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 […]
I have been on vacation since Feb. 10 — no, I do NOT have a job with that generous paid time off. That blessed respite and escape from the real world comes in “Escape To Margaritaville,” the new QC Music Guild show for which I am assistant music director and playing keyboard (rehearsals began that […]
Elvis Presley has been dead now longer than he was alive, which is hard to believe. Nearly 48 years after the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll’s passing at 42, his revolutionary career has again been brought to blazing, passionate life in the area debut of the tribute jukebox musical, “Heartbreak Hotel” at Rock Island’s Circa […]
The Bikinis is running through Aug. 24 at Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse, Rock Island. For showtimes, tickets and more info, call (309) 786-7733, ext. 2 or see www.circa21.com Coming on the heels of “Jersey Boys,” Rock Island’s Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse has unfolded the beach towel for another fun bit of nostalgia, this time featuring […]
