The McCallum Theatre today announces its new lineup for 2024-2025, with a full season of great performances beginning in October 2024 and going through mid-May 2025. Additional performances will be added throughout the season.
Tickets are available to the general public beginning Friday, April 12 at 8:00 AM at McCallumTheatre.org, by phone at (760) 340-2787, or at the McCallum Theatre Box Office. Regular Box Office hours are Monday through Friday, 9am to 5pm. Patrons are reminded that the only safe and secure way to purchase tickets is through the McCallum Box Office or via the official theatre website. Beware third party brokers attempting to re-sell McCallum Theatre tickets, often at much higher prices, as their validity cannot be guaranteed, and patrons may be getting scammed by unscrupulous actors.
As always, McCallum Annual Members receive advance access to purchase seats during Member Appreciation Week, which takes place Monday through Thursday, April 8-11. Those wishing to access priority purchase for the new 2024-2025 Season may become a new annual member, even during the priority access period. As soon as a gift is received, a new Member will be given priority access in accordance with their gift amount. Memberships start at $100 for Friends Circle and $1000 for President’s Circle. To become a McCallum Annual Member today, contact Dustin Engstrom at dengstrom@mccallum-theatre.org or (760) 776-6179.
Season Overview
“The new season is filled with audience favorites, as well as some enticing McCallum debuts,” said Mitch Gershenfeld, Artistic Director of the McCallum Theatre. “We are particularly excited that many of the artists who love performing at the McCallum will be returning to the desert with brand new shows. We are also looking forward to some unique evenings exploring the Great American Songbook, Oscar-winning scores, milestone birthday celebrations and international artistry of the finest caliber.”
“Audiences may have noticed this year that the McCallum season extended beyond our traditional November through April schedule,” noted Gershenfeld. “That trend will continue in 2024-2025 with our final Broadway tour slated in May 2025. Everyone should be on the lookout throughout the entire season for added shows. As new opportunities present themselves, and as artists announce new tours, we will book additional artists and shows, ensuring that we bring the widest variety of entertainment to our amazing community.”
“None of this would be possible without the generosity of our Board of Trustees, Founders, Leadership Giving and Annual Fund donors, members of our Legacy, President’s and Friends Circles, The Muses & Patroness Circle of McCallum Theatre, along with our staff, volunteers and ticket buyers who support the McCallum Theatre so passionately,” added Gershenfeld. “As a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, we are deeply grateful to everyone who continues to make the McCallum an important part of their social and charitable lives.”
“In addition to the excitement of presenting a fun and fantastic new season, we are equally delighted to unveil the results of a year-long initiative to enhance our online customer experience,” said Garry Kief, Chair of the McCallum Board of Trustees. “On April 1, we launched a new website and transitioned to a new, more robust ticketing platform, enabling our patrons to access their own secure, personal accounts to purchase tickets, register for special events, maintain memberships, keep track of donations, and much more. We have listened to our customers, and our team has spent many hours working hard to ensure that online interaction with the McCallum is easier, faster, and more secure.”
Season Kicks off in October 2024
After a sold-out engagement this past season, the McCallum welcomes back four-time Emmy and Grammy-nominated American comedian, producer, actor, singer, satirist and The New York Times best-selling author Randy Rainbow to open the 2024-2025 season (October 11 & 12, 2024). Other early season highlights include the McCallum debut of Canadian country singer Terri Clark, who will bring her string of radio-friendly records to the McCallum stage on October 26, 2024. Capitol Fools, featuring members from past seasons of Capitol Steps, arrive in the desert just in time for the election (October 27, 2024) for much-needed laughs about the crazy political climate we live in, and promising equal jabs at both the Left and the Right!
The McCallum debut of Some Enchanted Evening, a one-of-a-kind, multi-disciplinary, jazz-inspired musical mashup that journeys through Broadway’s greatest hits from the Golden Age right up to current day, led by Emmy-nominated crooner Benny Benack III, plays November 6, 2024, presented by the City of Rancho Mirage. And the always highly-anticipated Palm Desert Choreography Festival, celebrating the artists of today and nurturing the artists of tomorrow, takes the stage on November 9 & 10, 2024.
Broadway In Our Back Yard
Unquestionably one of the finest McCallum Broadway lineups in recent memory, the 2024-2025 Season will bring six of the very best of recent Great White Way hits to the desert, each show a Tony Award-winner.
The excitement starts with the triumphant return of Come From Away, which movingly recounts the remarkable true story of a small town in Newfoundland that opened their homes to 7,000 stranded travelers on 9/11 (November 26-December 1, 2024); a quick sell-out during its first McCallum engagement, The Book of Mormon returns from January 30-February 1, dubbed “the funniest musical of all time” by Entertainment Weekly. Declared “one of the most remarkable shows in musical theater history” by The Washington Post, the Tony Award-winning Best Musical, Dear Evan Hansen makes its McCallum debut for five performances only from February 21-23, 2025.
The electrifying smash-hit Broadway musical, Ain’t Too Proud, which follows The Temptations’ extraordinary journey from the streets of Detroit to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, is another desert premiere, playing March 7-9, 2025. Global sensation SIX: The Musical premieres at the McCallum March 25-30, 2025, regaling audiences with the stories of the wives of Henry VIII who take the microphone to remix five hundred years of historical heartbreak into a euphoric celebration of 21st century girl power. Finally, the explosive and exciting Tina – The Tina Turner Musical, an uplifting comeback story like no other about one of the world’s best-selling artists of all time, rounds out our Broadway season, playing May 9-11, 2025.
For those who just can’t get enough of Broadway, three of the most beloved stars of the Great White Way return to the McCallum with new shows this season. From her McCallum debut in 1991, three years after the Theatre opened, to present day, the luminous Bernadette Peters has dazzled audiences with her critically-acclaimed and beautifully intimate performances. The three-time Tony Award winner is back in the desert on November 23, 2024, with longtime Musical Director, Marvin Laird.
Dubbed “the last leading man” by The New York Times, two-time Tony Award winner Brian Stokes Mitchell has enjoyed a career that spans Broadway, television, film and concert appearances with the country’s finest conductors and orchestras. “Stokes” visits the McCallum on January 29, 2025. Broadway and television legend, Mandy Patinkin will showcase his unique, emotional and showstopping talent when he brings Being Alive, a collection of his favorite Broadway and classic American tunes to the McCallum on March 21, 2025. He has been dazzling McCallum audiences since 1997.
National Geographic LIVE is Back
A McCallum Theatre audience favorite, National Geographic Live returns after a year’s absence. This Season’s roster runs the gamut and spans the globe, beginning on January 20, 2025 with Earth After Dark, presented by the City of Rancho Mirage, featuring photographer Babak Tafreshi who first saw the moon through a telescope in Tehran, Iran and has turned his passion to explore the night sky into breathtaking photography of night scenes on every continent.
Ecologist Dr. Heather Lynch has spent more than a decade understanding Penguins of Antarctica and the population dynamics of that continent’s wildlife. She’ll bring her fascinating discoveries to the McCallum on February 17, 2025. The series concludes on March 31 when Marine Biologist Erica Woolsey discusses Diving The Great Barrier Reef and explains how scientists and citizens are fighting to protect reefs of the world.
Dance At The McCallum
In their first McCallum appearances since 1999 and 2003 respectively, two of our nation’s premier dance companies make their long-awaited return to the Valley’s premier performing arts center.
On February 18, 2025, Twyla Tharp Dance celebrates its Diamond Jubilee with a performance showcasing the seminal contemporary choreographer’s uncanny and witty use of music to create works of startling originality and beauty.
A month later, on March 17, 2025, the 50-year-old dance company Ballet Hispanico,one of America’s Cultural Treasures, arrives at the McCallum for a mainstage performance. This influential troupe has been bringing communities together to celebrate and explore Latino
cultures through innovative dance performances, transformative dance training, and enduring educational engagement experiences.
Rhythm India: Bollywood & Beyond, makes its McCallum debut on February 25, 2025 with a journey of dance and celebration featuring vibrant costumes, dynamic music, and the soulful rhythms of ghungross dancing bells echoing from royal palaces and sacred temples to desert villages and modern stages. Rhythm Indiafeatures a company of dancers that have been seen on screens from Bollywood to Hollywood.
Velocity Irish Dance, the next generation in Irish tap, is an expressive fast-paced and edgy performance driven by passion and pride. Making their McCallum debut on March 13, 2025, this multimedia show for all ages is a high-octane celebration of the past, present, and future of Irish dance.
Sing, Sing A Song
Imagine the entire family singing along to one of your favorite Disney films. Imagine no more because Encanto – The Sing-Along Film Concert comes to the McCallum for the first time on November 20, 2024. The Disney Concerts and AMP Worldwide production gives Encanto lovers of all ages the opportunity to sing along with their favorite GRAMMY Award-winning songs performed by a live band while watching the full film. (And don’t worry, no one will talk about you if you don’t have every word memorized of the cult-classic hit, “We Don’t Talk About Bruno!”)
Decking The Hall
The McCallum is definitely the place to be this Holiday Season as the Theatre gives the gift of song and spectacle to desert audiences with a roster of performances that are sure to be among the Valley’s favorite things this December. The festive cheer kicks off on December 2, 2024 with Home for the Holidays 2024,starring Peabo Bryson, Oleta Adams, Ruben Studdard,and Haley Reinhart. The following night, December 3, Las Vegas’s #1 vocal group, Human Nature,stops by the McCallum with Christmas, Motown & More, a brand-new holiday show combining the best of both worlds.
The Midtown Men arrive December 7, 2024 to celebrate “the most wonderfultime of the year” with an evening of Yuletide classics, plus signature renditions of the greatest rock and roll hits of the 1960s, as only these reunited stars from the smash Broadway hit, Jersey Boys, can do! It wouldn’t be a McCallum holiday season without A Mariachi Christmas, this year featuring Mariachi Herencia de México (December 8, 2024). The Latin GRAMMY-nominated band will perform Mexican and American Christmas favorites in a colorful celebration of holiday traditions perfect for the whole family.
Jake’s Holiday in Hawaii brings Ukulele master and jolly ambassador of aloha, Jake Shimabukuro, to the McCallum on December 11, 2024. His genuine love for people, the spirit of the holidays, and his beloved Hawaii home will be at the forefront of a warm welcome to the merriment and wonder of the season. The sensation of last season, The Maestro & The European Pop Orchestra,return, this timing sharing A European Holiday with McCallum audiences on December 13 & 14, 2024 in a production that has already been performed for more than 2.8 million spectators live throughout the world. Nearly a dozen incredible singers collectively known as Voctave celebrate The Spirit of the Season on December 17, 2024 with holiday favorites from their chart-topping albums. The beloved family tradition returns on December 19, 2024 with Nutcracker! Magical Christmas Ballet featuring an extraordinary international cast and Ukrainian principal artists performing at the peak of classical European Ballet. Filled with warm-glow nostalgia, jaw dropping acrobatics, larger-than-life puppets and stunning hand-crafted sets and costumes, this is a not-to-be-missed performance for the entire family.
Popular at any time of the year, The Irish Tenors make a holiday stop at the McCallum on December 21, 2024, with Declan Kelly, Anthony Kearns, Ronan Tynan delighting audiences of all ages with their virtuosity and charm as Celtic music kings. The holiday season wraps up on December 22, 2024 with a beloved McCallum tradition, when Dave Koz & Friends Christmas Tour 2024 brews a magical concoction of celebrated saxophonist Koz and four special guests performing hits and jamming on fresh, lively arrangements of season favorites.
Orchestrating Great Musical Experiences
Among other companies debuting at the McCallum in 2024-2025 will be the Pacific Jazz Orchestra,celebrating the 80th birthday of one of Brazil’s best-known musical artists, Ivan Lins, on January 19, 2025. This 40-piece Los Angeles-based orchestra will feature Lins himself, along with the extraordinary Lee Ritenour and Jane Monheit.
The McCallum Theatre Orchestra made an impressive debut last season celebrating the music of John Williams. The spectacular orchestra, under the direction of GRAMMY Award-winning conductor Richard Kaufman, returns on February 7 & 8, 2025 with A Night on the Red Carpet, featuring music from Oscar-nominated and winning films, including The Godfather, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Out of Africa, Dr. Zhivago, Pirates of the Caribbean, and many more – plus a special tribute to the 100th Birthday Year of the great Henry Mancini.
An Expansive Variety
Illusionist Rick Thomas will take McCallum audiences on a journey within his Mansion of Dreams on January 27 & 28, 2025, featuring some of the most intriguing, innovative and mind-blowing grand illusions in the world. Making his debut performance on the McCallum stage, Thomas is one of today’s most successful illusionists, having completed five world tours covering 50 countries.
L.A. Theatre Works brings a new-to-the-McCallum theatrical reimagining of E.M. Forster’s literary classic, A Room With a View,to the desert for one night only on March 4, 2025. Featuring beautiful video of Italian and French art, English and Italian countryside, and celebrities cast in special cameos, this multimedia experience puts the audience in the middle of the story.
McCallum mainstay, the masterful Jeffrey Siegel brings his Keyboard Conversations® back to the McCallum for a twenty-second season. His four concerts with commentary will include: A Few of My Favorite Things (December 15, 2024); Mozart & Friends (January 12, 2025); Schubert: Subtle and Sublime (February 16, 2025); and Humor in Music (March 16, 2025).
The McCallum Becomes A Legend Most
The McCallum Theatre has put legendary artists center stage since its opening night in 1988. The 2024-2025 season is no exception as the best of the best from folk to pop to classical create memorable evenings of exceptional talent.
Thrilling audiences for decades with her unique blend of interpretative folksongs and contemporary themes, Judy Collins is in a class of her own, The GRAMMY Hall of Fame member first entertained McCallum audiences in 1994 and returns on January 16, 2025, with her vocal instrument enhanced by wisdom and illumination. The following two nights, January 17 & 18, 2025, McCallum perennial Paul Anka returns, as his loyal audience demands!A true force of nature and the only artist to have a song on the Billboard charts during seven consecutive decades, one must experience the master crooner.
Coachella Valley husband and wife, David Foster and Katharine McPhee,join forces for an intimate evening packed with Foster’s pop hits and McPhee’s biggest songs from American Idol, Smash and Waitress, with three performances, January24 & 25, 2025. A first-time pairing at the McCallum brings together legendary Grammy Award-winning violinist Joshua Bell with vocalist Larisa Martinez to present Voice and the Violin on February 11, 2025,exploring repertoire from classical art song and opera to musical theater and selections by Puerto Rican and Spanish composers. Classical superstar, cellist Yo-Yo Ma brings his one night-only evening of music and words to the McCallum on April 7, 2025, performing a selection of his favorite pieces and sharing stories about a life dedicated to music.
International Excellence
Arts are universal, and the McCallum Theatre has always provided a stage where international artistry can be explored and celebrated. The arts continue to remind audiences that there are more similarities between cultures than differences. In the 2024-2025 Season, artists from the United Kingdom, Mexico, Australia, Ireland, Canada, Japan, Norway, and India visit the McCallum.
On the heels of a triumphant McCallum Theatre debut (and a certain Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle), The Kingdom Choir is back on November 15, 2024 with their signature sound that radiates joy, warmth, high energy and boundless enthusiasm. One of the most successful and adored acts in musical history will be recreated on the McCallum Theatre stage in the multimedia concert event, The Australian Bee Gees Show – A Tribute to the Bee Gees, November 17, 2024. They’ll perform perfected renditions of some of the group’s most beloved hits including “Jive Talking,” “You Should Be Dancing,” and “How Deep is Your Love.”
One of the UK’s greatest musical exports, and a former McCallum Theatre Annual Gala featured artist, Katherine Jenkins is a favorite of the Royal Family and has performed all over the world for the Pope, for Presidents, and at Buckingham Palace. Her return to the McCallum takes place on January 22, 2025. The following evening, January 23, Canadian guitar sensation Jesse Cook returns to the McCallum, blending a variety of music traditions to create a space where music from around the world can come together.
Since its debut in 1981, Kodo has explored the limitless possibilities of the traditional Japanese drum, the taiko, while logging more than 3,700 performances, and will take the McCallum stage on February 10, 2025. The international artistry continues on February 20 with the signature beauty and virtuoso singing of Teatro Lirico D’Europa in a production of Madama Butterfly. Described by Broadway World as “a wonderful way to spend an evening at the theater,” the production notoriously leads to one of the most devastating and legendary final scenes in all of opera.
Making their McCallum Theatre debut on February 24, 2025 is tenThing Brass Ensemble, a ten-piece Norwegian ensemble that has taken the world by storm. With a repertoire that spans Mozart to Weill, Grieg to Bernstein and Lully to Bartok, this group will thrill McCallum audiences with their exciting collaboration between musical friends. The Tenors,hailing from Canada and Sicily, are an international vocal group made up of four incredible, powerhouse singers. The Tenors have thrilled millions of fans around the world with their powerful songs, outstanding harmonies, and undeniable charm, and they’ll be featured on February 28, 2025.
The Great American Songbook … and All That Jazz
All that jazz and classics from the Great American Songbook will fill the McCallum stage at a number of performances in the 2024-2025 Season. A special pairing of guitarist and singer John Pizzarelli and Juilliard-trained singer, songwriter, actress and recording artist, Morgan James, will thrill concert-goers on January 10, 2025. On February 3, 2025, Jazz at Lincoln Center presents New Orleans Songbook – The Spirit of Mardi Gras, a McCallum debut celebrating the composers and inspired songs of the Crescent City, the historic epicenter of jazz
Returning to the McCallum after a three-year absence, Steve Tyrell will show once again why he is considered to be one of the main contemporary purveyors of standards for a modern audience when he performs on February 6, 2025. Perhaps the greatest ambassador for The
Great American Songbook is Michael Feinstein, and he brings a first-time McCallumtribute to Tony Bennett, featuring The Carnegie Hall Jazz Ensemble, on March 1, 2025. And perennial McCallum fan favorite, GRAMMY-winning jazz trumpeter Chris Botti,returns for two performances, April 4 & 5, 2025.
Returning Artists Bring New Shows
The McCallum will host many returning artists who bring brand new shows in 2024/2025. Neil Berg’s Fifty Years of Rock and Roll, Part 4, will rock the house on January 7 & 8, 2025. A brand-new edition of Palm Springs Legends features tribute artists honoring Liza Minnelli, Kenny Rogers, Don Rickles, Ann-Margret, Elvis, Bob Hope, and more on February 12, 2025. And famed vocal impressionist Bob Anderson will summon legends from the Las Vegas Strip in My Promise to Sinatra on March 14 & 15, 2025. Anderson seemingly morphs into the likeness of scores of legendary performers, and in this show, he shares tales and sings the songs of such enduring figures as Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Tom Jones, Ray Charles, Andy Williams, and more.
Speaking of incredible transformations, the McCallum stage will play host to Material Girls, a high-energy musical tribute show saluting powerful female superstars – Cher, Madonna, Lady Gaga, and Adele – on March 19, 2025.
A Great Party Starts with an Eclectic Guest List
One of the things that truly distinguishes the McCallum Theatre for all other performing arts venues in the region is the incredible diversity in the types of experiences available, and the 2024/2025 Season is no exception.
Rounding out the season are an eclectic mix of performances featuring the return of McCallum favorites including the “cuchi-cuchi” gal, Charo with Gary Mule Deer (January 11, 2025); beloved comedian Rita Rudner (January 26, 2025); Hershey Felder as George Gershwin Alone, a play with music, complete with a full rendition of “Rhapsody in Blue” (February 14 & 15, 2025); the not-to-be-missed return of the extraordinary The Simon & Garfunkel Story, a critically-acclaimed concert style theatre show about two young boys from Queens, New York who went on to become the world’s most successful music duo of all time (February 26 & 27, 2025); The Doo Wop Project, back by popular demand, with a brand new “DOO” and fresh renditions of classic Doo Wop songs, along with “doo-wopified” versions of contemporary hits (March 6, 2025); legendary folk groups The Kingston Trio and The Limeliters share the stage (March 10, 2025); and the 69th Edition of It’s Magic! features the finest stars of magic, comedy, sleight of hand, and stage illusions (March 23, 2024, presented by The City of Rancho Mirage).
Performance Sponsors Take Center Stage
The McCallum team – and the entire Coachella Valley – owe a debt of gratitude to the many generous patrons who sponsor individual performances at the Theatre by making one-time gifts of $10,000-$75,000 to underwrite a production. Without this support, the lineup at the McCallum Theatre couldn’t be as expansive and impactful.
McCallum Theatre 2024-2025 Performance Sponsors include: Anonymous, Barbara Arnstein, Janine & Don Berz, Nancy Bleiweiss-Nevil, Karlyn & Charles Boppell, Sharlene & Bob Britz, Ulla & John Brown, City of Rancho Mirage, Nancy & George Croom, Deanna Daneri, Frank Dimick, Debbie Dykema, Diane Dykema, Douglas Fregolle & Bruno Vasconcelos, Anne & Gary Galton, Maudella & Harold Green, Janet Grove & Carol Greer Gigli, Carol & Paul Hill, Deborah & Arthur Jacobson, K.K., Susan & Dr. Morton La Pittus, Bobbi Lampros, Carol & Henry Levy, Audrey & Chuck Linke, Cary Lowe & Allen Ames, Nancy & George Maas, Sarah & Jerry Mathews, Edeltraud McCarthy, Mary Ann McLaughlin, Jaishri & Raju Mehta/El Paseo Jewelers, DeAnn Mix, John Monahan, James Walter “Jim” Neuman, Kathleen O’Hara, Susan & Jim Palm, Rachelle Prim, Linda & Manny Rider, Barbara Rogers & Gary Geske, Dr. Peter Scheer & Matthias Scheer, Celeste & John Schleimer, The Harold & Arlene Schnitzer CARE Foundation & Jordan Schnitzer, Sally & Michael Schreter, Bud Siemering & Vickie Watson, Barbara Sue Seal, Kim Smith, Aviva & Ronald Snow, Steven Sorenson & J. Eric Shay, Carlyn & Robert Stonehill, Shelly & Ron Tamkin, Diane & Gerald Wendel,and Mary Ann & Frank Xavier.
For information about how to sponsor a McCallum performance, please visit McCallumTheatre.org/performance-sponsorships, or contact Dominique Shwe at dshwe@mccallum-theatre.org or (760) 776-6184.
Jewel of Arts Education in the Coachella Valley
Since its launch in 1997, McCallum Theatre Education has served over one million students, educators, and community members with performances and arts education experiences. In close partnership with local education agencies, McCallum makes the arts available and accessible to youth in the area through its dynamic education programs.
In the 2024-2025 Season, McCallum Theatre Education will once again offer up exciting performances open to students and teachers at no cost. Be sure to check our Education web pages come August for opportunities to attend morning performances as part of The Field Trip Series in the upcoming school year.
All McCallum Theatre performances are subject to change. Once again, tickets are available online at www.McCallumTheatre.org, by phone at (760)-340-2787, or at the box office beginning Friday, April 12 at 8:00am. The safest way to purchase tickets online is through the McCallum Theatre official website, which is the ONLY secure place to purchase tickets for all performances to avoid online ticket broker sites which will charge many times the actual face value of the ticket.