River Cities' Reader - Issue #766 - Winter Guide - November 24, 2010
Music
The Judds: The Last Encore
i wireless Center
Sunday, November 28, 7 p.m.
By now, I'm presuming, we all pretty much know that Wikipedia shouldn't be taken as the final word on any given subject. But I'll admit that I was still taken aback by the very first sentence in its entry on a legendary musical act: "The Judds were an American country-music duo composed of Naomi Judd and her daughter, Wynnona Judd." May I ask, Wikipedia: What the hell's with the past tense?!
Because while the musicians' latest tour is indeed called "The Last Encore," the much-lauded, hugely popular performers aren't deserving of that "were" just yet. Currently on the Midwestern leg of their tour, Naomi and Wynonna will soon be traveling to venues in Minnesota, Ohio, and Council Bluffs, Iowa, and will be wowing local fans over Thanksgiving weekend, when the beloved ladies play Moline's i wireless Center on November 28.
Discussing their seasonal tour on the duo's Web site, Naomi says, "To me, the magic of Christmas is all about bringing families together, giving gifts, and giving back." And if you'd care to give a little something to The Judds, you might want to consider some reinforcements for their trophy case, as the country artists' accolades have (thus far) included more than 60 industry trophies, including five Grammy Awards, eight Academy of Country Music Awards, and a whopping nine citations from the Country Music Association.
Their i wireless Center set list, meanwhile, promises to be filled with holiday tunes, songs from Wynonna's solo career, and such favorites - and Billboard chart-toppers - as "Mama, He's Crazy," "Why Not Me," "Girls' Night Out," "Love Is Alive," and "Maybe Your Baby's Got the Blues." All told, fans should get more than their money's worth from the Judd's "The Last Encore" concert ... though as a Quad Citian, I might ask for a refund if the pair refuses to sing their 1991 hit "John Deere Tractor." That would just be rude.
Tickets are available by calling (800)745-3000, and more information on The Judds: The Last Encore is available by visiting iwirelessCenter.com.
Music
The Peter Mayer Group: Stars & Promises - The Story of Christmas
Moline High School
Sunday, November 28, 7 p.m.
Ah, Thanksgiving. A time of serenity. A time of reflection. A time to gather with family and enjoy their company even though the drive home is really long and you can't believe your parents are still bickering about the best way to slice a turkey and everyone wants to go holiday shopping on Black Friday even though you keep telling them that it's called Black Friday for a reason and still nobody's listening to you after all these years ... !!!
Sorry. Just anticipating the "serenity" to come.
So if, like many of us, you think you'll need a soothing break at the end of this year's holiday weekend, you're in luck - performing in a November 28 event sponsored by the Quad City Parrot Head Club, the Peter Mayer Group will present its annual Stars & Promises: The Story of Christmas concert at Moline High School.
Currently in the 10th year of his Christmas tour, vocalist and songwriter Mayer is probably best known as the lead guitarist for Jimmy Buffet's Coral Reefer Band. But with his Peter Mayer Group bandmates - percussionist Scott Bryan, flutist Mark Holland, bassist Marc Torlina, violinist Maggie Estes, and pianist Chris Walters - Mayer's own ensemble tours the country playing everything from jazz to folk to pop to world-music.
And, as you'll see on Sunday, the occasional Christmas carol. Offering a mixture of traditional and original holiday music, the Peter Mayer Group will delight audiences with a heartfelt sampling of old and new favorites, with additional entertainment by a local bell choir and students from the school's music department. With proceeds benefiting the Share Joys program - an annual fundraiser that provides clothing for children in need - it's a night sure to erase all memory of Thanksgiving-weekend irritants, even if you still can't believe that the mall was so crowded and that salesperson helped that woman even though you were totally in line ahead of her and ... !!!
Sorry again. Is it Sunday night yet?
For more information on, and tickets to, Stars & Promises: The Story of Christmas, call (309)743-8833 or visit QCPH.com.
Theatre
Waiting for Godot
Harrison Hilltop Theatre
Thursday, December 2, through Saturday, December 18
On December 2, the Harrison Hilltop Theatre wraps up its 2010 season with the opening-night presentation of Samuel Beckett's tragicomic classic Waiting for Godot.
One of the undisputed masterpieces of world theatre, Beckett's absurdist piece - which debuted at France's Théâtre de Babylone in 1953 - has enjoyed amateur, educational, and professional productions in nearly ever country and language on Earth, with the most recent of its three Broadway engagements earning three Tony Award nominations, including Best Revival of a Play.
Directed by the Harrison Hilltop Board President Jeff Kingsbury, the five-person cast of Waiting for Godot is made up entirely of venue veterans: Dave Turley (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee) as Vladimir, Matt Mercer (Of Mice & Men) as Estragon, Paul Workman (The Complete History of America [abridged]) as Lucky, Bryan Woods (Birth) as Pozzo, and Chad Ackerman (The Rocky Horror Show) as the boy.
And if you've known about the title your whole life but don't really know what it's about, I'm happy to offer the description you've long been waiting for:
Trust me. Beckett would've loved that joke.
Waiting for Godot runs Thursdays through Sundays, December 2 through 18, and tickets can be reserved by calling (563)449-6371 or visiting HarrisonHilltop.com.
Music
Shinedown
Adler Theatre
Friday, November 26, 8 p.m.
"Mike, I'd like you to do a What's Happenin' piece on the rockers of Shinedown, since the group's 'Anything & Everything' tour is hitting the Adler Theatre on November 26. The band will be performing acoustic versions of their chart-topping hits and also sharing stories about themselves and their songs' origins. Do you know enough about the group to write a piece about them?"
"Oh, Jeff, if you only knew! They're my heroes! I'm a simple man, and all I ever wanted was to some day shed some light on Shinedown! 'What a shame,' I thought, 'that the dream has been lacerated despite my crying out - my cry for help!' I've felt left out, lost in the crowd, with no more love burning bright! But you've found a way to save me! I was breaking inside, but now I can begin again with a second chance for happiness - devour the sound of madness, fly from the inside, and revel in that fake atmosphere beyond the sun! Of course I'll write a Shinedown piece! I dare you to find a better version! How many words should it be? 45?"
"So I guess you know a few of the band's song titles, huh?"
"I'll be writing from home - call me!"
The Adler Theatre's November 26 concert opens with a set by special guest Will Hoge, and you can enjoy some of Shinedown's 28 aforementioned song titles by calling (800)745-3000 or visiting AdlerTheatre.com.
ACTING SMART
Helpful Tips on Appearing More Intelligent Than You Actually Are
Beginning at 9 p.m. on December 3,the musicians of Taproot will bring their hard-rock, post-grunge sound to the Rock Island Brewing Company. Since the group's formation in 1998, and the release of its debut album ... Something More Than Nothing, Taproot has thrilled fans nationwide with high-energy concert sets and such hit (one-word) singles as "Birthday," "Mine," and "Poem." And in case you were planning to be at RIBCO on Friday night but actually don't know the first thing about the band, here are five ways to get through the evening without looking hopelessly dim about the entertainment you're enjoying.
1) Know the band members of Taproot: The group is composed of Stephen Richards (on guitar and lead vocals), Mike DeWolf (on guitar), Philip Lipscomb (on bass), and Nick Fredell (on drums), the latter of whom replaced original band member Jarrod Montague.
2) Know what CDs Taproot has released: In addition to three albums that were independently released - ... Something More Than Nothing, 1998's Mentobe, and 1999's Upon Us - Taproot's discography includes Gift (2000), Welcome (2002), Blue-Sky Research (2005), Our Long Road Home (2008), and Plead the Fifth (2010).
3) Know what music critics have said about Taproot: Reviewing the group's CD release from this past spring, Rock.About.com wrote that Taproot's "raging guitars have a melodic undercurrent to them, creating light and dark elements that have a wonderful internal tension." AllKnowingForce.com praised Taproot by saying, "If Plead the Fifth is any indication, they've still got what it takes to hang with the best of them." And winning the award for bluntness, TheDailyRock.com wrote, "Any hardcore Taproot fan is going to go ape-shit for Plead the Fifth for sure."
4) Know how the World English Dictionary defines "taproot": "The large single root of plants such as the dandelion, which grows vertically downwards and bears smaller lateral roots."
5) Know how to use "taproot" in a sentence - twice: Listen to one of the band's CDs with your significant other, say, "That Taproot album affected me so deeply it was like the band was tugging at the taproot of my soul," and offer a smug smile suggesting you just said something incredibly witty. Then get out of the way as he or she tries to smack you.
Taproot's RIBCO engagement finds the band performing with openers Modern Day Escape and Eleven Fifty Two, and more information is available by calling (309)793-4060 or visiting RIBCO.com.
Events
Hancher Auditorium Presentations
December through February
Over the next three months, the University of Iowa's Hancher Auditorium will present six thrilling, disparate events in the venue's Visiting Artist Series, and the joy of its winter season can be conveniently expressed in six letters, the ones used to form the popular Hebrew toast, "L'Chaim!" To be sure, a hearty "To life!" will be heard often in Hancher's U.S. Cellular Center presentation of Fiddler on the Roof (December 1), the Tony Award-winning musical classic that features such unforgettable numbers as "Tradition," "If I Were a Rich Man," and "Sunrise, Sunset." And for a non-fictional celebration of family, you need look no further than Hancher's Leahy Family Christmas concert at the Riverside Casino & Golf Resort (December 4), in which toe-tapping Celtic tunes and traditional holiday carols will be performed by the internationally acclaimed siblings from Canada - all eight of them. A few days later, at Iowa City's Englert Theatre, the captivating singer and bassist Esperanza Spalding (December 9) will deliver soulful and exciting jazz numbers in three different languages - English, Spanish, and Portuguese - while late February finds the Riverside Recital Hall hosting renowned chamber musicians David Finkel, Wu Han, and Philip Setzer (February 24), as they bring vibrant life to Franz Schubert's historic pair of piano trios. The Grammy Award-winning world musicians of Ladysmith Black Mambazo, perhaps best known for their impassioned contributions to Paul Simon's Graceland album, offer heartfelt rhythms and soaring vocals in a Hancher-sponsored evening at the Riverside Casino (February 18). And finally, the University of Iowa's Iowa Memorial Union will host the wildly innovative Merce Cunningham Dance Company (February 8) in one of the last performances in the group's farewell "Legacy Tour," as Cunningham - who died in 2009 - stipulated that the ensemble would embark on a tour following his passing and then, when the tour concluded, disband. What better way to mark the legendary dancer/choreographer's death than through an exhilarating burst of life? For more information and tickets to all shows in Hancher Auditorium's winter season, call (319)335-1160 or visit http://www.Hancher.UIowa.edu.
Theatre
Holiday Plays, Musicals, & Dance
November and December
Feel like treating your family to some holiday-themed theatrical entertainment this winter? If so, your wish can't help but come true, as area venues are collectively celebrating the 12 days of Christmas with 12 productions that capture the happiness, spirit, and occasional madness of the season. The Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse will offer family-friendly music and comedy in its debuting production of Jack Frost Saves Christmas (opening November 26), running in tandem with the venue's current mainstage presentation of the holiday-tune hit - and Forever Plaid sequel - Plaid Tidings (running through December 31). Those delightful '50s crooners are also on-hand in the Old Creamery Theatre's own take on Plaid Tidings (running though December 19), and the venue will offer two additional shows to warm the cockles of your hearts: the wintertime fairy tale The Snow Queen, opening December 4, and the hysterical David Sedaris adaptation The Santaland Diaries, opening December 9. (Of course, considering Sedaris' sarcastic, even bitchy tale of employment as an elf at Macy's, you may want to think twice about bringing the whole family to that one.) Tchaikovsky's legendary holiday masterpiece The Nutcracker will receive a pair of stagings: one, at Iowa City's Englert Theatre, by the student hoofers of the Nolte Academy of Dance (December 3 through 5), and one, at Davenport's Adler Theatre, by the gifted professional dancers of our own Ballet Quad Cities (December 11 and 12). A unique version of a beloved classic will be delivered in the Clinton Area Showboat Theatre's It's a Wonderful Life: The Radio Play (opening November 26), while another Christmastime mainstay gets a lavish re-telling in the Quad City Music Guild's stage version of Irving Berlin's White Christmas (December 2 through 5). New Ground Theatre gets in the seasonal swing with the O. Henry adaptation The Gift of the Magi (opening December 9). A modern, and hilarious, holiday chestnut will be given theatrical life in Davenport Junior Theatre's A Christmas Story (opening December 11). And from December 3 through 5, Maquoketa's Ohnward Fine Arts Center will celebrate the season with a gaggle of kids delivering nothing less than The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. That's Ohnward for you. Always bragging. For specifics on the area's holiday-themed shows, see the Reader's Theatre calendar of events.
Theatre
Comedies and Dramas
November through February
This winter, area plays will offer a rather dizzying combination of comedy, drama, mystery, poetry, absurdism, surrealism ... and that's just Samuel Beckett's script for Waiting for Godot, which the Harrison Hilltop Theatre will stage beginning December 2. As for the rest of our local and sorta-local theatrical offerings, Iowa City's Riverside Theatre will deliver both high comedy and high drama - the former in area playwright Maggie Conroy's staged reading of The Tag Sale Project (November 26 through 28), and the latter in Arthur Miller's World War II-era family tragedy All My Sons (opening January 28). Stage events will get more than a little mysterious in a pair of works to keep you guessing and giggling: New Ground Theatre's two-character suspense thriller Sleuth (opening January 20), and the Iowa City Community Theatre's Englert Theatre presentation of Agatha Christie's corpse-filled Ten Little Indians (February 11 through 13). That master of farcical comedy Ken Ludwig will have two of his comedies staged this winter, with the Playcrafters Barn Theatre's production of the door-slamming riot Lend Me a Tenor (opening January 14), and Muscatine's Pearl City Players enacting Ludwig's cross-dressing hoot Leading Ladies (February 18 through 20). Family-friendly laughs - and, y'know, tears - will be elicited during Davenport Junior Theatre's presentation of Charlotte's Web (opening February 19); laughs involving families are on hand in the Ohnward Fine Arts Center's squabbling-clan farce Over the River & Through the Woods (February 11 through 13) and the Richmond Hill Barn Theatre's staging of Lee Blessing's dramatic comedy Independence (opening February 10). One of our nation's saddest and most horrific recent tragedies is explored in St. Ambrose University's Columbinus (February 18 through 20), a drama inspired by the 1999 massacre at Columbine High School. And across the river, my alma mater Augustana College presents a modernized take on Ovid's classic tales with Metamorphoses (opening January 28), the Mary Zimmerman production that, I kid you not, will find the Potter Hall stage newly outfitted with an in-ground swimming pool. Man, first it was the new library, then the new housing, and now a pool in Potter Hall. Why did all these amenities have to come along after I graduated?! For more information on the area's theatrical productions this winter, see the Reader's Theatre calendar of events.
Theatre
Musicals and Dance
December through February
There'll be plenty of reason to sing at area stage venues this winter, and we may as well begin with the forthcoming production of one of the most notable and influential musical works of all time, Giuseppe Verdi's La Traviata, which the Martha-Ellen Tye Opera Theater will stage at Iowa City's Englert Theatre January 27 through 30. Let's sing the title tune together, shall we? "Libiamo, libiamo ne'lieti calici che la belleza infiora! E la fuggevol ora s'inebrii a volutt ... !" Hmm. I'm not hearing a lot of you joining me. No matter; there are plenty of other winter-theatre works on the horizon that you'll likely be more tempted to croon along to. Prior to La Traviata, the Englert will host the Iowa City Community Theatre's concert version of Lerner & Loewe's musical masterpiece My Fair Lady (January 7 and 8), while the organization's Johnson County Fairgrounds venue houses a stage work by another legendary musical duo - Rodgers & Hammerstein - in the timeless fairytale Cinderella (opening December 10). More modern musical treats, with equally hummable scores, will be found in St. Ambrose University's one-act take on the Peanuts-inspired You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown (December 4 and 5), and in the Harrison Hilltop Theatre's romantic-comedy roundelay I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change (opening January 27). Currently enjoying a Broadway revival, and playing February 25 through 27, Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music will be staged by the City Circle Acting Company of Coralville and director Patrick DuLaney - a co-star of mine in the Curtainbox Theatre Company's current production of Hedda Gabler. (Running through November 30. You knew I'd sneak that information in these pages somewhere, didn't you?) More than two dozen Elvis Presley hits will be on hand when the Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse stages the fall-down-funny musical farce All Shook Up (opening January 12) - a show that, interestingly, will also be performed across the river on February 25, when the Adler Theatre hosts a one-night-only production of All Shook Up's national tour. And if you want to celebrate Valentine's Day in style, consider a couple of hours with my friends at Ballet Quad Cities and their Holzworth Performing Arts Center presentation of Love Stories (February 12 and 13), a reprise of last year's smash featuring new choreography and music. I beg you, though, do not attempt to sing while the pros are dancing. It might be the first time in theatrical history that the performers throw fruit and vegetables at you. More information on the area's wintertime musical productions can be found in the Reader's Theatre calendar of events.
Music
Holiday Concerts
December
I've been writing these Winter Guide calendar-of-events articles for years, and until this year, had never written one on our area's plethora of holiday-themed concerts, mostly because I was afraid of drastically exceeding my word count. Then again, as my publisher and editor would no doubt ask, "When on Earth have you ever abided by a word count, Mike?" So let's dive in. Davenport's Adler Theatre will host a couple of big-ticket events in December, with "Iowa's Own Pianist" Jim McDonough delivering a benefit concert of seasonal favorites in Holiday Grande 2010 (December 5), and will follow that afternoon show with an evening of glorious jazz saxophone in the legendary Kenny G's 2010 Holiday Show (December 15). The Quad Cities' renowned a cappella ensemble, the Chordbusters, will perform its Old-Fashioned Christmas concert at Rock Island's Second Baptist Church (December 11), an event that also features holiday numbers by the Choir Boys, the Davenport North High School Chamber Singers, A Touch of Fun, Possible Side Effects, and the Second Baptist Church Brotherhood Male Chorus. The Moline Boys Choir, meanwhile, offers Christmas tunes aplenty at the Butterworth Center's annual 19th Century Christmas celebration (December 5), with the Center for Active Seniors' CASI Band playing seasonal songs of their own at Davenport's River Music Experience (December 14). Holiday music will be on-hand - or, more literally, in hand - during the German American Heritage Center's Holiday Zither & Handbell Concert (December 5); Iowa City's Englert Theatre hosts a whole Festival of Carols with area musicians (December 16); Galesburg's acclaimed Nova Singers offer old favorites and new arrangements in the group's annual Nova Christmas concerts (December 17 and 18). Twenty of the area's most gifted vocalists, many of them familiar from Quad City Music Guild productions, team up for the Quad City Singers' annual madrigal dinner and concert at the Lavender Crest Winery (December 10 and 11). Galesburg's Orpheum Theatre presents its own annual holiday celebration with the talents of Choral Dynamics (December 3 through 5). St. Ambrose University's Christmas Showcase Concert (December 10) will include songs of the season performed by the school's University Chorale, Chamber Singers, Symphonic Band, SAU-Community Symphony Orchestra, Jazz Ensemble, and vocal group STAMVOJA. And at Augustana, the college's Choir, Brass Ensemble, Symphony Orchestra, Cantilena Augustana, Jenny Lind Vocal Ensemble, and Wennerberg Men's Chorus will celebrate Christmas at Augustana (December 3 and 4), the Chamber Singers will present the story of Christ's birth in the readings and songs of Lessons & Carols (December 16), and more than 200 voices will combine for the always-electrifying annual presentation of Handel's The Messiah (December 11 and 12). I have now reached the end of this piece, folks. All together now: "Ha-a-a-a-a-a-allelujah!!!" For more information on the area's holiday concerts, see the Reader's Music calendar of events.
What Else Is Happenin'..?: November 24 through December 5
MUSIC
Friday, November 26 - The Chi-Lites. Concerts with the 1970s soul singers of "Have You Seen Her" and "Oh Girl." Riverside Casino & Golf Resort (3184 Highway 22, Riverside). 7 and 9 p.m. Free admission. For information, call (319)648-1234 or visit RiversideCasinoAndResort.com.
Friday, November 26 - Days of the New. Kentucky-based alternative rockers in concert, with openers Head Held High and Satellite Heart. Rock Island Brewing Company (1815 Second Avenue, Rock Island). 9 p.m. $15-20. For information, call (309)793-4060 or visit RIBCO.com.
Saturday, November 27 - The Return: A Tribute to the Beatles. Fab Four tribute musicians in concert. Quad-Cities Waterfront Convention Center (1777 Isle Parkway, Bettendorf). 7:30 p.m. $10-20. For tickets, call (800)843-4753 or visit Bettendorf.IsleOfCapriCasinos.
Thursday, December 2 - Branson on the Road: Christmas Style. Touring musicians present holiday tunes, old country favorites, and comedy. Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse (1828 Third Avenue, Rock Island). Noon plated lunch and 1 p.m. show - $41.18; 6 p.m. buffet dinner and 7:15 p.m. show - $47.43. For tickets and information, call (309)786-7733 extension 2 or visit Circa21.com.
Friday, December 3, and Saturday, December 4 - Christmas at Augustana. Holiday favorites performed by the Augustana Choir, Brass Ensemble, and Symphony Orchestra; Cantilena Augustana; the Jenny Lind Vocal Ensemble; and the Wennerberg Men's Chorus. Augustana College's Centennial Hall (3703 Seventh Avenue, Rock Island). Friday 8 p.m., Saturday 4 p.m. $10-20. For tickets and information, call (309)794-7306 or visit Augustana.edu.
Saturday, December 4 - Warm Winter Benefit Concert. Sixth-annual holiday concert by the Quad Cities' female chorus Hersong, with proceeds benefiting area shelters. St. John's Lutheran Church (4501 Seventh Avenue, Rock Island). 6 p.m. Admission: any donation of cash or new blankets to be distributed by Churches United to the Quad City community and theplace2be. For information or to donate, contact Brooke Wilson Clemons at Hersong@earthlink.net or 309-737-9898.
Saturday, December 4 - Leahy Family Christmas. Eight Canadian sibling musicians perform Celtic melodies and traditional holiday carols in a Hancher Auditorium presentation. Riverside Casino & Golf Resort (3184 Highway 22, Riverside). 7:30 p.m. $10-42. For tickets and information, call (319)335-1160 or visit http://www.Hancher.UIowa.edu.
Saturday, December 4 - Alpin Hong. Internationally-acclaimed pianist and Quad City Arts Visiting Artist in concert. First Presbyterian Church of Davenport (1702 Iowa Street, Davenport). 4 p.m. $8-12. For information, call (309)793-1213 or visit QuadCityArts.com.
Saturday, December 4, and Sunday, December 5 - Quad City Symphony Orchestra. The third Masterworks concerts of the season, with guest violinist Roberto Diaz and a program including Wagner's "Lohengrin: Prelude to Act I," Penderecki's "Viola Concerto," and Mahler's "Symphony No. 4." Saturday - Adler Theatre (136 East Third Street, Davenport), 8 p.m. Sunday - Augustana College's Centennial Hall (3703 Seventh Avenue, Rock Island), 2 p.m. $12-52. For tickets, call (800)745-3000 or visit QCSymphony.com.
Sunday, December 5 - Jim McDonough. Iowa pianist in his "Holiday Grande 2010" tour, playing alongside a 15-piece orchestra in a benefit for Camp Courageous of Iowa. Adler Theatre. (136 East Third Street, Davenport). 2:30 p.m. $31-36. For tickets, call (800)745-3000 or visit AdlerTheatre.com.
Friday, December 10, and Saturday, December 11 - Quad City Singers Madrigal Concert. Reserve by December 6 for annual dinner and concert with the 20-member ensemble, performing traditional holiday favorites, Renaissance songs, and contemporary vocal jazz. Lavender Crest Winery (5401 U.S. Highway 6, Colona). 6 p.m. social hour, 7 p.m. dinner & program. $40. For tickets and information, call Ken Hill at (309)794-0106.
THEATRE
Friday, November 26, through Sunday, December 26 - Jack Frost Saves Christmas. Holiday-themed musical comedy, directed by Daniel D.P. Sheridan. Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse (1828 Third Avenue, Rock Island). 10 a.m. and noon performances Thursdays through Sundays and Tuesdays, with a 6:45 p.m. performance on Monday, December 6. $10.50-20. For tickets and information, call (309)786-7733 extension 2 or visit Circa21.com.
Friday, November 26, through Sunday, December 12 - It's a Wonderful Life: The Radio Play. Stage adaptation of Frank Capra's holiday movie, performed as an old-time radio show. Clinton Area Showboat Theatre (311 Riverview Drive, Clinton). Friday and Saturday 7:30 p.m., Sunday 3 p.m. $15. For tickets and information, call (563)242-6760 or visit ClintonShowboat.org.
Wednesday, December 1 - Fiddler on the Roof. National tour of the Broadway musical classic, presented by Hancher Auditorium. U.S. Cellular Center (370 First Avenue NE, Cedar Rapids). 7:30 p.m. $57.40-67.65. For tickets, call (800)745-3000 or visit http://www.Hancher.UIowa.edu.
Thursday, December 2, through Sunday, December 5 - Irving Berlin's White Christmas. Quad City Music Guild presents the stage adaptation of the beloved holiday musical. Prospect Park Auditorium (1584 34th Avenue, Moline). Thursday through Saturday 7:30 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 2 p.m. $10-15. For tickets and information, call (309)762-6610 or visit QCMusicGuild.com.
Saturday, December 4, and Sunday, December 5 - You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. One-act version of the Tony Award-winning, Peanuts-inspired musical comedy. St. Ambrose University's Galvin Fine Arts Center (2101 Gaines Street, Davenport). 3 p.m. $7-8. For tickets and information, call (563)333-6251 or visit SAU.edu/galvin.
COMEDY
Wednesday, November 24 - ComedySportz Opening Night Event. Featuring a match with the Quad Cities' improv comedians, a special video presentation, a post-show meet-and-greet with team players, giveaways, and more. The Establishment Theatre (220 19th Street, Rock Island). 7 p.m. $10-12. For tickets and information, call (309)786-1111 or visit EstablishmentTheatre.com.
MOVIES
Sunday, December 5 - Quad Citians Affirming Diversity's 6th-Annual Film Festival. Featuring a 1p.m. brunch and screenings of the short documentaries "Bullied" and "Heartland Transport" (2 & 3 p.m.), "April's Showers" (3:15 p.m.), and "Rivers Wash Over Me" (5:15 p.m.). Figge Art Museum (225 West Second Street, Davenport). $15 for the brunch; $10 per screening. For information and tickets, call (309)786-2580 or visit QCAD-outforgood.org.
KIDS' STUFF
Wednesday, December 1, through Sunday, December 5 - Disney on Ice: Mickey & Minnie's Magical Journey. Colorful, musical figure-skating show featuring favorite Disney characters. i wireless Center (1201 River Drive, Moline). Wednesday through Saturday 7 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., Sunday 1 p.m. $13-47. For tickets, call (800)745-3000 or visit iwirelessCenter.com.
VISUAL ARTS
Friday, December 3 - Gallery Hop! Annual showcase of local and regional artists in various galleries, restaurants, and other downtown venues. The District of Rock Island. 5-9 p.m. Free admission. For information, call (309)788-6311 or visit RIDistrict.com.
Saturday, December 4 - The Left Bank Art League Holiday Fine Art & Craft Show. Works in all media by local artisans, with proceeds benefiting area women's and children's centers. Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds (2815 West Locust Street, Davenport). 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Free admission. For information, contact Diane Wall at (563)343-2765 or iipics@hotmail.com.
EVENTS
Sunday, December 5 - 19th-Century Christmas. Featuring holiday decorations throughout the center and Deere-Wiman House, living-history volunteers, performances by the Moline Boys Choir, Selma Johnson, and Steve Steeley, children's crafts, an art show sponsored by the Left Bank Art League, displays, visits from Santa and Mrs. Claus, and more. Butterworth Center (1105 Eighth Street, Moline). Noon - 5 p.m. Free. For information, call (309)743-2700 or visit ButterworthCenter.com.
