“Who's Holiday" at the Circa '21 Speakeasy -- December 4 through 19.
Thursday, December 4, through Friday, December 19
Circa '21 Speakeasy, 1818 Third Avenue, Rock Island IL
Lauded by Broadway World as an adults-only entertainment that sends "audience members off with a warm smile and probably exhausted from laughter," author Matthew Lombardo's one-woman comedy sensation Who's Holiday returns to Rock Island's Circa '21 Speakeasy for a six-performance run, this spiky December 4 through 19 treat also hailed by the New York Times as "a raunchy riff on a yuletide tale that dirties up Christmas while ultimately reveling in its spirit."
In Who's Holiday, you're invited to spend part of this holiday season on a hysterical trip back to the Whoville of Dr. Seuss. In this 75-minute stage comedy, the formerly adorable Cindy Lou Who is now a grown-up, with all that her advanced age brings -- mostly cocktails, cursing and jokes. In Matthew Lombardo's critically acclaimed riff on all things seasonal, Cindy Lou recounts the Christmas Eve she met the Grinch and the unexpected twists her life has taken in this wildly funny and heartfelt show in which Speakeasy patrons must be 18 older to enter.
Portraying the now-grown Cindy Lou in Who's Holiday, and returning to the role after the comedy's successful 2024 run, is Syd Richardson, whose theatrical credits include roles in the Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse's Come from Away and Disenchanted!, Quad City Music Guild's Catch Me If You Can and Singin' in the Rain, and the Black Box Theatre's Fun Home.
With Lombardo's one-act presentation delivered entirely in rhyming couplets, in the style of Dr. Seuss, alongside occasional musical interludes. critics have been rapturous in their praise for Who's Holiday. The Village Voice deemed the show "a comic tour de force," while DC Metro Theater Arts delivered a series of rhyming couples of its own:
“If your fond childhood memories include Dr. Seuss
The Grinch, his dog Max, and a Ville filled with Whos
You might like a sequel from 40 years hence
Though if you’re a Grinch, too, you might take offense.
The new play Who's Holiday by Matthew Lombardo
Is strictly R-rated, so don’t bring your kiddo
Yet if your mind’s open and you trust rave reviews
His off-Broadway treat will come as good news!
Cindy Lou’s now a grown-up, with all that it brings
Cocktails and cursing and smokes are her things.
She’s led an adult life that’s chock full of spice
Her shocking backstory’s more naughty than nice.
She’s hosting a Christmas Eve fête for her friends
It’s her way of trying to make some amends
For all that she did before going to jail
Will the party succeed, or will it just fail?
At the ending we’re left with a serious thought
Which underscores all of the laughter she wrought
That ‘white trailer trash’ Cindy Lou just needs kindness
It’s good that Who's Holiday's here to remind us.”
Who's Holiday will be presented at the Circa '21 Speakeasy on: the Thursdays of December 4 and 18; the Fridays of December 12 and 19; and the Saturdays of December 6 and 13. Admission is $20-25, and and more information and tickets are available by calling (309)786-7733 extension 2 and visiting TheCirca21Speakeasy.com.
