In a beloved seasonal tradition, family audiences are invited to the Vibrant Arena at the MARK from December 5 through 8 to experience the wonderful world of Disney – on Ice – in the brand-new touring sensation Disney on Ice Presents: "Frozen" & "Encanto," with the Moline venue transformed into an enormous skating rink for thrilling takes on two of the studio's most popular and acclaimed animated films of recent years, both of which won Academy Awards for Best Animated Feature.
Lauded by Broadway World as an adults-only entertainment that sends "audience members off with a warm smile and probably exhausted from laughter," author Matthew Lombardo's one-woman comedy sensation Who's Holiday enjoys a six-show run at Rock Island's Circa '21 Speakeasy, this spiky December 5 through 20 treat also hailed by the New York Times as "a raunchy riff on a yuletide tale that dirties up Christmas while ultimately reveling in its spirit."
Offering its last celebration of the written and spoken word in 2024, Rock Island's Midwest Writing Center and Rozz-Tox team up for a December 7 event in the SPECTRA Reading Series, with lauded author Jacob Saenz and writers from Narratives QC presenting a night of public readings, an open mic, and a community write-in.
A YouTube sensation who has opened for the likes of Dave Chappelle, Seth Meyers, and Jeff Foxworthy, Christian comedian Josh Crist brings his "Jokes for Humans Comedy Tour" to Davenport's Adler Theatre on December 8, his observational comedy beloved from such YouTube specials as 2022's What Are We Doing? and last year's Would Like to Release a Statement.
With her most recent booth Guts a number-one bestseller on lists for the New York Times, USA Today, and Publisher's Weekly, an award-winning author and cartoonist serves as the virtual guest in The Magic of Raina Telgemeier, a December 10 event hosted by Illinois Libraries Present and presented by the East Moline and Silvis Public Libraries.
In the wake of Donald Trump’s national victory and his losing margin dropping to 11 points in Illinois from 17 in two prior races, state legislative Democrats here have different views on how their party should proceed.
After seven years tucked nearly out of sight in downtown Davenport, the growing Bix Beiderbecke Museum & Archive is raising money for a move across the street.
Just about nothing happened in the first week of veto session in the House and the Senate. The Democratic legislative leaders are still trying to figure out what their members want to do in the wake of Republican President-Elect Donald Trump’s victory and whether that can be done. Whether that action starts in the second and final week of veto session, or in the lame-duck January session or in the regular spring session, is still up in the air as I write this.
Local artist and friend John Bald reached out to me several months ago and said, “Todd, we have to do something about what they are spraying us with in the skies! Have you seen this?” Of course I have seen it, I told John.
Back in 2018, about midway through President Donald Trump’s first term, the Illinois Senate passed a bill that was designed to prevent “the weakening of Illinois environmental and labor regulations in response to a weakening of federal regulations,” according to an Illinois Environmental Council press release.
Winner of seven 1977 Tony Awards and one of the 25 longest-running productions in Broadway history, the iconic comic-strip adaptation Annie enjoys a December 6 through 15 run at Moline's Spotlight Theatre, the show described by the New York Times as "an intensely likable musical" that's also "an unstoppable sunshine steamroller."
A quintet of entertaining works by a lauded Tony nominee enjoys a December 6 through 8 staging at Scott Community College's Black Box Theatre, with director Kevin Babbitt's Five of Fives treating audiences to a brisk night of theatre that finds nine gifted student actors enacting numerous roles created by lauded playwright David Ives.
Featuring peppy and winning versions of holiday classics such as “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town,” “Jingle Bell Rock,” “Run, Rudolph, Run,” and “Winter Wonderland,” the 1960s musical Winter Wonderettes closes the 2024 season at Mt. Carroll's Timber Lake Playhouse, this energetic and glittering holiday package guaranteed to delight audiences of all ages.
A 2017 Tony Award nominee and Drama Desk Award winner, as well as a work by the masterful composing team of Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, Broadway's Anastasia enjoys a City Circle Theatre Company presentation at the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts staging from December 6 through 15, the musical lauded by Time Out New York as "a sweeping adventure, romance, and historical epic whose fine craftsmanship will satisfy musical-theatre fans beyond the show's ideal audience of teenage girls."
A well-known seasonal tale gets an inventive theatrical makeover when Iowa City's Riverside Theatre presents playwright Joe Landry's It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play, which finds Frank Capra's holiday classic – and the entire town of Bedford Falls – re-enacted by a cast of five in this delightful November 29 through December 15 stage presentation.
An Indian American dhol player, drummer, and Indo jazz composer lauded by Coda Magazine for his "groundbreaking synthesis," Sunny Jain serves as the latest guest in Quad City Arts' Visiting Artist Series, his four public events from December 3 through 5 delivering a celebration of cultural diaspora: deep-rooted tradition that ripples outward, changing – and being changed by – the cultures that it touches.
Employing their Grammy-nominated hard-rock stylings as headliners of the annual I-Rock 93.5 Not So Silent Night event, the chart-topping talents of Daughtry play Moline venue The Rust Belt on December 7, the group's self-titled 2007 release that year's top-selling album, as well as the fastest-selling rock debut album in Soundscan history, and the recipient of four American Music Awards and six Billboard Music Awards.
Delivering a celebration of the holiday season with diverse works inspired by the beauty of winter and the celebration of miraculous moments, the Quad City Symphony Orchestra's Season of Miracles continues the ensemble's 2024-25 season with performances at Davenport's Adler Theatre on December 7 and Moline's Bartlett Performing Arts Center on December 8, the thrilling repertoire boasting a showcase performance by master violinist Naha Greenholtz.
Held as part of the unique concert series held in Davenport's intimate and cozy Redstone Room, the December 7 Songwriter Sessions event will find guests treat to a seated evening of tunes hosted by David G. Smith, with additionally winning performances delivered by Richard Roberts Jr. and Katie Dahl.
Featuring former members of classic-rock giants such as the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Rainbow, Alice Cooper, Blue Oyster Cult, and Trixter, the Wizards of Winter headline an exciting December 8 concert at Davenport's Rhythm City Casino Resort Event Center, this 11-member ensemble delivering soaring vocal harmonies, precision string instrumentation, powerful percussion, and a rich storyboard that evokes memories and emotions of Decembers past.
It goes without saying that the long-awaited arrival of a Wicked movie is being met with feverish anticipation by many sects of the musical's fan base. The best news about director Jon M. Chu's film version is that it matches devotees' collective excitement with unmissable, infectious excitement of its own.
Hailed, or maybe derided, by Entertainment Weekly as "the Citizen Kane of bad movies," multi-hyphenate Tommy Wiseau's legendary 2003 melodrama The Room will enjoy two special screenings at Davenport venue The Last Picture House on December 5, this eagerly anticipated event for fans of the cult classic also featuring a live Q&A session with co-star and best-selling The Disaster Artist co-writer Greg Sestero. Oh hi, Mark!
Going to the cineplex or staying in and streaming this weekend? Every Thursday morning at 8:15 a.m. you can listen to Mike Schulz dish on recent movie releases & talk smack about Hollywood celebs on Planet 93.9 FM with the fabulous Dave & Darren in the Morning team of Dave Levora and Darren Pitra. The morning crew previews upcoming releases, too.
Or you can check the Reader Web site and listen to their latest conversation by the warm glow of your electronic device. Never miss a pithy comment from these three scintillating pundits again.
Thursday, November 21: Discussion of Hot Frosty, Red One, A Real Pain, and Emilia Perez (the worst one isn't the one you think), and previews of this year's "Barbenheimer" event: the "Glicked" two-fer of Wicked and Gladiator II. No segment during Turkey Week, so we overstuffed this one. Happy Thanksgiving and we'll be back in December!
There's a kick in watching actors play their widely recognized “types” so flawlessly, and with such fresh enthusiasm, that these roles feel like ideal distillations of their portrayers' talent and presence. I'm thinking of Brad Pitt in Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood and Julia Roberts in Erin Brockovich … and also, now, Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin in A Real Pain.
Now playing at area theaters.
An evocative combination of two art exhibits will be on display in the Joan Mulgrew Gallery of Dubuque's Voices Studio from December 6 through January 31, with Tim Olson & Lisa Olson inviting guests to experience the unique perspectives of two artists whose journeys are rooted in deep personal reflection, family, and a dedication to their creativity.
A wide variety of artworks – thoughtful, arresting, disturbing, even hilarious – by nearly four dozen area artists will be on display at the Quad City Arts Center through December 6, with the Rock Island venue presenting a series of fascinating takes on the prompt of the exhibit's title: “It's Fine. Everything Is Fine.”
From now through December 7, local and regional artists and crafters are sharing their talents for a good cause in the Muscatine Art Center's Heartfelt & Handmade Ornament Competition Exhibit, with beautifully designed ornaments on display and available for purchase beginning December 7, and each sale benefiting the Friends of the Muscatine Art Center and its mission to support educational programs.
Roughly 40 photographs showcasing the exhilarating and dangerous world of motorsport will be on display at the University of Dubuque's Bisignano Art Gallery, with the exhibition Freezing Speed – Ian Brightman offering evocative, arresting images through December 31.
A trio of Iowa-based artists working in a trio of artistic mediums will have pieces showcased at the Quad City Arts International Airport from October 31 through January 5, with the gallery, in Brown Swanson, Hassig, & Shahrivar, hosting arresting examples of fused glass by Des Moines' Tilda Brown Swanson, collages by Cedar Rapids' Michael Hassig, and oil landscape paintings by Iowa Falls' Naser D. Shahrivar.
You'll get both the current official narrative challenge and What's Happenin' in the Quad Cities.
(Did you know we publish a new Amy Alkon Advice Goddess, Real Astrology, Red Meat cartoon and RCR Crossword every week?)
Get the printed Reader edition mailed to you (or anyone you want) first-class for 12 months for $48.
$24 goes to postage and handling, $24 goes to keeping the doors open!
