With the third concert events in the Quad City Symphony Orchestra's 2019-20 Masterworks season, audiences at the respective December 7 and 8 presentations at the Adler Theatre and Augustana College will be among the first Americans to view director Peter Mumford's celebrated multimedia production of Richard Wagner's Die Walküre, the first act of which will serve as the full program for Masterworks III: Passion.

Lauded by Blues Revue as a “world-champion piano player” and “a world-class entertainer and vocalist,” the multiple Blues Music Award winner Victor Wainwright brings his significant skills and gifted ensemble to Davenport's Redstone Room on December 11, demonstrating why American Blues Scene said of the artist, “Wainwright's playing is simply beautiful madness.”

“Mr. Scrooge! A Musical Christmas Carol" at the Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse -- November 29 through December 28.

Praised by Columbus Theatre Scene as “a sweet, family-friendly show that tells its story succinctly and with charm,” the stage adaptation Mr. Scrooge! A Musical Christmas Carol makes its area debut with a November 29 through December 28 run at Rock Island's Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse, the show boasting all of your favorite characters in a song-filled treat by the gifted creative team behind the family smash How I Became a Pirate.

Described by USA Press as “a dazzling holiday spectacular” and by Broadway World as “an amazing and joyous experience for everyone of all ages,” the touring sensation Christmas Wonderland Holiday Spectacular lands at Davenport's Adler Theatre on November 29, the latest production in the venue's Broadway at the Adler series, and a show to high-kick the holiday season into high gear.

An eagerly awaited holiday tradition, the Butterworth Center's and Deere-Wiman House's 19th Century Christmas returns to the Quad Cities on December 1 with its litany of seasonal treats including live music performances, interactive tours, make-and-take activities, the display of Charles Wiman's original 1933 Lionel Train set, and, of course, a visit from Santa.

A striking celebration of color, in all of the word's varied interpretations, is on display at Davenport's Bucktown Center of the Arts through January 11, with the local exhibition Show Your Colors! offering stunning examples of how 21 visual artists from the area chose to acknowledge its central theme.

Performing in support of their studio-album debut, and treating music lovers to what Glide magazine called their “inexplicable way of giving old-time blues and jazz a fresh, contemporary feel,” the touring musicians of Davina & the Vagabonds return to Davenport's Redstone Room for a free concert in the venue's “Guest List Series,” their November 30 set featuring genre favorites plus new songs from the group's summertime release Sugar Drops.

A beloved annual tradition returns to Davenport's Adler Theatre on December 1 as master pianist and Iowa native Jim McDonough, along with his ensemble of orchestra musicians and singers, presents Holiday Grande 2019 as a special fundraising event benefiting Camp Courageous of Iowa, the year-round recreational and respite-care facility for individuals with disabilities.

In addition to his rock, blues, and gospel smashes, Elvis Presley recorded numerous renditions of popular seasonal tunes, and many of those timeless hits will be heard when the Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse hosts two December 5 performances of Blue Christmas: A Rock 'n' Roll Holiday Extravaganza starring touring musician and noted impersonator Robert Shaw.

Described by the Bay Area Guardian as “inspired and stimulating,” and by the Des Moines Register as a work that “strikes deep into the bones,” author Frank Higgins' evocative Gunplay serves as the fall theatre production at Scott Community College November 21 through 24, its messages so impactful that portions of the play were read on Capitol Hill prior to Congress passing the handgun-violence prevention act known as the Brady Bill.

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