A truly unique show — each time it’s performed — “White Rabbit Red Rabbit” is being performed tonight at 8 p.m. at Skellington Manor, 420 18th St., Rock Island. The format is definitely distinct. No rehearsals. No director. No set. A different actor reads the script cold for the first time at each performance. What’s it about? Here’s a synopsis: “I was born on Azar 19th, 1360 in Tehran. That’s Tehran, December 10th, 1981 in Christian years…” Forbidden to leave his country, playwright Nassim Soleimanpour distilled the experience of an entire generation... Read More

There’s a sarcastic meme going around on TikTok in which a guy brags about making a million dollars in the “stonk” market. After a show of bluster and ego, he begins going into details on how he did it. He starts by showing off his portfolio of one million, and then says, “I started when my Dad loaned me two million, and a month later, after all my investments, I’ve got a million dollars!” It’s funny, but it’s also true. And it’s often overlooked when we’re considering people that the media tells us to regard as massive successes in the... Read More

At one point in the original bluegrass musical “Big Rock Candy Mountain,”the witchy, bitchy character Velda decries the Depression-era theater in which the story takes place as “frivolous nonsense.” Well, in the midst of what seems like a greater 21st-century Depression (see: Covid, unemployment, racial injustice, political division and endless quarantine), I think a little mindless, frivolous nonsense is just what we need right now. Filmed recently at the Circa ’21 Speakeasy (featuring eight mask-less cast members), the 2014 musical – affectionately written and directed by Tristan... Read More

In a dark, uncertain time, Circa ’21 offers light and unadulterated joy in its latest online entertainment, the fun bluegrass musical “Big Rock Candy Mountain.” Fans of the film “O Brother Where Art Thou” and the Circa ’21 favorite “Southern Crossroads” should love this original musical – written and directed by Tristan Tapscott — that features such classic hits as “Big Rock Candy Mountain,” “House of the Rising Sun,” “Keep on the Sunny Side of Life” and many more. In the story set in 1932, a merry band of misfits sneaks into a theater hoping to stay out of... Read More

Anthony Natarelli has put together what he says is “simultaneously my best and stupidest project ever and I have never been more excited to share something with people!” It’s the Unofficial Tabasco New Year’s Spectacular, and it’s burning its way onto your screen starting tonight. The virtual show stars Natarelli, Khalil Hacker (fresh off his own “Khalil’s Covid Christmas Special”) and many more area comedians and performers. It only costs you a dollar to check it out, and your can stream it for days afterward, so you can go back and watch it again... Read More

Don’t even think about it. Yeah, you, the fruitcake. Don’t EVEN think about it. Khalil’s Covid Christmas Special premieres December 20, and will be a Christmas Special for the ages — but no fruitcake will be spared in its wake! You saw what this guy can do with donuts, you really don’t want to miss this! Join your hosts, Khalil Hacker and Tristan Tapscott as they wrap up this dumpster fire year the only way they know how… with a Christmas special! Filled with surprise guest stars, a fruit cake eating contest and many laughs! Shot safely in the beautiful Renwick Mansion... Read More

It’s been a rough year, honchos. So, damn it, you OWE IT to yourself to check out Khalil’s Christmas Special, sponsored by QuadCities.com. Yes. You OWE it to yourself. Khalil’s Covid Christmas Special premieres December 20, and will be a Christmas Special for the ages! Join your hosts, Khalil Hacker and Tristan Tapscott as they wrap up this dumpster fire year the only way they know how… with a Christmas special! Filled with surprise guest stars, a fruit cake eating contest and many laughs! Shot safely in the beautiful Renwick Mansion of Davenport Iowa! Sit back, poor some... Read More

Looking for a funny and strange way to entertain yourself this holiday season? Check out Khalil’s Covid Christmas Special, sponsored in part by your favorite web site, no not the Hub, but QuadCities.com! This year has been tough on everyone and hopefully this show will lighten your load before we wrap it up! Filmed safely at The Renwick Mansion. Cast/Crew were masked unless on camera, but only with people within their social bubble. Featuring a socially distanced fruitcake eating contest, sponsored by QuadCities.com! Streaming Dec 20th-27th. Tickets only $1, with the option to make donations... Read More

This weekend, YouTube and the National Independent Venue Association are doing an awesome thing for local music venues nationwide, and I’m sure many of you have heard about the star-studded Save Our Stages Fest. It’s the kind of huge, publicity-grabbing event that gets a ton of attention with people in markets across the country. Which is a good thing, because it’s for a good cause, and it needs to get in front of a large group of people to make that positive impact. I do not begrudge that at all, and I wholeheartedly encourage people to check it out, and any other event of that... Read More

David Burke is the former Entertainment Editor for the Quad City Times, and generously offered to review ‘Lonely Planet’ for Anthony Natarelli, and allow us to publish his review as an Arts And Entertainment Correspondent for QuadCities.com. You can check out his most recent work as an arts writer for the Wichita Eagle here. My seat for the theater was my comfy recliner in Kansas. The proscenium was the size of my Kindle. Theater, like many other aspects of life in 2020, is slowly emerging from its pandemic-contained cocoon. It’s forced those who already creative in their vocation... Read More