In a beloved seasonal tradition, family audiences are invited to the Vibrant Arena at the MARK from November 30 through December 3 to experience the wonderful world of Disney – on Ice – in the brand-new touring sensation Find Your Hero, with the Moline venue transformed into an enormous skating rink and some of the studio's most beloved characters joining Mickey Mouse and friends for an unforgettable adventure.
Beloved for her colorful, detailed depictions of a wide variety of animals and human cultures ranging from Scandinavia to Africa, children's-book author Jan Brett will visit the Davenport Public Library's Eastern Avenue Branch on December 2, her area appearance courtesy of Prairie Lights Book occurring in tandem with the grand opening of the library's new Enhanced Children’s Area.
In the eagerly awaited return of a seasonal Quad Cities tradition, visitors can experience the wonders of a classic Victorian holiday season in Moline's unique Deere-family homes through 19th Century Christmas, the Butterworth Center's and Deere-Wiman House's annually beloved December 3 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.
Inviting audiences to feel the beat of the drum, experience the hypnotizing power of dance, and enjoy the rhythm of music, the gifted dancers and committed educators of Native Pride Productions enjoy a December 3 through 9 tenure as guests in Quad City Arts' Visiting Artists Series, the group's four public performances demonstrating and sharing the cultural history, traditions, ways, beliefs, and spiritual importance of indigenous peoples.
Delivering a a thought-provoking conversation about mental health in anticipation of the winter holiday season, a New York Times bestselling author and co-host of the Dear Therapists podcast will present a special virtual program on December 6 presented by the Rock Island and Silvis Public Libraries, with Surviving the Holidays with Lori Gottlieb made possible by the statewide collaboration Illinois Libraries Present.
I don’t know whether or not the legislative Democratic leadership would’ve allowed a vote, but it is puzzling to me that the people behind the extension of the state’s Invest in Kids Act program didn’t at least try to run a bill that would’ve wound the program down over a period of years.
Reading the words of Common Sense, the Declaration of Independence, the Federalist Papers, and the Constitution makes obvious to me how learned our founders were in governance and human nature, and how they captured both in the idea of our nation.
Last Tuesday, November 7, Chicago Teachers Union lobbyist Kurt Hilgendorf told the Illinois Senate Executive Committee that the union had only “one problem” with Senate President Don Harmon’s elected Chicago school board bill. Hilgendorf praised much of the bill during his testimony. But the Chicago Teachers Union has claimed for years that it wants a fully-elected school board, just like every other school district in the state. Right now, all board members are appointed by the mayor.
There are various compassionate and generous efforts afoot in the Quad Cities that greatly alleviate animal suffering. Movers for Mutts is one of them, and as animals' families, guardians and stewards, we have an obligation to do all that we can to assist this worthy effort.
On October 24, 2023, Iowa Senator Charles (Chuck) Grassley sent a demand letter to Department of Justice (DOJ) Attorney General Merrick Garland and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Christopher Wray, instructing them to provide his Senate Committee on the Budget with all records and relevant information from an enumerated list of 15 items pertaining to the Biden family investigations into foreign entanglements and associated finances during the past five years. The deadline for AG Garland and Director Wray to respond is November 17, 2023.
Hailed by Newsday as “a lusciously written, strangely poignant, dizzyingly modern spin on life,” and by Time Out New York as “utterly spellbinding,” playwright Will Eno's Middletown enjoys a November 30 through December 3 run in Scott Community College's Black Box Theatre, this expansive series of vignettes also lauded by the New York Times as a “delicate, moving, piercing, tart, funny, gorgeous” play that “glimmers from start to finish.”
With the show boasting, according to the Washington Post, “a momentum and ebullience worthy of the Pixar era,” playwright Ken Ludwig's family-comedy version of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas enjoys a run of morning and afternoon performances at Rock Island's Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse, this holiday delight's November 30 through December 23 sure to demonstrate why the Post added, “You might think the show itself was a product of Santa’s workshop.”
Praised by Broadway World for "the raw honesty of the emotions" and its "tragic yet inspiring story," playwright Jordi Mand's historical drama Brontë: The World Without makes its United States premiere during a November 30 through December 10 run at Iowa City's Riverside Theatre, the stage work offering fascinating, deeply engaging insight into the lives of not one, not two, but three authors who share a surname.
Lauded by Theatre Reviews Limited's Carolyn Albert as "the sort of grand spectacle that leaves us with our eyes wide open and our mouths agape," a delightful take on Charles Dickens by Tony Award winners Alan Menken and Lynn Ahrens arrives in the Spotlight Theatre's December 1 through 10 run of A Christmas Carol: The Musical, with Albert adding that this yuletide family treat is "a magnificent way to celebrate the season with loved ones."
Between December 1 and 10, Timber Lake Playhouse audiences are invited to spend some seasonal time with music icons Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Elvin Presley when the Mt. Carroll venue presents its run of Million Dollar Quartet Christmas, a yuletide-themed sequel to the Tony-winning Broadway smash Million Dollar Quartet boasting seasonal perennials such as “Jingle Bell Rock” and “Run Run Rudolph” alongside classics including “Don't Be Cruel” and “Ring of Fire.”
In the 2020s, the “doom” or “sludge” tag is increasingly self-applied, as an ethos as well as an aesthetic, by bands who create oppressive, cathartic music intended as a reflection of our dismal times. Such are the three bands – Body Void, SERAC, and Everlasting Light – playing Davenport's Raccoon Motel (315 East Second Street) on Friday, December 8.
On December 1, yule-minded audiences are invited to listen to carols from around the world and experience a beloved University of Dubuque tradition in Christmas at Heritage Center: All the Souls on Earth Shall Sing!, a concert event celebrating the spiritual meaning of the Christmas season presented part of the 11th-annual Live at Heritage Center Performing Arts Series.
Continuing their 2023-24 season with performances at Davenport's Adler Theatre on December 2 and Moline High School's Bartlett Performing Arts Center on December 3, the stunning musicians of the Quad City Symphony Orchestra deliver a spectacular seasonal treat in Masterworks III: Winter Wonders, a repertoire of Mozart, Handel, and other classic composers boasting extraordinary solo work by QCSO Principal Oboe Andrew Parker.
Delivering a live performance of iconic country and folk tunes blended with seasonal favorites, Los Angeles' Rick Schuler brings his touring tribute act Rocky Mountain High Experience: A John Denver Christmas to Davenport's Adler Theatre on December 3, presenting a salute to the music legend that will boast unforgettable songs from Denver's Grammy-winning repertoire alongside heartwarming inspirational carols and holiday classics from his memorable TV specials and Christmas albums.
Winners of two Loudwire Music Awards for Live Act of the Year, and one of the only groups to achieve top-five Billboard success on both the Hard Rock and Comedy charts, Steel Panther brings its unique blend of glam metal and hilarious lyrics to East Moline's The Rust Belt on December 3, the California musicians appearing on their "On The Prowl Winter Holidaze Tour," and lauded by Blabbermouth as “a genuinely brilliant '80s-inspired heavy metal band.”
Walking into our auditorium for Ridley Scott's Napoleon and not entirely looking forward to the experience, I half-jokingly told my brother and sister-in-law that we were at least catching the two-hour-40-minute version, and not the promised four-hour director's cut that will at some point stream on Apple+. But while I had more than my fill of turkey over Thanksgiving weekend, I'm happy to now eat a little crow, because Scott's historical epic is utterly sensational – bold, thrilling, unusual, and frequently very, very funny.
The rare prequel that actually makes a solid case for its existence, director Francis Lawrence's terrific dystopian thriller kept me invested for the entirety of its two-and-a-half hours – even if it was slightly odd that this big-budget, large-scale return of cinematic YA lit is wholly stolen by its grown-ups.
Going to the cineplex or staying in and streaming this weekend? Every Thursday morning at 8:15 a.m. you can listen to Mike Schulz dish on recent movie releases & talk smack about Hollywood celebs on Planet 93.9 FM with the fabulous Dave & Darren in the Morning team of Dave Levora and Darren Pitra. The morning crew previews upcoming releases, too.
Or you can check the Reader Web site and listen to their latest conversation by the warm glow of your electronic device. Never miss a pithy comment from these three scintillating pundits again.
Thursday, November 16: Before the guys take a week of for the holiday, discussion of The Marvels, The Holdovers, The Killer, and Journey to Bethlehem, and previews of releases including the new Hunger Games, Next Goal Wins, and Eli Roth's new horror flick. Happy Thanksgiving! Though, in Roth's hands, probably not a happy Thanksgiving.
While experience tells me that I should already be leery of whatever Alexander Payne does for a followup act, I sure did enjoy his latest a lot.
Now playing at area theaters.
Once upon a time … Isabel Scherer enrolled as a student at the Stone City Art Colony in the depths of the Great Depression. The colony, organized by Grant Wood with two partners, offered classes and created a supportive community for artists during the summers of 1932 and 1933.
With the exhibition on display through November 30, the gifts of artists ranging from teenagers to those numerous decades older will be equally highlighted when the University of Dubuque's Bisignano Art Gallery presents the gorgeous and evocative fall showcase International Photography: Photos by UD Students, Staff, & Faculty.
Presenting a pair of exhibitions that seamlessly marry classical painting styles with a contemporary edge, Dubuque's Voices Studio, from December 1 through January 28, will showcase the works of two remarkably talented artists, with the arresting pieces by Timothy Rees of Maquoketa and Evan Ventris of Dubuque embodying an evocative blend of traditional techniques with a touch of modern sophistication.
A collaborative art exhibition with a seasonally appropriate spooky theme, The Mysterious Disappearance of Miss Haylee will haunt Rock Island's Quad City Arts Center through December 1, this delightfully spine-tingling event blending the collective talents of area visual artists Heidi Hernandez and Bruce Walters alongside those of local author Michael McCarty.
Boasting 36 unique examples of jewelry as well as nine of the artist's signature sculptures created over a span of five decades, the Figge Art Museum exhibition Quanta of Space: The Bosom Sculpture of Ibram Lassaw will be on display in the Davenport venue through December 3, its Katz Gallery showcase demonstrating the artistic gifts of the Russian-American sculptor revered for his non-objective construction in brazed metals.
You'll get both the current official narrative challenge and What's Happenin' in the Quad Cities.
(Did you know we publish a new Amy Alkon Advice Goddess, Real Astrology, Red Meat cartoon and RCR Crossword every week?)
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