Desert Theatreworks to stage 'Gilligan's Island,' 'Kinky Boots'

Indio's Desert Theatreworks will have something for everyone during its 2023-24 season, from an iconic 1960s sitcom-turned-stage production to a classic Christmas tale.

The newest season kicks off Oct. 6 and will feature seven shows, including: the Tony Award-winning "Lend Me a Tenor"; winner of the Tony Award for best musical and a Grammy Award "Kinky Boots"; the play based on the 1986 holiday film of the same name "A Christmas Story"; the play based on the popular 1960s show of the same name "Gilligan's Island - The Musical;" an annual production of Neil Simon's "Plaza Suite"; a dive into legendary singer/songwriter Carole King's life with "Beautiful: The Carole King Musical"; and an adaptation of Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird."

Ticket packages or individual show tickets are available for purchase at www.dtworks.org. Individual tickets are $38 for seniors, students and those with accessibility needs, and $40 for adults.

Dates: Oct. 6-29

Written by: Ken Ludwig

"Lend Me a Tenor" is a hilarious and unpredictable play around a series of mistaken identities. It’s 1934 and the world’s greatest opera tenor, Tito Merelli, has come to Cleveland, Ohio, to save its Grand Opera Company. When Tito is unexpectedly incapacitated, Max, the opera director’s assistant, is given the daunting task of finding a last-minute replacement. Chaos ensues.

The play was produced on the West End in 1986 and Broadway in 1989. It received nine Tony Award nominations and won for best actor for Philip Bosco and best director for Jerry Zaks.

Dates: Nov. 3-26

Book by: Harvey Fierstein

Music and lyrics by: Cyndi Lauper

"Kinky Boots," winner of the 2013 Tony Award for best musical, is a heartwarming tale based on a true story of two seemingly different people who find common ground. It follows the story of Charlie, who inherited a shoe factory from his father, and forms an unlikely partnership with cabaret performer and drag queen Lola to produce a line of high-heeled boots and save the business.

The show also won Tony Awards for best actor, Billy Porter, and best score, Lauper, making her the first woman to win alone in that category. The show also won a 2014 Grammy Award for best musical theater album.

Dates: Dec. 1-21

Book by: Joseph Robinette

Music and lyrics by: Benj Pasek and Justin Paul

"A Christmas Story" is based on the beloved 1983 holiday movie of the same name. It follows 9-year-old Indiana resident Ralphie Parker, who daydreams about Christmas Day. All he wants is to get his hands on an official Red Ryder Carbine-Action 200-shot Range Model Air Rifle, but everyone warns him, "You'll shoot your eye out!"

Dates: Jan. 5-28, 2024

Book by: Sherwood Schwartz and Lloyd J. Schwartz

Music and lyrics by: Hope Juber and Laurence Juber

This family musical brings America's iconic 1960s sitcom to the stage. All the show’s beloved characters are back and have brought their hilarious adventures along with them: the skipper and his hapless first mate, Gillian; millionaire Thurston Howell and his wife, Lovey; film starlet Ginger Grant; farm girl Mary Ann Summers; and the professor who battles hurricanes, quicksand and even an alien. Will they finally make it off the island? You'll have to tune in to see.

Dates: Feb. 2-25

Written by: Neil Simon

Desert Theatreworks' annual production by legendary playwright and four-time Tony winner Simon is back for another year. In "Plaza Suite," two actors play three different couples in one famous hotel room — and the comedy ensues.

Dates: March 1-24, 2024

Book by: Douglas McGrath

Music and lyrics by: Various artists

"Beautiful," the Tony and Grammy Award-winning musical about King's inspiring true story, thrilled audiences on Broadway for six years, and now it's headed to the desert. The show tells King's story from where it all started to how she became a musical icon, and features dozens of pop classics, such as "You’ve Got a Friend," "One Fine Day," "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" and "Natural Woman."

Dates: April 12-28, 2024

Written by: Aaron Sorkin

Adapted from the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Lee, "To Kill a Mockingbird," set in a sleepy Alabama town in the midst of the Great Depression, follows Scout, her brother, Jem, and their widowed father, Atticus Finch. The façade of the seemingly peaceful town begins to crack when a young Black man is accused of a terrible crime, and local lawyer Finch defends the man on trial. The play explores prejudice, compassion and the courage to do what is right.

For more information on the upcoming 2023-24 season, visit www.dtworks.org or email [email protected].

Ema Sasic covers entertainment and health in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at [email protected] or on Twitter @ema_sasic.