In theory, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers has an unflinchingly chauvinistic  premise; Adam Pontiphee decides that he’s going to marry Milly. He proposes right after meeting her. He brings her up to his homestead in the mountains of Oregon in 1850. He neglects to mention that he’s got six other younger brothers, and that she’ll have to cook, clean, and mend clothing for all of them. But he baits her with romance and switches to that. Add to that, his six younger brothers actively kidnap six other young women from town in order to take them as brides. So why does Seven Brides for Seven Brothers... 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

Music Guild has announced its 2018 season. All show are at Prospect Park in Moline. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sundays. The shows include: Catch Me If You Can    Performance Dates: March 22 thru March 25 This bright and bouncy show features a sixties-influenced score by the “Hairspray” team of Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman. The show is based on the 2002 film of the same name which starred Leonardo DiCaprio and follows the story of con man Frank Abagnale Junior.  Narrated by Frank as if his story is a television special, Catch Me draws audiences in to... Read More

A beloved movie musical will be given splashy stage treatment when the Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse presents the long-awaited return of one of its most popular productions: SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS. Based on the classic 1954 film starring Howard Keel and Jane Powell, this Tony-nominated musical romance – running through September 16 – is being performed at the Rock Island dinner theatre for the first time in 16 years! SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS will be staged at Circa ’21 on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturdays evenings at 7:45 p.m., Sundays at 5:45 p.m., and Wednesday matinées... Read More

One of the great things about living in the Quad Cities is that at this time of year, you are never more than a ten minute drive from a playhouse putting on a good show. Case in point: I bus greeted for Quad City Music Guild’s production of West Side Story last night, and then jumped in my car and still made it to Playcrafter’s Barn Theater for the 7:30 curtain for Dixie Swim Club. Directed by Jacque Cohoon, working from a script by Jones, Hope, and Wooten, Dixie Swim Club is about a group of five women who rent out the same beach house every year, on the year in August. We meet them when... Read More

If you are looking for an entertaining and educational day at the park this weekend, then you won’t want to miss this event! River Action is hosting a Play Reading: Sunday in the Park Alive at Credit Island Park in Davenport this Sunday July 16 from 4-6 p.m. This play reading will be Chuck Oestreich’s brand-new play, “Sunday in the Park Alive,” which imagines the lives of the people behind the statues in Credit Island Park through a series of interconnected monologues. From a little girl to a visiting opera star to a businessman to a baker to a gambler to a fisherwoman to a... Read More

In the book Let it Snow!, jointly written by John Green, Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle, the character Tobin is terrified to ask his best friend Angie out because he doesn’t want to risk an unhappy ending. But he secretly loves her. And over the course of their adventure to get to a Waffle House during a blizzard in North Carolina, Tobin starts to court the idea of a happy middle… regardless of whether things go to pieces. Composer Leonard Bernstein, lyricist Stephen Sondheim, and bookwriter Arthur Laurents, approached West Side Story with the same sensibility. Quad City Music Guild... Read More

Boy, boy, silly boy… get your tickets now, boy! That’s because it’s time for “West Side Story!” Music Guild’s July show opens July 7th and runs July 7th thru the 9th and again July 13th thru the 16th. Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is transported to modern-day New York City as two young, idealistic lovers find themselves caught between warring street gangs, the “American” Jets and the Puerto Rican Sharks. Their struggle to survive in a world of hate, violence and prejudice is one of the most innovative, heart-wrenching and relevant musical dramas of our time. From the first notes... Read More

Prairie Players Civic Theatre has hired Tristan Tapscott as program administrator for the theatre. “Last year we opened our building at 160 South Seminary Street for productions and rentals,” says Heather Norman, president of Prairie Players. “Now that we are operational at this location, there was a need to create a position to help us manage and grow the programs we offer.” Through Prairie Players, hundreds of volunteers provide opportunities for community involvement in the performing arts, from productions at their facility at 160 South Seminary Street and other locations throughout... Read More

The Black Box Theatre in downtown Moline presents the Midwest premiere of “I Love You, Because,” a contemporary musical version of Jane Austin’s novel “Pride and Prejudice.” The production features lyrics by Ryan Cunningham, and music by Joshua Salzman. The Black Box cast include Zach Hendershott, Sara Tubbs, David Miller, Leslie Munson, Brant Peitersen, and Shana Kulhavy.  The creative team consists of Director: David Miller, Set Designers: David Miller, Assistant Director/Set Design/Choreographer: Becca Johnson, Music Director: Amy Trimble, Assistant Music Director/Accompanist: Mason... Read More