Like many of us, Mike Conrad is just making it up as he goes along. Unlike most of us, however, the 37-year-old – a Bettendorf High School alum whose trio headlines a June 29 concert at Davenport's Redstone Room – has won international acclaim and several awards for his improvisational wizardry as a composer, arranger, pianist, and trombonist.

For Oedipus Rex, veteran director and actor Michael Callahan was wise to choose a translation by Ian Johnston, written in contemporary English, rather than an archaic version (i.e., one employing 17th-century "thou"s). We're also spared a script written in verse, as continued rhymes might've become irritating in a stage work lasting this long.

M: With its familiar storyline, a lot of talent on and off stage, and a full helping of over-the-top silliness, it really hits most of the right notes.

K: You know who was hitting all the right notes?

M: Could you possibly mean Lauren VanSpeybroeck and Casey Scott?

K: I could!

It’s really a shame there are only six performances left of Arthur & Friends Make a Musical!, because truly, the Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse's latest family entertainment was a fun show full of surprises and little touches that make the hour fly by. From the cast taking over the pre-show announcements to dancing off stage to a certain theme song, director Kiera Lynn’s small-but-mighty cast packs a big, big punch.

Courtney Crouse and Tommy Ranieri are both enthusiastic theatre directors who are taking on recent roles as artistic directors of, respectively, our area's summer-stock organizations the Clinton Area Showboat Theatre and the Timber Lake Playhouse. Their passion for the craft and their new summer homes were obvious in recent interviews about the theatres located just 24 miles apart, one on each side of the Mississippi River.

Ed Newmann Cartoon "The 3 Faces of Uncle Scam" - 2 June 2025 - copyright 2025

Launched in 2023 by the Azubuike African American Council for the Arts and taking place in various area locales June 5 through 8, the third-annual Pulling Focus African American Film Festival of the Quad Cities has been designed as a celebration of local film and culture that focuses on enriching the lives of Quad Cities residents, presenting unique film-watching experiences framed through the lens of African American and Black Diasporic voices.

With their first album having debuted more than a half-century ago, and albums including Eliminator, Afterburner, and La Futura all top-10 smashes on the Billboard charts, the legendary blues rockers of ZZ Top bring their latest tour to Davenport's Rhythm City Casino Resort Event Center on June 14, the artists as familiar for their signature look as they are for iconic songs including “Legs,” “Gimme All Your Lovin',” and “Sharp Dressed Man.”

Lauded by Ease Up Mag for their "strong indie pop and rock sound that is seamlessly correlated with the stories told in their songwriting," the touring musicians of The Thing with Feathers headline a June 18 concert at Davenport's Raccoon Motel, the magazine adding that the trio is "a band you truly don’t want to miss out on."