Homecoming: Broadway musical artist returns home for Palm Canyon Theatre performance

Edward Staudenmayer found his passion for theater as a freshman at Palm Springs High School. After graduating in 1989, he went on to perform on Broadway and in national touring productions of shows such as"Anastasia" and "The Phantom of the Opera."

He will make his return to Palm Springs on Feb. 22 for "From Broadway with Love... Backwards," presented by Palm Canyon Theatre. The show will have men and women sing songs that were originally written for the other gender, and its goal is to give performers the opportunity to sing Broadway songs they would traditionally not get casted for.

The show is part of the theater's Cabaret Fundraising Series, where performers will donate their talents to a variety of one-night-only shows that support the nonprofit theater and its educational programs.

In this conversation with Staudenmayer, he discussed everything from growing up in Palm Springs to why theaters need help to survive in the current economy.

Editor's note: This conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.

What can audiences expect from the show?

I think they will have a fun time listening to the songs sung through a different lens. There will probably be some very famous songs you are used to hearing a girl sing or a boy sing. I'm gonna sing a love song about a man that's usually sung by a woman. I'm doing Norma Desmond. I'm thrilled. The song I'm doing is in the play "Sunset Boulevard," when Norma is coming back to Hollywood and she's nervous. And I chose this for this performance because it's also me returning to Palm Springs and getting to perform in front of all these people. And you know, I haven't performed in Palm Springs ever since I left high school, so it'll be like I'm returning as well.

Can you tell me about your time growing up in Palm Springs?

I feel very blessed that I grew up in Palm Springs. It was a pretty sheltered, lovely place to grow up. I loved it. The idea of retiring and coming back to Palm Springs would be a dream for me. I know it's become so popular. You know, it certainly wasn't as queer as it is now. And when I come back, I'm just kind of amazed at how much it's grown and how that part of the community is thriving so much. You know that whole little section of town where you see all the bars (Arenas Road) in Palm Springs, that's where we used to go and have lunch. It was like a deli, little shops and a Circle K.

You said you did theater in high school, can you tell me more?

I was in the theater department in my freshman year and did a production of "The Music Man." I was one of the leads and got the really heavy acting bug. They had a really wonderful teacher back in Palm Springs High School, Rosemary Mallett, and she just inspired a lot of kids. There's a lot of people from my era that went on to have huge professional careers in theater, television, movies and all sorts of things. She deserves a lot of kudos. She just flew to see me in Vero Beach, I was doing "Man of La Mancha." So she's still a big fan of mine and comes to see me everywhere. She's great and a wonderful mentor and I have her to thank for loving the theater and wanting to be a part of it.

The show is part of a fundraising series, why do you think fundraising efforts are important for nonprofit theaters or any theater?

Ticket sales do not cover what it costs to run a theater. It's only a small portion of the prices that theaters have to pay when it comes to the crew and sets and costumes. And microphones alone, getting good audio, is very expensive. When you're doing a production, the rights are very expensive to get, the rights to "The Scarlet Pimpernel" or anything. So in order to survive, they have to have a lot of love from donors that love theater and want to support the arts. So, it's extremely hard for a nonprofit to survive in this world in this economy. I'm glad that people in Palm Springs are helping.

Why do you think it's important for theaters to keep existing and what do they offer people not just in Palm Springs, but everywhere?

In my opinion, there is nothing like live theater, it's definitely been my medium. I've done a little bit of commercials and I did a movie recently, but there's nothing like live theater. TV and film, they do the performance, and they chop it up and they cut it to pieces and it's cut by somebody else. In theater, you get to be in control of your performance. You may have to have a director and you work on things, but when it comes down to it, you're in the moment. It's you live in the moment having a shared experience with the other people sitting out there. That's why I'm so thrilled that people are coming back out to see shows. I think we lost so much during this pandemic, that combined existence of humanity all sitting there. It really is one of the most beautiful things I think there is. I think as human beings, it is so beautiful that we get up there and just put out a little story to make the other human beings feel something. I think it's the most beautiful thing about humanity that can be done besides being a nurse or a doctor saving people's lives. I just think it's such a sweet thing that we as humans gather in a room and watch other human beings entertain us. There's nothing like it to me.

If you go

What: Palm Canyon Theatre presents "From Broadway With Love....Backwards"

When: 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 22

Where: Palm Canyon Theater, 538 N. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs

How much: $30

More info: palmcanyontheatre.net

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Broadway artist returns home for Palm Canyon Theatre performance