Fright Night

The District of Rock Island

Thursday, October 26

 

Avast, me hearties! The theme fer Rock Island's Fright Night on October 26 is "Shipwrecked in the District," so fair winds to all ye scurvy dogs'n' saucy wenches who ain't on the account. Beginnin' at 5 'n' endin' at 9, there'll be plenty o' activities fer yer lassies 'n' laddies to feast their deadlights on, includin' a costume contest with awards fer most original 'n' most apt-to-make-ye-shiver-yer-timbers. Me proud beauty Maureen Lemok will be tellin' tales that'll scare the barnacles offa ye, 'n' Mark Yeager will perform astoundin' magic to make ye shout, "Begad!" I'd be keelhauled if I didn't mention Fright Night's trick-or-treatin', balloon artist, punkin'-carvin' contest, 'n'- belay that talk! - treasure hunt, where ye addled landlubbers can seek yer booty above sea level. 'N' if ye got some extra coin on ye, feel free to splice the mainbrace at the District taverns; fer the right number o' doubloons, they'll provide plenty o' grog 'n' maybe a shanty or two, me buckos. Yer poxed if ye miss Fright Night, 'n' when ye get there, tell 'em that bilge-suckin' Reader swab Schulz sent ye! Arrrrrr! Fer further information, call (309) 788-6311 or visit (http://www.ridistrict.com). - Mike Schulz

 

Blue Man Group

The Mark of the Quad Cities

Wednesday, October 25

 

I have about a zillion favorite running gags from TV's Arrested Development, but if pressed, my favorite might be Tobias' second-season attempts to join the Blue Man Group; I giggle every time I think of David Cross' sweetly clueless character unwittingly smearing blue paint on everything he touches. The actual Blue Man Group performers, though, probably wouldn't giggle at that, because I'm guessing they'd be fired if they did, less for their disloyalty than for simply breaking character. The painted artists' deader-than-deadpan ways will be on display at the Mark of the Quad Cities on October 25, when their How to Be a Megastar Tour 2.0 allows audiences to experience the incredible mime musicians in their mutely satiric take on modern life; the Mark's press release states that the group's first touring production since 2003 "features state-of-the-art concert technology, an unforgettable display of magic and illusion, and a ballad of heavy percussion that's guaranteed to get your heart pumping." Don't know about you, but considering the scary-ass way the group is staring at me in the above photo, my heart's pumping already. For tickets and more information, visit (http://www.themark.org). - Mike Schulz

 

Wooden Stares and Lissie

Rock Island Brewing Company

Thursday, October 26, 10 p.m.

 

Lissie On October 26, the Rock Island Brewing Company presents an intriguing two-fer of musical artists - a group on their first tour away from home, and a singer making her first professional return home. Alternative rockers Wooden Stares - whose melodic, guitar-driven rock style has been compared to that of indie groups Modest Mouse and The Toadies - are natives of Fayetteville, Arkansas, and are making their touring debut in support of their first CD, A Story as Sad as It's Told. And their opening act is Rock Island High School alum Lissie Mauser, who now goes by the succinct moniker "Lissie," and who is the definitive local-girl-made-good. Since graduating from Rocky in 2001, Lissie moved to Hollywood, wrote a song for (and performed on) DJ Harry's CD Collision, was signed to Maverick Records, and, after her RIBCO gig, continues her current tour in Colorado and Nevada. Oh yeah, and she sang at Demi Moore's and Ashton Kutcher's wedding. Better make that local-girl-made-really-really-good. For song downloads and more information on Wooden Stares and Lissie, visit their respective Web sites at (http://www.woodenstares.com) and (http://www.lissiemusic.com). - Mike Schulz

 

Nego Gato Music and Dance Ensemble

St. Ambrose University

Saturday, October 28, 7:30 p.m.

 

Nego Gato Music & Dance Ensemble Get ready for the thunder! Afro-Brazilian drum-and-dance act Nego Gato Music & Dance Ensemble will be performing on Saturday, October 28, at St. Ambrose University's Galvin Fine Arts Center, here as part of the 33rd season of Quad City Arts' Visiting Artist Series. Showcasing unique styles of Brazilian music - from the Samba and Merengue to the Pagode - the group's explosive performances feature the dances of the Orixas (an Afro-Brazilian spiritual term meaning "forces of nature"), the Maculele (with its dancers wielding sticks and machetes), and the Capoeira (an acrobatic martial-art/dance style originated centuries ago by enslaved Africans in Brazil, and subsequently seen all over the globe, including in the Playstation 2 game Tekken 4 and action films such as Catwoman and The Rundown). The Nego Gato Music & Dance Ensemble has previously performed alongside Patti LaBelle, international recording artist Daniela Mercury (at Washington D.C.'s Kennedy Center), and Olodum, the originators of Samba reggae, and have been featured with the Pennsylvania Performing Arts on Tour. The group's performance starts at 7:30 p.m., and more information is available by calling (563) 333-6251. - Brad Vidmar

 

Nickel & Dimed

Augustana College

Friday, October 27, through Sunday, November 5

 

Last season, the Augustana College theatre department's motif was "The Masks of Comedy," and while I enjoyed The Importance of Being Earnest, The Miser, The Real Inspector Hound, and Black Comedy, by May I was eager to see more dramatic meat on my alma mater's bones. Be careful what you wish for. This season's theme is "Issues of Our Times," and it kicks off in Augustana's Potter Hall with the Joan Holden adaptation of Barbara Ehrenreich's muckraking novel Nickel & Dimed on October 27. Based on Ehrenreich's firsthand experiences, Nickel & Dimed concerns a writer who took on a series of low-paying, demoralizing jobs to explore the underside of working America; the author's research inspired not only a national bestseller, but this moving, bitterly funny play, which had CurtainUp's Laura Hitchock extolling, "You'll never eat lunch in a restaurant again or sleep in a hotel room with the same degree of comfort you enjoyed before seeing this in-your-face docudrama." It should be mentioned, though, that Hitchcock also said this "riveting" show "expresses the joy of being alive," so grab your joy while you can; February's production of Dead Man Walking is right around the corner. For tickets, call the Augustana box office at (309) 794-7306. - Mike Schulz

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