Hailed by the New York Times as “a perfect joy” and by the Los Angeles Times as “a timeless farce,” Tony- and Oscar-winning author Tom Stoppard hysterical one-act comedy The Real Inspector Hound enjoys an April 18 through 21 staging in Scott Community College's Black Box Theatre, this theatrical satire also lauded by The Telegraph as a work that "brilliantly nails the clichés of the reviewer's craft."

With his play lauded by Theatre in Chicago as a work that "stands out for its blend of historical depth and personal insights," David Payne brings his nationally touring one-man show Churchill to Davenport's Adler Theatre on April 9, the piece allowing the British character actor to portray a famed historical figure previously portrayed by Gary Oldman, who won an Academy Award for playing Churchill, and Albert Finney, Brendan Gleeson, and John Lithgow, all of whom won Emmy Awards as the former British Prime Minister.

Winner of six 2013 Tony Awards including Best Musical and Best Score for pop icon Cyndi Lauper, the high-kicking musical Kinky Boots kicks of Quad City Music Guild's 2024 season with an eagerly awaited Prospect Park Auditorium run April 5 through 14, the show called “cause for celebration” by Entertainment Weekly and, according to Time Out New York, “the very model of a modern major musical.”

Delivering what Talkin' Broadway describes as "laugh-out-loud moments and a wonderful life lesson about not letting life pass you by," the Paul Elliott comedy Exit Laughing opens the 2024 theatre season at Geneseo's Richmond Hill Barn Theatre, its April 11 through 21 run sure to deliver what Stage Whispers hailed for its "great script, great timing" and "great fun."

Enjoying a three-performance Adler Theatre run, the musical-comedy smash The Book of Mormon returns to Davenport on March 29 and 30, with Ben Brantley's 2011 New York Times review proclaiming, “I am here to report that a newborn, old-fashioned, pleasure-giving musical has arrived … the kind our grandparents told us left them walking on air, if not on water. So hie thee hence, nonbelievers (and believers, too), to The Book of Mormon, and feast upon its sweetness.”

Plucky, abused orphans. English-language literature is full of 'em: Dickens' lads Oliver Twist and David Copperfield; Canada's Anne Shirley; America's optimistic Annie; prehistoric Europe's Ayl; contemporary Britain's Harry Potter. One 177-year-old orphan still going strong is Jane Eyre.

The premise is simple enough. A group of five women are getting together to celebrate a bride-to-be. Their activity of choice is a paint night, where they'll all be guided through the created replication of a particular painting. Along the way, they’ll drink, gossip, and expel their deepest, darkest secrets. This isn't to imply that things here aren’t funny – they frequently are. It’s just that Paint Night's comedy feels more like light seasoning in a rather heavy stew. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Lauded by Talkin' Broadway as a family entertainment that "bounces onto the stage with confidence, energy, and goodwill to spare," the children's-book adaptation Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Musical enjoys a March 21 through May 18 engagement as Rock Island's Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse, this charming and hilarious song-and-dance extravaganza also hailed by the Minneapolis Star-Tribune as " a buoyant and kind show" in which "the script is funny" and "the pop-meets-Broadway songs are bouncy and clever."

From March 15 through 24, audiences at Moline's Playcrafters Barn Theatre are invited to help celebrate Women's History Month with the area debut of author Carey Crim's Paint Night, a sweet and salty tale of friendship, and a comedic drama praised by Broadway World for "understanding the emotions and the universe of these characters" while delivering "the catharsis so vital to a good theatrical experience."

Nominated for five 2001 Tony Awards including Best Musical, and lauded by Talkin' Broadway as a "successful dramatic interpretation of the ever-popular novel," the Charlotte Brontë adaptation Jane Eyre makes its area debut at Moline's Black Box Theatre from March 15 through 29, this rich and thoughtful entertainment also praised by Talkin' Broadway for its "luxuriant score, haunting and memorable music, and crisp, intelligent lyrics."

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