The Half-Life of Marie Curie takes us back to 1911, and a world in which even the greatest women can be handily undermined by their personal lives. Sound familiar?

Remembering the devastating losses and world-changing terror of 9/11 doesn't usually inspire joy, or instill hope. But there's a musical about it that does both, focusing on how the destruction in New York City and Washington D.C. affected a little island roughly 1,500 miles northeast.

Reviews by Rochelle Arnold, Jeff Ashcraft, Patricia Baugh-Riechers, Audra Beals, Pamela Briggs, Dee Canfield, Madeline Dudziak, Kim Eastland, Emily Heninger, Heather Herkelman, Kitty (née Israel) Hooker, Mischa Hooker, Paula Jolly, Victoria Navarro, Roger Pavey Jr., Alexander Richardson, Mark Ruebling, Mike Schulz, Joy Thompson, Oz Torres, Brent Tubbs, Jill Pearson Walsh, and Thom White.

The Playcrafters Barn Theatre brings another of Agatha Christie’s mysteries to life with its production of Murder on the Nile, directed by Karen Riffey. With twists, gunshots, and more exposition than you can shake a fully loaded pistol at, this play will no doubt please fans of the genre.

Mischa: Kristin Wetherington absolutely delivered. From start to finish, she commanded the audience’s attention, with carefree positivity at first, then convincing anguish as the story reached its emotional climax.

Kitty: I was also really impressed by her ability to maintain a consistent, believable Italian accent throughout, both in her speaking and her singing.

The Timber Lake Playhouse tries something new with its world-premiere musical Glü. Directed by Tommy Ranieri, and with a book and lyrics by Jake Lockwood and music and lyrics by Alexander Sage Oyen, this heartwarming tale gives audiences a chance to see something local, and possibly even familiar.

Jordan Harrison's Marjorie Prime script is both dramatic and funny, and Jennifer Kingry's cast of four excels at being both.

Director Shelley Cooper, Augustana College's associate professor of theatre arts, and music director and accompanist Rob Elfline, professor of music at Augustana, have engineered another extraordinary production with Ordinary Days.

Quad City Music Guild’s summer season winds down with one of the big American musicals: Gypsy, directed here by Troy Stark, and featuring a score by Jule Styne, book by Arthur Laurents, and lyrics by an early-career Stephen Sondheim. And while there were a few rough spots during Friday’s opening-night performance, there’s still plenty to enjoy and Guild does a fine job of putting this classic piece on its feet.

K: Dolly Parton famously said, “It takes a lot of money to look this cheap.” Likewise, it takes many hours of rehearsal to make a show look humorously under-rehearsed.

M: Ironically, it’s necessary to play a bad actor well.

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