A packed house all ‘Chered’ a good time at the Rock Island Speakeasy on Jan. 14 as Viva Las Divas took the stage with a special headliner — “Cher” impersonator Miss Candi Stratton.  Stratton is a former Miss All American Goddess (National Title) and has performed across the county. Stratton did a fantastic job emulating her stylistic and musical hero, not just lip synching to Cher’s hits, but also perfectly capturing her stage moves and personality and, of course, her various looks in segments throughout the show. Fans were thrilled at the performances of Stratton and the... Read More

Looking to Cher the music of one of your favorite performers? On the first Friday of each month since 2012, The Speakeasy in downtown Rock Island has presented the hottest drag show in the area – VIVA LA DIVAS to sold out houses.  This professional show features some of the best performers from across the Midwest has become a favorite of many Quad City residents. This month the theatre is offering a special Saturday evening show on January 14th featuring guest star and renowned “Cher” impersonator Miss Candi Stratton.  Stratton is a former Miss All American Goddess (National... Read More

I would like, if I may, to tell you of the play that is taking place in the District of Rock Island just a couple of doors down from Circa 21’s popular main theatre in their Speakeasy.  It is much smaller but not any less fun. There is a charming stage with a deep red curtain and bar equipped with nachos and plenty to drink, including a charming list of drinks named especially for the occasion. The event that night, The Rocky Horror Picture Show. I ordered a Time warp and a prop bag for myself and my daughter. She came dressed as the spitting image of Magenta and everyone was staring at... Read More

This fall, in its musical smash Million Dollar Quartet, the Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse is home to the songs of such rock ‘n’ roll icons as Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis. But if you’re looking for tunes performed by a completely different set of rock icons – those with names like Frank N. Furter, Dr. Scott, and Riff Raff – you can look right next door, where the Circa ’21 Speakeasy is hosting the musical-comedy cult classic THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW October 8 through 29th. Filled with outrageous humor, dynamic musical numbers, unconventional... Read More

There’s something fun, relaxed, goofy and familiar about the Quad Cities Lip Sync battles that’s utterly charming, which is why, if you haven’t done so already, you really should check one of them out. This weekend, the regular gigs at the Rock Island Speakeasy return, and if you’re looking for something fun and light to do, make the trip. I checked out the last Lip Sync event and not only wasn’t disappointed, but was, honestly, surprised at how much I enjoyed it. The show, for sake of familiarity and comparison, posits itself as similar gigs to those on Spike TV and “The Tonight Show... Read More

Bottoms Up Quad City Burlesque has been a strong presence in the Q-C nightlife scene since its debut five years ago. And, in all that time, as host and admin to our Facebook page, I have read so many messages asking for more. The requests for classes, auditions, bachelorette parties, festivals, and the list goes on and on. This year we were finally able to make a dream come true. The Bottoms Up School of Burlesque was brought to life after all this time. Over the past 15 weeks students have learned the building blocks to burlesque. Not only the “how to” but also what lies behind burlesque. If... Read More

The Speakeasy Laugh Hard Challenge is a stand-up comedy competition where comics from around the Midwest compete for the win. The first round of preliminaries was held Saturday, Aug. 6 at the Circa 21 Speakeasy, 1818 3rd Avenue in Rock Island. Hosted by James Draper, there were 14 comedians in the first round. Judges included Tiffany Lundberg from WHBF, Brett Hitchcock, owner and operator of the Speakeasy, and Andrew King, host of weekly shows at Boozies in Davenport as well as the former host of the Quad-Cities only live late night talk show The After Hour. The comedians who attempted the challenge... Read More

It’s hard to believe that anything could be better than cover bands, karaoke and gravy, unless it’s a Nickelback cover band that leads a karaoke version of “Call Me Maybe” retitled “Call Me Gravy,” as they’re making gravy, but, as incomprehensible as it may be even within the realm of quantum physics, Andrew King insists that the new Bix Beiderbomb Presents MAY be even better than that. MAY be. He’s not making any promises or guarantees. So, if your to-do list for the week includes downing cheap beer, laughing at cheap comedy, being surprised by cheap thrills and stories and getting... Read More

The Laugh Hard Challenge is back this weekend for a second year of rocking the mic and ripping out the laughs for area audiences. In the six years since opening The Speakeasy has become known as one of the premiere venues in the area for stand up comedy. “Comics tell us on a regular basis it’s their favorite room in town to perform in” said Brett Hitchcock, Director of Audience Development. “Last year we hosted the inaugural Speakeasy Laugh Hard Challenge where we had comics from Chicago, Peoria, St Louis as well as our wonderful local comics coming together to compete in... Read More

It’s hard to believe that anything could be better than cover bands, karaoke and gravy, unless it’s a Nickelback cover band that leads a karaoke version of “Call Me Maybe” re-titled “Call Me Gravy,” as they’re making gravy, but, as incomprehensible as it may be even within the realm of quantum physics, Andrew King insists that the new Bix Beiderbomb Presents MAY be even better than that. MAY be. He’s not making any promises or guarantees. So, if your to-do list for the week includes downing cheap beer, laughing at cheap comedy, being surprised by cheap thrills and stories and getting... Read More