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Saving Mrs. Bankrupt: "The Way West," at the Village Theatre through May 24
It was difficult to go into Saturday’s performance of New Ground Theatre’s The Way West without high expectations given the cast of women involved. I’ve enjoyed all four of them in the past and was...
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Accentuate the Postulant: "The Sound of Music," at the Circa '21 Dinner...
There’s an effervescent joy permeating the Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse’s The Sound of Music from beginning to end – minus the Nazi involvement, of course. Director/choreographer Jim Hesselman’s...
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Disability Assurance: "The Boys Next Door," at the Richmond Hill Barn Theatre...
I sat through Thursday’s The Boys Next Door at the Richmond Hill Barn Theatre fascinated and perplexed by the mixture of emotions I felt. Author Tom Griffin’s play about four men with various degrees...
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Turn Your Hips and Coif: "Hairspray," at the Timber Lake Playhouse through...
Good gawd is the Timber Lake Playhouse’s Hairspray fun. I went into Saturday’s matinée with eager anticipation and left with a sense of thrilled enjoyment, floating on a cloud of happiness. Director...
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Feline Groovy: "Cats," at the Clinton Area Showboat Theatre through June 21
I struggle with where to begin in praising director Matthew Teague Miller’s Cats at the Clinton Area Showboat Theatre, simply because there’s so much to praise.
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Deaf Poetry Jam: "Tribes," at the QC Theatre Workshop through June 28
The QC Theatre Workshop’s Tribes didn’t start off well for me on Friday, as I immediately hated Adam Cerny’s overacting, with eye rolls so huge I was sure anyone in the lobby could see them through the...
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Just for the Mel of It: "Young Frankenstein," at the Prospect Park Auditorium...
On at least three occasions during Thursday’s preview performance, Quad City Music Guild’s Young Frankenstein achieved a transcendent silliness – the kind you get with stunning regularity in Mel...
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Will Plower: "Gianni Schicchi," at Lincoln Park through June 21
Saturday's performance of Genesius Guild's and Opera @ Augustana's Gianni Schicchi was rained out, which presented a dilemma: Do I act responsibly and attend and review Sunday's performance instead, or...
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Varied Treasure: "How I Became a Pirate," at the Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse...
How long does it take for an area production to become legendary? In the case of the Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse’s How I Became a Pirate, I’d say about one week, because after the show’s debut staging...
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Feast and Foremost: "The Big Meal," at the Timber Lake Playhouse through June 27
Playwright Dan LeFranc’s The Big Meal deserves every superlative I can, and will, use to praise it. The forward progression of his plot about the life of a couple from first meeting to final resting...
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Savior Faire: "Jesus Christ Superstar," at North Scott High School through...
Director Jeff Ashcraft's vision for Countryside Community Theatre's Jesus Christ Superstar is clear from the very beginning. As the orchestra, under music director Keith Haan's capable leadership,...
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Ol' Blank Eyes: "My Way: A Musical Tribute to Frank Sinatra," at the Clinton...
The Clinton Area Showboat Theatre’s My Way: A Musical Tribute to Frank Sinatra is filled with beautiful vocals from beginning to end, as Christian Chambers, Livvy Marcus, Jonathan Young, and Bailey...
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Things Are Seldom What They Scheme: "The Merry Wives of Windsor," at Lincoln...
Genesius Guild’s The Merry Wives of Windsor is a study in comedic styles, particularly in comparing the portrayals of Bob Hanske’s lothario Falstaff and Andy Curtiss’ hot-headed Ford. Hanske offers a...
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Barrie, Barrie Good: "Peter Pan," at the Timber Lake Playhouse through July 12
There’s magic in the Timber Lake Playhouse’s Peter Pan that reached my inner child and set him dancing. Even knowing that Rosie Upton’s title character would fly, I still got chills when scenic...
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Courting Danger: "A Few Good Men," at the District Theatre through July 12
With its ornate ceiling and fascinating, borderline-gaudy hanging light fixtures in the District Theatre's new home in the former Rock Island Argus building, A Few Good Men seems an appropriate...
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Oh, the Places You'll Go!: "Seussical," at the Clinton Area Showboat Theatre...
It is with no hesitation that I admit adoring Stephen Flaherty's and Lynn Ahrens' musical Seussical, for which Flaherty wrote the music and Ahren the lyrics, with both collaborating on the book. Though...
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Revenge Is a Dish Best Served Old: "The Robin Hood Caper," at the Richmond...
The opening scene in the Richmond Hill Barn Theatre’s The Robin Hood Caper is one you’ve likely sat through, in different iterations, in numerous stage comedies over the years. It introduces us to the...
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Tall Tails: "Big Fish," at North Scott High School through July 19
Adam Nardini deserves credit for making Countryside Community Theatre’s Big Fish so endearing. Playing the father at the center of composer Andrew Lippa’s and playwright John August’s story – one based...
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Just Desserts: "The Red Velvet Cake War," at the Playcrafters Barn Theatre...
Two of the things I miss most about reviewing theatre with greater frequency are raving about area artists whose talents I’m quite familiar with, and raving about area artists whose talents are...
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The Sound and the Furry: "Cats," at the Prospect Park Auditorium through July 19
One of the biggest stars of Quad City Music Guild’s take on Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats never appears on stage, though her mark is rarely invisible the entire time, as designer Sara Wegener is...
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