With gifted vocalist and ensemble leader Donovan Tea currently celebrating his astonishing 41st year with the group, the beloved pop vocalists of the Lettermen make their long-awaited return to the Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse on May 12, their ever-popular springtime engagements overflowing with timeless hits such as “When I Fall in Love,” “Put Your Head on My Shoulder,” “Hurt So Bad,” and “Shangri-La.”

Arriving directly from New York and with his latest stage spectacular featuring Dubuque native Rita Harvey, the May 9 performance of Neil Berg's 104 Years of Broadway, presented by the Dubuque Arts Council, finds the producer/pianist/composer returning to the University of Dubuque's Heritage Center alongside a cast of stars from history's greatest musicals, with Berg sharing the songs and stories behind the music that helped change the world.

An eagerly awaited springtime touring event rides, jumps, and spins into the Vibrant Arena at the MARK on May 10 and 11 as the Moline venue hosts Monster Jam 2025, the amphitheater event that brings a new level of high-flying, four-wheel excitement to the entire family with racing, two-wheel skills, donuts, and freestyle competitions.

On May11, children of all ages are invited to explore what makes music – including sounds, rhythms, and instruments – in the touring sensation Blippi: Join the Band, allowing kids to shake their wiggles out and OJ Twist their way through a brand-new stage adventure featuring Blippi, Meekah, their singing and dancing buddies, and live musicians.

His credits including touring events with the likes of the Impractical Jokers, comedian Greg Hahn, and two-time Emmy Award winner Jennifer Coolidge, standup hypnotist Doug Thompson brings his touring sensation The DougT Hypnosis Show to East Moline venue The Rust Belt on May 9. Potential stage participants, however, shouldn't worry about doing anything they'll regret in the morning, as Thompson prides himself on delivering a raucously fun evening that doesn’t come at the cost of compromised dignity.

Taking place on May 10 from 10 a.m. until 9 p.m., the Putnam Museum & Science Center's new springtime event The Putnam Palooza will treat guests to a celebration centered around spring and the community, with multiple partners of the Putnam and Quad Cities Cultural Trust joining forces to host live music, games, food trucks, displays, and much more.

The recipient of a MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship who, in 2016, was also named one of Politico's “50 people across the country who are most influencing the national political debate," a Pulitzer Prize winner engages in virtual conversation with a Chicago-based journalist in Poverty – A Discussion with Matthew Desmond, the May 13 event with Desmond and Natalie Moore presented by Illinois Libraries Present and the Rock Island and Silvis Public Libraries.

With its script written by Mo Willems, the creator of the New York Times number-one-best-selling and Caldecott Honor Award-winning Pigeon picture books, Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!: The Musical opens the 2025 theatrical season at Mt. Carroll's Timber Lake Playhouse, this presentation by the venue's Magic Owl Children's Theatre sure to entertain kids of all ages during its May 6 through 10 run.

A special presentation by the Genesius Theatre Guild of the Quad Cities in preparation for its summer season at Rock Island's Lincoln Park, the Shakespearean celebration Songs & Sweet Airs will enjoy a live presentation at the Rock Island Public Library's Watts-Midtown Branch on May 13, this reader's-theatre performance a supercut of some of the Bard's greatest writing that boasts scenes and monologues from many of his plays.

On May 15, patrons of Davenport's Figge Art Museum are invited to the venue's John Deere Auditorium for the definitive documentary about George Nakashima's famed furniture design and woodworking practice in George Nakashima, Woodworker, the film's screening followed by a discussion and Q&A with the director – and George's nephew – John Nakashima.

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