06 Apr 2004

Circa '21's "Hello Dolly" Unmemorable

By Administrator
When leaving Circa '21 last Friday night, I caught glimpses of conversations about Hello Dolly!. One audience member loved it, while another found the show bland and unmemorable. I silently agreed with the latter critic.
30 Mar 2004

Quad City Music Guild's "Working" Labors Through Muddled Script

By Administrator
Theatre is evolving. While some scripts still relate the story of a unique person or community, it seems more writers are attempting to use representative characters to capture something more universal. These shows often consist of monologues that revolve around a central theme, such as girls' and women's lives in A ... My Name Is Alice and female sexuality in The Vagina Monologues. Sometimes, as in The Vagina Monologues, each component is the result of real-life research and interviews conducted and modified by the playwright.
16 Mar 2004

Performances Redeem Playcrafters' Predictable "Born Yesterday"

By Jill Walsh
In 1979, Patti Flaherty starred in Born Yesterday at Playcrafters Barn Theatre in Moline. Unfortunately, I hadn't yet made my earthly appearance and was unable to review it. But 35 years later, she's given me the chance by directing the current production of Yesterday on the same stage. The play is fast-paced if easily foretold, the characters are memorable, and the acting is superb.
24 Feb 2004

Augustana College's Short Play Festival Lives Up to Title

By Administrator
They said it would be short, and they meant it. Clocking in at just under 45 minutes, last weekend's production of Augustana College's annual Short Play Festival was a collaboration of four student producers and featured Tony Kushner's script East Coast Ode to Howard Jarvis.
03 Feb 2004

A Musical Journey Through the Past: "Smokey Joe's Cafe" at the Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse

By Jill Walsh
Hey you cats, listen up. I saw a show at Circa '21 that's hoppin' and swingin' - like being inside a jukebox. Smokey Joe's Café is where all the cool Daddy-O's and neighborhood gals are dancing to music from the days of the zoot suit up to 1960s love songs. If you're expecting a plot line, a bit of spoken dialogue, you kids won't get it. This musical revue is purely fun. It involves no setup or explanation, and simply celebrates music from days gone by.
27 Jan 2004

New Ground Show Explores the Lighter Side of Women's Troubles: "Female Problems: A Musical"

By Administrator
Female problems. According to this musical by Nicole Hollander and Cheri Coons, we (as in women) have lots of them. Whether it's ridding our closets of shoes, trying new hairstyles every month, loving our insufficient-but-tolerable husbands, or fretting over the weight gain from (gasp!) a piece of German chocolate cake, we have lots of important issues on our minds that require a lifetime of worry, tummy-tucks, and doctor visits.
13 Jan 2004

Playcrafters' "Woman in Black" Provides Chills and Thrills

By Jill Walsh
A night of reviewing a theatrical production doesn't usually leave me shuffling about the house in my pajamas, checking closets and under the bed for ghosts. But Susan Hill's thriller Woman in Black at Playcrafters Barn Theatre was just chilling enough to send me scurrying under the safety of my bedspread, eyes shut tight to whatever roamed my imagination.
09 Dec 2003

Opera@Augustana's "Godspell" Offers Lively Celebration

By Administrator
With bright, rainbow wardrobes and electric intensity, the 12-person Opera @ Augustana ensemble of Godspell resembled a contemporary (and Christian) version of Hair. The vibrant student actors last weekend filled Wallenberg Hall at Augustana College with the spirit of music and tromped about the stage praising God and engaging hundreds of audience members with optimistic songs.
25 Nov 2003

New Ground Tries Something New: Romantic Comedy

By Jill Walsh

With The Primitive opening this weekend, New Ground Theatre is doing something it's never tried before, and director Chris Jansen is very excited. The Primitive "is a charming romantic comedy!" she said.

25 Nov 2003

"The Guys" Commemorates, Benefits

By Jill Walsh

When Zach Pethoud read the script of The Guys by Anne Nelson, he decided it was an opportunity he couldn't turn down. "I knew right away that if I didn't direct it locally, someone else would," he said. So the Bettendorf native gathered a cast, secured the Bettendorf High School auditorium stage, and worked hard to put together the Quad Cities premiere of the play, which will be presented weekends from December 6 to 14.

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