by June August

From my front row seat at the Desert Ensemble Theatre (DETC) production of Ellie, it was like watching the creation of a beautifully textured fabric. Richard Marlow (Richard) and Abe Daniels (Warren) parried Bruce Bonafede’s dialogue with masterful timing—a tribute both to them and to director Howard Shangraw. The simple set worked perfectly: two armchairs separated by a 1940s vintage end table against a Wedgewood blue and white flat.

At rise, the brothers enter, with Richard helping his older brother Warren make his way into one of chairs. Richard exits and returns with the first of several bottles of scotch, which the men share. Warren has been injured in an auto accident of his own devising and remains seated throughout the play. Yet that does little to mitigate the effect of his barrage of criticism on his “little brother,” a term Richard resents. Once Richard stands, the balance changes. The brothers reveal the backstory of their relationship and argue about Ellie—who she was, what she wanted and needed, how she felt. In the hands of two amazing actors, the shifting dynamic becomes intriguing—and foreboding.

Who is Ellie, the title character? For forty years she was Warren’s wife. Now she is his late wife as result of the auto accident. We learn quite a bit about Ellie from the differing points of view of the brothers: Warren, who marries her, makes both of their lives miserable, and murders her; Richard, who claims to have always loved her and eventually has an affair with her. But we never get to know Ellie because, well, she is dead. And I question whether any man knows what a woman really wants, needs, and feels. Or is she merely a tool to satisfy his wants, needs and feelings?

I will not give away the ending because that would not be fair. Rather, I encourage you to experience this beautifully textured fabric of writing, acting, and directing for yourself. Thank you DETC for once again bringing a satisfying production to the Coachella Valley stage.

Ellie will run for four more performances, on Friday, March 15th, at 7:30pm; Saturday, March 16th, at 2:00pm and 7:30pm; and Sunday, March 17th, at 2:00pm. Performances take place at the Palm Springs Cultural Center (the Camelot Theaters), 2300 East Baristo Road, Palm Springs, CA. 92262 (across Baristo Road from Palm Springs High School). Tickets are $41.25 with service fee. Contact the theatre by email at DETCTheatre@gmail.com, call 760-565-2476 for tickets or more information, or consult the web site, www.desertensembletheatre.org . The snail mail address is PO Box 2885, Palm Springs, CA 92262.

Top Photo: J. Moskowitz; Other Photos: Nathan Cox

The last production in Desert Ensemble Theatre’s 2023-24 season is:

SHERLOCK HOLMES CONFIDENTIAL by Tony Padilla. (World premiere). Directed by Jerome Elliott Moskowitz. (April 12­–­14 and 19–21).

In an alternative version of the Holmes origin story, a spurned romance leads to someone threatening to unmask the young detective as a fraud. Starring Thomas Elliot Fisk, Barbara Kerr, Katrina Dixon, and Justin Ledesma.