27 Mar 2017

There's No Place Like Rome: "Coriolanus," at the QC Theatre Workshop through April 1

By Victoria Navarro

Shakespeare provided us with tales of tragedy, comedy, and history. The Prenzie Players, meanwhile, have been performing Shakespeare’s plays for many years and still exhibit a deep passion for his words and stories, as evidenced by their new production of Coriolanus. I attended the March 23 preview in which the cast and crew delivered an exciting performance, especially in light of one of the actors losing his voice. (More on that later.) Jeremy Mahr directed a talented troupe of performers while his design crew set the tone, with Matt Elliott creating a sparse set suggesting white marble, designer Tyson Danner supplying simple yet stark white lighting, and sound designer Bret Churchill providing ambiance that thrums with tension. It all added up to something cool and edgy.

30 Jan 2017

And the Southern Girls with the Way They Talk … : “Crimes of the Heart,” at Augustana College through February 5

By Victoria Navarro
Sarah Baker, Lauren Clapp, and Elise Campbell in Crimes of the Heart

Southern Gothic is a genre dear to my heart, having been introduced years ago to the stories of Eudora Welty. In that vein, playwright Beth Henley blended dark humor and quirky characters in 1981's Pulitzer-winning Crimes of the Heart, the current Augustana College production. I attended the January 28 performance, and director Jennifer Popple and her crew provided a fearless rendition with some creative twists. In her program notes, Popple shares childhood memories of family reunions with almost 500 attendees in Greenwood, Mississippi, and her deep connection with this Mississippi-based play is evident in the nuances that helped me better understand the production's characters, their motivations, and the many themes presented.

05 Dec 2016

Crimes of the Hearth: "In-Laws, Outlaws & Other People (That Should Be Shot)," at the Richmond Hill Barn Theatre through December 11

By Victoria Navarro
James Amble, Hanna Hogue, Diane Greenwood, John VanDeWoestyne, Ann Keeney-Grafft, Don Faust, and Faith Douglas in In-Laws, Outlaws & Other People That Should Be Shot

I sometimes joke that “God gave us friends to make up for family.” But then another adage also comes to mind: “It could always be worse!” So if you think you have characters in your family, you may want to see the Richmond Hill Barn Theatre comedy In-Laws, Outlaws & Other People (That Should be Shot).

10 Oct 2016

Is Ignorance Bliss?: "Flowers for Algernon," at the Richmond Hill Barn Theatre through October 16

By Victoria Navarro
Lindsay Achenbach, Jonathan Grafft, and Vicki Deusinger in Flowers for Algernon

The awe and mystery behind the technical workings of the brain are topics that have been explored for ages, and in 1966, author Daniel Keyes' Flowers for Algernon was published, his brain-y themes diving deep into our fundamental humanity and the costs of scientific ventures versus their rewards. Having read and enjoyed the novel in high school, I re-read it before seeing the Richmond Hill Barn Theatre's and playwright David Rogers' stage adaptation, and am happy to say that director Dana Moss-Peterson and his cast provided an evening of thought-provoking theatre with relatable characters – one that was true to the book and, for me, just as moving.

05 Sep 2016

Legends of the Fall (of '56): "Million Dollar Quartet," at the Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse through November 5

By Victoria Navarro
Brandon Fillette, Stephen Horst, Chris Wren, Tristan Tapscott, Paige Salter, Tom Walljasper, and Morgan McDowell in Million Dollar Quartet

As the saying goes: A picture is worth a thousand words. But could a creative team spin a tale based on that picture and create a nostalgic narrative worth more than words? In the case of Million Dollar Quartet: You betcha!

29 Aug 2016

Jack and His Bean Talk: “This Side Up,” at the Village Theatre through September 4

By Victoria Navarro
Beau Gusaas, Craig Cohoon, Josh Weilenga, Mary Dammad, Jordan Smith, Jo Vasquez, Austin Winters, and Alexa Florence in This Side Up

Whenever I see a box marked with an arrow and the phrase “This Side Up,” the words strike me as almost poetic in their simple and straightforward instruction. If only life came with such clear signage! It would sure make living easy. But if that box was heavy and turned topsy-turvy with seemingly no way to right it … . What then?

This is the allegory pursued in New Ground Theatre’s latest production aptly titled This Side Up, whose world premiere I attended on August 26. University of Iowa graduate Kit Grassi, who wrote the work, told our opening-night audience that he drew inspiration from his own experiences and those of some friends but then “blew them up 200 percent,” and that having previously written short stories, this is was first produced play.

08 Aug 2016

Spirits of St. Louis: “The Glass Menagerie,” at the Clinton Area Showboat Theatre through August 13

By Victoria Navarro
Christian Klepac and Jami Witt in The Glass Menagerie

Dining alone in a restaurant before attending the Clinton Area Showboat Theatre's opening-night production, I couldn’t help but hear a mother-and-daughter conversation – or rather, confrontation – at the next table. The mother was insisting that her child (who I'm guessing was about eight) put her long, loose hair into a ponytail so it wouldn’t fall into her face while eating. The strong-willed girl refused. The mother kept insisting, and eventually tried pulling the girl's hair back with a hair tie, with her daughter squirming and shaking it loose. This battle of wills went on for five excruciating minutes, but I had to smile as I thought, “This little drama is a microcosm of the play I'm about to see.”

25 Jul 2016

Hopelessly Devoted to Yoots: “Grease,” at the Clinton Area Showboat Theatre through July 31

By Victoria Navarro
Holly Moss and Jon Loya in Grease

In 1971, Jim Jacobs took his experiences attending Chicago's Taft High School and, together with Warren Casey, wrote the book, music, and lyrics for a musical titled Grease. You may have heard of it.

11 Jul 2016

World War Tunes: “South Pacific,” at the Clinton Area Showboat Theatre through July 17

By Victoria Navarro
Cash Maciel and ensemble members in South Pacific

An island can conjure different images – a great vacation get-away, a place of isolation, a place with a different culture and different rules – and on July 8, the Clinton Area Showboat Theatre opened South Pacific, Rogers and Hammerstein’s 1949 musical about love, World War II, and overcoming fears on two South Seas islands. One is teeming with military personal and native islanders. The other, Bali Ha’i, is mysterious, inhabited by only islanders, and out of reach by all but a few. Humans are thrown together by war in this paradise of danger, beauty and difference, and the Showboat cast gave this classic a fresh feeling, with iconic songs such as “Some Enchanted Evening,” “I’m in Love with a Wonderful Guy,” “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta my Hair,” and “There is Nothing Like a Dame” still holding up.

11 Jul 2016

Sondheim-Enchanted Evening: "Into the Woods," at the Prospect Park Auditorium through July 17

By Victoria Navarro
Kailey Ackermann, Ben Holmes, Sarah Lounsberry, Noel Huntley, and Cole Harksen in Into the Woods

You know those earworms you get when you can’t get a song out of your head no matter how you try? That happened to me several weeks ago after listening to the soundtrack from the Broadway hit Hamilton. My earworms were so intense that I had difficulty falling asleep, and I would elicit strange looks from people in the grocery aisles as I was unknowingly singing “My Shot” out loud. But the cure was found by my attending Quad City Music Guild’s Into the Woods on July 7, and this brilliant send-up, with its quirky, witty songs, wiped out my old earworms without creating new ones.

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