This week in #ILoveGayPalmSprings: The Palm Springs Police Department is holding their LGBT Outreach Town Hall, the Desert Business Association is holding their mixer at Toyota of the Desert, there is also an immersive theatre performance of ‘Electricity,‘ and a discussion group on “How to Be a Man” begins at The Center, which is also the setting for an informational presentation on Shoulder and Neck Pain this week. Meanwhile, ‘Mapplethorpe’ is back on the local silver screen, and the BNP Paribas Open Tennis Tournament continues. All this plus a preview of the weekend to come!

DBA Mixer at Toyota of the Desert

Join the Desert Business Association as they welcome new members Toyota of the Desert and Honda of the Desert at the DBA Mixer on Monday, March 11 from 6:00–8:00 p.m. at Toyota of the Desert. The two dealerships are next to each other in Cathedral City’s Auto Row. If you haven’t had an opportunity to test drive a Honda or Toyota, now is the time! Sales staff will be available to find a vehicle to meet your needs. Learn more.

‘Electricity’ As Immersive Theater In Real Palm Springs Hotel!

Terry Ray’s acclaimed play Electricity will be performed Monday, March 11 from 7:00–9:00 p.m. at INNdulge in Palm Springs. You’re a fly on the wall at this exclusive immersive theater experience, where only 20 ticket holders get to be in Gary & Brad’s hotel room with them  as the funny, sexy and powerful story unfolds over 4 decades. Get Tickets

Common Sources of Shoulder and Neck Pain and Current Interventions

The LGBT Community Center of The Desert and Eisenhower Health present Common Sources of Shoulder and Neck Pain and Current Interventions on Wednesday, March 15 from 5:30–6:30 p.m. Join Kenneth Zaparinuk, Physical Therapist, to learn about the anatomy of the shoulder and neck, different types of pain and the different interventions available.This is a FREE event but space is limited. Registration is Required. More info

Palm Springs Police Department LGBT Outreach Committee Town Hall

On Thursday, March 14 from 5:30–7:00 p.m., The Palm Springs Police Department LGBT Outreach Committee presents the annual Town Hall with Police Chief Bryan Reyes at the Mizell Senior Center. Join us to discuss where we’ve come, where we’re going and talk about issues affecting the LGBT community in Palm Springs. More info

How To Be A Man

The LGBT Community Center of The Desert presents How To Be A Man, an 8-week discussion group exploring various positive aspects of masculinity and what they mean to us. Join facilitator Joe Burgo starting Thursday, March 14 for the first topic: Heroes and Role Models. Future weekly topics include:  Testosterone – Body, Behavior and Sexuality, Competition, Aggression/Assertiveness, Competence & Self-Confidence, Courage, Emotionality, and Leadership and Fathering. Cost for members is $10 (per session)  and $15 for non-members (per session). Limited to 12 Participants per Session. Registration Required. Sign Up

Cinema Diverse Best of Fest MAPPLETHORPE back for two week run!

Cinema Diverse Best Of Fest film series returns to the Camelot Theatres now through Thursday,  March 21 with a new biopic about the late controversial photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. Arguably one of the most important artists of the 20th century. Mapplethorpe discovered himself both sexually and artistically in New York City throughout the 70’s and 80’s. Mapplethorpe’s work displayed erotisim in a way that had never been examined nor displayed before to the public. The film explores the intersection of his art and his sexuality and his struggle for mainstream recognition (View trailer). Mapplethorpe offers a nuanced portrait of an artist at the height of his craft and of the self-destructive impulses that threaten to undermine it all. Get Tickets

 

BNP Paribas Tennis Tournament Continues

The BNP Paribas Open is the largest two-week combined ATP & WTA professional tennis tournament outside of the four majors, and it started a week ago March 4, right here in Indian Wells, and continues through Sunday, March 17. The Indian Wells Tennis Garden is a critically-acclaimed tennis landscape offering tennis fans from far and wide a memorable and unique tennis experience in the desert. Get Tickets

THIS WEEKEND

Fashion Week El Paseo

The West Coast’s largest consumer fashion show, Fashion Week El Paseo, will be held March 16–23, at The Gardens on El Paseo in Palm Desert. Showcasing the talents of renowned and emerging designers, this premier fashion event presents their newest collections in a state-of-the-art experience  with its cocktail receptions, trunk shows, celebrity meet-and-greets, and much more.  Whether you’re a seasoned stylemaker or a fledgling fashionista, you’re sure to feel inspired and transformed by the events at Fashion Week as audiences from all walks of life enjoy the sophistication and luxury of the desert. More info

Fashion Week: Le Chien

Le Chien presented by Animal Samaritans is one of Fashion Week’s most sought after tickets, taking place on Sunday, March 17 from 5:00–8:00 p.m. in the Fashion Week Tent on El Paseo in Palm Desert. Watch style-savvy fashionistas including Gay Desert Guide’s owner Brad Fuhr and his dog Buddy, as they rock the runway with adorable rescue dogs and pose for the “puparazzi.” These polished petfluencers and their fashion-forward minders put their best paw forward for a good cause. The fashion show is preceded by a cocktail reception and silent auction with proceeds going to Animal Samaritans. Get tickets

Project Runway Meet and Greet with Michael Costello and Friends

On Tuesday, March 19 at 10:30 a.m., you have an opportunity to meet with Michael Costello and some of your favorite Project Runway designers as they gather under one roof for an informal Q&A. This year’s designers include: Seth Aaron, Project Runway All Stars, Season 7; Mondo Guerra, Project Runway All Stars, Season 1; Viktor Luna, Project Runway All Stars, Season 3; and Anthony Ryan, Project Runway All Stars, Season 2. Learn more about these designers as they share their stories, secrets, and ambitions during this round-table discussion. Learn More

Reunion Project 3.0: The Future of HIV

Presented by the HIV + Aging Research Project – Palm Springs (HARP-PS), the Reunion Project 3.0: Thriving With HIV is a FREE, one-day symposium held on Saturday, March 16 from 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. at the Eisenhower campus in Rancho Mirage. The focus will be on providing education and information on issues individuals living with HIV and AIDS face as they age. Noted blogger and social media aficionado Mark King will serve as the keynote speaker for the afternoon closer at 4:00 PM. More info

Marvelous Marilyn Maye at The Purple Room

The Purple Room presents a special three-night engagement with the Marvelous Marilyn Maye on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, March 14, 15 and 16 from 6:00–9:30 p.m. The late Johnny Carson called her Super Singer. Ella Fitzgerald dubbed her The greatest white female singer in the world. The Houston Chronicle termed her A National Treasure. And the prestigious Smithsonian Institution chose her recording of Too Late Now (from her RCA Lamp Is Low album) for inclusion in its Best Performers of the Best Compositions of the 20th Century permanent collection, along with such other singing greats as Billie Holiday, Frank Sinatra and Judy Garland. Don’t miss your chance to see this national treasure perform live in the intimate setting of the Purple Room! Get Tickets.

Monty Python’s Spamalot

The McCallum Theatre presents Monty Python’s Spamalot for five performances running Friday, March 15 through Sunday, March 17. Winner of the 2005 Tony Award for Best Musical, this outrageous musical comedy lovingly rips off the film classic “Monty Python and The Holy Grail.” With a book by Eric Idle and music and lyrics by the Grammy Award-winning team of Mr. Idle and John Du Prez, Spamalot tells the tale of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table as they embark on their quest for the Holy Grail. Flying cows, killer rabbits, taunting Frenchmen and show-stopping musical numbers are just a few of the reasons audiences everywhere are eating up Spamalot. Get Tickets

Theatre Spotlight

This week, we have powerful stories in our local theatre roundup, told through the variety of rock opera, glam rock, a bubbly musical, and Pulitzer Prize-winning drama. CVRep debuts their new venue with Chess, and Desert Ensemble Theatre Company debuts their production of Proof, and The View UpStairs and Hairspray continue!

CVRep presents CHESS as the very first production in their newly-renovated home in Cathedral City (learn more), running from Wednesday, March 13 through Sunday March 31. This complex rock opera uses chess as a metaphor for romantic rivalries, competitive gamesmanship, super-power politics, and international intrigues. The pawns in this drama form a love triangle: the loutish American chess star, the earnest Russian champion, and a Hungarian American female assistant who arrives at the international chess match in Bangkok with the American, but falls for the Russian. Featuring a monumental rock score that includes “One Night in Bangkok” and “Heaven Help My Heart.” Get Tickets

 

Desert Ensemble Theatre Company’s Eighth Season continues with Proof by David Auburn, from Friday, March 15 through Sunday, March 24. Winner of the 2001 Pulitzer Prize in Drama and the Tony Award for Best Play, Proof explores the unknowability of love as much as it does the mysteries of mathematics. The play concerns Catherine, the daughter of a recently deceased mathematical genius, and her struggle with her own intellectual potential and possible mental illness. Get Tickets

 

The Desert Rose Playhouse presents The View UpStairs by Max Vernon through Sunday March 31. This poignant new musical pulls you inside the UpStairs Lounge, a vibrant ’70s gay bar in the French Quarter of New Orleans. This forgotten community comes to life in all its gritty, glam rock glory when a young fashion designer from 2017 buys the abandoned space, setting off an exhilarating journey of seduction and self-exploration that spans two generations of queer history. Get Tickets

 

Desert Theatreworks presents Hairspray the Big Fat Broadway Musical, through Sunday March 24 at the Indio Performing Arts Center. Set in 1960s Baltimore, this Broadway smash musical tells the story of lovable plus-sized teen Tracy Turnblad, a misfit who becomes a local celebrity by dancing on TV’s Corny Collins Show, and whose passion for justice transforms her into an unlikely heroine, triumphing over both snotty teen queens and racial segregation. Get tickets