Circa ’21’s “Winter Wonderland” gave me everything I would want in a holiday special — it was lighthearted, cute, funny and full of snowflake fluffy holiday cheer. It’s what you want in a Christmas special, and I wholeheartedly recommend it as a perfect family gift for the holiday season. Expertly produced, director/choreographer Sean McCall, musical director Ron May, scenic designer Susan Holgersson, costume designer Greg Hiatt and lighting designer Heather Hauskins have created a winter wonderland of their own on the stage, a beautiful and cozy setting for... Read More

Saturday in the Arts is a comprehensive, in-depth feature on a topic, trend or personality impacting the Quad-Cities, posted every Saturday morning on QuadCities.com. Nathan and Whitney Meyer are a bit like the plucky, cute orphans who are often protagonists of a Disney adventure. Nathan, a 34-year-old graduate of North Scott High School, Eldridge, and his wife (like most of us, isolated and home-bound) actually work for Walt Disney World and are accomplished, blazingly talented singers and actors. Despite the four theme parks in Orlando, Fla., reopening this past week, the Meyers remain out of... Read More

Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse, 1828 3rd Ave., Rock Island, will remain closed until this fall, since it can’t financially absorb losses due to the latest Illinois reopening guidelines, owner/producer Denny Hitchcock announced Wednesday. On Friday, June 26, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced the new guidelines for indoor theaters would allow for reopening at a 50-percent capacity, or 50 guests, whichever is lesser. “In working with several state officials over the previous weeks, we had been very optimistic that the Phase 4 guidelines for the state of Illinois would put our dinner theatre in the same... Read More

During this unprecedented, scary time of Covid-19, it seems apropos that the first indoor live theater in the Quad-Cities since the shutdown will be the spooky ghost story, “The Turn of the Screw,” next month at Moline’s Black Box Theatre. The 60-seat theater (1623 5th Ave.) will open at half capacity on July 16 and close the 19th. “It is a short run,” said director Lora Adams, “but the set was almost completed and the actors’ schedules have changed since March, so we are only able to do the four-day weekend.” Actor Matt Walsh and Kayla Jo Pulliam will bring the creepy tale to life... Read More

For the theatre’s first family musical of the 2019-20 season, Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse brings a famous yuletide figure and many other Charles Dickens’ characters to life in the area premiere of MR. SCROOGE: A MUSICAL CHRISTMAS CAROL. Running Nov. 29 through Dec. 28, this family-friendly adaptation of Dickens’ holiday classic A Christmas Carol boasts a wonderful score and an enchanting story and is being brought to life by a sensational cast of professional talents. Circa ’21 will present show-only performances of MR. SCROOGE: A MUSICAL CHRISTMAS CAROL on Nov. 30... Read More

A 40th anniversary may be known as the “Ruby Anniversary,” but in the Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse’s 40th-anniversary celebration NO BUSINESS LIKE SHOW BUSINESS, the gifts being shared are songs, dances, comedy, and charm, all courtesy of the theatre’s performing wait staff The Bootleggers. Running every Thursday evening in August, this all-new musical revue will showcase highlights and memories from four decades of professional entertainment at the Rock Island theatre, and also showcase its cast’s talents through performances from The King & I, Grease, Cats, Fiddler... Read More