Performing what the Chicago Tribune called “down and dirty, from-the-gut blues,” guitarist, vocalist, and Chicago Blues Hall of Fame member Wayne Baker Brooks plays Davenport's Redstone Room on May 5, the artist described by Blues Revue magazine as “a fully developed talent and a maverick whose distinct brand of blues incorporates elements of rock, R&B, funk, and even a trace of hip-hop.”

Two artists from Iowa and one from Illinois will fill the Quad City International Airport Gallery with paintings, stoneware, and photography when Quad City Arts presents May 2 through July 1 exhibitions by Michael Ryan of Cedar Rapids, Brian Roberts of Pella, and Trent Foltz of Geneseo.

Described by TheatreMania.com as “an artful amalgamation of oral history, fashion show, and musical theatre,” Crowns: A Gospel Musical will fill Moline's Black Box Theatre with glorious singing and spectacular style April 26 through May 6, author Regina Taylor's tune-filled play lauded by the New York Times as “wholly theatrical” and “a show that seems to arise out of spontaneous combustion.”

Winner of five 2006 Tony Awards and described by Variety magazine as “irresistible” and “superior, smartly crafted pastiche,” the joyous musical-comedy spoof The Drowsy Chaperone will receive a season-ending staging at Augustana College April 27 through May 6, its feel-good delights suggesting why the New York Times stated that “few productions have ever pulled an audience so immediately and unconditionally on their sides.”