Lauded by the New York Times as "gorgeous" and "hypnotic," and by the Hollywood Reporter as "utterly fabulous," the teen edition of the Broadway smash Hadestown enjoys a July 18 through 20 run at Rock Island's Center for Living Arts, the original staging of this youth-performed musical the winner of eight 2019 Tony Awards including Best Musical, Direction, and, for composer Anaïs Mitchell, Original Score.

Nominated for seven 2019 Tony Awards including Best Musical, and the basis for 2020's popular Netflix film starring Meryl Streep, the Broadway hit The Prom enjoys a Quad City Music Guild staging at Moline's Prospect Park Auditorium July 11 through 20, this hilarious and touching show inspiring the New York Times to rave, "With its kinetic dancing, broad mugging, and belty anthems, it makes you believe in musical comedy again."

Praised by Variety magazine for its “charming score that suits the quirky material” and Time Out NY for its “expertly constructed and emotionally satisfying tale of self-liberation in the face of limited options,” the Broadway sensation Waitress enjoys a July 11 through 27 run at Mt. Carroll's Timber Lake Playhouse, serving up an evening of comedy, drama, romance, and Sara Bareilles compositions that made NBC New York rave, “It's easy as pie to fall for Waitress.”

I now know how the Grinch felt when his heart grew three sizes, because I surprisingly, actually, thoroughly enjoyed the Clinton Area Showboat Theatre's and director/choreographer Jenna Schoppe’s production of Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Which will be a shock to anyone who knows me, because they also know how much I hate(d) Joseph. But Clinton’s latest has made me a believer.