Over the years, Davenport's New Ground Theatre has prided itself on the presentation of new works by emerging authors. But this year, even Artistic Director Chris Jansen is shocked to find the company not only producing eight new works in a season, but eight new works - the majority of them by local authors - over a two-night span.

Music

Wayne "The Train" Hancock

Rock Island Brewing Company

Saturday, April 6, 9:30 p.m.

Acclaimed country musician Wayne "The Train" Hancock plays a Rock Island Brewing Company concert on April 6, and you'll need to be at least 21 to attend. However, all ages are welcome to learn about the artist's gifts right here! AllMusic.com, for instance, calls Hancock "arguably the finest country traditionalist working the 21st Century country scene." And Scram Magazine, which describes Hancock's 2003 CD Swing Time as "a great goddam live album," raves that Hancock "imbues his material with the kind of I-don't-give-a-f--k edge that pushes each and every one of these 'old-fashioned songs' right up into your face."

Hmm. Given the language, maybe you should be at least 21 to read this article, too.

SPRING BREAKERS

At the screening of Spring Breakers that I attended, I counted eight viewers who walked out of the movie, and stayed out, well before the end credits rolled. In all honesty, I'm amazed the tally wasn't higher than that. The movie being touted in print and in trailers promises a rowdy, randy romp in the sun with built-in audience-grabbers: Disney princesses acting nasty! James Franco with cornrows and grillz! But the movie that writer/director Harmony Korine has actually made - despite, indeed, its also being a rowdy, randy romp in the sun - bears so little relation to its cheeky, borderline-innocuous advertising campaign that patrons can be easily forgiven for feeling badly misled and deciding to bolt. It would be like going to see Dumbo and instead getting Gus Van Sant's Elephant.

THE INCREDIBLE BURT WONDERSTONE

A mere week after the release of Oz the Great & Powerful, the garish, boring box-office smash that's neither great nor powerful, Misnomer March continues with The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, a comedy about warring Las Vegas magicians that's awkwardly cast, overly sentimental, and decidedly not incredible. Yet considering how roundly disappointing the 2013 film year has been thus far, you can still have a fair amount of fun at director Don Scardino's outing, despite this slapstick with heart being scattershot at best, and despite the movie almost appearing apologetic about its most unexpected and mordantly funny bits.