Audiences can plan on having a great time with the Good Book when the QC Theatre Workshop presents its latest stage production The Bible: The Complete Word of God (abridged), running April 15 through May 1. A rip-roaring comedy by playwrights Adam Long, Reed Martin, and Austin Tichenor and originally produced by the Reduced Shakespeare Company, this acclaimed spoof has been called “a slick, fast, very funny show” by the London Times, and this debuting area play will be brought to life by a sensational three-man cast of local-theatre favorites and Workshop veterans. The Bible: The Complete Word... Read More

My son Jackson turned eight this week. He is undeniably the best person I’ve ever had the honor of meeting, and I’m looking forward to experiencing the adventure of his life with him. And as that time goes by, he may ask me for the advice I’ve gained in my years before him. Which is why I started writing this list shortly after he was born, and I’ve added to it and published it every year on his birthday since. And as I look at the list, it’s good advice for me to follow as well. A friend is someone who is with you when you have nothing to offer them but your friendship. Remember... Read More

If you’ve got a tot who’s into Thomas, a friend with a wanderlust or anyone in your life who’s a fan of trains, you’ll want to trek down to the German Heritage Center, 712 W. 2nd St., Davenport this weekend for their salute to trains event. Quad Cities folk musician Chris Dunn and storyteller Roald Tweet, of Rock Island Lines fame on WVIK Augustana College Public Radio, will present “Stories and Songs of the Railroad,” at 2 p.m. Sunday. You can hear the tales and tunes inspired by our rich Quad Cities railroading past. While you’re at the center, you can also visit its temporary... Read More

It’s not often I say a performer steals a show in an ensemble piece, but I feel confident in saying that Tom Walljasper definitely steals the show in “Shear Madness.” Walljasper is so flamboyant and over-the-top funny, grabbing every scene he’s in with some brazen move or line, that it’s impossible to ignore him, not that you’d want to. “Shear” is a very funny, entertaining show. It was on the night I saw it. On the night you see it, it might be even funnier. I say that because it changes from night to night. Not just in the nuances, but in the big strokes. “Shear” is a malleable... Read More

There’s a lot happening at Rock Island’s Circa ’21 Dinner Theater over the next few months! The venerable institution is bringing in a huge array of shows, showcases and concerts for a variety of audiences. Here’s the rundown: Mainstage Shows: SHEAR MADNESS – Through April 30: Audiences are loving this absolutely hilarious comedy which is the longest running comedy in U.S. history. SISTER ACT (Quad City Premiere) May 4 – July 2: The hit 1992 movie starring Whoopi Goldberg comes to the Circa ’21 stage. MENOPAUSE THE MUSICAL – July 6 – August 27: A musical celebration... Read More

One of the best parts about watching a bad movie is making snide, snarky comments about how awful it is. It’s even better when you’re with hilarious friends making those comments. The experience was successfully replicated and popularized by the TV show “Mystery Science Theater 3000,” and now local comedian and actor Anthony Natarelli has replicated it on the stage with his “Tony Goes To The Movies” gig, which returns this weekend for the fourth time to its lovely home at Rock Island’s District Theater, which looks amazingly like the old Rock Island Argus building, right down to the... Read More

“A straight line may be the shortest distance between two points, but it is by no means the most interesting.” –  Jon Pertwee Hey! Good to see you again! I’m happy to meet you, and me, actually. I hope you’re saying the same. After all, it’s been almost eight years since my last column. The previous one was published in the first week of 2009 and I’ve been on sabbatical ever since. Thanks, Obama. Actually, believe it or not, the president had very little to do with my leave of absence. I would’ve easily been able to sneak in my duties as a special ops secret agent guarding Air... Read More

Moline Centre is always hopping with activity, and this month is no different. The downtown Moline area is jumping with events for St. Patrick’s Day, the spring awakening, benefits for great causes and more. Here are some of the things to keep your eye on: Looking for a great way to help kids in need?  The Children’s Therapy Center of the Quad Cities is in the midst of their Donate a Dollar campaign.  Stop in to Bierstube, BRIX, Barrel House, Lagomarcino’s and Las Regias during the month of March, shell out a dollar and you will have helped pay for therapy services that local families... Read More

It’s St. Patrick’s Day, and we’re hoping you’re getting your Irish on today and throughout this week as festivities o’ the green have been rolling last weekend through this coming weekend. However, that’s no surprise, and that pot of gold of events at the Quad-Cities end of the rainbow has been noticed on a national level. This week, SafeCo Insurance and HomeInsurance.com analytics released a list of the the top 15 U.S. cities with the highest percentages of Irish descendants to join in their St. Patrick’s Day parades – and the Quad-Cities comes in at number 14. Number one? Butte-Silver... Read More

Given that it’s St. Patrick’s Day and the Irish are known as imaginative and entertaining storytellers, we thought you would enjoy this short story about the holiday… REPTILIA By: Sean Leary Into the midst of the candlelit enclave, a battle room wide and fortressed in marble, the sliver of a man dropped, clad in a white so brilliant it seemed to glow against the indefinite light with armor of moss green leather and gold strapped about him. He held in his hand a wooden scabbard, carved with various sigils of silver and gold, and with a quick move it leapt to his hand and erupted into a blade... Read More