I wanted to like the African-American drama “The Piano Lesson” at Playcrafters Barn Theatre much more than I did. It truly has all the ingredients to make something special, but Saturday night’s version appeared undercooked and not quite ready to serve as a fully satisfying meal. The Pulitzer Prize-winning play by August Wilson (1945-2005), who died of liver cancer at age 60, is part of the playwright’s epic “American Century Cycle” that documents the Black experience. Each of the 10 works reflects a different decade of the 20th century, and “The Piano Lesson” is set in 1936, as... Read More

Saturday in the Arts is a weekly feature covering a trend, subject, event or personality of local interest. It runs every Saturday morning on your site for the best entertainment and arts coverage in the area, QuadCities.com! I close my eyes and I can see The world that’s waiting up for me That I call my own Through the dark, through the door Through where no one’s been before But it feels like home They can say, they can say it all sounds crazy They can say, they can say I’ve lost my mind I don’t care, I don’t care, so call me crazy We can live in a world that we... Read More

Tomfoolery On Tremont is presenting JEANIE DOOGAN at 8 p.m. July 18! A table for 2 is $24; a table for 4 is $48. Jeanie Doogan has entertained audiences at colleges, casinos, and corporate events, and is a regular at venues such as Zanies Comedy Clubs, The Laugh Factory, and The Comedy Bar. She was highlighted in Chicago Parents’ Magazine’s Four of Chicago’s Funniest: Stand Up Parents, and was featured on Nick Jr.’s Moms’ Night Out debut stand up special. Jeanie has set herself apart with her quick observations and no-apology take on teaching, parenthood, and American culture. Her sharp... Read More

The stage musical “Saturday Night Fever” has a serious split personality. Adapted from the Oscar-nominated 1977 movie smash that catapulted the Bee Gees to international fame and made a household name of star John Travolta, the jukebox musical that makes its stunning area premiere at Circa ’21 wants to be a carefree disco dance party. But behind the sparkly glitter, multi-colored lights and comfortably familiar hits lies a dark, depressing story – full of anguish, conflict and dashed dreams. In a way, it’s the opposite vibe of “Mamma Mia!” (another show built on 1970s favorites, by... Read More

The Genesius Guild will close the 2021 season by going back to their roots with a Greek tragedy. Euripides’ Hippolytus will be staged July 17, 18, 24, and 25. All performances begin at 7:00 PM and will be held at the Don Wooten Stage in Lincoln Park, Rock Island. Admission is free. This performance continues a longstanding tradition. The Genesius Guild’s first performance in Lincoln Park was Antigone by Sophocles, and the group has continued to perform a Greek tragedy, in mask, each season. Genesius Guild is the only theater in the United States to make Greek tragedy in mask an annual occurrence. Hippolytus... Read More

An August playwright has a July drama opening this weekend at Playcrafters Barn Theatre, 4950 35th Ave., Moline. While the Pulitzer-winning “The Piano Lesson” by August Wilson (1945-2005) is set in the 1930s of The Great Depression, its discordant, clashing notes resolve in peaceful harmony that carry forceful lessons for our fractious times today. Directed by Kermit Thomas of Moline, part of Wilson’s epic “American Century Cycle,” in “The Piano Lesson,” it’s 1936, and Boy Willie arrives in Pittsburgh from the South in a battered truck loaded with watermelons to sell. He has an... Read More

In the mood for some ABBA tunes and a frothy musical? Check out “Mamma Mia!” at Music Guild! “Mamma Mia!” (at 1584 34th Ave., Moline) will run July 15-18, with performances at 7:30 p.m., except Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets are $16 for adults, and $11 for children, available at 309-762-6610 or qcmusicguild.com.  Read More

After an unanticipated, unwanted and uncontrollable delay of nearly 16 months, a disco-era sensation is finally stepping out at Circa ‘21 Dinner Playhouse, in the long-awaited debut of “Saturday Night Fever,” a 1998 musical that Broadway World called “a fast and fun night of musical theater” that’s “brimming with so many ‘wow’ moments.” This exhilarating musical was adapted from the Oscar-nominated 1977 movie smash that catapulted the Bee Gees to international fame and made a household name of star John Travolta, and will be presented at the beloved Rock Island venue by a cast... Read More

Artists in Conversation is a weekly column running Wednesdays on QuadCities.com. It features a conversation with a local creator or creators going into their artistic process, projects and more. Get to know your local arts scene and local creators better on QuadCities.com with Artists In Conversation! If you’re a local creator and would like to be featured, please email us at Sean@QuadCities.com or Tristan@QuadCities.com! Kermit Thomas is a first time director at the helm of August Wilson’s “The Piano Lesson,” winner of the 1990 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, which opens  this weekend... Read More

Moline’s Spotlight Theatre (1800 7th Ave.) will lean into its niche as a premier family-friendly theater for 2022, as four of its five musicals are based on stories aimed at children. “We love doing shows the whole family can come to,” Spotlight co-owner Sara Tubbs said Tuesday. “ ‘The Producers’ is geared more PG-13, but everything else is super family friendly. We have kids shows too; we will be announcing those fairly soon. We just think it’s great to bring your kids and experience theater together.” After this fall’s “Little Shop of Horrors” and December’s “The Sound... Read More