The Mockingbird on Main's “Big Rock Candy Mountain" at the Black Box Theatre -- August 17 through 20.
Thursday, August 17, through Sunday, August 20
Black Box Theatre, 1623 Fifth Avenue, Moline IL
Designed for fans of the hit Coen-brothers film O Brother, Where Art Thou? and the Circa ‘21 Dinner Playhouse favorite Southern Crossroads, the Mockingbird on Main's bluegrass musical Big Rock Candy Mountain will receive an August 17 through 20 engagement at Moline's Black Box Theatre, its classic tunes including such iconic numbers as “House of the Rising Sun,” “Keep on the Sunny Side of Life,” and “Will the Circle Be Unbroken?”
In Big Rock Candy Mountain, which premiered at Rock Island's District Theatre in 2014 and was filmed at the Circa '21 Speakeasy in 2021, a merry band of misfits sneaks into a theatre hoping to stay out of trouble, but instead find themselves front and center in this story about the power of music and second chances. Adding a down-on-her-luck theatre owner and her wacky assistant, a clueless town mayor, his scheming wife, and a bumbling sheriff, and audiences are invited to enjoy an evening of music and fun whose toe-tapping tunes include “Big Rock,” “Life’s Railway," "Broken Down Soul," and "Moonshiner," as well as the gospel classic "Amazing Grace" and the title number memorable performed on the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack.
With Big Rock Candy Mountain created by music arranger Danny White and book writer Tristan Tapscott, the team behind a popular musical adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol frequently staged in the area, Tapscott (the co-artistic director of the Mockingbird on Main) directs the musical's Black Box debut, his recent area credits including co-starring in the Black Box's Hello, Dolly! and Circa '21's Grumpy Old Men: The Musical and We Will Rock You. With additional musical arrangements provided by Doug Kutzli, a Hello, Dolly! castmate who also appears in Big Rock Candy Mountain, Tapscott's cast is completed by ensemble members Don Saltin, J.T. Tegeler, Robert Gregory, Jennifer Gregory, Ellerie Hurley, Shelley Cooper, CJ Parker, and Thayne Lamb.
Big Rock Candy Mountain will be presented in Moline August 17 through 20, with performances Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Admission is $16, and more information and tickets are available by calling (563)284-2350 and visiting TheBlackBoxTheatre.com.
