Opening this summer at London’s Emerald Theater, Who Killed Marilyn? is written by Sharleen Cooper Cohen, produced by Tegan Summer and directed by Philip Wm. McKinley. This original play imagines Marilyn investigating her own death, uncovering the truth behind her untimely demise.
Okay, I have to tell you about this show because… wow. “Love, Valor, Compassion” at DezArt Performs is one of those productions that just stays with you. Like, you don’t just watch it—you feel it the whole way through.
So the story follows this group of friends over a few summer weekends at a country house, and on the surface it’s about relationships, love, betrayal, all that messy human stuff. But hanging over everything is the AIDS crisis, and you really feel that weight without the show ever hitting you over the head with it. It’s more like this quiet, constant presence that changes how you see every moment.
What really got me is how real these characters feel. They’re not polished or perfect—they’re complicated, sometimes frustrating, sometimes hilarious, and completely human. And the way the show is structured, with characters talking directly to the audience, it almost feels like you’re being let in on memories… like you’re part of the group.
And the cast? Seriously incredible. Every single person brings something unique, and there are moments—especially in Act Three—that are just next-level emotional. There’s one scene in particular that honestly gave me chills.
Also, just a heads up—it’s not a shy show. There’s nudity, strong language, and some pretty intense scenes. But none of it feels unnecessary. It all serves the story, and honestly, it makes everything hit harder.
The direction and staging are super minimal, but somehow it all works. You completely believe you’re in all these different places with barely any set. It’s one of those “less is more” situations done really, really well.Bottom line? It’s powerful, it’s uncomfortable at times, it’s beautiful—and yeah, I’d absolutely tell you to go see it if you can.
By Stephen Radosh04/10/2026Updated 04/10/2026
Jamie Pierce, Chris Carranza
Terrence McNally’s Love! Valour! Compassion! remains one of the rare American plays that manages to be both unabashedly sentimental and rigorously honest. In Dezart Performs’ brilliant new production, its emotional architecture proves as sturdy as ever: a country house, a circle of longtime friends, and the slow unspooling of truths that only emerge when people feel safe enough to be fully seen.
At its core, the play is a meditation on chosen family—specifically, a group of gay men navigating love, aging, betrayal, and the looming specter of illness. What makes the piece endure is McNally’s refusal to flatten his characters into archetypes. They are messy, contradictory, and often painfully funny. This production leans into that complexity, allowing the humor to bubble up naturally rather than chasing punchlines.
The result is a world that feels lived-in rather than staged. Conversations overlap, silences stretch, and the audience is invited to witness, not judge, the fragile negotiations of affection and forgiveness.
The ensemble cast is the engine of this play, and here it runs beautifully.
Gregory (J. Stephen Brantley), Co-host and owner of the home, is an aging dancer/choreographer intent on topping his career with one more flash of brilliance, while fearing his best work may be behind him.
Buzz (Oscar Fabela) is a musical-theatre-obsessed romantic, is rendered with warmth rather than caricature; his joy is infectious, but his vulnerability is what lingers.
The identical twin brothers, John and James Jeckyll (Jamie Pierce), James is gentle and somehow making peace with his having AIDS. John is caustic and cold with a mean streak that he uses to hide his insecurities. Both are handled with a clarity that underscores McNally’s fascination with duality — how we can be both our best and worst selves in the same breath.
Bobby Brahms (Tim Fragos), Gregory’s much younger partner. is blind but possibly one of the clearest seeing members of the group. He is kind, open, and disarmingly sincere.
Ramon Fornos (Chris Carranza) is John’s boytoy companion. He is a dancer and constantly horny with an exhibitionistic streak a mile wide and with a captive audience most of whom are happy to watch.
Arthur Pape (Matt McConkey) is warm, domestic, and deeply committed to his partner, Perry. He is the group’s steadying force — the one who comforts and tries to keep the peace. His optimism is grounded, not naïve. Arthur represents the possibility of long-term love that is both imperfect and deeply sustaining.
Perry Sellars (Michael Shaw) is Arthur’s partner of 14 years. He is sharp-tongued, sarcastic, and often exasperated by the world around him. His humor is a shield, but beneath it lies genuine tenderness. Perry’s relationship with Arthur is one of the play’s emotional anchors — a portrait of a couple who have weathered life together and still choose each other.
Every member of the cast gives a performance that is honest and rings true. Moments of confession are not polished; they tremble. Moments of conflict are not explosive; they bruise. This is a truly sensational ensemble company.
Phillip Wm. McKinley’s superb direction wisely resists the temptation to modernize the play into something it isn’t. Instead, the production honors its 1990s setting while emphasizing its timeless emotional stakes. The pacing is deliberate, allowing the audience to feel the weight of 3 weekends that changes everyone present.
What makes Love! Valour! Compassion! resonate today is not nostalgia but its insistence on tenderness as a radical act. The play acknowledges pain—particularly the pain of a community shaped by loss—but refuses to let that pain eclipse joy. It is a work that believes in the restorative power of connection, even when that connection is imperfect.
In an era where cynicism often masquerades as sophistication, McNally’s sincerity feels almost rebellious. This production is one of the best I have seen in some time … don’t miss it!
Love! Valour! Compassion! runs through April 19, 2026 at Dezart Performs in Palm Springs. For tickets and further information visit their website at DezartPerforms.org
by Jason Mannino | April 14, 2026
in Palm Springs (Coachella Valley), Theater
A SUMMER OF MEMORY AND LOSS
A moving revival that transforms urgency into reflection without losing its emotional core
Tim Frangos, J.Stephen Brantley
The lights went down at Dezart Performs’ gorgeous new home on Saturday, and I’ll be honest—my heart was in my throat before a single line was spoken. Having been in the audience for the Broadway premiere of Love! Valour! Compassion! over thirty years ago, I wasn’t just watching a play; I was stepping into a time machine. Back then, Terrence McNally’s story was an urgent, raw bulletin from the front lines of the AIDS crisis. Today, it has transitioned into a lush, incredibly poignant period piece, capturing the lives of eight gay men over three holiday weekends at a lakeside retreat in the mid-’90s as they struggle with love, friendship, relationships, and the height of AIDS’ brutal reality. Seeing it now, through the lens of three decades of history, adds a layer of nostalgia and “looking back” that makes the urgency feel brand new again.
Oscar E. Fabela, Tim Frangos, J. Stephen Brantley, Matt McConkey, Michael Shaw, Jamie Pierce
Oscar E. Fabela
Director Philip Wm. McKinley guides this revival with a beautiful, fluid rhythm that makes the nearly three-hour runtime feel like a summer you’ve actually lived through rather than just watched. He gets incredible work out of this ensemble. J. Stephen Brantley is the soul of the production as Gregory, playing the aging choreographer with a quiet, physical dignity that’s deeply moving. Jamie Pierce pulls off a massive feat in the dual roles of the Jeckyll twins, making John and James feel like two entirely distinct souls. Oscar Fabela is a total riot as the musical-theater-obsessed Buzz, though he never loses the vulnerability underneath the wit. Tim Frangos and Chris Carranza bring a great, youthful friction to the group as Bobby and Ramon, while Matt McConkey and Michael Shaw ground everything as Arthur and Perry—the “old married couple” who serve as the group’s emotional center.
Jamie Pierce, Matt McConkey, Chris Carranza, Michael Shaw, Oscar E. Fabela
The production looks as good as it feels, thanks to Rick Bluhm’s inventive set design. He manages to make the stage feel like the wide-open, wooded grounds of a Dutchess County estate while keeping things intimate enough for the play’s quietest, most confessional moments. Shifting seasons and moods come alive through Chase Potter’s evocative lighting.
Jamie Pierce, Chris Carranza
For those who remember the first time this play roared for survival, this production is a stunning tribute. It’s a vividly rendered memory of the kind of valour you only find in true friendship.
Jamie Pierce. Oscar E. Fabela
Photos by David A. Lee
Love! Valour! Compassion!
Dezart Performs at the New Dezart Playhouse
605 South Riverside Drive, Palm Springs
Thu & Fri at 7; Sat at 2 & 7; Sun at 2
165 minutes with two intermissions
ends on April 19, 2026
for tickets ($69–$78), visit dezartperforms.org or call 760.322.0179
A private brunch brought playwright Charles Busch, a celebrated cast, and desert insiders together for an intimate reading of “The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife.”
bySite Staff|Apr 7, 2026
Stephen Breimer, Linda and Fred Williamson.
A soirée on March 15 brought together Broadway talent, Hollywood insiders, and desert tastemakers for a reading of The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife, hosted in honor of the production at The Plaza Theatre. The event took place in the 1950s ranch-style home of Stephen Breimer, a member of the Palm Springs International Film Festival Board of Directors. The residence — once owned by Jean and Donald Stralem, prominent local philanthropists — set the tone for an evening that felt both nostalgic and distinctly theatrical.
Guests were welcomed with passed hors d’oeuvres and cocktails, while a buffet-style dinner fueled the fun. Celebrants included playwright Charles Busch and director Philip McKinley, alongside a celebrated cast featuring Harriet Harris, Alix Korey, Lewis Stadlen, and Chris Carranza. Composer David Zippel and TV writer-director David Lee mingled alongside actress Joyce Bulifant and Broadway veteran Teri Ralston.
Teri Ralston and Charles Busch.
Phil McKinley, Joyce Bullifant, Michael Shaw, and Marty Wiviott.
Don Lupinetti.
Debbie Green Miller and Doug Miller.
Carol and Jim Egan.
Stephen Breimer and Nevin Dolcefino.
Tim Holmes, Don Hill, Luke Yankee, and Alex Monterio.
Rob Wright, Del Shores, and Lewis J Stadlen.
Eight gay men gather at a lakeside house over three summer weekends to laugh, love, confront fears, and bare their souls. Set in the 1990s against the backdrop of the AIDS crisis, Terrence McNally’s profoundly moving and sharply funny play explores friendship, betrayal, and the power of community in the face of loss.
Box Office
760-322-0179, ext 1
Hours: Tues-Fri, 10am-2pm
NOTE: There are very few tickets left for the run.
Dates
Apr 09 2026 – Apr 19 2026
Show Times
ALL PERFORMANCES
Thursday – 7:00 PM
Friday – 7:00 PM
Saturday – 2:00 PM & 7:00 PM
Sunday – 2:00 PM
Location
DEZART PLAYHOUSE
605 S. Riverside Drive
Palm Springs, CA 92264
This two-night event takes place on the 13th and 14th of March. THIS WEEK!!!
“The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife” is a comedic play by Charles Busch that explores themes of mid-life crisis, friendship, and self-discovery through the life of Marjorie Taub, a middle-aged woman living in New York City.
This is a script in-hand reading of the TONY nominated play. Featuring an all star cast: Charles Busch, Harrien Hansom Harris, Lewis J. Stadlen, Alix Korey and Chris Carranza. Get your tickets now!!!
rePLAY: The Tale of The Allergist’s Wife | The Plaza Theatre
BoxOffice:
boxoffice@palmspringsplazatheatre.com
760-593-5768
Eight gay men gather at a lakeside house over three summer weekends to laugh, love, confront fears, and bare their souls. Set in the 1990s against the backdrop of the AIDS crisis, Terrence McNally’s profoundly moving and sharply funny play explores friendship, betrayal, and the power of community in the face of loss.
The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife By Charles Busch
Directed by Philip Wm. McKinley
Tony-nominated playwright Charles Busch’s uproarious modern comedy follows a wealthy Upper West Side woman whose cultural ennui is shattered by the reappearance of a glamorous old friend. The cast includes Charles Busch (Vampire Lesbians of Sodom), and Broadway favorite, Drama Desk nominee Alix Korey (Chicago, All Shook Up), Lewis J. Stadlen (The Sopranos) and Chris Carranza (Spryo Reignited Trilogy) bringing both hilarity and humanity to this biting social satire.
Buy your tickets here: rePLAY: The Tale of The Allergist’s Wife | The Plaza Theatre Be sure to use this site and not to use the secondary ticket sales sites.
