With smash pop and rock hits performed by the intensely gifted tribute artist Brian Harris and his five-piece ensemble The Mad Hatters Band, the repertoires of two iconic artists will be celebrated at Mt. Carroll's Timber Lake Playhouse on October 5, with the stage event The Piano Men: Simply Billy & Simply Elton delivering a night of incredible music and showmanship by two of history's most venerable and beloved talents.

From the vaudeville circuit to Broadway, Harold Arlen composed songs that have remained popular for almost 100 years, and on October 5, the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts' American Songbook series will celebrate that legacy in Over the Rainbow: The Music of Harold Arlen, a night of unforgettable tunes including “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” “It’s Only a Paper Moon,” “Stormy Weather,” I’ve Got the World on a String,” and “The Man That Got Away."

Lauded by The Spokesman-Review as a "throwback who is silly, sassy, and smart" as well as "inventive, unpredictable, and uncompromising," touring comedian and TikTok favorite Becky Robinson brings her "The Entitled Housewife" tour to Davenport's Capitol Theatre on October 5, the Spokesman-Review adding that "no punches are pulled at Robinson’s shows, which are spirited and obscene."

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, the city's Capitol Theatre will host the October 10 event TEDxDavenport, a local, self-organized event that brings people together to share a TED-like experience, and that will find eight gifted speakers sparking deep discussion and connection through a number of fascinating subjects.

With her bestseller Remarkably Bright Creatures lauded by Book Marks as “a truly tender masterpiece” that is “whimsical, immersive, and vibrantly written,” acclaimed author Shelby Van Pelt will take part in the Moline Public Library's in-person, October 9 author visit at Moline's Bartlett Performing Arts Center, van Pelt's debut novel noted for selling more than 1.4 million copies and reappearing on the New York Times bestseller list a year-and-a-half after its initial release.

Quad Citians of all ages are invited to celebrate the arrival of fall when Rock Island venue Rozz-Tox and Laborspace host an expansive neighborhood gathering in Lowland VII: An Autumn Block Party, the October 6 outdoor event boasting art vendors, a flea market, a farmer's market, poetry readings, food and beverages, and plenty of fun for the entire family.

With the Chicago Tribune calling their performances “politically incorrect and funny” and the Charleston City Paper adding that the cast “has funny going on before they even open their mouths,” the Chicago-based comedians of Pimprov bring their sketch-comedy skills, acting talent, and significant bling to the Circa '21 Speakeasy on October 4, demonstrating why the Los Angeles Times calls their set “not your traditional improv.”

With the author appearing in a special virtual program hosted by Illinois Libraries Present and the Rock Island and Silvis Public Libraries, the October 9 event Being Imperfect with Erica Sánchez will find the author of the New York Times bestseller I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter in conversation with Cynthia Pelayo, the Times having raved that Sánchez's book was "alive and crackling – a gritty tale wrapped in a page-turner."

An intimidating ogre, a feisty princess, a wisecracking donkey, a diminutive tyrant, an ambulatory gingerbread man, and other fantastical figures take over Davenport's Adler Theatre on October 10 with the nationally touring arrival of Shrek: The Musical, the Tony-winning fairytale slapstick based on the Oscar-winning animated smash, and a show that Variety called a work of “irreverent charm” that “never stints on spectacle or laughs."

Winner of seven 1980 Tony Awards including Best Musical and one of the most legendary titles on the estimable resumes of composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyricist Tim Rice, the Broadway smash Evita enjoys an October 4 through 13 run at Moline's Spotlight Theatre, the original New York production of this iconic musical having finally closed after five-and-a-half years and 1,567 performances.

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