An Evening with Rita Moreno - 11.07.09 6:00 PM

A petite dynamo whose career has encompassed stage and screen, Rita Moreno is one of only eight individuals to have earned each of the major entertainment awards—the Oscar®, Grammy®, Emmy® and Tony®—in competition. 

Moreno began her career on Broadway in Skydrift (1945). Four years later, she was spotted by a casting agent at a dance recital and whisked to Hollywood with an MGM contract.  A rare opportunity came when she was chosen to tango with Gene Kelly in the classic Singin' in the Rain (1952), but her first major break came when she landed the role of Tuptim, the rebellious concubine of the Siamese monarch in The King and I (1956). Encouraged by co-star Yul Brynner, she studied with an acting coach and her hard work finally paid off with 1961's West Side Story. As the fiery Anita, who sings and dances the show-stopping America, Moreno blazed across the screen netting that year's Best Supporting Actress Academy Award.

She returned to Broadway to appear in She Loves Me and The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window (both 1964) and starred opposite Marlon Brando in film The Night After the Following Day (1968) and as Alan Arkin's girlfriend in Popi (1969). This was followed by the role of Jack Nicholson’s prostitute in Carnal Knowledge (1971).

She spent the next five years as a company member of the children's educational program The Electric Company and in 1975, spoofed the stereotype of a Latina spitfire as Googie Gomez, a second-rate Puerto Rican entertainer in a gay bathhouse, in Terrence McNally's play The Ritz.

Moreno received two Emmy® Awards (for a 1975 guest appearance on The Muppet Show and for a 1978 episode of NBC's The Rockford Files). She also starred in the ABC sitcom version of Nine to Five (1982-83) and had a regular role as Burt Reynolds' ex-wife in B.L. Stryker (ABC, 1989-90). She also appeared as Jon Seda's highly critical mother in Darnell Martin's I Like It Like That (1994) and was reunited with Alan Arkin as his snooty sister-in-law in Slums of Beverly Hills (1998).

Moreno made theater history in 1996 as the first Latina to play silent screen star Norma Desmond in the London production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Sunset Boulevard.  The actress also found a new round of fans playing Sister Peter Marie, a nun and the psychological counselor to the inmates of a maximum security facility, in Oz (HBO, 1997-2003).

Significant Awards:

Oscar: Best Actress in a Supporting Role, West Side Story (1961)

Emmy (2): Outstanding Lead Actress for a Single Appearance in a Drama or Comedy Series, The Rockford Files (1978) and Outstanding Continuing or Single Performance by a Supporting Actress in Variety or Music for The Muppet Show (1976)

Grammy: The Electric Company Album (1972)

Tony:  Best Featured Actress, The Ritz (1975)

Golden Globe: Best Supporting Actress for West Side Story (1961)

To book tickets, call the Annenberg Theater 760.325.4490

Menopause the Musical® 02.05.10 through 03.28.10

Four women at a lingerie sale with nothing in common but a black-lace bra AND memory loss, hot flashes, night sweats, not enough sex, too much sex and more! Menopause The Musical® is a 90-minute production which includes 25 re-lyricized tunes from the ‘60s and ‘70s and culminates with a salute to women who are experiencing The Change. Come see what nearly 11 million fans all over the world are laughing about!

Prices:

All Single Tickets are $49.50

Groups of 10-49 are $44.50 each

Groups 50+ are $42.50 each

All groups receive one complimentary ticket for every 15 tickets purchased.

Select the date and show time from the dropdown list and click "Buy Now" to purchase your tickets.

Lorenzo Lamas - 11.21.09 8:00 PM

Lorenzo Lamas (son of singer Fernando Lamas and actress Arlene Dahl) grew up in Southern California and at thirteen, moved to New York City. His first acting role was Tom Chisum in the blockbuster film Grease. He then starred in several television roles and was eventually cast in Falcon Crest, where he played the role of Lance Cumson for nine years.  Following that, he made a number of action movies including Snake Eater, Body Rock and CIA Target Alexa, which he also directed.

A black belt in Tae Kwon Do, Lamas worked with Stephen Cannell to develop an action television series, Renegade in which he starred, produced and directed for the next five years.  The then appeared in Air America. He recently starred in a touring production of A Chorus Line.

Melissa Manchester - 11.28.09 8:00 PM

Grammy Award-winning artist Melissa Manchester got her start as a solo singer/pianist in the clubs of New York’s Greenwich Village where she met Better Midler and Barry Manilow.  As a back up singer for Bette, Melissa fulfilled her childhood fantasy of playing Carnegie Hall .  Six months later, she had a recording contract and went on to headline at Carnegie Hall and Radio City Music Hall and performed for sold-out audiences across the country.

Melissa’s music has served to establish her as a compelling singer/songwriter.  Her debut releases Home to Myself and Bright Eyes positioned her as a dynamic new talent, and Melissa launched the smash hit single Midnight Blue.

Melissa and Kenny Logins co-wrote the radio classic Whenever I Call You Friend and her songs have been recorded by Barbara Streisand, Dusty Springfield, Alison Krauss, Roberta Flack, Johnny Mathis, Kathy Matea, Peabo Bryson and Cleo Laine.  Her international hits Through the Eyes of Love and Don’t Cry Out Loud were written for her by her friends and frequent collaborators Carole Bayer Sager, Marvin Hamlisch and the later Peter Allen.

Melissa was nominated for a Grammy in 19878 and 1979 and received a Grammy in 1982 for Best Female Vocalist.  In 1980 she became the first artist in the history of the Academy Awards to have two nominated movie themes in a given year – Through the Eyes of Love and The Promise and made Oscar history by performing both songs during the worldwide telecast.

She has produced albums, starred in Andrew Lloyd Weber’s Song and Dance and Music of the Night and co-starred with Bette Midler in the 20th Century Fox Film For the Boys. She recently starred in the LA revival of Sweeny Todd and composed the scores for The Great mouse detective and cowrote the score for Lady and the Tramp II. She has celebrated four decades of performing with appearances throughout the United States and recently received the Governors Award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences for her contributions to the music and recording arts.

An Evening of Operetta - 12.04.09 7:00 PM

“An Evening of Operetta, Broadway and Opera”

This performance features professional opera singers accompanied by music director Victoria Kirsch who will delight the audience with the favorites of all time.

The performance is followed by a wine and hors d'oeuvres reception and is a benefit for the food programs of the Aids Assistance Program and the Well in the Desert.

The Diamonds - 12.12.09 8:00 PM

"A Rockin' Christmas"

A Yuletide rock 'n' roll revue starring Santa's favorite helpers! The Diamonds have had 16 hit records with more than 20 million records sold. In addition to their hits like "Little Darlin'," "The Stroll," "Silhouettes," and "Why Do Fools Fall In Love"; you can expect to hear holiday classics like "Let It Snow," "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town," and "I'll Be Home For Christmas."

Lynda Carter - 01.29.10 8:00 PM

When Lynda Carter sings, it is an opportunity to know her. Her stunning talent provides an incredible platform to express herself, and offers a surprisingly intimate connection with who she is. Ms. Carter is a captivating storyteller who can wind a tale of seduction so sultry you can almost feel her velvety voice caressing your cheek. She will regale you with such an exhilarating display of vocal versatility it will leave you breathless. When Lynda Carter sings, it is an invitation to join her on a musical adventure that will uplift and transform you.

From September 26 until November, 2005, Carter played the role of "Mama Morton," in the West End London production of Chicago. Her rendition of When You're Good to Mama was officially released on the Chicago: 10th Anniversary Edition CD box set in October of 2006. Receiving positive response to the song's release, Carter booked her own cabaret tour act and proceeded to tour around the U.S. In July, 2007 Carter released her second solo musical album and re-recorded the album in 2008. It will be released as Lynda Carter At Last.

Karen Akers - 04.03.10 8:00 PM

Grammy-nominated Karen Akers, one of America's most arresting and successful concert and cabaret stars, has performed throughout the United States, Europe and the former Soviet Union. She has appeared in many prestigious venues worldwide from Carnegie Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, New York's Oak Room at the Algonquin Hotel, and London's Pizza on the Park. Her career also includes three performances at the White House.

As audiences cheer, critics are overwhelmed; The Los Angeles Herald-Examiner says of her sound: "It's a great voice, an instrument with the power of Streisand's, the dark passion of Piaf's and the lean irony of Dietrich's, but a voice uniquely her own, because it's coupled with an intelligence that creates moments of riveting theatricality. She appeared at the Martin Beck Theatre on Broadway as one of the original stars of the Tony Award-winning musical Grand Hotel. She made her Broadway debut in 1982 in Nine for which she won a Theatre World Award as well as a Tony Award nomination.

Ms. Akers has had two of her own PBS television specials: Presenting Karen Akers and Karen Akers: On Stage At Wolf Trap. In addition to her own PBS specials, she has performed in PBS musical tributes to Ira Gershwin and Duke Ellington.

Karen's film roles include the femme fatale in Mike Nichols's Heartburn opposite Jack Nicholson and Meryl Streep, in Woody Allen's The Purple Rose Of Cairo and Vibes. A new CD, Simply Styne, was released in May 2008. The CD captures Aker's critically acclaimed musical tribute to composer Jule Styne, author of such well known standards as Time After Time, Three Coins in the Fountain, It's Been a Long, Long Time, The Party's Over and Just in Time.

American Chamber Trio - 04.06.10 7:00 PM

The American Chamber Trio, acclaimed by The New York Times as "sensitive and persuasive artists", has appeared nationally and internationally for over two decades. In addition to three appearances at the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C., they have performed for chamber music societies, museums and universities throughout the United States. They have toured internationally to South America and the Far East, under the auspices of the United States State Department and the Chinese Ministry of Culture, most recently a five-concert tour of China in the spring of 2002, with performances in Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Beijing. In New York they have played at Alice Tully Hall, have given four series of concerts at Carnegie Recital Hall and have presented retrospectives of music by Brahms, Beethoven, Ravel, Ives and Bartok. In 1997, they presented the complete trios of Brahms in New York, recorded them for HM records and edited them for International Music Company. The Trio was recently appointed Chamber Ensemble-In-Residence at Valparaiso University.