THE TIMES, THEY ARE A-CHANGING… C ONLY AT THE M CALLUM We’ve listened and recognize that many McCallum theatergoers prefer For more than three decades, the McCallum Theatre has brought the an earlier showtime. Beginning with the 2020-21 season: world to the Coachella Valley. Legendary entertainers. The biggest • Evening performances on Sunday – Thursday will begin at 7pm and best variety of shows. Performers at the top of their craft. • Friday and Saturday evening performances will remain at 8pm The 2020-2021 season is no exception. The McCallum is presenting one of its best Broadway seasons in recent years. Plus, there’s an • Matinees with no evening performances will begin at 3pm exciting array of McCallum premieres, brand new to the desert. • Broadway matinees will begin at 2pm. Broadway evening performance And audiences can expect lots of raucous comedy, international times may vary. song and dance, tributes to the jukebox of our lives and so much Note: all showtimes are subject to change depending on the needs of the more. There’s plenty to love – only at the McCallum. Get your performers or traveling companies. Please make sure to check your tickets to tickets today before the hottest shows sell out! ensure proper arrival time for all performances. It’s easy to purchase tickets online at www.mccallumtheatre.com. Or you can come to our box office at the McCallum (corner of Fred Waring and Monterey in Palm Desert). You can also McCallum audiences have truly embraced our Mitch’s order by phone at (760) 340-2787. Picks, returning for its seventh season in 2020-2021. s With gratitude for your faith and willingness to Mitch’ Picks3 Among the season highlights: experience new artists or those just bubbling under stardom, our • Broadway’s Best: Blue Man Group, Jersey Boys, Acting President and Director of Programming, Mitch Gershenfeld, has Riverdance, Les Misérables, Hairspray, Beautiful and assembled an eclectic and appealing collection of shows that will make you feel proud to say “I saw them for the first time at the McCallum.” McCallum premieres of Come From Away and Summer – On the series: The Donna Summer Musical • McCallum superstars Neil Sedaka, Vanessa Williams, Jackie Harlem 100 Featuring Mwenso & The Shakes th Evancho, Michael Feinstein, Kristin Chenoweth, Storm Large, Celebrating the 100 Anniversary of the Harlem Renaissance Steve Tyrell, Chris Botti, and more… Sat, November 21, 8pm See Page 8 • The inimitable Smothers Brothers return to the McCallum for the first time in over a decade Philharmonix • By popular demand – four National Geographic Live! The Vienna Berlin Music Club programs this season! Wed, February 10, 7pm See Page 27 • Masterful tributes to Ray Charles, George Michael, Queen and the sounds of Philadelphia Joey DeFrancesco Philadelphia Reunion Band • Comedy gold from Jeanne Robertson, Paula Poundstone, With Kevin Eubanks, Lil’ John Roberts and Orrin Evans Capitol Steps, John Cleese, Jay Leno and Steve Solomon Wed, February 24, 7pm See Page 32 • Plus, Cesar Millan, Chazz Palminteri, Charo, Puddles Pity Party, and more… Voces8 Wed, March 3, 7pm See Page 35 Puddles Pity Party Fri, March 5, 8pm See Page 36 1 www.mccallumtheatre.com 2 “Like” us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram City of Palm Desert and The H.N. and Frances C. Berger Foundation Present for breaking news and behind-the-scenes glimpses Ninth Annual Family Fun Day at the McCallum’s artists and programs. Jeanne Robertson Sun, November 1, 7pm $68/48/28 Back for her fourth McCallum appearance, Jeanne Robertson is the humorist and speaker with millions of fans on YouTube and Sirius/XM Radio’s Family Comedy Channel. Robertson continues to charm audiences with her humorous observations about life around her. This former Miss North Carolina, standing tall at six-foot-two, has an infectious personality, heart and sense of humor. Some of her most popular anecdotes include “Don’t Go to Vegas Without a Baptist,” “Don’t Bungee Jump Naked,” and “Don’t Send a Man to the Grocery Store.” Sat, October 10 Performance: 3:00pm Food and Fun: 4:15pm $25/15/10 The McCallum Theatre’s Family Fun Day continues a 200 year-old British tradition – The Panto! Waring International Piano Competition Presents It’s participatory theater and it’s fun for all ages. Find out as The Panto Company USA spins this classic ™ tale into a golden show full of humor, clap along songs and loads of audience participation! Three Pianos, Six Hands The Little Mermaid follows the dreams of a young girl who believes there is a better life for her out of the Variations on a Theme! water. Will she be prepared to give up everything? Is it really better out of the water? Who knows? But of John Bayless, Norman Krieger, Jon Nakamatsu course, there’s a handsome prince, an evil baddie, a funny side kick and bucket loads of laughs along the way. & Lisa Nakamichi With stunning scenery, eye catching costumes, original songs and not Wed, November 4, 7pm forgetting loads of audience participation, this show makes for $125/85/35 a thoroughly entertaining family day out. 3 www.mccallumtheatre.com 4 McCallum Theatre Education LeAnn Rimes presents Sat, November 7, 8pm $95/75/45 LeAnn Rimes has sold more than 44 million Palm Desert albums, won two Grammy Awards, three Academy of Country Music Awards and Choreography 12 Billboard Music Awards. Rimes is the youngest recipient of a Grammy Award, and was also the first country recording artist to Festival win in the “Best New Artist” category. Sat, November 14, 7pm Featuring Professional Companies $45/30/20 Sun, November 15, 4pm Featuring Pre-Professional Companies $35/25/15 Choreography by both emerging and established dancemakers takes center stage in McCallum’s popular festival, now in its 23rd year. Exciting original dances in a number of styles are performed by companies from across the nation with winners announced at the conclusion of each performance. A Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented on Saturday evening and students in East Valley Dance and The Studio Projects will perform on Sunday. Celebrating dance as an art form, this unique event always delivers an interesting mix of work by inventive artists. Photos: Jack Hartin 5 www.mccallumtheatre.com 6 Paula Poundstone From the #1 rated NPR show, “Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me!” Fri, November 20, 8pm $45/35/25 Paula Poundstone’s wry observations spark impromptu dialogue and guarantee riotous laughter. Armed with nothing but a stool, a microphone and a can of Diet Pepsi, Poundstone can find the hilarious angle of almost any subject, from the absurdity of the political Photos: Florian Schulz world to the deviousness of housecats, and deliver it with a casual air, impeccable timing and razor-sharp wit. Despite the Arctic’s reputation as a barren wasteland, award-winning photographer Florian Schulz discovered a vibrant ecosystem including playful polar bears, mysterious musk ox, and a herd of thousands of caribou over the course of 34 months in the high arctic. To the German explorer, it was a quest for an uncharted wilderness that stands in contrast to an otherwise ever more populated and industrialized world. Photo: Shannon Greer Mitch’s Picks3 Harlem 100 Featuring Postmodern Jukebox Mwenso & The Shakes Wed, November 18, 7pm Celebrating the 100th Anniversary $95/75/45 of the Harlem Renaissance Postmodern Jukebox reimagines contemporary pop, rock and R&B hits in the style of various Sat, November 21, 8pm yesteryears, from swing to doo-wop, ragtime to $55/45/25 Motown – or, as creator Scott Bradlee himself The Harlem Renaissance was an age when puts it, “pop music in a time machine.” For the legendary artists such as Fats Waller, past five years PMJ has toured the world, playing Duke Ellington, Langston Hughes and hundreds of shows to sold-out venues on six Billie Holiday made Harlem the cultural continents. They’ve also performed on shows center of the country. This multimedia including “Good Morning America,” topped concert captures the sounds of that iTunes and Billboard charts, and caught the special era when 125th Street shaped the attention of NPR Music, NBC News and a wide music of the nation. Featuring Mwenso array of celebrity fans. and the Shakes with special guests Brianna Thomas, Vuyo Sotashe, and Michela Marino Lerman. 7 www.mccallumtheatre.com 8 Don’t be scammed! Online ticket brokers will charge you many times the actual face value of a ticket. The McCallum Theatre Box Office is the ONLY safe and secure way to purchase tickets for all performances. City of Rancho Mirage Presents The Lettermen Sun, November 22, 3pm $65/55/35 Rancho Mirage Residents (with ID) $60/50/30 The letter sweaters may only make a brief appearance at each Lettermen performance, but The Lettermen harmony is non-stop. From their first hit in 1961, “The Way You Look Tonight,” through current hits of today, the sound is undeniably Lettermen. 18 Gold Albums worldwide and scores of top singles attest to a popularity that has endured through several generations. Vienna Boys Choir Mon, November 23, 7pm $78/58/28 The Vienna Boys Choir Fri, November 27, 8pm has delighted music Sat, November 28, 2pm & 8pm lovers across the globe Sun, November 29, 2pm & 7pm for six centuries with $135/95/65 their purity of tone, charm, and crowd- More than 35 million people around the world have pleasing repertoire. experienced the smash hit phenomenon that is BLUE Christmas in Vienna MAN GROUP and now it’s your turn! BLUE MAN showcases the voices GROUP’s new North American Tour is coming to of these child musicians Palm Desert for a limited engagement.