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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, PLEASE

THE MCCALLUM THEATRE
ANNOUNCES
2025-2026 SEASON

THE CULTURAL JEWEL OF THE COACHELLA VALLEY
SPARKLES WITH WORLD-CLASS ARTISTS
IN THEATRE, MUSIC, DANCE, OPERA, COMEDY AND MORE.

SEASON HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:

BROADWAY’S BEST
SHUCKED, HADESTOWN, BEETLEJUICE, MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICAL,
A BEAUTIFUL NOISE: THE NEIL DIAMOND MUSICAL

BROADWAY LEADING LADIES IN CONCERT
PATTI LUPONE, SUTTON FOSTER, MEGAN HILTY, LEA SALONGA,
CHRISTINE EBERSOLE

DANCE REVOLUTION
COMPLEXIONS CONTEMPORARY BALLET, PARSONS DANCE, MOMIX 

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS
BARRY MANILOW, MANNHEIM STEAMROLLER CHRISTMAS,
VIENNA BOYS CHOIR, THE NUTCRACKER

COMMUNITY CELEBRATIONS
HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH, LGBTQ+PRIDE

Palm Desert, CA (June 2, 2025) – The McCallum Theatre, the desert’s premier performing arts center, today announces its 2025-2026 season featuring a world-class line up of artists from around the globe. With the new season comes a bold lineup of award-winning Broadway productions, dance, talks and top concert stars that celebrate artistry, ignite conversation, and bring audiences together in the magic of live performance. It’s a season sure to inspire, challenge, and entertain all. Tickets for all performances are on sale June 2, 2025. beginning at 8 am online, in person and by phone.

“The McCallum team and our partners have curated an extraordinary roster of shows and talents to engage, inspire and delight our diverse and culturally rich community,” said newly appointed McCallum Theatre CEO Yvonne Bell. “This upcoming season marks our commitment to presenting and representing the unique narratives which have the power to unite us all through empathy, beauty and laughter.”

“It’s like I always say, the stars shine brighter in the desert, and this season is especially luminous,” said Garry Kief, Chair of the McCallum Board of Trustees. “With Yvonne at the helm and the incredible support of our trustees and donors, we’re ready to show the Coachella Valley why the arts belong to everyone. It’s exciting to launch the season earlier than ever to serve the ever-growing community of full-time residents.

The New Season Starts!

On Wednesday, September 10, the McCallum Theatre launches the 2025/2026 season with the soul-stirring, nostalgic concert experience that is the legendary Righteous Brothers. The dynamic duo offer their decades of timeless hits that have defined a generation, including “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’,” “Unchained Melody,” “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life,” “Soul and Inspiration,” “Ebb Tide,” “Rock and Roll Heaven” and so much more in one evening as part of their Lovin’ Feelin’ Farewell Tour.

Broadway’s Best Shows

Lights dim, the curtain rises, and a new season of unforgettable Broadway storytelling begins. The best of Broadway begins with Shucked (Nov. 25-30, 2025), the Tony Award®–winning musical comedy The Wall Street Journal calls “flat out hilarious!” Featuring a book by Tony Award® winner Robert Horn (Tootsie), a score by the Grammy® Award–winning songwriting team of Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally (Kacey Musgraves’ “Follow Your Arrow”) and directed by Tony Award® winner Jack O’Brien (Hairspray), this corn-fed, corn-bred American musical is sure to satisfy the appetite for great musical theater.

From December 9-14, Moulin Rouge! The Musical takes over the house with its own world of splendor and romance, of eye-popping excess, of glitz, grandeur, and glory. Baz Luhrmann’s revolutionary film comes to life onstage, remixed in a new musical mash-up extravaganza. Directed by Tony Award® winner Alex Timbers, Moulin Rouge! The Musical is a theatrical celebration of Truth, Beauty, Freedom, and — above all — Love. Moulin Rouge! The Musical is the winner of 10 Tony Awards® — including Best Musical!

McCallum Theatre audiences will get a backstage look at one of the world’s most iconic artists when A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical hits the desert December 23-28, 2025. Created in collaboration with Neil Diamond himself, A Beautiful Noise is the uplifting true story of how a kid from Brooklyn became a chartbusting, show-stopping American rock icon. With 120 million albums sold, a catalogue of classics like “America,” “Forever in Blue Jeans,” and “Sweet Caroline,” an induction into the Songwriters and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a Grammy® Lifetime Achievement Award, and sold-out concerts around the world that made him bigger than Elvis, Neil Diamond’s story was made to shine on Broadway.

He earned his stripes on Broadway, and now the ghost-with-the-most is coming to Palm Desert. Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice pops up March 24-29, 2026. Based on Tim Burton’s dearly beloved film, this hilarious musical tells the story of Lydia Deetz, a strange and unusual teenager whose whole life changes when she meets a recently deceased couple and a demon with a thing for stripes. Beetlejuice features an irreverent book, an astonishing set, and a score that’s out of this Netherworld.

From April 3-5, 2026, Hadestown audiences will be transported to another world where a song can change fate. Winner of eight 2019 Tony Awards®, including Best Musical and the 2020 Grammy® Award for Best Musical Theater Album, this acclaimed new show from celebrated singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell and original director Rachel Chavkin (Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812) is a love story for today… and always.

Broadway’s Leading Ladies

They hit the high notes, make us feel their lows, get us to fall in love, and always leave us wanting more – and they do it eight performances a week. The McCallum Theatre welcomes these Broadway legends for one night only concerts.

Sutton Foster has won the Tony Award® for Best Actress in a Musical… twice (Thoroughly Modern Millie and Anything Goes). Her recent roles in The Music Man, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and Once Upon a Mattress continue to secure her place among the legends of Broadway. Audiences will want to secure their seats for Wednesday, November 12 to witness her concert.

Musical theatre royalty and official Disney legend Lea Salonga (Miss Saigon, Les Misérables, Aladdin and Mulan), now starring on Broadway in Old Friends, appears Friday, November 14. From stage, screen and everything in between, Lea Salonga has racked up a list of accolades and awards that all point to an EGOT.

On Saturday, January 10, 2026, Christine Ebersole performs live in concert. Her extensive Broadway career includes her Tony Award-winning performance as Dorothy Brock in the hit revival of 42nd Street, in addition to leading roles in On the Twentieth Century, Oklahoma, Camelot, Gore Vidal’s The Best Man, Steel Magnolias, the revival of Noel Coward’s Blithe Spirit, and Dinner at Eight, for which she received both Tony and Drama Desk Award Nominations.

Patti LuPone, the three-time Tony Award® winner, celebrates the 25th Anniversary of her acclaimed theatrical concert “Matters of the Heart”, which she performed for extended runs on Broadway, London’s West End, as well as on tour nationally and internationally. On Monday, February 23, the legend takes the audience on an exploration of the crimes, affairs, and the mysteries of the heart, with electrifying performances of over two dozen love songs ranging from Broadway favorites to works by today’s top contemporary songwriters.

Megan Hilty stunned television audiences with her portrayal of seasoned triple-threat Ivy Lynn in NBC’s musical drama “Smash.” Currently playing the role of Madeline Ashton in the new hit musical Death Becomes Her, Hilty just earned her another Tony Award® nomination and has proven to be a smash hit with critics and audiences alike. On Friday, March 6, she will deliver another powerhouse performance.

Great Musical Experiences

Strike up the bands! There’s music in the air all season long as The McCallum presents a “who’s who” in all musical genres in 2025-2026.

Palm Springs Friends of Philharmonic presents a grand array of world class orchestras. Famed Italian conductor and musical director emeritus Ricardo Muti leads the Chicago Symphony Orchestra through the works of Johannes Brahms: Symphony No. 4, Igor Stravinsky: Divertimento from The Fairy’s Kiss and Maurice Ravel: Bolero. Joshua Bell serves as conductor and violin soloist with Academy of St Martin in the Fields. And, before he picks up the baton as Music and Artistic Director of the New York Philharmonic, Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic showcase a commissioned piece by Ricardo Lorenz, Humboldt’s Nature. The season also welcomes Yuja Wang with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Mineria Symphony Orchestra of Mexico and more. Tickets are available through Palm Springs Friends of the Philharmonic.

In partnership with Friends of the Philharmonic, the McCallum expands its classical offerings with celebrated violinist Itzhak Perlman is joined by his musical partner of 25 years, Rohan De Silva as well as Yuja Wang with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra of Mexico.

The McCallum welcomes Alan Cumming, the Scottish actor, writer, and presenter who has won two Emmys, two Tonys, a BAFTA, and an Olivier Award as he delivers Uncut. This cabaret show features Cumming and his musical director Henry Koperski onstage taking the audience through his thoughts and journey.

Big Broadway favorite musicals deserve a big band, and Michael Feinstein and The Carnegie Hall Big Band will deliver! They will perform their signature modern takes on musical theatre classics from Cabaret, Into the Woods, Fiddler on the Roof, Hello Dolly!, Chicago, and more.

Other fan favorites coming to McCallum include Pink Martini, Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr., Chris Botti, Branford Marsalis Quartet, The TEN Tenors, McCallum Theatre Orchestra, McCallum Cabaret with Seth Rudetsky and Jessie Mueller, to name just a few.

Dance At the McCallum 

The McCallum is delighted to present a robust dance season filled with vibrancy, strength and unrelenting acumen.  Extraordinary dance companies take center stage – each featuring their unique artistry and influence. Parsons Dance (Wednesday, April 15) is internationally renowned for creating and performing contemporary American dance. Works like the iconic Caught exemplify this company’s innovation and huge audience appeal.

Travel down the rabbit hole MOMIX-style with Moses Pendleton’s newest creation, Alice, inspired by “Alice in Wonderland” (Friday, December 5). As Alice’s body grows and shrinks and grows again, Pendleton’s dancers extend themselves by means of props, ropes, and other dancers.

Complexions Contemporary Ballet (Thursday, October 16), led by dance icons Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson, comes with a rich Alvin Ailey lineage and a cadre of 16 stunning dancers, Complexions has been hailed as a “matchless American dance company” by the Philadelphia Inquirer and “game changing” by London’s The Guardian.

Led by Artistic Director Tina Finkelman Berkett and based in Los Angeles, BODYTRAFFIC (Thursday, April 2) has conquered the contemporary dance world with its stunning performers, technical mastery, and commitment to the most challenging repertoire.

The Palm Desert Choreography Festival (Saturday, November 8 and Sunday, November 9) provides a platform for international, national, and local choreographers to showcase their work and powerfully engages audiences around dance in the Coachella Valley. Exciting original dances are performed by professional dancers on Saturday, and Sunday’s performance highlights choreographers working with aspiring and emerging dancers of all ages. Sunday also features a performance by high school students participating in the East Valley Dance Project. On both days choreographers vie for cash prizes.

Your Home for the Holidays 

The McCallum is where everyone will want to gather with friends and family to get into the holiday spirit. Even if that spirit is a bit…grinchy.

Kicking off the start of the national tour at the McCallum on November 2 and 3, it’s Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical – the classic holiday tale comes to life on stage for 3 performances. Featuring the hit songs “You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch” and “Welcome Christmas,” The Grinch discovers there’s more to Christmas than he bargained for in this heart-warming story. Max the Dog narrates as the mean and scheming Grinch, whose heart is “two sizes too small,” decides to steal Christmas away from the holiday-loving Whos.

Mannheim Steamroller Christmas (Sunday, November 16 and Monday, November 17) has been one of America’s favorite holiday traditions for 40 years! Grammy Award®-winner Chip Davis has created a show that features Mannheim Steamroller Christmas classics in the distinctive Mannheim sound.

On Saturday, November 22, the angelic-voiced musicians of the Vienna Boys Choir celebrate the magic of the holiday season with a delightful program of Austrian folk songs, classical masterpieces, Christmas hymns, and holiday carols.

Of course, no holiday season would be complete without The Nutcracker. On Sunday, November 23, be transported by the magic of jaw-dropping acrobatics, larger-than-life puppets, and stunning hand-crafted sets and costumes all set to the endearing music of Tchaikovsky. This Nutcracker features an extraordinary international cast and Ukrainian principal artists performing at the peak of classical European Ballet.

Finally, Barry Manilow returns with Manilow A Gift of Love VII on December 16, 17,19, 20 and 21. These concerts will feature his hit songs and holiday favorites for the seventh time to benefit 25 Coachella Valley charities. His past holiday concerts have surprised audiences with a children’s choir, Santa Claus, and even snow.

Community Celebrations: Hispanic Heritage Month, LGBTQ+Pride, and Local Artists

Celebrating the array of cultures and diversity of the Coachella Valley will kick off Hispanic Heritage Month on Sunday, September 14 with Camila Fernández, a force in Mexican regional music. Her piano, guitar, and voice reflect her influences by icons like her grandfather Vicente Fernández, her father Alejandro Fernández, Juan Gabriel, Rocío Dúrcal, José Alfredo Jiménez, and Eugenia de Léon. The McCallum Theatre will add other special events to celebrate all month long with food, talks, and additional education programs.

If it’s November in the desert, it’s time to show our Pride. The McCallum will present an array of artists and events to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community. Sasha Velour presents The Big Reveal Live Show. Directed, written, and produced by Velour, this new 90-minute show is her most over-the-top, side-splitting, emotional, and intricate theatrical production–and still her most intimate show yet.

Straight No Chaser, the sensational all-male a cappella group, arrives with a long list of accomplishments including two RIAA Gold-Certified albums and over one billion streams on Pandora, and over two million albums sold worldwide. Two of New York’s musical stalwarts team up for Jim Caruso’s Cast Party with Billy Stritch on Piano. Other artists will be announced at a later date.

McCallum’s Open Call Talent Project returns to celebrate local talents too.  Outstanding local performers of all ages are presented in this exciting talent competition – a visually stunning and energy-filled production with a full cast finale. More than just a talent show, Open Call offers participants the priceless chance to perform on a world-class stage and spend a week rehearsing with a crew of theatrical professionals. Audience members can vote for their favorite performer at each performance, and the winners are announced and celebrated at the conclusion of the Saturday show.  The event raises money for McCallum Theatre’s education programs which serve 40,000 students, teachers, and other community members annually.

Comedy Gold  

We could all use a laugh, which is why The McCallum has lined up some of the best stand-ups around today. The legendary Jay Leno, who dominated late-night ratings for two decades, “Saturday Night Live” alum Jon Lovitz, Henry Cho: The Empty Nest Tour, and one of the fastest rising comedians Michael Blaustein will have everyone in stitches this season.

Please visit the McCallum Theatre online at www.mccallumtheatre.org to see the full lineup for the 2025/2026 Season, dates and ticket information. As is tradition, additional announcements to the season will be made as artists are added and updated monthly.

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