One of the funniest and most presently controversial of William Shakespeare's comedies will be given a brand-new – and yet centuries-old – makeover in Genesius Guild's July 11 through 19 staging of The Taming of the Shew, director Cait Bodenbender's romantic farce that, as in the Bard's own day, will find its entire cast of characters composed of male performers.

Winner of three 2009 Tony Awards and the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the wildly acclaimed Broadway hit Next to Normal receives a Blue Devil Productions "alumni staging" at Davenport Central High School from July 10 through 12, the New York Times raving that this ecstatically praised pop/rock musical “throbs with an emotional intensity” and “is steeped in an inescapable, aching compassion for people crippled by pain.”

In celebration of America’s 250th birthday, Davenport's Figge Art Museum is hosting American Art talks throughout the month of July, and on Thursday the 16th, guests are invited to hear from artist Connie Roberts of the new exhibition Connie & Michael Roberts: Portrait of America, Connie noted for bridging the realms of fine art and folk art, and for tackling many subjects with sharp wit and restrained humor.

A country-music superstar whose long list of accomplishments includes eight chart-topping albums, more than two dozen chart-topping singles, and recognition as the most awarded country artist of all time – all since her American Idol debut in 2005 – Carrie Underwood is the fourth of July's special guest in the John Deere Classic's "Concerts on the Course" series, Rolling Stone hailing her as "the female vocalist of her generation in any genre."