I have long felt a kinship to the landmark, iconic musical “Cabaret,” for many reasons – my family heritage is Jewish; its amazing composer John Kander graduated from the same college I did (Oberlin, albeit 35 years earlier); I’ve been a huge fan of much of the melodic, heartfelt score (including the classics “Wilkommen,” “Mein […]
“It was a dark and dreary night…” So begins the impeccable, affectionate film noir spoof “The Adventures of Sam Steele” – a new radio play by Jeff Adamson – that is premiering at The Black Box Theatre (1623 5th Ave., Moline), running through April 4. Set in 1947, after the war, Sam Steele, P.I. is on the […]
Because of scheduling conflicts, I was relatively late to see the latest show at Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse, in its 49th season, but the utterly delightful, foot-stomping good time “Honky Tonk Angels” was worth the wait. The revue of 30 classic country songs (including reprises and one appropriate REO Speedwagon hit) has a paper-thin plot, […]
Seeing the tremendously intense, uncomfortable, brutal and cathartic production of “God of Carnage” made me realize again how much I’ve missed the now-defunct QC Theatre Workshop in Davenport. The original 2009 Broadway version of Yasmina Reza’s bitter, black comedy — with the star-studded cast Jeff Daniels, Hope Davis, James Gandolfini and Marcia Gay Harden – won […]
I wanted very much to enjoy “word play,” a world premiere from the incredibly prolific playwright, Alex Richardson, and his Barely There Theatre. Unfortunately, I really didn’t, I’m sorry. Despite 11 years of revisions, from when Richardson first tackled his first of many plays, “word play” still feels unfinished, a random collection of pretty brief […]
There are many Mexican restaurants throughout the Quad Cities, but Corazon Latino is decidedly not one of them. The new bar and restaurant at 1514 5th Ave., Moline, in fact, is unlike any eatery in the QC, in more ways than one. Fresh, authentic cuisine from Latin America combines with a vibrant, colorful atmosphere (the […]
You are pretty much guaranteed of a good time with the winning new production of “9 to 5: The Musical,” at Spotlight Theatre, 1800 7th Ave., Moline. Directed by Becca Casad and starring Katie Griswold in the role immortalized by Dolly Parton in the 1980 film of the same name, we are in very capable […]
It was extremely gratifying to see a nearly sold-out crowd Saturday, Jan. 31 in the 60-seat Black Box Theatre in downtown Moline for an exciting event – the world premiere of “What Might Have Been,” a trio of brand-new, emotional, engrossing one-act plays by prolific local playwright Alexander Richardson. These heart-wrenching stories explore the roads […]
It’s hard not to like “Lucky Stiff,” the fun, fizzy musical farce now playing at Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse, Rock Island, in its Quad Cities premiere. In dark, depressing, heavy times like this (in an Arctic winter), this 1988 show by acclaimed Broadway veterans Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty (“Ragtime,” “Anastasia,” “Once on This Island” […]
I’m sure it was purely coincidental, but it was illuminating to see two Moline theatrical productions about a strict father with a big brood of kids within about a month of each other. As soon as Joe Urbaitis (who played another proud, frustrated Papa in 2024’s “Fiddler on the Roof” at Music Guild) blew his […]
