"It Had to Be You" at the Black Box Theatre -- November 23 through December 2.

Friday, November 23, through Sunday, December 2

The Black Box Theatre, 1623 Fifth Avenue, Moline IL

Described by the New York Post as “sweet, funny, and sassy” and by CBS's Dennis Cunningham as “a comic miracle of non-stop laughter,” the romantic-comedy-with-a-twist It Had to Be You enjoys a November 23 through December 2 staging at Moline's Black Box Theatre, the holiday-themed show ideally timed for those seeking, according to the Post, “a cartoon comedy of great dexterity and loving warmth.”

Written by the husband-and-wife team of comic actors Renée Taylor (The Nanny) and the late Joseph Bologna (My Favorite Year), It Had to Be You tells the tale of Theda Blau, a failed actress, health-food nut, and would-be playwright who wants to find love and success in New York. Theda consequently meets Vito Pignoli, a hugely successful director of TV commercials. But “meets” may be the wrong word for it: Theda actually holds Vito hostage in her apartment on a snowy Christmas Eve, hoping to convince him to be her partner both on the page and off. First appearing on Broadway in 1981, It Had to Be You has delighted audiences at theatres around the country for more than three decades, attesting to Cunningham's rave that calls Taylor's and Bologna's work “a funny, funny, and finally touching play.”

Serving as director for It Had to Be You is area-theatre favorite Patti Flaherty, whose directing credits have included the Playcrafters Barn Theatre's Deathtrap and New Ground Theatre's Mr. Marmalade, and who has appeared on-stage in works ranging from Who's Afrad of Virginia Woolf? to August: Osage County to Steel Magnolias. Portraying Theda Blau is the Black Box Theatre's co-founder and artistic director Lora Adams, whose recent acting credits have include the Mississippi Bend Players' Beginner's Luck and, for her own venue, last year's Murderers. And playing Vito is Jason Platt, a veteran of the Black Box Theatre's It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play whose many area credits include roles in The Addams Family, Doubt, and The 39 Steps.

Running November 23 through December 2, It Had to Be You will be performed Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m., admission is $16, and more information and reservations are available by calling (563)284-2350 or visiting TheBlackBoxTheatre.com.

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