PSP FOCUS NEW CVREP PLAYHOUSE TO OPEN IN CATHEDRAL CITY
After months of preparation and great anticipation, The Coachella Valley Repertory Theatre (CVRep) has announced it will open their newly renovated, 208 seat, Cathedral City playhouse with the dynamic musical, CHESS - Music by Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson of the Rock Group ABBA Lyrics by Time Rice and Book by Richard Nelson. “It’s hard to believe that in just a few weeks, CVRep will be presenting the dynamic musical CHESS in our brand new, fully equipped, technically advanced playhouse,” says CVRep Artistic Director and Founder, Ron Celona. “Our new playhouse, located on the corner of Highway 111 and Cathedral Canyon Drive in Cathedral City is truly a dream come true for me and all involved at CVRep. Although purchasing and converting the old Imax into a professional “live theatre” venue has been a challenge, thanks to our amazing Board of Directors, staff, volunteers and generous supporters, our newly renovated playhouse will not only enable us to present larger scale productions like CHESS, and seat more patrons than we have in the past, I believe it is also destined to have a positive impact on Cathedral City as well as the entire Coachella Valley.” ABBA, collaborators of CHESS, are giants of rock music and rock musicals; and with CHESS they have created a complex rock opera that played to full Broadway houses and standing ovations.
28 THESTANDARDPS.COM
When CHESS made its Broadway debut in 1988, it was considered a significant and powerful piece of musical theater for its time, as it allegorically reflected the Cold War tensions of the 1980s. With a musical score by Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson of the rock group ABBA, lyrics by Tim Rice and a book by Richard Nelson, CHESS continues to have relevance in today’s complex world. It is a highly entertaining musical that transforms the ancient and distinguished game of chess into a metaphor for romantic rivalries and East-West political intrigue. The story of CHESS revolves around a politically driven, cold war-era chess tournament between two grandmaster chess players. The pawns in this musical form a love triangle between a loutish American chess star, an earnest Russian champion and a Hungarian American female assistant who arrives at the international chess match in Bangkok with the American, but manages to fall in love with the Russian. From Bangkok to Budapest the players, lovers, politicians, and spies manipulate and are manipulated to the pulse of a monumental rock score that includes “One Night in Bangkok”, “I Know Him So Well”, and “Heaven Help My Heart.” CHESS will be performed from March 13 through March 31 at the NEW CVRep Playhouse located at 68510 E. Palm Canyon Drive, Cathedral City, CA 92234. Performances are scheduled for Wed, Thur, Fri, and Sat at 7:30PM, Sat and Sun at 2:00PM, also Tue, March 26 at 7:30PM. Individual tickets are $53 / Previews $48 / Opening Night $63 - includes Opening Night Party. For more information, please call 760-296-2966 or visit the website at cvrep.org.
100 THINGS TO DO IN PALM SPRINGS BEFORE YOU DIE Written by Lydia Kremer, long-time Palm Springs resident and writer, 100 Things to Do in Palm Springs Before You Die is a great handy guide for visitors and residents in Greater Palm Springs. The book covers the nine cities that comprise the Coachella Valley, also known as Greater Palm Springs. It provides the reader a comprehensive insider’s glimpse into Greater Palm Springs, Southern California’s storied sun-kissed desert paradise.