On Stage

with STAN JENSON

The Lincoln Debate uses five actors to explore the fact that Abraham Lincoln shared his bed with a young male soldier for some four years before marrying Mary Todd. One is The Guide, the other four only get assigned roles as the show starts. They frequently “break the fourth wall,” speaking directly to the audience, and very importantly they don’t reach a conclusion. They simply present the evidence to the audience. It is such an intriguing subject that I know I’m eager to see “the debate.” It will be presented at the Palm Springs Cultural Center starting on December 14. For exact details of performance dates, times and tickets, visit www.TheBent.org.

Bent Theatre is working on a diverse collection of gay classics, new gay works, new twists on existing plays, and a first in Palm Springs: lesbian plays! Most importantly, they plan to give plays the chance to be rehearsed adequately to present quality production. In fact, they plan to make Palm Springs gay theatre proud; to be a nationally recognized company for producing theatre of quality.

GAY MEN’S CHORUSES: California is blessed with almost a dozen gay men’s choruses. Their concerts are typically a mix of serious music to show their bona fides, and then a fair bit of camp and silliness to show, well, their gayness. Their concerts are a place you can comfortably bring your straight friends and family to. You might even consider auditioning for one of the groups if the guys look like folks you would like to socialize with one night a week. The groups are a great alternative to bars.

LOS ANGELES: Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles (gmcla.org) “A Motown Holiday” at Royce Hall, Westwood, December 17 & 18. This talented group is in their 44th year of performing and has produced quite a catalogue of recordings, as well as performing in concerts with numerous celebrities. And gay men doing Motown? What a Christmas present!

ORANGE COUNTY: Men Alive (ocgmc.org) “Merry and Bright: Tinseltown” at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, December 3rd. It’s hard to believe this incredible group is now 21 years old. I stage managed their concerts for their first nine years, so I have a special love for them.

PALM SPRINGS: Gay Men’s Chorus of Palm Springs (psgmc.com) “Naughty or Nice” at The Annenberg Theatre, Palm Springs Art Museum, December 16, 17 & 18. Broadway star Michele McConnell, who played Carlotta in Phantom of the Opera on Broadway for 2,400 performances, will once again join the 90-man chorus for three fun-packed performances.

PALM SPRINGS: Modern Men (ModernMen.org). Only Palm Springs could support two full gay men’s choruses. This outstanding group will present “Sparkle: A Galaxy of Song” on December 10 & 11 (with a preview (November 27) at the Palm Springs Cultural Center (former Camelot Cinema). For you Palm Springs readers, this would be a great opportunity to compare the two choruses – and perhaps to decide to audition for one of them.

SACRAMENTO: Sacramento Gay Men’s Chorus (sacgaymenschorus.org) “Holiday Hits with a Splash of Sass!” at Pioneer Congregational Church, Sacramento, December 9 - 13. This chorus was founded in 1984, but only added the word “Gay” into their title in 2006.

SAN DIEGO: San Diego Gay Men’s Chorus (sdgmc.org) “Jingle” at Balboa Theatre, San Diego, December 10 - 11. This group of 200+ men is one of the ten largest gay men’s choruses in the USA, and there is nothing quite like hearing 200 voices singing together!

SAN FRANCSISCO: Golden Gate Men’s Chorus (ggmc.org) “Voices Singing, Let’s Be Jolly” at St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church, San Francisco, December 15 - 20. This group’s history is reversed in that they were formed as a “Gay Chorale,” and then in 1988 changed to the Golden Gate Men’s Chorus, I assume to distinguish them from SF Gay Men’s Chorus, and to be inclusive of their non-gay members. They are a group of excellent vocalists with many recordings on sale worldwide.

SAN FRANCISCO: San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus (sfgmc.org) presents “Holiday Spectacular” at various locations December 10, 11, 18 & 19 plus three special performances at the Castro Theatre December 24. Their Christmas Eve concerts at the Castro Theatre are so popular that they present it three times on the one day – and they generally sell out all three!

SAN JOSE: Silicon Valley Gay Men’s Chorus (scvgmc.org) “Evergreen” at Santa Clara University Recital Hall, December 9 - 11. This group is proudly celebrating their 40th anniversary!