15 Jun 2026

“Something's Coming Somewhere Tonight, Maria.” “Cool!”: “West Side Story,” at the Spotlight Theatre through June 21

By Pamela Briggs

Adam Sanders' production has some of the most intricate, varied, prolonged, high-density, high-energy choreography I’ve yet seen.

15 Jun 2026

A Loaf of Bread, Some Jugs of Wine, and Wow: “Les Misérables,” at the Timber Lake Playhouse through June 28

By Mike Schulz

There's no point in burying the lede on this: The Timber Lake Playhouse's Les Misérables is the most visually powerful, thunderously well-performed area production I've seen since my first published stage review debuted in 2005, and even since I first arrived in the Quad Cities for college in 1986.

15 Jun 2026

Stand Up, They're Rockin' the 'Boat: “Guys & Dolls,” at the Clinton Area Showboat Theatre through June 21

By Mike Schulz

This past Thursday, after a full week of unseasonably hot, muggy weather, we were finally treated to an evening that was cool and breezy. I'm prone to credit the Clinton Area Showboat Theatre's Guys & Dolls for the atmospheric shift, because as season-opening presentations go, this one was as cool and breezy as they come.

15 Jun 2026

Boat Over Troubled Water: “The Shark Is Broken,” at the Black Box Theatre through June 27

By Kitty Israel

Because The Shark Is Broken is an insider look at the making of Jaws, it seems both fitting and somewhat ironic that the play and movie share the same villain.

15 Jun 2026

Smells Like Cheese Spirit: “The Stinky Cheese Man & Other Fairly Stupid Tales,” at the Playcrafters Barn Theatre through June 21

By Madeline Dudziak

John Glore’s theatrical adaptation preserves the witty, slightly dark sensibility that made the book so beloved by youth and adults alike, and as directed by Jennifer Hoeper, the Playcrafters Barn Theatre's presentation combines adults and children to bring these fractured fairy tales to life.

15 Jun 2026

They the People, in Order to Form a More Perfect Union … : Quad City Music Guild's “1776,” at the Prospect Park Auditorium through June 21

By Pamela Briggs

Magic is on display in Quad City Music Guild's and director Kathryn Weber's current, spirited presentation of 1776, its music direction by Claire Schaecher and choreography by Beth Marsoun. (And I hear the intermission hot dogs are terrific.)

09 Jun 2026

Genesius Guild's “Antigone,” June 20 through 28

By Reader Staff

An ancient-Greek classic that has long been translated for stage, cinema, television, and more than a half-dozen full-length operas, Sophocles' Antigone will be staged in Rock Island's Lincoln Park June 20 through 28, Genesius Guild's latest serving as the theatre company's annual presentation largely performed in traditional Greek masks.

02 Jun 2026

Riverside Theatre's “A Midsummer Night's Dream,” June 12 through 28

By Reader Staff

One of the most deservedly beloved of all titles in the William Shakespeare canon, the magical, pastoral romance A Midsummer Night's Dream enjoys a June 12 through 28 Riverside Theatre presentation, its performances in Iowa City's Lower City Park reuniting audiences with an iconic work enjoyed for centuries by audiences of all ages.

25 May 2026

This Dragon Slays: “The Tales of Custard the Dragon,” at the Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse through June 20

By Pamela Briggs

I enjoy experiencing new-to-me talent, but it’s cozy and comforting to see familiar faces at the theatre.

05 May 2026

From Russia, with Love: “Fiddler on the Roof,” at the Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse through June 27

By Madeline Dudziak

Fiddler on the Roof is often considered one of the final entries in the Golden Age of Broadway era, a period defined by sweeping scores, big ensembles, and stories rooted deeply in character and community. Director Georgette Kleier’s production checks nearly every one of those boxes handily.

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