Resort adds outdoor theater

Public Record, The, Aug 31, 2004

After Bob Grinchuk and Reuel Olin purchased a former Pony Express stagecoach stop and subsequent Elizabeth Arden "beauty farm" last December, they announced plans to renovate the resort on Carey Road in Cathedral City.

Phase one of The Villa Resort Palm Springs renovation - 24 guest rooms, installation of a new pool and spa, and relocation of the lobby - is complete. All 44 guest rooms will be freshly appointed by Labor Day; restaurant and lounge operations should be fully operational by mid-October, Olin reports.

Doubling the kitchen size and adding state-of-the-art equipment is about more than feeding resort guests. Grinchuk and Olin want to expand on the live entertainment they offered last season.

Over the Memorial Day weekend, the resort had to add a third show by Leslie Jordan (of Sordid Lives fame) to respond to demand. "That encouraged us [to do more shows]," Olin says. To that end, the partners are adding the V Lounge and an outdoor dinner theater with turntable stage, tiered seating and tables under tensioned fabric (similar to structures at Palm Springs International Airport), stateof-the-art sound and lighting, and misting and radiant heat systems "to deal with the vicissitudes in weather."

Olin says he and Grinchuk plan to bring in performers "whose names will be recognized," as well as hosting Derrick Lewis' popular Musical Chairs productions and WiseGuys Production's musical revue Swish.

"We think [outdoor theater] will be a benefit to the community and in particular to Cathedral City," Olin says.