Gay Desert Guide: Week of Aug. 30, 2021

The Purple Room is Back!

After a long, COVID-induced shutdown, the Purple Room comes back to life this week! Opening on Tuesday, August 31, the first performer to return to the Purple Room stage will be Rose Mallett with Jazz & Blues. The week continues with the usual format: Wednesdays swing with Michael Holmes and Darci Daniels and their music of the Rat Pack era. Then Jazz, Broadway and ‘60s pop takes the stage Thursdays with Sharon Sills.
For Labor Day Weekend—Friday, Saturday and Sunday, September 3, 4 & 5, the great live jazz combo led by Mark Kahny will feature some of the area’s favorite singers. Also, for the first weekend, open dining — with reservations suggested although not required — will be instituted, the same as the Purple Room’s weekday format. Looking ahead, Purple Room faves will be getting back into the swing of things, including performances by Palm Springs JUMP! Lee Squared, Ann Hampton Callaway, Liz Callaway, Jonathan Karrant, Amanda McBroom, Sharon McNight, Marilyn Maye, Diane Schuur and Billy Stritch. More info

Desert Chorale Auditions

The California Desert Chorale will be back to live performances for its 29th season and will be holding auditions on Monday, August 30 at 7:00 p.m. at St. John’s Lutheran Church. Auditions will be administered and conducted by the Chorale’s Artistic Director Tim Bruneau for serious, dedicated singers who feel motivated to be a member of this well established and growing ensemble. More info

Walk & Hike with Kim

The LGBTQ Center of the Desert presents Walk and Hike with Kim, occasional treks for women led by Kim Kieler. On Tuesday, August 31 join Kim at 6:30 a.m. to hike the Henderson Loop Trail in Palm Springs (3.5 miles with a 400-ft elevation gain). You must be double-vaccinated and maintain physical distancing on the trail, bring a liter of water, and reserve your spot online ahead of time. More info

Outbook Book Club Kicks off 2021-2022 Season

The Palm Springs Cultural Center and the Palm Springs Public Library present their LGBTQ monthly book club OUTBOOK on Wednesday, September 1 from 6:30–8:30 pm on Zoom (with the first half hour being a social mixer). Connect with your fellow bibliophiles the first Wednesday of every month, with this month’s selection being “Cary Grant: A Brilliant Disguise” by Scott Eyman. Upcoming selections include: “The Liar’s Dictionary” by Eley Williams (Oct. 6), “The Prettiest Star” by Carter Sickels (Nov. 3), and “Giovanni’s Room” by James Baldwin (Dec. 1). More info

Jazzville Palm Springs: Josh Nelson & Kevin van den Elzen Quintet
Jazzville, the live jazz scene presented by Barry Martin/DJ Baz and Take Five Entertainment, presents Josh Nelson & Kevin van den Elzen Quintet on Thursday, September 2 at 7:00 p.m. at the vibrant Cascade Lounge inside Agua Caliente Casino in Palm Springs. Josh Nelson is a pianist, composer, and bandleader that’s performed with some of the most respected names in jazz, and Kevin van den Elzen is a young, in-demand jazz drummer originally from the Netherlands’ Dutch Concert Big Band. Cocktails, wine and delicious small bites will be available to order and enjoy while bopping to the tunes of the evening. More info

The Rocky Horror Show

The Desert Rose Playhouse presents “The Rocky Horror Show,” running now through Sunday, September 12. A humorous tribute to the science fiction and horror B movies of the 1930s through to the early 1960s, the musical tells the story of a newly engaged couple getting caught in a storm and coming to the home of a mad transvestite scientist, Dr Frank-N-Furter. The doctor unveils his new creation, a sort of Frankenstein-style monster in the form of an artificially made, fully grown, physically perfect muscle man named Rocky, complete “with blond hair and a tan.” Get tickets

Agnes Pelton Exhibit Final Week

Agnes Pelton: Desert Transcendentalist, the first major exhibition since 1995 of the under-recognized American modernist painter who worked in Cathedral City is at the Palm Springs Art Museum through Sunday, September 5. Don’t miss your chance to see it before time runs out! Although she painted conventional landscapes and portraits, Pelton (1881–1961) is most celebrated for her abstract compositions that reflect her interest in esoteric subjects and occult philosophies, including numerology and Agni Yoga with its principal focus on fire as a guiding force. More info

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Our Special Drag Correspondent Dante Noto is faithfully watching and reporting on all the weekly victories and defeats in the world of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars Season 6. Read all of Dante’s recaps back to the season premiere [here] and check out his recap of the latest episode, “The Charisma, Uniqueness, Nerve and Talent Monologues,” where the monologues include Trinity’s,  entitled “Bamboozled,” a story of being catfished with a poignant ending of lives saved by Ru, and Kylie tells the story of “First Time,” when she was introduced to drag after returning from military school where he had been sent to butch up. Read it!

Best of Coachella Valley Nomination Round

The first round of voting is now open in The CV Independent Best of Coachella Valley 2021-2022, and they need YOU to nominate your favorites in various categories from Arts to Nightlife, Family to Fashion, and Professionals to Food and Restaurants. This is fill-in-the-blank voting, so you can nominate whoever YOU feel is most deserved of the “Best” honor! This nomination round is open through September 13, with a final round of voting on finalists to follow. Nominate now