Described by the New York Times as “an astonishingly durable interactive murder mystery” with an “inclusive spirit of fun,” the slapstick comedy Shear Madness makes its eagerly awaited return to Rock Island's Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse July 24 through September 7, the theatre's 2016 presentation of the show inspiring the River Cities' Reader's Jeff Ashcraft to deem it “uproarious, farcical, and fabulous,” as well as “one wild and colorful ride.”

Local and national writing talents will combine their literary gifts for one special night at Rock Island's Rozz-Tox on July 18, with the evening's SPECTRA readings – co-presented by the Midwest Writing Center – treating attendees to spoken-word performances by emerging area authors as well as critically acclaimed poets Adam Fell, MC Hyland, Christine Kanownik, and Becca Klaver.

Performing from a repertoire that includes such classics as “Uncle John's Band,” “Truckin,” “Alabama Getaway,” and the chart-topping “Touch of Grey,” the rockers of The Schwag return to the Rock Island Brewing Company on July 19, appearing locally in their 28th year as professional Grateful Dead tribute artists.

On July 21, a quartet of gifted musicians serve as the latest guests in Polyrhythms' Third Sunday Jazz Workshop and Matinée Series, with Davenport's Redstone Room hosting an evening of jazz originals and standards with the 3 Dawgs & a Bone ensemble of Scott Barnum on bass, Jim Dreier on drums, Steve Grismore on guitar, and Rich Medd on bone – trombone, that is.

As a rule, I don’t give standing ovations. However, on Friday evening, I gave one of the most honest standing ovations of my life at A Green River, currently running at Augustana College care of the Mississippi Bend Players. Across the board, this show, directed by Philip Wm. McKinley, could have flown across a London sky via umbrella, because it was practically perfect.

What a magical Saturday afternoon I had at the Timber Lake Playhouse enjoying the company's latest summer production of Into the Woods, a storybook brought to life with fabulous fables and folk tales including those of Jack and the Beanstalk, Cinderella, Rapunzel, and Little Red Riding Hood.

Midsommar, the new cinematic freakout by Hereditary writer/director Ari Aster, opens with barely withheld sobs and closes on the image of an ear-to-ear grin – and despite the unsettling, emotionally raw 140 minutes in between, you might find yourself exiting the theater smiling just as hard.

Described by Broadway World as “bursting with show-stopping number after show-stopping number” and by the New York Theatre Guide as “a tap-dancing extravaganza of pure delight,” the exhilarating show-biz salute 42nd Street enjoys a Quad City Music Guild staging at Moline's Prospect Park Auditorium, its July 12 through 21 run demonstrating why this modern stage classic, in its 1980s debut, ran 3,486 Broadway performances and earned Tony Awards for Best Musical and Best Choreography.

“To be, or not to be: that is the question.” “Brevity is the soul of wit.” “To thine own self be true.” “The lady doth protest too much.” “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.” Some of the most famous lines in world-theatre history are set to be heard in Rock Island's Lincoln Park when Genesius Guild presents William Shakespeare's timeless classic Hamlet from July 13 through 21, the company's first staging of this revered Elizabethan tragedy in 18 years.