Dance
Max Pollak & RumbaTap
Galvin Fine Arts Center
Saturday, January 29, 7:30 p.m.
Described by the New York Times as "wittily phrased," "groundbreaking," and "essentially a full-bodied experience," the Reader's What's Happenin' pages are ... .
Fine. Those Times quotes aren't in reference to the What's Happenin' pages. I can't get anything past you, can I?
But they are in reference to the latest area guests in Quad City Arts' Visiting Artist series: the gifted hoofers and musicians of Max Pollak & RumbaTap. Appearing at St. Ambrose University's Galvin Fine Arts Center on January 29, this acclaimed ensemble will wow crowds with its unique, exhilarating blend of Latin and jazz rhythms, and will do so, in part, with the aid of an instrument that we all have immediate access to: the human body.
Conceived by dancer/choreographer Pollak, a native Austrian who was named one of Dance Magazine's "25 to Watch in 2007," RumbaTap is a high-energy melding of Afro-Cuban stylings, American jazz, and tap, with live music played by Paul Carlon's Latin-jazz quartet Grupo Los Santos. The resulting stage explosion has led to Max Pollak & RumbaTap performing in such noted venues as the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, and the Smithsonian Institute, while the artists' tours have found them, over the past several years, traveling through Japan, France, Spain, Switzerland, and Germany.
Yet the ensemble's true claim to international fame comes from their spirited employment of body percussion, as group members also use their hips, shoulders, arms, thighs, palms, and mouths to create an altogether extraordinary rhythmic experience. The Dance Insider wrote that the group's performances were "a stylistically satisfying blend of polyrhythms and percussive landscapes." And with The New Yorker calling them "pulsing" and "virtuosic," it's obvious that the What's Happenin' pages are ... .
Caught me again. Man, you're on the ball today!
Tickets to Max Pollak & RumbaTap's St. Ambrose performance are available by calling (563)333-7251; more information on the group is available by visiting QuadCityArts.com.
Comedy
Bye Bye Liver: The Chicago Drinking Play
Circa '21 Speakeasy
Thursday, January 27, 7 & 9:30 p.m.
Performances of Bye Bye Liver: The Chicago Drinking Play are at 7 and 9:30 p.m. on January 27, and tickets are available by calling (309)786-7733 extension 2 or visiting Circa21.com.
I'm beginning with that information because, in the spirit of this hysterical comedy/drinking experience, I thought I'd down a shot after each paragraph I type. Better to play it safe, I figure.
Taking place in the Circa '21 Speakeasy venue located right next door to the Rock Island playhouse, Bye Bye Liver is the long-running show that blends outrageous skits, all focused on the pleasures and perils of the bottle, with audience interaction - specifically, a continuous series of drinking games that pit males versus females, and the show's actors versus their crowds.
A five-person cast assumes numerous rolls ... er, roles ... in (sometimes literal) blackout sketches involving collegiate binge-drinking, ill-functioning lotharios, and what really goes on in public ladies' rooms, while the oddience ... um, audience ... adds to the hilarity through variations on "Never Have I Ever," "Guess That Song," and other participatory challenges.
Time Out Magazine raaves that its "impossible not to have a good time" at the perfourmance, wile the Minneapolis Star-Tribune rote that "beer goggles aren't required to enjoy Bye Bye Liver."
But why reed about the show when u kin get tikkets only $15 for fun with u friends and a lot of funny peeple but dezignated drivers not bad idea if your gonna keep up with on-stage shenanzigans and bee sure to bring $$$ for tips ...
Hkewclq2e ... edkowfnoe ... jkhlqwuetdeez!!!!!!!!!
Exhibit
Team Up! Explore Science & Sports
Family Museum
Saturday, January 22, through Sunday, May 8
Knowing me as you do, which area would you guess I was weaker in as a child: science, or sports?
That's right - science. Which is why the latest exhibit at the Family Museum would've been so beneficial when I was a ... .
What do you mean, you guessed "sports"? So just because I'm into movies and theatre, I can't be good at sports?!? Why, of all the ... ! Never mind.
Whether your children are novices or already budding pros at either of these fields, you can be sure that they'll enjoy the latest traveling exhibition at the Bettendorf venue: Team Up! Explore Science & Sports. Providing an exciting, hands-on look at the many scientific principles in athletics, the museum's new interactive experience will allow visitors to test their skills at, and knowledge in, such sports as football, baseball, basketball, tennis, and even snowboarding, all of which will be brought to life through more than a dozen interactive exhibits.
In "How Fast Was That Pitch?", kids can measure the speed of their throws in a radar-equipped pitching booth, and "Get in the Game" employs virtual reality to explore the science behind volleyball, soccer, and downhill skiing. "Sweet Spot" teaches children about trajectories by having them shoot marble-sized basketballs through a miniature hoop, while the science behind gymnastics is studied in the balance-beam and pommel-horse exhibit "Balancing Acts."
"Inside Scoop" reveals the construction methods and materials used in today's high-tech sports equipment. "Bounce Pass" challenges kids to create the right bounce to pass a basketball past a barrier to a virtual "teammate." And in "Ricochet Racket," Family Museum participants adjust the angle of an oversize racket in an effort to hit a target with tennis balls. Man, an oversize tennis racket would've come so in handy when I was trying to ... .
Science! Science! Really, I was awesome at sports!!!
Oh, forget it. Entry to Team Up! Explore Science & Sports is free with $4-6 museum admission, and more information is available by calling (563)344-4106 or visiting FamilyMuseum.org.
Music
Avenged Sevenfold
i wireless Center
Tuesday, February 1, 6:30 p.m.
The California-based metalcore rockers of Avenged Sevenfold play the i wireless Center on February 1, and the group's members include lead vocalist M. Shadows, bassist Johnny Christ, lead guitarist Synyster Gates, and rhythm guitarist Zacky Vengeance. Anyone else wanna bet they don't open their Moline gig with "Walkin' on Sunshine"?
Chances are excellent, though, that you will be treated to a great many ass-kicking recent releases, including those from the band's latest studio CD, Nightmare, which debuted at number one on Billboard's album chart, and also immediately topped Billboard's rock, hard-rock, and digital charts. Additionally, you're sure to hear favorites from the group's City of Evil CD (which spawned the smash singles "Beast & the Harlot" and "Bat Country") and Avenged Sevenfold's self-titled 2007 album (which scored hits with "Critical Acclaim" and "Almost Easy"), and perhaps even songs from the early days of Sounding the Seventh Trumpet and Walking the Fallen.
But just how familiar are you with the rockers' output? Let's find out. Try determining which of the following lyrics are heard in which Avenged Sevenfold songs:
1) "Everywhere we turn, more hatred surrounds us."
A) "Critical Acclaim"
B) "Lost"
C) "Gunslinger"
2) "Doc, I'm dying. I'm feeling so compromised and so dehumanized."
A) "Scream"
B) "Afterlife"
C) "Brompton Cocktail"
3) "My hand is on the trigger, I'm ready to ignite."
A) "Bat Country"
B) "Trashed & Scattered"
C) "Beast & the Harlot"
4) "A bullet sunk straight through my skull, a friend pulled the trigger that silenced me."
A) "We Come Out at Night"
B) "The Wicked End"
C) "Radiant Eclipse"
Avenged Sevenfold performs with openers Stone Sour, Hollywood Undead, and New Medicine, and tickets can be reserved by calling (800)745-3000 or visiting iwirelessCenter.com.
Answers: 1 - B, 2 - C, 3 - A, 4 - C. Seriously, Katrina & the Waves? It ain't gonna happen.
Theatre
Metamorphoses
Augustana College
Friday, January 28, through Sunday, February 6
"Hey, Mike. For our next issue, I'd like you to write a What's Happenin' piece on Augustana College's new production of Metamorphoses, running in the Potter Hall theatre January 28 through February 6."
"Sure, Jeff. Whatever."
"Um ... you know about the play, right?"
"Yup."
"Okay, well ... good. Because it sounds really interesting. It's a series of imaginative vignettes that explore the meanings of love, life, and death, and it's based on a classic poem by Ovid, and the characters include King Midas and the Greek god Bacchus and Hermes, the son of Zeus ... ."
"Mmm-hmm."
"Apparently, it's all wildly visual and rapturous and haunting, so much so that Mary Zimmerman - who also adapted the work and is an artistic associate of Chicago's esteemed Goodman Theatre - won a 2002 Tony Award for her direction the show ... ."
"Uh-huh."
"Metamorphoses also received Tony nominations for Best Play and Best Scenic Design. Oh, and if you're looking to use some quotes from reviews, TalkinBroadway.com wrote that the show 'infuses Ovid's tales with a frequently modern, often funny, and always entertaining sensibility,' while the New York Times called it a 'heartfelt adaptation' displaying 'transporting powers of narrative and theatrical technique.'"
"Fine."
"What's the problem?"
"There's no problem."
"You're still upset that the production has required Potter Hall to be outfitted with a brand-new, in-ground swimming pool, aren't you?"
"Thousands of dollars in tuition! Where was that swimming pool when I was a student?!?"
Metamorphoses will be performed on Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 1:30 p.m. Tickets are available by calling (309)794-7306; for more information, visit the Web page for Augustana's theatre department.
What Else Is Happenin'...?
MUSIC
Friday, January 21 - Ernie Hendrickson and Chicago Farmer. Concert with the noted folk singers/songwriters. The Redstone Room (129 Main Street, Davenport). 8:30 p.m. $8. For tickets and information, call (563)326-1333 or visit RedstoneRoom.com.
Friday, January 21 - Whitey Morgan & the 78's. Concert with the honkytonk musicians. Rock Island Brewing Company (1815 Second Avenue, Rock Island). 9 p.m. $5. For information, call (309)793-4060 or visit RIBCO.com. For an interview with Whitey Morgan, visit RCReader.com/y/whitey.
Thursday, January 27 - Luther College Nordic Choir. Concert performance with the 64-member ensemble, featuring a cappella works and pieces for choir and organ. St. Paul Lutheran Church (2136 Brady Street, Davenport). $10-15. For tickets and information, call (800)458-8437 or visit LutherTickets.com.
Friday, January 28 - Studebaker John & the Hawks. Concert featuring the 1970s-era, Chicago-based blues guitarist and his ensemble. The Muddy Waters (1708 State Street, Bettendorf). 9 p.m. Free admission. For information, call (563)355-0655 or visit TheMuddyWaters.com.
Friday, January 28 - RIBCO's 2011 Battle of the Bands. First round of the annual, five-week competition, with three bands performing 45-minute sets of original music. Rock Island Brewing Company (1815 Second Avenue, Rock Island). 9 p.m. $3. For information, call (309)793-4060 or visit RIBCO.com.
Wednesday, February 2 - The Temptations & The Four Tops. Concert event with the Motown legends of "It's the Same Old Song," "I Can't Help Myself," "Ain't Too Proud to Beg," and "My Girl." i wireless Center (1201 River Drive, Moline). 7 p.m. $39.50-59.50. For tickets, call (800)745-3000 or visit iwirelessCenter.com.
THEATRE
Thursday, January 20 - River Readings at Augustana: Student Members of the Theatre Department. Staged reading of Davenport native Susan Glaspell's turn-of-the-century play Trifles, with a reception following. Augustana College's Wallenberg Hall (3520 Seventh Avenue, Rock Island). 7 p.m. Free. For information, call (309)794-7231 or visit Augustana.edu.
Thursday, January 27, through Saturday, February 19 - I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change. Musical-comedy vignettes in the off-Broadway smash. Harrison Hilltop Theatre (1601 Harrison Street, Davenport). Thursdays-Saturdays 8 p.m.; Sundays 2 p.m. (no show on February 6); $18-$20; pay-what-you-can performance Wednesday, February 2, at 8 p.m.; for tickets and information, call (563)499-6371 or visit HarrisonHilltop.com.
Thursday, January 27, through Sunday, January 30 - La Traviata. Verdi's operatic masterpiece, in a presentation by the Mary-Ellen Tye Opera Theater. Englert Theatre (221 East Washington Street, Iowa City). Thursday-Saturday 8 p.m.; Sunday 2 p.m. $5-20. For tickets and information, call (319)688-2653 or visit Englert.org.
Friday, January 28, through Sunday, February 20 - All My Sons. Arthur Miller's family-drama classic. Riverside Theatre (213 North Gilbert Street, Iowa City). Thursdays-Saturdays 7:30 p.m.; Sundays 2 p.m. $25-28. For tickets and information, call (319)338-7672 or visit RiversideTheatre.org.
DANCE
Tuesday, February 1 - Riverdance: Farewell Performance. Thunderous celebration of Irish music and dance in the company's final American tour. Adler Theatre (136 East Third Street, Davenport). 7:30 p.m. $36.50-61.50. For tickets, call (800)745-3000 or visit AdlerTheatre.com.
COMEDY
Tuesday, February 1 - Etta May. Stand-up comedy with "The Queen of Southern Sass." Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse (1828 Third Avenue, Rock Island). 7 p.m. $20-25. For tickets, call (309)786-7733 extension 2 or visit Circa21.com.
EXHIBIT
Friday, January 28, through Friday, February 25 - Augustana Sights & Sounds. Fourth-annual exhibit featuring distinctive photography and videography by Augustana College students, and photography by student artists from Quad Cities high schools. Bucktown Center for the Arts (225 East Second Street, Davenport). Wednesdays-Saturdays 11 a.m.-6 p.m.; final Fridays of the month 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Opening reception Friday, January 28, 6-9 p.m. For information, call (309)794-7632 or visit BucktownArts.com.
EVENTS
Saturday, January 22 - Havana Daydreamin' 2011. Seventh-annual fundraising event hosted by the Quad City Parrot Head Club, featuring live and silent auctions, raffles, music by Tall Paul & Crawdaddy, The Boat Drunks, and The Coral Reefers, and more. Davenport RiverCenter (136 East Third Street, Davenport). 6 p.m. $20-25. For tickets and information, e-mail info@qcph.com or visit QCPH.com.
Friday, January 28 - WQPT-TV Champagne on the Rocks Gala. Annual PBS fundraising event featuring dinner, live and silent auctions, and entertainment by Chicago-based vocalist Larry Adams. Hotel Blackhawk (200 East Third Street, Davenport). 6:30 p.m. $85. For tickets and information, call (309)764-2400 or visit WQPT.org.
Friday, January 28, through Sunday, January 30 - Eagles & Ivories Weekend. Annual celebration of ragtime music and the bald eagle, with eagle viewings, presentations, performances by Ivory & Gold, Jeff & Anne Barnhart, Danny Coots, and Red Lehr's Powerhoue Five, and more. Taking place at numerous venues in Muscatine. Friday 5 p.m.-midnight; Saturday 9 a.m.-midnight; Sunday 10:30 a.m.-4 p.m. For information, e-mail muscatinearts@yahoo.com or visit MuscatineArtsCouncil.org.
