Quad City Music Guild's Thursday-night preview performance of Peter Pan - which, it should be stressed, was still technically a rehearsal - clocked in at roughly an hour and 55 minutes, making director Beth Marsoun's presentation at least a half-hour shorter than any of the four other Peter Pans I've thus far seen on stage. This proved, at alternating times, to be both a very good thing and a rather unfortunate thing. But let's start with the good.
Christopher Thomas could sell me anything. On Thursday night, he was peddling the character of Harold Hill in a preview performance of Quad City Music Guild's The Music Man, and Thomas plays the part with such bombastic charm - and just a hint of smarm - that despite knowing of the character's swindling intentions, I was buying his Hill's shtick hook, line, and sinker, right along with the good people of River City.







