03 Dec 2015

Try Not to Have Fun. I Triple-Dog-Dare You.: "A Christmas Story: The Musical," at the Prospect Park Auditorium through December 6

By Brent Tubbs

As I got comfortable in my seat for the Monday-night dress rehearsal of Quad City Music Guild's A Christmas Story: The Musical, I was fully expecting a 24-hour marathon, as well as my ingesting the show only in sporadic moments throughout the day in between kitchen visits to fill up on ham and chocolate. That's customarily how I enjoy the film version. Alas, there was no marathon, or ham, or chocolate. But there was a fun production filled with holiday cheer - and aside from the addition of songs, the theatrical version is a mirror image of the movie.

30 Nov 2015

A Twist of a Reindeer Tail (/Tale): "The Most Famous Reindeer of All," at the Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse through December 27

By Victoria Navarro

My husband and I have been taking our granddaughter Ava to stage presentations since she was three. She is now eight and has her own opinions about what makes good theatre, and one of her complaints about some productions is that they require adult actors to play children. As Ava insists, "It just isn't believable." I agree. It often seems forced.

17 Nov 2015

By George, I Think They've Got It: "A Wonderful Life," at the Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse through December 27

By Dee Canfield

Don Denton and Sara Tubbs in A Wonderful LifeI must confess: When I first saw the Jimmy Stewart film It's a Wonderful Life on TV in the early 1980s, I was not a fan. Was I, I wondered, the only person on the planet who thought the story overly sentimental and a bit of a melodramatic mess? As I was to learn, I was not, for when the film was first released in 1946, some considered it a disappointing addition to director Frank Capra's oeuvre. Although I have begrudgingly come to accept the movie on its own terms over the years, it was with a bit of trepidation that I went to see the November 12 preview of the musical production A Wonderful Life at the Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse. Would this, my first published review, be my "outing" as a Scrooge?

17 Nov 2015

Holmes for the Holidays: "The Game's Afoot," at the Playcrafters Barn Theatre through November 22

By Heather Herkelman

L-R Bryan Lopez, Molly McLaughlin, Drew Pastorek, Teri Nelson, Tom Naab, and Stephanie Naab in The Game's Afoot"Life is infinitely stranger than anything which the mind of a man can invent." This Sherlock Holmes quote is a perfect description for the mystery play at the Playcrafters Barn Theatre - at least in terms of the lives of those on-stage. Just when you think things cannot get any crazier and the coincidences cannot get more coincidental, Ken Ludwig's script shows you otherwise. The Game's Afoot is a comedy with a mix of nutty characters and a whodunit theme, and while it was clear that the cast was still getting comfortable with each other and the script during Thursday's dress rehearsal, there were improvements in energy and confidence by the second act.

17 Nov 2015

Celebrating Like the Dickens: "Big Rock Candy Christmas," at the District Theatre through November 22

By Jeff Ashcraft

Linda Ruebling, Brant Peitersen, Tom Vaccaro, Anthony Natarelli, Mike Kelly, Mark Ruebling, Chris Tracy, Rocky Kampling, Aaron Lord, and Kyle Jecklin in Big Rock Candy ChristmasAt a time when current events make the world seem very dark and sick, the holidays remind us to reminisce with old friends, break out the carols, and bake a batch of Grandma's legendary cookies. One recipe to such a cruel world can be found in the District Theatre's current production Big Rock Candy Christmas. A sequel to last year's Big Rock Candy Mountain, this Christmas-flavored chapter brings back the same characters from the original with a new mission, new music, and even a few new faces.

09 Nov 2015

And Loco Was Its Name-oh: "Bingo," at the Richmond Hill Barn Theatre through November 15

By Brent Tubbs

Jackie Skiles, Greg Bouljon, and Rebecca McCorkle in BingoThe Richmond Hill Barn Theatre's performance of Bingo at times feels like playing bingo - hoping for a letter and number combination that you don't quite get, but finding yourself pleasantly surprised when you make a full card by the end.

09 Nov 2015

The Invitation Game: "The Dinner Party," at Scott Community College through November 14

By Victoria Navarro

Shannon O'Brien, Karina Monrreal, and Hannah Murray in The Dinner PartyWhen attending a student production, I'm excited for the young performers, and hope the evening ends with the audience standing and cheering. Such were my hopes on the opening night of Neil Simon's The Dinner Party for the Scott Community College actors , who gave it their best shot with some standout performances. But to have a great production, it helps to have great writing and a great story to tell.

02 Nov 2015

It Was a Dark and Storied Night: "The Pillowman," at the QC Theatre Workshop through November 15

By Thom White

Brody-Tucker Ford, Sam Jones, and Brooke Schelly in The PillowmanDuring Friday's performance, the QC Theatre Workshop's The Pillowman had me in stitches. While I didn't laugh loudly often, I did chuckle repeatedly throughout the performance, only subduing my laughs out of concern that the subject of my delight was too dark to be funny. But playwright Martin McDonagh's dark comedy is both unquestionably dark and outrageously funny. I mean, it has a young girl (Laila Haley) who considers herself Christ-like proclaiming, "I don't think I'm Jesus. I [effing] am Jesus!" That is some dark comedy.

19 Oct 2015

Switching Gears: "Machinal," at Augustana College through October 25

By Jeff Ashcraft

Debo Balogun and Christine Broughton in MachinalAt this time of the year, many people enjoy celebrating Halloween by being creeped out of their minds. Some enjoy cheesy slasher movies while others like to binge on The Walking Dead, and some religiously attend local spook houses such as Rock Island's Skellington Manor. Yet the most haunting, and even the creepiest, experience I have had in a long time happened at Augustana College's latest theatrical exploration of social justice: Machinal.

11 Oct 2015

Trial and Tribulation: "Parade," at St. Ambrose University through October 11

By Heather Herkelman

Kayla Lansing and Sam Jones in ParadeWas it justice or discrimination? That is what you'll likely be asking yourself after leaving St. Ambrose University's production of Parade. It takes a mature, professional cast to pull off a musical centered around racism, bigotry, and murder, but these actors do just that. Director Daniel Rairdin-Hale brings the true story of the trial of Leo Frank and its aftermath to life in such a way that I entirely forgot I was at a student production, and Thursday night's dress rehearsal was as close to show-ready as possible.

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