and entertaining plays and musicals to LGBTQ and Gay-Friendly theatregoers in the Coachella Valley.

Tickets are $35 for evening performances; $32 for matinees. To order go online at www.desertroseplayhouse.org or call 760-202-3000 after September 9, 2016.

Calendar:

POZ – A Stylish New Gay Comedy by Michael Aman

Where: The Desert Rose Playhouse, 69620 Highway 111, Rancho Mirage, CA 92270

When: September 30 – October 23, 2016; performances Friday and Saturday evenings at 8 PM;

Sundays at 2 PM.

Tickets: $35.00 Friday & Saturday evenings; $32 Sundays matinees

To order: Online at www.desertroseplayhouse.org or call 760-202-3000 after September 9, 2016