07 Jun 2021

War-respondence: “Hate Mail,” at the Black Box Theatre through June 12

By Pamela Briggs

Drama is conflict, and the Black Box Theatre's current production, titled Hate Mail, reveals its conflict within the first two minutes. As the battle slowly escalated, I wondered how playwrights Bill Corbett and Kira Obolensky could sustain the animosity and keep it building for an entire play. How dark could it get and

07 Jun 2021

Croon River: “Always … Patsy Cline,” at the Clinton Showboat Theatre through June 13

By Pamela Briggs

The Showboat's former producing artistic director Matthew Teague Miller directed Always ... Patsy Cline, while Kory Danielson is music director and conductor, also playing piano during the performances. Much thought and work no doubt went into staging this production, but Miller, Danielson, and their crew make it seem like it came together spontaneously and organically.

24 May 2021

Swarm Fuzzies: “Beehive: The '60s Musical,” at the Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse through July 10

By Madeline Dudziak

If life is making you lonely, you can always go downtown to the Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse and experience their latest offering Beehive: The '60s Musical. Director/choreographer Shelley Cooper and her gang of six ladies will take you on a musical journey through the decade that is chock-full of your classic favorites. This fun night of familiar tunes is exactly the answer – it’s a gas!

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.

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