One of the many reasons Genesius Guild is a priceless cultural jewel in the Quad Cities is its verdant, pastoral setting. Lincoln Park (1120 40th St., Rock Island) was created in 1909, commemorating Abraham Lincoln’s centennial birthday, and the 22.75-acre woodland site was selected for its grandeur and views overlooking the Mississippi River valley. The […]
If you, like me before May 30, have never been to Timber Lake Playhouse in Mt. Carroll, Ill., then you’re truly missing out on a treasure in northwest Illinois, for its beautiful, bucolic setting alone. The professional summer theater (62 miles northeast of Moline) is worth the drive, especially given the absolute banger that’s opening […]
Circa ’21 and Richmond Hill Players, despite being very different venues with very different shows (a large dinner theater presenting mainly musicals and a small barn theater in the round offering primarily straight plays), share some key commonalities. The Rock Island and Geneseo houses both seem to pride themselves on staging comforting, feel-good stories, and […]
I’m sure it was purely coincidental, but it was illuminating to see two Moline theatrical productions about a strict father with a big brood of kids within about a month of each other. As soon as Joe Urbaitis (who played another proud, frustrated Papa in 2024’s “Fiddler on the Roof” at Music Guild) blew his […]
The best performing arts not only offer us incandescent talent from those who share their dazzling gifts with us, but a welcome, necessary, tidy distraction from the chaos, craziness and cruelties of the real world. When you step into the magical fairy-tale world of the stunning new production of Spotlight Theatre’s “Cinderella,” the contrast could […]
The Richmond Hill Players’ 2025 season continues with a thriller, “The Woman in Black,” adapted by Stephen Mallatratt from the novel by Susan Hill. The show will be presented Thursdays through Sundays, October 2-12 at the Barn Theatre in Geneseo. Dana Skiles, Geneseo, directs the play. The framework of this spine-tingler (penned in 1987) is unusual: a lawyer […]
Befitting its real-life subjects, The Black Box Theatre in downtown Moline is presenting an electrifying, glowing tribute to two powerful, strong, and pioneering women with the area premiere of the Lauren Gunderson two-hander “The Half-Life of Marie Curie” — starring Jessica White as Marie Curie and Pam Mautz Cantrell as Hertha Ayrton. This is their first show on […]
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 […]
