After almost 25 years of shaping the Coachella Valley’s performing-arts agenda, Mitch Gershenfeld will just fade away this summer, like an old soldier of the desert cultural wars.
There will be no send-off at the McCallum Theatre. The performing-arts center he has led with multiple titles gave him a farewell party when he first retired in 2019. He returned twice at the behest of former McCallum board chairman Harold Matzner after two successors didn’t work out. Now he’s “slipping quietly away” at the end of August, he says.
His title has changed from “president and CEO” to “artistic director.” New board chairman Garry Kief has named chief financial officer Robert McConnaughey interim president. Gershenfeld said someone else will negotiate the contracts for acts he selected for 2026.
He’s giving up his house and car, and hanging up the croquet mallets that made him a Mission Hills Country Club champion, in exchange for prolonged stays in nations such as New Zealand, Australia, Abu Dhabi and Qatar with his wife, Sam.
“We are leaving the country to become permanent roving expats,” he said in an e-mail in May.
Before getting his boarding pass, Gershenfeld sat down with a journalist who has covered his entire McCallum career—and often criticized his shows for being too reflective of a bygone era.
Lunch turned into something of an exit interview, reviewing shows that made the McCallum as much a part of the Coachella Valley experience as golf and sunshine. Topics included the best McCallum acts of the 21st century, shows that seemed “safe,” and favorite artists who got away.
He also talked about audiences that often featured more stars in the seats than on the stage. The McCallum perpetuated the old Palm Springs experience as a place where tourists could see stars mixing with regular folk. That surprised him upon his arrival in 2000, he said.
“That was the realization that this is a very different and very special community,” Gershenfeld said. “The fact that you have all these folks living here, the fact that you had this incredible history—I had no idea when I got here it was going to be like this, and it’s been a joy.”
Lunch and e-mail interviews have been edited and condensed into the following Q&A.
There’s not much of that celebrity community left in the Coachella Valley. What do you think changed?
I don’t know that the community really changed. I think it’s constantly evolving. I think you still have that community here that wants to support the arts.
Yeah, but the celebrities coming out to see their celebrity friends at the McCallum …
You don’t have that so much anymore. If Barry Manilow is performing at the theater, there will be some celebrities who will come. (When David Foster performs), you always see Diane Warren. I remember I was backstage, and we had Johnny Mathis. I knew Andy Williams was coming to see him backstage. So, the door opens, and I look at this guy, and I’m thinking, “Man, Andy Williams doesn’t look so good.” It turned out it was his brother, and Andy was standing behind him.
The Really Big Shows
One historic show you produced was your benefit for Sept. 11 victims (“Let Freedom Ring,” featuring local stars Suzanne Somers, Jack Jones, Keely Smith, Howard Keel, Herb Jeffries, Peter Marshall, Hal Linden and others). Barry Manilow was the icing on the cake.
We and the whole country —the whole world—were obviously very upset and trying to figure out, “What are we going to do?” I went to Ted (Giatas), who was the CEO then, and said, “Let’s do some sort of tribute. We’ll collect money and give it to the Red Cross.” So I started making phone calls. Garry (who managed Manilow) was the first one I called. He said, “Absolutely, we’ll be there.” I started calling other people I knew, and we got a really amazing lineup. Hector Elizondo was the emcee. I didn’t know Barry; I had never met him, but (Manilow’s assistant) Marc Hulett called. Barry would say, “You’re going to do this, but I think it would be better if you did this (instead).” He did this four or five times in the weeks preceding the show, and he was correct every time. This was a guy who knew how to put the show together and how to make it perfect.
Can you expand on what he did?
I was planning to have a certain-sized musical ensemble, and Barry suggested a better configuration. He had ideas about the order of the program, and I think it was Barry who did this: Suzanne Somers was going to sing “Cockeyed Optimist” (from South Pacific). But she was going to sing it as a ballad. I said, “That just doesn’t sound like a good idea,” and Barry said, “No, this is going to work really well.” And it was brilliant. It was so moving to hear those lyrics sung as a ballad (when she was publicly fighting cancer). Barry has an amazing musical sense. I think one of the reasons he’s lasted as long as he has is he’s meticulous about every single thing.
I once heard Barry say to Jack Jones after a McCallum concert, “Do you always do shows like that?” He was astonished. And Jack replied simply, “That’s my show.” Can you talk about Jack’s McCallum concerts and his importance to the theater?
Jack is one of my favorite singers. When Ted Giatas was CEO, he was trying to dig the McCallum out of the financial hole it was in. He started a “Friends” campaign, and Jack was one of the people, along with Rita Rudner, who stepped up to help the theater portray a more welcoming image—and it worked.
Jack really had an extraordinary voice. He sang with great fluidity and ease. He is also a great jazz musician. It’s kind of a shame he became so well-known for “The Love Boat” theme, because it overshadowed his abilities as a jazz singer. Each time Jack would perform at the McCallum, he did a completely different show. Sometimes it was with a big band, and sometimes a small combo. But he never let himself get pegged with any particular style, because he could sing anything and everything. Of course, he had that great high register.
Two of my favorite shows in your tenure were Joe Cocker and Bonnie Raitt. You had Bonnie more than once. Joe Cocker was only here one time. What was the reaction of your board to those rockers?
When I started, I used to have to run everything by a committee of the board. They were wonderful people, but they mostly knew about classical music and fine arts. When I started bringing in Luis Miguel and some of these other people, after I think two years, the committee decided it would be disbanded, because the program was working, so I never really had to answer to anybody about programming. I could pretty much do whatever I wanted.
I remember I had a chance to bring Whoopi Goldberg. This is when President Ford was (on the board). He was a good guy. He said, “I have two questions: Will you make money?” I said yes. “And, do I have to go?”
There were artists I booked just because I wanted to meet them. One of them was Anthony Bourdain. I had read his books and watched him on TV, and I wanted to find out if he was the personality he was on television, which was kind of a crusty guy. He was the nicest guy in the world. We had him twice, and the first time we brought him in, it was just amazing. The audience was not a traditional McCallum audience. It was very young, and when he walked out onstage, it was like a rock concert. They were on their feet screaming.
(In 2007), we had Queens of the Stone Age and Eagles of Death Metal and Fatso Jetson, which I thought was a great group. Those kinds of things, the opportunity to do stuff like that (as a benefit for local charities selected by bandleaders Josh Homme and Jesse Hughes)—that was such a cool thing to be able to do.
Some of the other people, I just wanted to meet. … I was so glad the first time we brought Jonathan Winters. He was so brilliant. The second time, he had started to decline, and it was sort of painful to watch. But the first time, just to be close up to see how that mind worked was really amazing.
What was he like in person?
He was lovely, very gentle and soft-spoken. But you put something in his hand, and his mind was so quick, he could take that and do five minutes on it.
There are artists I introduced to the theater. Some became very popular; some didn’t. The Ten Tenors were something nobody thought would be successful. I had a feeling they would be.
They didn’t think they’d be successful because they didn’t have a track record?
Yeah. Nobody knew who they were. But the first time I brought them (in 2011), they sold out three shows. I had seen them in Australia, and I thought they hit that sweet spot for our audience.
2Cellos was one I thought was a really cool act. They got too big for us. This Mitch’s Picks (series) I did was a lot of fun, because I think it introduced people to shows (they) would not have come to otherwise. Most of the shows were successful.
I think overall, we booked as many new things as we could. The letters to the editors or e-mails I would see (said): “It’s always the same acts. Why aren’t you doing anything new?” We’d point out, “We have 26 new things on the season that have never played here before.” If you ask people, “What do you want to see at the McCallum?” they either don’t know, or they’ll mention someone who plays stadiums.
When I brought Luis Miguel, that was such a cool thing to be able to do.
Was it attracting a Latino audience that was special to you?
First of all, he was a major, major artist. He didn’t play theaters. The only reason we got him was I knew his agent, and his agent was looking for a place for him to rehearse before he went on his world tour. He wanted to rent the theater for a week. I said, “I’ll give you the theater for a week if you’ll give me a show.” So we got one show. Back then, I had a programming committee. They had never heard of Luis Miguel. I said, “This is going to sell out, and it’s going to be a really pivotal moment for the McCallum.” Of course, we did it, and it was. I was happy to bring in a lot of the big Latin acts until the casinos came in and started taking those away.
Shows That Were ‘Safe’
Some artists played so many times. Was there one show by Chris Botti that stood out, or do you remember him for the fact that he sold out every year for 20 years?
Obviously, I’m very happy when an artist sells out. But what I love about Chris is he will bring different musicians each time, and every musician is absolutely brilliant. When we first started bringing him, it was a lot of him playing the trumpet. But he learned over the years, maybe as he got older, he didn’t want to play that much, and he’d give it to other people. His show became more than Chris Botti. It became Chris Botti and these other musicians who were just so brilliant.
You always had comedy, but it was different than the standup you started doing this year. How did you pick the comics before Kief influenced you to get more contemporary acts?
Well, some of the comics were just legendary. We’d have Bob Newhart or—before we discovered who he really was—Bill Cosby. They just attracted that audience. The Borscht Belt (show) was the Catskills on Broadway—Freddie Roman. That had come out as a film, and again, I thought there would be an audience for it. I thought there would be people who remembered the Catskills, and it turned out they did.
Were you thinking, “These are comics you should know, and if you haven’t experienced their old culture, this is an opportunity,” or was it just, “We have an audience for this”?
Yeah, I want to fill the seats. But I think also, I want to preserve those memories for people, and I think some of those comics are a way to do it. I listened to Bob Newhart records when I was a kid, so to have him on the stage, I got the same thrill everyone in the audience did. But I booked Kathy Griffin for years before she started going to casinos. I had Margaret Cho. Bill Maher used to come in. Bob Saget—who was the nicest guy in the world and the dirtiest comic I ever heard in my life onstage. Jay Leno was terrific and a great person.
When The Show (at Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa Rancho Mirage) first started, I tried to compete. The casinos would offer three or four times (the McCallum’s) money, and I realized that was a losing thing. I began shifting the programming, and I think it made us a better performing arts center. If all I have to do is fill 1,100 seats, we can do some things the casinos aren’t even thinking about—everything from a Garrison Keillor to John Cleese or National Geographic Live. Also, some musical acts: Are they going to do Bernadette Peters, Mandy Patinkin, Patti LuPone? I may compete with them on Paul Anka, but Paul Anka just happens to love the McCallum.
You have such a broad North American audience. Did you have to work at that, or did it come without much effort? I had some friends who managed timeshares, and they created itineraries for guests to see the McCallum on their trip to the desert. It didn’t matter what the show was: “You have to see the McCallum.” The brand attracted people.
I got here in 2000; Ted (Giatas) got here in 1999. Before that, the McCallum’s reputation was not good. There was that whole Ponzi scheme (when the McCallum’s executive director and controller, among others, were indicted on felony charges in 1996). When I started, the first Friday, everybody in the office cleared out: “Where did everybody go?” Well, they went to cash their paychecks because sometimes they didn’t (clear). … The McCallum was mired in debt. Ted came in and worked very, very hard. President Ford was an amazing help. I started doing things with programming so people would start feeling better about what we do. I think we turned the reputation of the McCallum from negative to positive, and from positive to just beloved.
When people move into country clubs, their friends and neighbors tell them about the McCallum Theatre. It’s not something we have to do, to actively seek that audience. That core audience, they’re coming from the gated communities. Now, when I do a show that’s a little different, they’re coming from other places as well. But that core audience is like 60-plus (years of age). So the people who were in their 40s when I started at the McCallum are now our audience.
Harold Matzner talked about building a base of people who may not give large donations, but, given time, if they like the environment and the people, they’ll donate more later.
Harold was the one who really set us on the course of financial stability. Harold was sort of all about the cash: “Bring in cash, and that will give us financial stability,” and it’s worked incredibly well, because the McCallum now has a reserve fund that’s very, very healthy. If we have to spend a million bucks to put a new roof on, we can do that. We replaced our parking lot last year. That was like a million. That’s all Harold.
Artists Who Got Away
Do you remember when Peter Marshall did his Old Faces of …
Old Faces of 2002. For me, that was such a kick. Artie Johnson was on that show, (with) Ronnie Schell, Tom Poston.
I thought Bob Einstein had the line of the night when he said, “I was a new face when this evening started.”
Bob Einstein was such a clever guy. When I talked to him, I said, “Let’s do a Super Dave show on the stage.” He said it’s impossible, because those bits were all created for television, and they all involved some sort of an illusion. Obviously, he didn’t crash and go through all that. It was all theatrically staged for television, and I’m sure there was stop-action. He said, “I could never do that on the stage.”
What about Aretha Franklin, who you had and lost?
Well, now you’ve opened a can of worms. I had Aretha booked on two occasions. The first time, the day of the show, she cancelled because of illness.
With quotation marks around “illness,” I see you saying.
Yes. Her band was not informed. They all showed up in the afternoon. It’s like, “How come nobody told us there’s not a concert?” The second time, she cancelled the day before the concert—“illness.” I said, “Well, I need proof. I need a doctor’s (note).” Her agent faxed some bullshit note from a doctor, but I was told by someone who had worked with her a number of times: Before she does a show, she’ll look at how much she was getting, and if she didn’t feel it was enough, she would just cancel. So she cancelled on us twice.
One comic I had tried to book, and he was a difficult guy to work with, was Shecky Greene. When I first got to the theater—remember Marshall Stone (a film exhibitor who helped Sonny Bono start the Palm Springs International Film Festival)? Marshall had a television show around 2000. I knew Lennie (Green, a legendary agent), and I’m watching TV. Marshall says, “Why don’t you ever play the McCallum?” And Shecky says, “The Jew at the McCallum won’t hire me.” I called Lennie and said, “Lennie, what’s going on here?” He said, “Shecky, he’s meshuga (crazy). Don’t worry.” I did try a couple times to get Shecky. One time, I had him contracted, and he cancelled, because he said the money he had agreed to was not enough. But Shecky did one of Keely (Smith’s) shows. Keely would always identify celebrities in the audience, and she said, “Oh, Shecky Greene is here.” Shecky comes onstage and does 12 minutes of the best material I’ve ever heard. He was brilliant, but he had his issues.
I know you tried to get Trini Lopez to play the McCallum. He said he wasn’t valued as much in his home community as he was in Latin America and overseas. Can you address why you two weren’t able to reach a deal for him to play the McCallum?
I spoke to Trini and his management on several occasions and tried to get him to perform at the McCallum. Ultimately, it came down to money. I offered him an amount I thought was right for the ticket prices and number of seats I felt we could sell. He wanted more than I felt we could afford, so we never made a deal. I feel bad about that. I really would have liked to have seen him on our stage.
There are so many fragmented communities in the Coachella Valley. You built a community around the McCallum Theatre. I think that’s a great legacy.
Well, I’m happy with what we did, and I’m optimistic about where it’s going.
Will you come back?
I don’t think so.
Never?
I mean, I don’t know that I’ll have any reason to. I don’t have any family here.
What about croquet at Mission Hills?
THAT I would come back for.
Bruce Fessier was inducted into the inaugural class of the Coachella Valley Media Hall of Fame in February and has been reporting on the Coachella Valley since 1979. He can be reached at jbfess@gmail.com, and followed at facebook.com/bruce.fessier and Instagram.com/bfessier.