Who needs snow to celebrate the holidays?
Just because we don’t get a dusting of fresh snow, it doesn’t mean that the desert lacks holiday spirit. Starting at the beginning of December, cities of the Coachella Valley offer a wide variety of family-centric events that include parades, a festival and tours of holiday decorations.Three free events that have become iconic in the valley — the Palm Springs Festival of... READ MORE
New musical is baked from scratch(es)
It is surprisingly challenging to write about the world-premiere of Cake-Off, the comedy chamber musical currently being served up at Signature Theatre, without resorting to terrible, half-baked puns.You see, it is a multi-layered exposition, alternately a sweet confection and a tart statement. Emotional conflict blends smoothly with nutty comedy and rises to a satisfying slice of life.... READ MORE
Ragtime brings early 20th century to life
Remember the bad ol’ days, 100 years or so ago, when multi-millionaires ruled the economic and political roosts, when immigrants were barely tolerated, and when blacks tried to show that their lives and their dignity mattered?Well, those times — not really gone by, are they? — are being played out with vigor, verve and considerable talent in the historical musical... READ MORE
Actor seeks ways to relate to characters
Like many actors, Gregory Burgess got “the bug” when he was a youngster. In his case, that was in Richmond, Va., where he participated first in church productions, then in junior high and high school shows. In fact, one of his all-time favorite roles was as Tevye in his high school production of Fiddler on the Roof.After moving to Washington to attend Howard University, Burgess ... READ MORE
Gavin MacLeod — you have to love him
He was 4 years old, the lead in a kindergarten play, when he first heard that sound: CLAPPING. Even winning the charming child contest in the New York Daily Mirror a little earlier had not prepared the golden-curled tot for that moment. “I want more,” he determined. The thrill of connection with an audience has stayed with him his whole long life. Never mind that his major triumphs... READ MORE
A sudsy telenovela of destiny and desire
It was a dark and stormy…no, wait. It was a stormy and rainy or a stormy and windy night. That’s where the story line of Destiny of Desire — the faux-telenovela comedy currently running at Arena Stage — begins, and where it transitions at overheated turning points in the story.This is a world premiere production from D.C. playwright Karen Zacarias, part of the... READ MORE
Fall plays focus on three American eras
Plays that are now onstage, or will be soon, at Columbia theaters address three significant themes.Ragtime, the multiple award-winning musical now being staged at Toby’s Dinner Theater, focuses on the early years of the 20th century. But its themes — race relations, immigration, and the upper 1 percent — will sound awfully familiar to local audiences during the... READ MORE
Belly dancing offers healthy fun for all
Like many single moms, Nina Amaya was stretched to the limit. Her primary care physician wrote her a prescription to “have fun.” On a lark, Amaya signed up for a belly dancing class at her local Y.Twenty-some years later, Amaya, now 52 and living in North Baltimore, is still having fun. So much so, in fact, that she now teaches belly dancing herself and is the founder of the... READ MORE
Artists’ retreat center blossoms in Pinyon
One of the results of the massive do-it-yourself trend that began in the early 1970s was the phenomenal success of DIY television of the 1990s. That spawned a frenzy by the general public in DIY home improvement projects. And the trend shows no sign of slowing down.Similarly, artists, craftsmen, hobbyists and artisans of every stripe embraced a growing emphasis on making things by your own ... READ MORE
The valley’s first lady of jazz
By age 2, Diane Schuur’s future as a singer and musician seemed to be her destiny.Born blind with perfect pitch, she could carry a tune as a toddler. She taught herself to play the piano by ear at age three, sitting on her father’s lap. By age 9, she was singing in public and earning her first professional gigs in hometown Tacoma, Wash.A brilliant jazz vocalist, the Cathedral... READ MORE
