11 Aug 2025

Lifetime’s Original Dance Mom: Quad City Music Guild's “Gypsy,” at the Prospect Park Auditorium through August 17

By Alexander Richardson

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.

11 Aug 2025

New York States of Mind: “Ordinary Days,” at the Black Box Theatre through August 17

By Pamela Briggs

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.

11 Aug 2025

Mayhem on the Disoriented Express: “The Play That Goes Wrong,” at the Spotlight Theatre through August 17

By Mischa and Kitty Hooker

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.

04 Aug 2025

Nice Ice, Baby!: “Disney's Frozen,” at the Timber Lake Playhouse through August 17

By Madeline Dudziak

Let it be known: My family and I are exactly the intended audience for the Timber Lake Playhouse’s current production of Disney's Frozen. We love the material. We love theatre. So in the words of everyone’s favorite animated snowman Olaf, “Put ‘em together, it just makes sense.” The good news? If you’re also a fan, chances are you’ll feel the same way about this particular production.

18 Jul 2025

There's Something About Mary: “Mary Poppins,” at the Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse through September 6

By Mischa Hooker and Kitty Israel

Kitty: Full disclosure: We once dressed as Mary Poppins and Bert for Halloween. We’re very serious about our Poppins lore.

Mischa: But we promise to be absolutely objective in our reactions to this show.

12 Aug 2025

River Cities' Reader Theatre Reviews: July 2000 to the Present

By Administrator

Reviews by Rochelle Arnold, Jeff Ashcraft, Patricia Baugh-Riechers, Audra Beals, Pamela Briggs, Dee Canfield, Madeline Dudziak, Kim Eastland, Emily Heninger, Heather Herkelman, Mischa Hooker, Kitty Israel, 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.

04 Aug 2025

And Then They Came for Her: “The Diary of Anne Frank,” at the Playcrafters Barn Theatre through August 10

By Pamela Briggs

The horrifying story told in The Diary of Anne Frank is now being lovingly presented at Moline's Playcrafters Barn Theatre, directed by accomplished actor Elle Winchester.

04 Aug 2025

Mississippi River High: “Almost Heaven: The Songs of John Denver,” at the Clinton Area Showboat Theatre through August 10

By Alexander Richardson

The Clinton Area Showboat Theatre closes out its 2025 season with a gorgeously sung tribute in director Amy Fritsche's Almost Heaven: The Songs of John Denver. What this revue by Harold Thau (who's credited for its “original concept”) is lacking in heart is more than made up by the live music played by the onstage actors, all of whom make Denver’s music ring.

28 Jul 2025

Peace! What Is It Good For?: Genesius Guild's Peace, at Lincoln Park through August 3

By Alexander Richardson

A lot of the action follows Aristophanes' original text. The rest is decidedly in the style of Calvin Vo and Tee Green.

28 Jul 2025

Dance Like Everyone's Watching: Countryside Community Theatre's “Hairspray,” at North Scott High School through August 3

By Pamela Briggs

Seeing and hearing Countryside Community Theatre's production of Hairspray has nearly stolen my words from me.

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