Even though it’s been closed nearly three months, Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse got a pretty great 43rd birthday present Thursday, June 11. Within a day of announcing it, the theater sold out all tables (totaling about 140 people) for its unique “Music on the Marquee” cabaret on Sunday, June 21. “The public is hungry to see activity in the arts,” Ron May, music director of Circa’s not-yet-produced “Saturday Night Fever,” said Thursday – which also happens to be the 43rd anniversary of his marriage to wife Cindy. Ironically, they wed (at Davenport’s Trinity Cathedral) the same... Read More

Since you can’t come into the theater to be entertained, Circa ’21 is taking the show outside to you. That’s right – on Sunday, June 21, Circa will be doing a musical cabaret where the performers will be singing from the top of the marquee! According to Circa’s Brett Hitchcock, “We’ve never done anything like this in our 43 year history! We will have tables and chairs set up in the street for you to enjoy this first ever “Music On The Marquee” Cabaret! It’s also your first chance to come out and support the theater since closing in March.... Read More

Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse is hoping to re-open in July, with fingers crossed that all goes well with the ongoing covid-19 pandemic. Owner Denny Hitchcock has issued a statement on the current state and future of the revered local entertainment venue. Released on Facebook tonight, it reads as follows: To Our Dear Guests, I hope this finds you doing well and remaining safe. Since a few weeks have passed since you’ve heard from us, I wanted to touch base and let you know what’s been happening – unfortunately not too much. We still have no one working in the offices and the phones are... Read More

Rock Island’s Circa ’21 Dinner Theater has been hit hard by the covid-19 closures, but is looking forward to opening and is working diligently to make sure that when they do open, they’ll be providing the best and safest environment for their customers. To that direction, owner Denny Hitchcock released a letter to patrons of the venerable entertainment spot today. The missive addressed a number of questions and concerns of patrons. The letter read as follows: Dear Circa ’21 Valued Guests, I hope this email continues to find you safe & healthy. Although we still do not have... Read More

Are you ready for some live theater… online? Rock Island’s Circa ’21 Dinner Theater will be hosting a virtual cabaret on their Facebook page this Sunday night at 7 p.m. The cabaret will feature performances from a variety of Circa favorites, the bootleggers, cast members of “Saturday Night Fever,” and more! Check it out here, and mark your calendars!  Read More

The curtain isn’t closing at Rock Island’s Circa ’21 Dinner  Theater, it’s only temporarily shut due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and, according to Brett Hitchcock, director of audience development, the show WILL go on! “Circa ‘21 will absolutely be reopening!” Hitchcock said in an e-mail. “We have no plans to close for the remainder of the 2020 season.  At this point we have no idea when we will reopen because, like every business in Illinois, we are waiting for the Governor to give us the ok to open. Sometime in the middle of June would be the earliest... Read More

Are you truly ready to experience “Saturday Night Cribs?” Oh, I know you might THINK you’re ready, but are you? Ok, ok, you’ve been warned. Circa ’21’s cast for the Rock Island theater’s “Saturday Night Fever” is going live on Facebook at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the first episode of CRIBS: Circa ‘21 Quarantine Edition. Some members of the cast are still in town and ready to give you a tour of the cast house, discuss life in quarantine, and take your questions. They hope to see you right here on the Circa Facebook on Wednesday night!  Read More

Circa ’21 is returning! Well, online at least. The Rock Island dinner theater will return at 7 p.m. Sunday with a virtual cabaret on the Circa ’21 Facebook page. Circa posted the following today: Who’s missed us?! We’ve certainly missed you! We know you can’t go anywhere but that doesn’t mean the entertainment has to stop! Tune in on Sunday to see some of the super talented Bootleggers and other performers belting out some show tunes, playing some classic rock and everything in between in our virtual cabaret! It’s all going to be right here on Facebook! See you Sunday night... Read More

On this day – National Theatre Day – I’m taking it back to September 11, 2001. I know, I know… but stay with me. I was involved with Tom and Shelley Walljasper’s studio and we were set to preview  a new musical version of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow on that fateful day and open the next day. I thought for sure we were going to close the show, or at the very least postpone the preview, but Tom made it very clear that what we are doing is an escape from what is happening outside. It was our job to do the show as planned, and let the 30, 40 people that were there get away from... Read More

T.S. Eliot had it all wrong. In “The Waste Land,” the poet wrote “April is the cruelest month.” Well, five days before we can kick it into the dustbin of history, it’s safe to say that dishonor now belongs to March. At least March 2020, which has seen one bone-crushing loss after another for many around the world, me especially. Just one of the latest is from our beloved Quad-Cities theater community – of which I’ve been honored to share as longtime arts reporter for the Dispatch/Argus (and later Quad City Times), as well as piano accompanist and occasional stage performer. The singular... Read More