The Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse's current production is The Bikinis, which is subtitled A New Musical Beach Party, and I attended Thursday's preview night. The musical part is enjoyable; the four singers and four-member band perform admirably. However, I'd personally subtitle the rest of the show When Bad Scripts Happen to Good People.

I was overdue for captivating theatre, and on Friday, the Black Box Theatre delivered.

With its source material named "the best American children's book of the past two hundred years" by the Children's Literature Association, the stage version of E.B. White's beloved Charlotte's Web enjoys a July 19 through 28 run at Moline's Playcrafters Barn Theatre, this adaptation by playwright Joseph Robinette praised by the Chicago Tribune as a theatre piece that "manages to hit the emotional and humorous high points of the original."

Adapted from the delightful series of children's picture books written and illustrated by sisters Victoria and Elizabeth Kann, the bubbly, bighearted Pinkalicious: The Musical enjoys a July 23 through August 10 run of morning and afternoon performances at Rock Island's Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse, the tasty stage treat lauded by Centerstage as "a cotton-candy-Technicolored dream come true."

Praised by Broadway World as "a nostalgic and enormously entertaining musical revue," the peppy and winning stage treat The Marvelous Wonderettes closes the 2024 summer season at the Clinton Area Showboat Theatre, the show's July 25 through August 4 run treating audiences to delightful renditions of 1950s and '60s pop classics including "Lollipop," "Dream Lover," "It's My Party," and "It's In His Kiss (The Shoop Shoop Song)."

A Steven Spielberg movie smash becomes a lavish, tuneful, funny, and romantic City Circle Theatre Company presentation in Catch Me If You Can, the Tony Award-winning Broadway hit that runs July 19 through 28 at the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts, and a show that Variety magazine praised for its “swinging orchestrations” and “considerable entertainment value.”

Mischa: All the newsies together are the true stars of the show – they filled the stage with enthusiasm and energy. So much youthful animation. And so much great ensemble singing!

Kitty: Absolutely. I think some people are hesitant to attend shows that feature a lot of young actors, but this group never comes across as inexperienced. Honestly, they were a highlight for me.

If you’re looking for a high-energy musical set on and around Independence Day (nice timing there, folks!), you won’t regret spending the evening grooving In the Heights.

Mischa: Fun fact: I didn’t really ever get into “Don’t Stop Believin’” until I heard the Glee version.

K: That’s because you like all the obscure, hipster ’80s music. Normal people love Journey.

The Timber Lake Playhouse’s latest production, Anything Goes, is a freaking hoot and a wonderful time out in the woods for fans of laughter and dazzling musical-theatre numbers. Directed by Tommy Ranieri, this Cole Porter classic practically hums with all the energy radiating off stage. Featuring some killer tech, knockout performances, and more camp than you conceive, this is a summer crowd-pleaser to see.

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