Scanning the QC Code: “The Adventures of Sam Steele: A Radio Play,” at the Black Box Theatre through April 4

Part of what makes theatre such a powerful art form is the shared experience. For a brief stretch of time, a group of strangers become a kind of temporary community. The energy an audience brings can lift a performance or flatten it. There’s a reason actors talk about a “dead house,” as theatre relies on an unspoken agreement: The cast gives their all, and the audience meets them halfway. But what happens when you don’t feel like part of that collective? When the room is roaring with laughter, and you’re sitting there disconnected?

That was my experience with Jeff Adamson’s The Adventures of Sam Steele: A Radio Play. His particular brand of radio-style humor simply didn’t land for me. While much of the audience erupted at one-liners and punchlines, I found myself offering, at best, a polite smirk, and at worst, an eye roll. Adamson, clearly delighted by the room’s laughter on its opening-night performance, leaned into the humor with visible enthusiasm, which only seemed to widen the gap between the show’s tone and my own reaction to it.

Friday’s show began with a charming twist. The actors milled about the stage, in character, and in silence, preparing the 1947-style radio studio set (nicely realized by Michael Kopriva). They shuffled scripts, poured water, and set the scene as though we were the live studio audience for a beloved WHBF radio program, tuning in for the next installment of The Adventures of Sam Steele. It was an engaging and immersive start, transporting us into the broadcasting world before the pre-show announcements even happened.

The evening's actual entertainment began with a slight hitch from the get-go, however, as the “On Air” light didn’t come on until after Adamson had made it through the entire introduction of the “A Murder in McClellan Heights” story – our formal welcome to the broadcast. Sam Steele, a private detective in Davenport, is hired by a man named Tom to solve the mystery of who is trying to murder him. Tom then quickly disappears, and Steele interacts primarily with his wife, Vivian.

To be clear, there’s nothing inherently wrong with the show. It leans fully into its campy, gumshoe-detective style, complete with rapid-fire clichés and exaggerated tropes. The issue, for me, was how heavily it relied on them. The script seemed less interested in telling a cohesive mystery and more focused on packing in as many Quad Cities references as possible.

While nods to McClellan Heights and the Arsenal Bridge add local flavor, certainly repeating those references again and again begins to feel excessive. I understand it’s a radio show, and Adamson was trying to set the scene. But unless someone in the audience had an aneurysm, they weren’t going to forget that the ranch was on the outskirts of Bettendorf. That didn’t stop Adamson from reminding us, every single time they returned to the ranch owned by Vivian’s father, that it was, in fact, on the outskirts of Bettendorf. (Honestly, this could have led to a dangerous drinking game.)

This emphasis on local references and corny jokes comes at the expense of the mystery itself. By the end of Sam Steele, the case is, of course, solved. It's not, however, resolved in a way that invites the audience to participate. A satisfying mystery typically allows viewers to gather clues, make guesses, and either solve it themselves or feel delightfully outsmarted when the detective reveals the answer. Here, that opportunity never quite materializes. The clues aren’t clearly laid out, and the resolution feels less like a culmination and more like a conclusion the audience is simply handed.

Composed of Jeff Adamson, Jessica White, Jeremy Mahr, and Jeff's sons Jim and Patrick Adamson, the cast brings strong energy and commitment throughout. With the exception of Patrick, who anchors the show as Sam Steele, the others take on multiple roles, often switching characters regardless of age or gender. This adds a layer of playful chaos, even leading to moments in which roles seem determined on the fly. It’s a choice that underscores the show’s comedic, anything-goes spirit.

Meanwhile, one of the production’s highlights is the foley sound-effects table. Watching the actors create live sound by clinking silverware, shaking martinis, and producing all manner of background noise adds a dynamic, behind-the-scenes element that keeps the eye engaged. It’s not typically a standout part of radio plays for me, but here, it was extra-engaging and fun, and White and Mahr, in particular, seem to relish these moments. My personal favorite bit involved an unexpected use of potatoes – one of those spontaneous, lightning-in-a-bottle theatre moments that likely won’t land quite the same way twice. That’s part of the magic of live performance: Some things only exist fully in the moment they happen.

In the end, The Adventures of Sam Steele: A Radio Play is a show that clearly found its audience; it just didn’t quite find me. And maybe that, too, is part of the theatre experience. Not every shared moment is shared equally.

The Adventures of Sam Steele: A Radio Play runs at the Black Box Theatre (1623 Fifth Avenue, Moline IL) through April 4, and more information and tickets are available by calling (563)284-2350 and visiting TheBlackBoxTheatre.com.