26 Apr 2021

Say Yes to the Dress: “Love, Loss, & What I Wore,” at the Black Box Theatre through May 1

By Pamela Briggs

In the longstanding tradition of “show, don't tell,” a story needs a setting or theme to carry it. Star Trek wasn't really about space; Field of Dreams wasn't really about baseball. Stories are about people, memories, and emotions. And although the actors now performing at the Black Box Theatre talk for 90 minutes about pantsuits, gowns, and boots, Love, Loss, & What I Wore isn't really about clothing.

26 Mar 2021

Oper-rah!: “La Divina: The Last Interview of Maria Callas,” at the Black Box Theatre through March 28

By Rochelle Arnold

What is the essence of an artist? And how do they make themselves unique and entertaining? In my view, an artist is an extremely creative individual who demonstrates the ability to arouse one’s emotions and tantalize their senses, causing them to feel alive. And that’s exactly what I felt during Thursday’s dress-rehearsal preview of La Divina: The Last Interview of Maria Callas, now playing at the lovely Black Box Theatre in downtown Moline.

22 Mar 2021

Forsooth Sayers: “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) [revised],” at the Spotlight Theatre through March 28

By Pamela Briggs

In The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) [revised], director Brent Tubbs has taken the dreary health precautions we've become inured to and turned them into comedic assets.

22 Mar 2021

Roles in the Hay: “The Church Basement Ladies in You Smell Barn,” at the Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse through May 15

By Rochelle Arnold

Area theatre is back, and a beloved series is serving up some good ol’ Midwestern wholesomeness in The Church Basement Ladies in You Smell Barn at the Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse. This musical comedy was simply the perfect way for the venue to reopen in the wake of last year’s COVID-19 restrictions, and my husband and I had the privilege of attending Friday’s opening-night performance. It was fabulous.

15 Mar 2021

Detective Friction: “Dick Tracy: A Live Radio Play,” at the Black Box Box Theatre through March 20

By Madeline Dudziak

Once again, and hopefully for good, theatre is back in the Quad Cities, and the Black Box Theatre is dipping its toe into the world of live performances with Dick Tracy: A Live Radio Play. Director Lora Adams started Saturday's performance by describing it as a helping of Chinese Food Theatre: We would be full when we left, but hungry for more theatre soon. While this metaphor made me chuckle, I soon realized just how true it was. This charming foray back into theatre definitely left me eager for more.

26 Oct 2020

The Waiting Is the Hardest Part: “Waiting for Godot,” at the Black Box Theatre through October 31

By Madeline Dudziak

The plot for Waiting for Godot, currently running at Moline’s Black Box Theatre, is rather simple: Two men wait near a tree for the infamous Godot. It’s unclear how many days they’ve already been waiting, or how much longer the wait will take. How the men pass time makes up the meat of this story, and Samuel Beckett’s absurdist classic ultimately grapples with the age-old question: What does it all mean?

28 Sep 2020

Funeral Procession: “Three Viewings,” at the Black Box Theatre through October 3

By Pamela Briggs

Family. Love. Money. Major occupiers of our time; continual goals and sources of both stress and joy. We want them and work for them, or in spite of them. They facilitate our dreams, or get in their way. We race toward our desires until Death, who always wins, tells us we're done.

14 Sep 2020

We Eat, They Drink, Everyone's Merry: "The Savannah Sipping Society," at the Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse through November 7

By Rochelle Arnold

It’s been a painfully long wait, but I finally got to crack open my new notebook and fresh pen for Wednesday night's performance of The Savannah Sipping Society at the Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse.

24 Aug 2020

Stalking, On-Air: “The 39 Steps: A Live Radio Play” at the Black Box Theatre through August 30

By Madeline Dudziak

If you’re hoping to see some live theatre to forget COVID-19 and the pandemic we’re in, then the Black Box Theatre’s latest, The 39 Steps: A Live Radio Play, is not for you – because director Lora Adams and her fantastic cast have embraced the challenges of producing theatre in 2020 in a way that manages to pay respect to this invisible virus while still keeping the show lighthearted and charming.

17 Jul 2020

Governess Ball: “The Turn of the Screw,” at the Black Box Theatre through July 19

By Pamela Briggs

English people have a deserved reputation for rigid politeness, avoiding embarrassment, and keeping improprieties secret. These personality traits help drive much of the comedy of English farces. They drive this English story in an entirely different direction. Inside the proper tea kettle of this crowd, there's a bubbling mass of depravity and perversion threatening to boil, shriek, and spew forth secrets. Here, the unspeakable is spoken – for the most part … eventually … – with plenty of mystery yet to wonder over.

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