Ingenious, unsettling, and oftentimes riotously funny, director Mark Mylod's The Menu has been prepared exactly the way I most enjoy my satire: blackened to a crisp. While its thematic and presentational inspirations are unhidden and encompass everything from Hell's Kitchen to Midsommar to Fantasy Island, what this savage comedy chiefly reminded me of was Don't Look Up, last year's end-of-days spoof that ended on the bleakest of all possible notes.

With their newest, critically acclaimed album Spark released on September 16, the rock and folk artists of Whitney headline a December 4 concert at Davenport's Raccoon Motel, their latest recording inspiring The A.V. Club to state, “If early tracks ‘Real Love,’ ‘Blue,’ and ‘Twirl,’ full of warm falsetto melodies and shimmering keyboards, offered a tantalizing taste of Whitney’s new direction, then the rest of Spark is sure to sate your appetite.”

An eagerly awaited holiday tradition taking place in the college's spacious Centennial Hall, the December 3 and 4 presentations of the yuletide celebration Christmas at Augustana will again boast the collective talents of no fewer than six magnificent Augustana College ensembles: the Augustana Symphony Orchestra, Augustana Brass Ensemble, Ascension Ringers, Augustana Choir, Jenny Lind Vocal Ensemble, and Augustana Concert Chorale.

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 8 performances of Blue Christmas: An Elvis Rock 'n' Roll Holiday Extravaganza, the return of the King-sized stage entertainment starring touring musician and noted impersonator Robert Shaw.

For the first time since 2019, visitors can experience the wonders of a traditional Victorian holiday season in Moline's unique Deere-family homes through 19th Century Christmas, the Butterworth Center's and Deere-Wiman House's eagerly anticipated December 4 event boasting litany of yuletide treats including live music performances, interactive tours, make-and-take activities, refreshments, and, of course, a special visit by Santa Claus.

Held in conjunction with National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, the December 7 screening of An Infantryman from Hero Street will find local Emmy Award-winning filmmakers Kelly and Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films sharing their moving new documentary with patrons at the Moline Public Library, this latest work in the Hero Street series followed by a question-and-answer session with the area talents.

Nominated for three 2013 Tony Awards including Best Musical and described by Broadway World as “a twinkling Christmas delight,” the yuletide treat A Christmas Story: The Musical closes the 2022 season at Moline's Spotlight Theatre with its December 2 through 11 engagement, the show's score by the Oscar- and Tony-winning team of Benj Pasek and Justin Paul inspiring the New York Times to rave, “You'd have to have a Grinch-sized heart not to feel a smile spreading across your face.”

Holiday-minded audiences at the University of Dubuque's Heritage Center will have no reason to cry “Bah, humbug!” on December 5, given that the university's John & Alice Butler Hall will be transformed into a magical, Dickensian wonderland for Perseverance Productions' touring musical presentation of the yuletide classic A Christmas Carol.