With The Telegraph reviewer Tim Walker stating, “I have seldom, if ever, heard louder or more sustained laughter in a theatre,” the object of that praise – the Tony-winning slapstick farce The Play That Goes Wrong – makes its area debut at the Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse, the show's January 19 through March 12 Rock Island run sure to demonstrate why the New York Times deemed it “a knockabout farce” whose audience “roared as loudly as the crowds at any wrestling match.”

I know the holidays are busy and holiday weekends busier still, but make room in your calendar for this fast-paced, hilarious little show, because it's completely worth it. The energy that director Tristan Tapscott’s cast brought to a very nearly empty house was unbelievable, and I can only imagine what the show would amount to in a packed theatre.

Frankly, I was feeling a bit smug when I entered the Spotlight Theatre on Saturday night. Like many, I've seen The Sound of Music onstage, and the film several times. I know how the scripts and songs differ, and what to expect. Yet this production still astounded me: It's a grand, rich experience.

The Timber Lake Playhouse’s latest jukebox musical, What a Wonderful World, is the magical tale of how Santa and Mrs. Claus try to retire – but in doing so, they must pass the baton to the new Santa, otherwise the North pole, and the fate of Christmas, are in danger of disappearing forever.