BY DIANE MARLIN-DIRKX
Hey, Guys and Dolls! Gender incorrectness be-darned. Valentine’s Day is two days away. Celebrate your Sweetheart by getting tickets to The McCallum Theatre for the musical “Guys and Dolls” playing five performances this weekend. Whether your significant other answers to Babe, Tomato, Broad, Doll, or in the words penned by author Damon Runyon, your “favorite character of a female nature,” “Guys and Dolls,” first produced “on the great white way” in 1955, is a show that will tickle your “arm-candy” down to her toes. Set in make-believe New York City (yeah, right), this oddball rom-com (romantic-comedy) is considered the perfect musical comedy. The language— colorful slang crossed with snooty upper class— was written by late chronicler Damon Runyon, a newspaper man of the people born in Kansas into a family of newspapermen. The vivid characters include Sarah Brown, the upright but uptight “mission doll;” Sky Masterson, the slick, high-rolling gambler; Adelaide, the brassy-voiced showgirl; and Nathan Detroit, her devoted fiancé, desperate as always to find a spot for his infamous floating crap game. It’s a fun romp and the music and lyrics by Frank Loesser are unforgettable. Read on. Happy Valentine’s Day!
“Guys and Dolls,” Evening and Matinee performances: Friday, February 13, 8 PM, Saturday, February 14, 2 PM & 8 PM, Sunday, February 15, 2 PM & 7 PM. Tickets are priced at $105, $85, $65 and $45 and $95, $75, $55 and $35 and are available at the Theatre’s web site at mccallumtheatre.com or by calling the McCallum Theatre box office at (760) 340-ARTS. The McCallum Theatre, located at 73000 Fred Waring Drive, Palm Desert, accepts payment by cash, personal check, VISA, MasterCard, Discover and American Express. The McCallum Theatre Box Office, its phone center and website, are the only authorized outlets for tickets to performances presented at the Theatre. Tickets purchased from any other sources, such as brokers or secondary market websites, are purchased at consumer’s own risk and cannot be guaranteed as valid.
Friday, February 12 – Sunday, February 22. Modernism Week celebrates 10 Years! Added Attraction on Saturday, February 21, 7 – 10 PM. Celebrate Modernism Week After Dark at the Vintage Travel Trailer Show! This will showcase 40+ beautifully restored vintage trailers, buses and Airstreams – many never-before-seen at Modernism Week. Place your vote for a “secret” trailer award and see this, along with other awards – including “Best in Modernism,” presented to the proud trailer owners who have traveled from afar. Visit our new headquarters MW CAMP, 555 N. Palm Canyon Drive at W. Chino, Palm Springs. $125 admission includes wristband for 5-day return admission to MW CAMP. Valet parking included. Adults 21 and over, please. Tickets are available at http://www.modernismweek.com/event/details/248452/ Tickets: $25 per person; $15 for students (ID required); Free for children 12 & under. Enjoy retro Rockabilly music. Your ticket includes admission to the Vintage Travel Trailer Show party, entertainment and access inside the trailers. Food, beverages, cash bar, and sweet treats are available for purchase. No pets, please. At the Hilton Palm Springs Parking Lot, 400 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way, Palm Springs.
Sunday, February 15, 6 – 9 PM. Gold Medal Olympian Greg Louganis will be honored with the ”When I Rise III” award by OperaArts for rising above all odds to become the most decorated diver of our lifetime. Reception and sit down dinner followed by a music program with Haqumai Sharpe, tenor, Zachary Gordin, baritone, accompanied by Victoria Kirsch, OperaArts Music Director. Location: Palm Springs Hard Rock Hotel, 150 S. Palm Canyon. Individual tickets are $125.00, tables of ten $1250.00 Call (760) 323-8353 for reservations or more information. Or go to www.operaartspalmsprings.org.
Wednesday, February 18, 8 PM. Stepping out for College of the Desert with award-winner Brian Stokes Mitchell presented by College of the Desert Foundation. What a grand night for entertainment featuring the powerful baritone voice and charismatic personality of the celebrated Tony Award winner who is returning to the desert and the McCallum for an enchanting evening of New York’s fabled Broadway favorites music in support of the COD Foundation. The foundation’s mission of educating and training the future workforce of the Coachella Valley is their prime interest and as locals we’re all the better for it. Contact COD Foundation for sponsorships and more information at 760-346-3363, or foundationevents@collegeofthedesert.edu . Follow online at www.collegeofthedesert.edu. Tickets are priced at $105, $85, $65 and $125 available at the Theatre’s web site at www.mccallumtheatre.com or by calling the McCallum Theatre box office at (760) 340-ARTS. The McCallum Theatre, located at 73000 Fred Waring Drive, Palm Desert, accepts payment by cash, personal check, VISA, MasterCard, Discover and American Express. Presenting sponsor: Wells Fargo.
Sunday, February 22, 3:30 Red Carpet Oscar Party Benefit Variety Children’s Charity. Vicky’s of Santa Fe will host starting with a Red Carpet parade, followed by the Oscar Awards telecast that starts at 4 PM. Guests will receive photo souvenirs at the step- and- repeat back-drop. Complimentary cocktails, appetizers, and a gourmet buffet dinner will be served while the show broadcast on a large screen. Guests will enjoy entertainment, a silent auction, live auction, cast ballots to predict Oscar winners and all attendees will take home a “swag” bag. Variety Children’s Charity of the Desert is a 501 (c) 3 organization which is dedicated to promoting and protecting the health and well-being of underprivileged and special needs children in the Coachella Valley. All programs and funds benefit local children and families. Since 1928, Variety the Children’s Charity has been known for its international influence. Since 1987, Variety has donated over forty 12-passenger Ford vans to Angel View, Boys & Girls Clubs and Family YMCA of the Desert. The vans provide transportation for disadvantaged children to and from school and sports programs and for children undergoing cancer treatment at Loma Linda University Medical Center. Tickets are $85 per person and must be purchased in advance available by calling Vicky’s of Santa Fe at 760-345-9770, and include dinner, tax, tip, and complimentary cocktails. Vicky’s of Santa Fe is located at 45-100 Club Drive in Indian Wells, at the corner of Highway 111. A video invitation is available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVbSRalETOc.
“Don’t Be Clueless” wants to remind you that press releases for inclusion should be in to the Coachella Valley Weekly at least two weeks ahead of the scheduled event! Thanks!
