Returning with the venue’s first mainstage production since theatres everywhere closed in mid-March, Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse is ready to bring audiences loads of long-awaited laughs and warmth with the Quad City premiere of THE SAVANNAH SIPPING SOCIETY. Playing through Nov. 7, this new hilarious and heartwarming comedy is written by the authors of such previous Circa ’21 hits as “The Dixie Swim Club” and “Mama Won’t Fly” and is being presented by a first-class cast of professional actors. THE SAVANNAH SIPPING SOCIETY will be presented on Wednesday,... Read More

Denny and Brett Hitchcock are the most tenacious of entrepreneurs. For over 40 years, their business, Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse, has endured a handful of recessions, booming and barren economic conditions, and, now, a pandemic. It certainly hasn’t been easy. Especially not in 2020. Both father and son have said, without hyperbole, that their business was very much in danger of going under if pandemic and economic conditions continued. However, this week, they re-opened, after several months of stress and uncertainty. They debuted a new show, “Savannah Sipping Society,” a homey comedy that’s... Read More

We’re headed into fall, and there’s plenty of good news to report around the Quad-Cities, even in the midst of a challenging year. And every month, QuadCities.com and KWQC-TV6’s Paula Sands Live team up to give you What’s The Good News, Quad-Cities? It’s a fun look around at some of the positive things going on in our community. Here’s the good news for September 2020: Pupper Of The Week And It’s Caturday With so much negativity around the world, QuadCities.com is trying to bring as much positive news and good vibes to the area media as possible. Along those lines, QuadCities.com... Read More

The staggering Covid-19 pandemic has forced most of us to lean on friends and alcohol to cope, and though we can’t (or shouldn’t) physically hug, the return of Circa ‘21’s mainstage aims to provide an emotionally comforting embrace. The historic dinner theater (1828 3rd Ave. Rock Island) opens its first main production Wednesday since theaters everywhere closed in mid-March, with the Quad-City premiere of “The Savannah Sipping Society.” Running Sept. 9 through Nov. 7, this new hilarious and heartwarming comedy is written by the team of Jones Hope Wooten, the authors of such previous... Read More

I’ll drink to that – after nearly six months being shuttered, the mainstage at Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse will again spring to life on Sept. 9, with the opening of the sprightly, saucy Southern comedy, “Savannah Sipping Society.” “What a thrill it is to be able to welcome our guests back to the theatre, for the first time since March 14,” owner/producer Denny Hitchcock said this week. “During the five months we’ve been closed, many of our guests have contacted us to be sure we are OK and will be able to open again. It’s been very heartwarming, and we are all so thankful... Read More

Circa ’21 is ready to get back to entertaining you, and the theater’s 44th season is filled with the laughs, the music, and the family moments we’ve all missed so much this crazy year! In 2021, the Circa ’21 will offer six amazing mainstage shows — four have never been on the Circa ’21 stage, one is being revived from their 19th season, and one the theater’s been trying to produce since the shutdown in March! Plus, there will be three delightful children’s shows and numerous concerts, including the Bootlegger Show in August 2021! There is something... Read More

Saturday In The Arts is a comprehensive weekly feature looking at a trend, personality, or major subject involving the Quad-Cities arts and entertainment scene.   When Davenport jazz pianist and singer Freddy Allen returned July 25 to perform at The Grape Life Wine Store & Lounge, it was the first time the former regular played there since Feb. 28. It was a bittersweet occasion for the 50-year-old full-time musician, who has seen his livelihood decimated due to the raging Covid-19 crisis. “It was emotional, it was hard,” Allen said recently. “I’ve been one of those people, during... Read More

I want to give kudos to Rein Razer. In our story earlier this week on QuadCities.com on her upcoming burlesque show, Rein Razer’s Court of Royalty, coming to Village Theater tonight, she said the following:   “I got the idea from how the Speakeasy was doing their booking for shows.”   Seems simple, right? Just actually acknowledging that you got the idea for something from someone else on the local arts scene. But you’d be surprised at how little this is done. More often, much more often, people have an incredible selective amnesia about things others in the scene... Read More

As Circa ’21 awaits word from the Illinois Governor’s office on when it can reopen, the theater is not sitting back and waiting!  Circa ’21 is set to debut three new shows in the secondary theater, The Speakeasy. Tickets for all three shows must be reserved online at thecirca21speakeasy.com or circa21.com.  Phone reservations are not accepted for the shows.  The theater requires the use of face coverings to all shows and will be taking everyone’s temperature upon arrival. Because of COVID, seating capacity is limited to 50 people per show so reserve early! Since COVID... 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