The stage musical “Saturday Night Fever” has a serious split personality. Adapted from the Oscar-nominated 1977 movie smash that catapulted the Bee Gees to international fame and made a household name of star John Travolta, the jukebox musical that makes its stunning area premiere at Circa ’21 wants to be a carefree disco dance party. But behind the sparkly glitter, multi-colored lights and comfortably familiar hits lies a dark, depressing story – full of anguish, conflict and dashed dreams. In a way, it’s the opposite vibe of “Mamma Mia!” (another show built on 1970s favorites, by... Read More

The Genesius Guild will close the 2021 season by going back to their roots with a Greek tragedy. Euripides’ Hippolytus will be staged July 17, 18, 24, and 25. All performances begin at 7:00 PM and will be held at the Don Wooten Stage in Lincoln Park, Rock Island. Admission is free. This performance continues a longstanding tradition. The Genesius Guild’s first performance in Lincoln Park was Antigone by Sophocles, and the group has continued to perform a Greek tragedy, in mask, each season. Genesius Guild is the only theater in the United States to make Greek tragedy in mask an annual occurrence. Hippolytus... Read More

An August playwright has a July drama opening this weekend at Playcrafters Barn Theatre, 4950 35th Ave., Moline. While the Pulitzer-winning “The Piano Lesson” by August Wilson (1945-2005) is set in the 1930s of The Great Depression, its discordant, clashing notes resolve in peaceful harmony that carry forceful lessons for our fractious times today. Directed by Kermit Thomas of Moline, part of Wilson’s epic “American Century Cycle,” in “The Piano Lesson,” it’s 1936, and Boy Willie arrives in Pittsburgh from the South in a battered truck loaded with watermelons to sell. He has an... Read More

In the mood for some ABBA tunes and a frothy musical? Check out “Mamma Mia!” at Music Guild! “Mamma Mia!” (at 1584 34th Ave., Moline) will run July 15-18, with performances at 7:30 p.m., except Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets are $16 for adults, and $11 for children, available at 309-762-6610 or qcmusicguild.com.  Read More

After an unanticipated, unwanted and uncontrollable delay of nearly 16 months, a disco-era sensation is finally stepping out at Circa ‘21 Dinner Playhouse, in the long-awaited debut of “Saturday Night Fever,” a 1998 musical that Broadway World called “a fast and fun night of musical theater” that’s “brimming with so many ‘wow’ moments.” This exhilarating musical was adapted from the Oscar-nominated 1977 movie smash that catapulted the Bee Gees to international fame and made a household name of star John Travolta, and will be presented at the beloved Rock Island venue by a cast... Read More

Davenport Junior Theatre (DJT) will be celebrating its 70th season of theater “for kids, by kids” with a four-show Mainstage season consisting of two DJT classics, Winnie-the-Pooh and Imagine That!, and two first-time shows: Annie Jr. and The Phantom Tollbooth. All shows will be free to audience members. “Coming out of the pandemic into our 70th season makes the cause for celebration even more special,” says Ben Gougeon, DJT’s artistic director. “We wanted to honor our history while also looking forward to DJT’s future. During last year’s ‘pause’ on live theatre, we also envisioned... Read More

A truly unique show — each time it’s performed — “White Rabbit Red Rabbit” is being performed tonight at 8 p.m. at Skellington Manor, 420 18th St., Rock Island. The format is definitely distinct. No rehearsals. No director. No set. A different actor reads the script cold for the first time at each performance. What’s it about? Here’s a synopsis: “I was born on Azar 19th, 1360 in Tehran. That’s Tehran, December 10th, 1981 in Christian years…” Forbidden to leave his country, playwright Nassim Soleimanpour distilled the experience of an entire generation... Read More

For someone like me, who hadn’t seen a big musical with a big cast – live and in person – in 18 months, getting back to Quad City Music Guild Thursday night for the last dress rehearsal of the new “Mamma Mia!” (after nabbing next to the last spot in the parking lot) was a terrific treat. My son Josh and I wore masks and sat in the back row – but every one of the 535 seats in the Prospect Park theater is great, because you’re at Music Guild, seeing immensely talented people pursuing their passion: putting on the best possible entertainment and faithfully reflecting some of the greatest... Read More

Artists in Conversation is a weekly column running Wednesdays on QuadCities.com. It features a conversation with a local creator or creators going into their artistic process, projects and more. Get to know your local arts scene and local creators better on QuadCities.com with Artists In Conversation! If you’re a local creator and would like to be featured, please email us at Sean@QuadCities.com or Tristan@QuadCities.com! You’ve no doubt heard the names Christina Myatt and Olivia Lyman and this weekend they are on stage together for the first time in Quad City Music Guild’s MAMMA MIA! Mamma... Read More

QUAD-CITY MUSIC GUILD PRESENTS Mamma Mia! July 9-10-11 & 15-16-17-18. Shows are Thur-Fri-Sat at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. at Prospect Park Auditorium, Moline. Tickets are Adult $16 / Child $11; call 309-762-6610 or visit qcmusicguild.com for reservations now! ABBA’s hits tell the hilarious story of a young woman’s search for her birth father. This sunny and funny tale unfolds on a Greek island paradise. On the eve of her wedding, a daughter’s quest to discover the identity of her father brings three men from her mother’s past back to the island they last visited 20 years ago.... Read More