The mark of a true masterpiece is its ability to strike such a universal chord about the human condition that it resonates through generations. Sadly, Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman” doesn’t only echo louder than ever, but it feels like an elegy for a way of life that never truly existed other than in […]
Steve Martin’s absurdist comedy, “Picasso at the Lapin Agile,” is like an 82-minute fantasy or fever dream. Last staged at Geneseo’s Richmond Hill Players in 2002, the clever conceit is back — delivered with wit, style and wonder, by director and RHP veteran Jennifer Kingry, as the 10-member cast is playful and boisterous, looking like they’re having […]
It’s easy to see why Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman” has been considered a classic and one of American theater’s greatest plays now for 77 years. Its themes are timeless and so relatable – identity through work, the American dream, ambition, marriage, love, parenthood, sibling rivalry, infidelity, regret, nostalgia, self-esteem, self-harm, truth and lies. […]
The heartfelt musical “Come From Away” is special for many, many reasons. The Tony Award-winning show (premiered in 2017) is beautiful, boisterous, heartbreaking, dramatic, poignant, joyous and inspiring in equal measure. It also grabs audiences by the soul in sharing the true, chaotic and extraordinary story of thousands of stranded airline passengers on the fateful, […]
THE DRIFTLESS, a film shot in Iowa and featuring local actors including Justin Marxen and Tristan Tapscott, will be shown at The Last Picture House on September 1. The movie, directed by Tim Connery, has won a number of awards worldwide, and will be making its regional debut in Davenport that day. The film features […]
Since its abrupt closure in downtown Davenport, Mockingbird on Main has taken as its motto one of the famous lines from its source material, “It’s a sin to kill a Mockingbird.” The theater company (founded in 2021 by Tristan Tapscott and Savannah Bay Strandin) has found new life at Black Hawk College, Moline, with “Death […]
For the first time since 2002, Geneseo’s Richmond Hill Players will present Steve Martin’s absurdist comedy, “Picasso at the Lapin Agile,” Thursdays through Sundays, August 20-30 at the Barn Theatre in Geneseo. Directed by RHP veteran Jennifer Kingry of Geneseo, in the play you can step into Paris, 1904, for a legendary battle of wits. Actor/screenwriter/comedian Steve […]
Black Hawk College and The Mockingbird are proud to announce a new, ongoing partnership dedicated to producing professional-caliber theatre that is accessible, educational and deeply connected to the community. This collaboration brings together Black Hawk College’s commitment to student opportunity and learning with The Mockingbird’s mission to create bold, meaningful storytelling rooted in both classic […]
Halloween apparently has come early at Moline’s Playcrafters Barn Theatre, with the dark and disturbing “Murder by Poe,” by Jeffrey Hatcher, an impressive directing debut by local theater veteran Pam Cantrell. In her director’s note in the program, Cantrell establishes her bona fides as a fan of the master horror writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849), […]
Aside from being familiar with the earworm “Let It Go,” and admirer of much of the leading voice cast of the Disney animated blockbuster “Frozen,” I came into Sunday’s Spotlight Theatre production of the 2018 stage musical knowing very little about the show. As a friend of mine also in the nearly sold-out audience (in […]
