From Desert to Broadway: Doug Graham's Immersive Musical Journey

Bonnie G: 00:00:00

In a land of sunshine where the palm trees sway, there's a special show to brighten up your day.

Bonnie G: 00:00:08

From rockin festivals to Broadway dreams, Tune in with Bonnie G.

Bonnie G: 00:00:15

It's a desert scene.

Bonnie G: 00:00:16

The desert scene with Bonnie G.

Bonnie G: 00:00:21

Beat the stars and feel the beat from the Coachella Valley is the place to be for all the culture, fun and the desert sea.

Bonnie G: 00:00:35

Yeah.

Bonnie G: 00:00:35

With Bonnie G.

Host: 00:00:39

Mutual broadcasting welcomes you to the desert scene.

Host: 00:00:43

Featuring conversations with the people who make culture, art and entertainment happen in the Coachella Valley.

Host: 00:00:50

From local theater to live music, art exhibits to cinema and beyond, the desert scene is presented by El Portal Mexican restaurant in Cathedral City.

Host: 00:00:59

Now here is your host, Bonnie G.

Doug Graham: 00:01:02

And welcome to the des.

Doug Graham: 00:01:04

So happy to have you here and very happy to have my buddy Doug Graham on with us today.

Doug Graham: 00:01:08

He's directing a wonderful fundraiser for the Palm Springs Cultural center coming up November 30th.

Doug Graham: 00:01:14

Hey, Doug, how are ya?

Guest: 00:01:16

Hey.

Guest: 00:01:16

I didn't know you had a jingle.

Guest: 00:01:18

I love your jingle.

Doug Graham: 00:01:20

I know.

Doug Graham: 00:01:20

I'm moving up in the world scene.

Guest: 00:01:22

With Bunny G.

Guest: 00:01:23

Hey.

Guest: 00:01:24

It's catchy.

Doug Graham: 00:01:24

Very catchy.

Doug Graham: 00:01:25

Yes, I love it.

Doug Graham: 00:01:26

So tell people about this called Nobody does It better.

Doug Graham: 00:01:30

Academy Award winning songs from the 70s.

Doug Graham: 00:01:32

So tell us a little bit about what people can expect.

Guest: 00:01:35

Yeah.

Guest: 00:01:35

You know, Bonnie, I don't know if anything like this has been done in the city before.

Guest: 00:01:41

It's going to be what they call an immersive experience where, yes, it's the songs from the 70s nominated and Oscar winning of which there are so many people will know.

Guest: 00:01:54

Every song that they hear will take them back.

Guest: 00:01:57

So immersive means that it's a concert and it's going to be a fundraiser for the center.

Guest: 00:02:03

But the immersive aspect means that the singers will come up with a band, three piece band, and they'll sing a song and they'll either be stills from the movie or and or video clips from the various films.

Guest: 00:02:18

So you'll see the singer on stage performing and then behind them in large screen will be clips from the various movies.

Guest: 00:02:24

So it's going to be very fun and interactive with the audience, sometimes sing alongs.

Guest: 00:02:29

There'll be an experience at the end that I want to give away.

Guest: 00:02:31

It'll really be heart opening and you know, bring people together, which is really what we need these days.

Doug Graham: 00:02:37

Absolutely.

Doug Graham: 00:02:38

And it's hosted by Craig Ramsey and Catherine.

Doug Graham: 00:02:41

I'm not sure how to pronounce her last name.

Guest: 00:02:43

Catherine.

Guest: 00:02:44

Referred.

Doug Graham: 00:02:44

Referred.

Doug Graham: 00:02:45

Okay.

Doug Graham: 00:02:45

And tell people about their story.

Guest: 00:02:49

They have been friends since their 20s.

Guest: 00:02:53

They followed their journey from Canada and they've been both been on Broadway at separate times around the same time, but at different shows.

Guest: 00:03:02

And they followed their journey through winning the Amazing Race in Canada, which was last year.

Guest: 00:03:10

Catherine in particular has a really unique story because she was diagnosed about nine years ago with terminal brain cancer and they won the race.

Guest: 00:03:20

With her condition, she tells people that at the time she was given two to six years.

Guest: 00:03:25

So she says she's passed her expiration date.

Guest: 00:03:28

But they're very inspirational.

Guest: 00:03:30

They have so much fun and inspirational stories to share.

Guest: 00:03:34

And so we've got them in to host and also run the fundraising aspect of this performance which is really needed for the center, which I can tell you about.

Doug Graham: 00:03:44

Yeah, yeah.

Doug Graham: 00:03:44

So tell people if you haven't, if you've been living in a cave and have not been to the Palm Screens Cultural center, you're really missing out.

Doug Graham: 00:03:51

It's the old.

Doug Graham: 00:03:52

The building was formerly Camelot Theater and Michael Green, the CEO has transformed it into a true cultural center with still some films, but live theater, live music, art shows, farmers market on the weekends.

Doug Graham: 00:04:05

But they're, you know, they could use some funds.

Doug Graham: 00:04:07

So talk, talk about that a little bit.

Guest: 00:04:09

Yeah, as you said, it's not only films, but it's going to be all theater.

Guest: 00:04:13

So there's now two.

Guest: 00:04:16

There's a big theater which is where this event's going to be.

Guest: 00:04:19

It holds 500 seats.

Guest: 00:04:21

The other two theaters are not only showing movies, but they're also the home.

Guest: 00:04:26

The theater number one is the home for two theater companies, Desert Ensemble Theater and Bent.

Guest: 00:04:33

This particular fundraiser is to raise much needed money.

Guest: 00:04:36

$50,000 is the goal to transform Theater 2 into the same site kind of space where they can actually make that a performance space for local artists and cultural programs.

Guest: 00:04:49

So the planned upgrade includes a new stage, modern lighting, enhanced sound system, all the things that it takes to create another venue which can include, you know, it can help other companies come in and do their performances and it'll really expand you entire aspect of what the cultural center is all about and what they offer.

Guest: 00:05:08

So it's a, it's a big plus for them.

Doug Graham: 00:05:10

Yeah, that's fabulous.

Doug Graham: 00:05:11

I mean it's such a wonderful resource for the, for the Valley and then to have, have be able to have more, host more different companies and groups come in and do shows and I don't think people know how expensive it is to run something like that.

Doug Graham: 00:05:24

Just run it but much less do improvements and you know, it gets very.

Guest: 00:05:28

Pricey ongoing just like any non for profit.

Guest: 00:05:33

But we have an amazing cast coming up here for our show.

Doug Graham: 00:05:37

Talk a little bit about that.

Guest: 00:05:39

Well, we've got 11 singers who were pretty much hand selected for the this particular style of the 70s music.

Guest: 00:05:48

People like Francesca Amari, Keisha Dee, Angie Dallaire, Terry Larson, Melba Miller, Beau Rigney, Lizzie Schmeling, Johnny Spinks, Daniel Stewart, Patrick Wallace, and somebody may have heard love named Bonnie Golan.

Guest: 00:06:02

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Guest: 00:06:03

So you will be part of this fun which is going to be a lot of exciting.

Guest: 00:06:07

Alex Danson, the amazing music director is at the helm creating the arrangements with Jay Lewis on drums and Bill Said on bass.

Doug Graham: 00:06:15

Great, great, great band, great trio to have.

Guest: 00:06:17

Yeah.

Guest: 00:06:18

And all the songs, you know, the Way We Were, Evergreen, you know, gonna Fly now, the disaster movies, you know, it's, it's gonna bring back so many fun memories for people to, to live and remember where they were.

Doug Graham: 00:06:33

Absolutely.

Doug Graham: 00:06:33

Music, I love music does that.

Doug Graham: 00:06:35

I think music and I think the other thing that does that is aromas like cologne.

Doug Graham: 00:06:39

If you smell a certain cologne, it takes you back.

Doug Graham: 00:06:41

But music will take you right back to wherever you were when that song came out.

Doug Graham: 00:06:45

Absolutely.

Doug Graham: 00:06:45

Let's take a quick break.

Doug Graham: 00:06:46

We're going to take a quick break on the desert scene with Doug Graham.

Doug Graham: 00:06:48

We'll be right back.

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Doug Graham: 00:07:51

And we're back with Doug Graham talking about Nobody Does It Better.

Doug Graham: 00:07:54

A big FundRaiser coming up November 30th at the Palm Springs Cultural Center.

Doug Graham: 00:07:59

Now I know you've done a lot of work on at pulling together these scenes, these clips in the movie.

Doug Graham: 00:08:04

That's a lot of work and talk about that process.

Guest: 00:08:07

Yeah, well, this is, this is kind of like my wheelhouse.

Guest: 00:08:09

I used to direct and produce shows when I lived in Orlando in the early 90s and I did this for Disney and convention shows.

Guest: 00:08:17

So it's basically a process of finding out what the songs are, the right people to sing the songs, and then to create both a combination of live action clips that will behind them and the particular stills from the movies.

Guest: 00:08:32

So it's a.

Guest: 00:08:33

It's a process.

Guest: 00:08:34

And I have a great team with Corey Rothkin, who is my assistant director.

Guest: 00:08:39

And also he's going to step in the as a stage manager.

Guest: 00:08:43

And Seth Hampton will be my assistant director.

Guest: 00:08:46

Assistant assistant director to handle everything else.

Guest: 00:08:48

There's a lot of moving parts.

Doug Graham: 00:08:50

Yeah.

Guest: 00:08:51

Entrances, exits, from the theater, from the aisle, from outside.

Guest: 00:08:55

And it's a lot of pieces to put together.

Guest: 00:08:57

A lot of moving parts that is going to be very exciting for the audience.

Doug Graham: 00:09:01

Yeah.

Doug Graham: 00:09:01

A little bit of traffic cop.

Doug Graham: 00:09:03

Traffic cop slash choreographer involved in all this stuff.

Guest: 00:09:06

That's right.

Guest: 00:09:07

Yeah.

Guest: 00:09:07

And we've gotten a special team in to do all the tech elements of it.

Guest: 00:09:11

So it's going to be a very intricate way of calling the show, getting it aboard, but everybody's doing their job and it's going to be pretty exciting.

Doug Graham: 00:09:23

How did you narrow it down?

Doug Graham: 00:09:25

Because there are so many great song movie songs from the 70s.

Doug Graham: 00:09:29

How did you narrow it down?

Guest: 00:09:31

Well, the particular voices, you know, that are aboard.

Guest: 00:09:34

You know, Auntie Dallaire has this beautiful voice that's going to be appropriate for the disaster movie songs.

Guest: 00:09:41

You know, that's the Morning After.

Doug Graham: 00:09:44

I love that tune.

Doug Graham: 00:09:45

Yeah.

Guest: 00:09:45

And we May never love like this Again.

Guest: 00:09:48

And Boo Rigney, who also works in the VIP room upstairs, as do you and Razzle Dazzle.

Guest: 00:09:53

She has more of the country kind of sounds, so she'll be doing Nobody Does It Better.

Guest: 00:09:57

Johnny Spinks is a board who plays guitar, which is of course perfect for I'm Easy from Nashville.

Doug Graham: 00:10:03

Yeah.

Guest: 00:10:04

And then Lizzie Schmeling, of course, did her Carpenter show recently.

Guest: 00:10:07

And of course the Carpenters had two songs that year, Blessed from Blessed Beast and the Children and.

Guest: 00:10:14

And I can't remember the other song right now, but there's two Carpenter songs that were part and parcel.

Guest: 00:10:21

So that we got Patrick Wallace aboard.

Guest: 00:10:23

So he's perfect for more the rock sounds he'll be doing Live and Let Die.

Guest: 00:10:27

Yeah.

Doug Graham: 00:10:28

Excellent.

Doug Graham: 00:10:29

So tell people how they can get tickets and come enjoy this.

Guest: 00:10:33

Yes.

Guest: 00:10:34

Pscultural center.org that's the website for the cultural center.

Guest: 00:10:38

That's the best way I would advise.

Guest: 00:10:40

And we are starting to really sell out like hotcakes.

Guest: 00:10:42

So get aboard.

Guest: 00:10:44

And it's going to be at two days after Thanksgiving on the 30th.

Guest: 00:10:48

So there's, you know, everybody will be wanting something to do.

Guest: 00:10:51

And it starts at 7:00 and it'll be probably about a 90 minute show.

Guest: 00:10:57

So tickets are $55, VIP.

Guest: 00:11:00

General admission is $35.

Doug Graham: 00:11:02

And is there a cocktail, A little cocktail hour at six before the show?

Guest: 00:11:05

There'll be a vip.

Guest: 00:11:06

Yep.

Guest: 00:11:06

VIP at the beginning at six o'clock.

Guest: 00:11:08

Yep.

Guest: 00:11:09

Via vip.

Guest: 00:11:10

Come aboard.

Doug Graham: 00:11:11

Doug Graham, director of Nobody Does It Better fundraiser for the cultural center.

Doug Graham: 00:11:15

Craig Ramsey, Catherine Rieford, a lot of great singers, a really good cause.

Doug Graham: 00:11:18

I hope you'll come out and join us all.

Doug Graham: 00:11:21

Thanks, Doug.

Doug Graham: 00:11:22

Thanks for being here, Bonnie.

Doug Graham: 00:11:23

All right, take care and we'll see the rest of you the next time.

Doug Graham: 00:11:26

On the Desert Scene with Bonnie G.

Bonnie G: 00:11:29

Meet the stars and feel the bee from the Coachella Valley.

Bonnie G: 00:11:35

It's the place be for all the culture, fun and harmony.

Bonnie G: 00:11:42

The Desert scene, yeah.

Bonnie G: 00:11:44

With Bonnie G.

Bonnie G: 00:11:46

The desert scenes where you belong with Mutual Broadcastings.

Bonnie G: 00:11:50

Bonnie G.

Bonnie G: 00:11:52

Just sing along.

Bonnie G: 00:11:55

Just sing along.