M: La Bohème jumps right in with frenzied activity in Rodolfo’s garret. Rodolfo and Marcello are trying to figure out how to get fuel for the wood stove to heat the place. The other two roommates get home, have an impromptu feast, and when the landlord shows up for the rent –

K: Rent! The Broadway musical inspired by this opera! Sorry. I had to.

M: Uh-huh. Anyway ... .

Director Courtney Crouse and music director Sabin Fisher, along with their cast, crew, and production staff, have crafted an extraordinarily entertaining production bursting with high-level musicianship, engaging acting, and visual verve, telling of a legendary studio session involving Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, and Jerry Lee Lewis.

The Quad Cities’ summer-theatre season is finally underway and Quad City Music Guild’s production of A Little Night Music, with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, a book by Hugh Wheeler, and directed by Colleen Houlihan, is a good start to it, boasting strong performances and some killer vocals.

With freshly painted arches and some ghostly trees on the furthest front flats, set designer Miranda Callahan’s work on Medea was interesting enough to generally distract me from the gnats that were apparently immune to insect repellent.