A delicious stage treat praised by Broadway World as "goofy, loud, and imaginative - superlatively so," the one-act musical comedy Willy Wonka Jr. will enjoy August 5 and 6 performances at Maquoketa's Ohnward Fine Arts Center as the 10th performance by summer students in the venue's theatre camp, previous entertainments having included the Jr. versions of the musicals Annie, Seussical, Honk, Alice in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz, Beauty & the Beast, and Moana.

Entering the Playcrafters Barn Theatre for Friday’s opening night of Little Women, I had a certain number of expectations. Like most people, I’m familiar with Louisa May Alcott’s story, so I was prepared for some joys, some sorrows, and the four March sisters. I wasn’t, however, anticipating Reader reviewer Roger Pavey Jr.’s scenic design to blow me out of the water before the show even began.

Returning to the stage for the first time since 2019, and with their new production finally being staged after a forced delay this past March, the area's much-missed verse-theatre troupe the Prenzie Players is set to make a romantic-comedy splash at Davenport's Village Theatre with their August 3 through 6 presentation of Much Ado About Nothing.

A beloved Stephen Sondheim masterpiece whose most recent Broadway return earned the show a Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical last month, the fairytale tragicomedy Into the Woods completes Countryside Community Theatre's 2023 season, its July 28 through August 6 run demonstrating why this consistent awards magnet and critical smash was lauded by Variety magazine as a show that “brilliantly hits every hilarious or somber note it needs to.”