This summer has been a busy, productive one for T Green and Calvin Vo. Not only have the Haus of Ruckus writing and performing partners been co-starring in the fabulous Countryside production of “Hairspray” (continuing this weekend), the talented, satirical duo penned a super silly, slapstick adaptation of an ancient Greek comedy for the Genesius […]
Let’s hope QC Music Guild and Countryside Community Theatre don’t get any federal funding, because it would be yanked after two of this summer’s most satisfying, proudly pro-DEI shows — Guild’s “The Prom,” and its spiritual parent, Countryside’s current musical “Hairspray.” Both boasting the obvious conclusion that diversity, equity and inclusion are societal strengths (and […]
There are three brief, key scenes in Circa 21’s new production of “Mary Poppins” where Gillian Weatherford as the proper British nanny floats above the stage, and another when Jordan Thomas Burnett as the impish chimney sweep Bert does even more gravity-defying gymnastics. But these are hardly the only magic moments in this gloriously entertaining […]
Despite the usual challenges of actors being heard without amplification outdoors, Genesius Guild does an admirable job in presenting the powerful, beguiling Shakespeare tragedy Antony & Cleopatra, with especially strong performances by its titular characters. Antony & Cleopatra is the sequel to last year’s Genesius Guild production of Julius Caesar. The show tells the story of Mark Antony (portrayed by Justin Raver) – who […]
Partly because I’m a writer, I love reading director’s notes in theater programs. They give you insight into what you’re about to see, and are helpful especially if you’re not familiar with a show. “The Prom” at Quad City Music Guild is one of the best shows I’ve seen at the Moline theater, for many […]
Ken Ludwig’s website says that he may well be the most performed playwright of his generation, and the prolific comic writer has been frequently been performed in the Quad Cities, most at Playcrafters in Moline, Circa ’21 in Rock Island, and Richmond Hill in Geneseo. He has had six productions on Broadway and eight in […]
Befitting his ambition and intelligence, Alexander Richardson has written a whopper of a new play, given a madcap, emotional, assured world premiere at Moline’s Black Box Theatre. “To Leer At Lear” – a comedic re-telling of Shakespeare’s immortal, iconic “King Lear,” and a play within a play – is the latest production of Richardson’s Barely […]
Girl power is the theme this summer at Countryside Community Theatre at North Scott High School’s Fine Arts Auditorium in Eldridge. The first production in the two-show season is the delightful, relentlessly entertaining and inspirational “Sister Act,” the popular 2009 Alan Menken musical based on the hit 1992 film starring Whoopi Goldberg. Countryside has a […]
I’ve never been a big fan of the Andrew Lloyd Webber-Tim Rice fable, “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” which sold out its Sunday, June 8 performance at Music Guild, Moline. The Biblical tale (based on the Book of Genesis) — first set to music by a 20-year-old Lloyd Webber in 1968, in a school […]
Nearly 48 years after opening in downtown Rock Island, Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse is finally unveiling its first, dazzling production of the iconic classic musical, “Chicago.” It’s been an agonizingly long wait – the beloved theater and staggeringly popular Broadway show have been fated for each other, with both sprouting from strong roots in both […]
