You may think blending the exquisite classical beauty of the Nutcracker ballet with the gritty urban energy of hip hop would be like oil and water. Yet The Hip Hop Nutcracker – making its Quad Cities debut at Davenport's Adler Theatre (136 East Third Street) on November 27 – has entertained audiences nationwide since 2013. The beloved holiday story and enchanting music, paired with staggeringly limber breakdancers, will be performed as part of a tour to more than 25 U.S. cities.
In the eagerly awaited return of a seasonal Quad Cities tradition, visitors can experience the wonders of a classic Victorian holiday season in Moline's unique Deere-family homes through 19th Century Christmas, the Butterworth Center's and Deere-Wiman House's annually beloved December 1 event boasting litany of yuletide treats including live music performances, interactive tours, make-and-take activities, refreshments, and, of course, a special visit by Santa Claus.
In a beloved seasonal tradition, family audiences are invited to the Vibrant Arena at the MARK from December 5 through 8 to experience the wonderful world of Disney – on Ice – in the brand-new touring sensation Disney on Ice Presents: "Frozen" & "Encanto," with the Moline venue transformed into an enormous skating rink for thrilling takes on two of the studio's most popular and acclaimed animated films of recent years, both of which won Academy Awards for Best Animated Feature.
Created in partnership with the Smithsonian Institute’s Traveling Exhibit team, the illuminating and engaging immersive exhibition Hubble Telescope: New Views of the Universe will be on display at Davenport's Putnam Museum & Science Center through January 26, this fascinating, family-themed exhibit designed to be constantly updated with the newest imagery and technology coming from the Hubble and James Webb Space Telescopes.
Coupling the intentional carved marks of 15th-century wood engravings with the bold shapes and composition of early-20th-century expressionist woodcuts, Joseph Lappie's art exhibition Die Hoffnung der Pflanzen: The Hope of Plants will be on display at Davenport's German American Heritage Center through February 23, delivering a hand-colored contemporary portrayal of personal herbology, or the assumed language of a plant and its individual meaning to a person.
In the wake of Donald Trump’s national victory and his losing margin dropping to 11 points in Illinois from 17 in two prior races, state legislative Democrats here have different views on how their party should proceed.
After seven years tucked nearly out of sight in downtown Davenport, the growing Bix Beiderbecke Museum & Archive is raising money for a move across the street.
Just about nothing happened in the first week of veto session in the House and the Senate. The Democratic legislative leaders are still trying to figure out what their members want to do in the wake of Republican President-Elect Donald Trump’s victory and whether that can be done. Whether that action starts in the second and final week of veto session, or in the lame-duck January session or in the regular spring session, is still up in the air as I write this.
Local artist and friend John Bald reached out to me several months ago and said, “Todd, we have to do something about what they are spraying us with in the skies! Have you seen this?” Of course I have seen it, I told John.
Back in 2018, about midway through President Donald Trump’s first term, the Illinois Senate passed a bill that was designed to prevent “the weakening of Illinois environmental and labor regulations in response to a weakening of federal regulations,” according to an Illinois Environmental Council press release.
A hilarious and endearing tale based on the best-selling book series by Barbara Park, Junie B. Jones in Jingle Bells, Batman Smells is set to delight audiences at Rock Island's Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse, the family comedy's November 26 through December 29 run treating family crowds to a show that led River Cities' Reader reviewer Thom White to rave, "I was legitimately laughing throughout the performance."
A well-known seasonal tale gets an inventive theatrical makeover when Iowa City's Riverside Theatre presents playwright Joe Landry's It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play, which finds Frank Capra's holiday classic – and the entire town of Bedford Falls – re-enacted by a cast of five in this delightful November 29 through December 15 stage presentation.
With Chicago Stage lauding the "brilliant portrayal" at its center, the touring stage hit Christmas with C.S. Lewis lands at Davenport's Adler Theatre on December 1, this delightful one-man show starring Aaron Mays celebrating the unique friendship between Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, the iconic authors of the Chronicles of Narnia and the Lord of the Rings series.
Thanks to a wealth of talent onstage and behind the scenes, Miracle on 34th Street: The Musical is visually and aurally impressive. But Willson's material sometimes falls short of delightful.
Composed of bass player Bob Skeat, guitarist Mark Abrahams, drummer Mike Trescott, and guitarist Andy Powell, the latter of whom began recording with the group more than 50 years ago, a legendary rock outfit plays Davenport's Redstone Room in the venue's November 26 concert with Wishbone Ash, the band's "Wish List Tour" boasting the trademark twin-guitar sound and mix of heavy-guitar edge and prog-rock adventurousness that made the outfit one of the definitive British hard rock bands of the 1970s.
A genuine blues-rock legend who famously opened for B.B. King when he was only 12 years old, singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Joe Bonamassa makes his eagerly awaited return to Davenport's Adler Theatre on November 29, treating fans to the hard-driving talents that have resulted in 27 chart-topping Billboard Blues Albums (more than any other artist in history) three Grammy Award nominations, and collaborations with some of blues music's most iconic performers.
Taking place in conjunction with the 60th anniversary of the Beatles coming to the United States for their iconic appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, the touring sensation Liverpool Legends: The Complete Beatles Experience lands at Davenport's Adler Theatre on November 30, treating audience to a pitch-perfect approximation of a Fab Four experience and multi-media celebration of the group that changed the music world forever.
Touring in support of their acclaimed sophomore album Fools Parade, the summertime release hailed by Far Out Magazine as "another stellar bag of sincere and captivating psychedelia," the California-based rockers of Color Green headline a November 30 concert at Davenport's Raccoon Motel, their latest inspiring Psychedelic Scene to rave, "With each note and every lyric, they invite listeners to join them on a transcendent sonic adventure, where the only limit is the boundless expanse of the imagination."
Boasting timeless Johnny Cash songs including "I Walk the Line," "Ring of Fire," and "A Boy Named Sue" alongside such June Carter Cash hits as "Jackson," "If I Were a Carpenter," and "It Ain’t Me," A Johnny & June Country Christmas enjoys an engagement at Maquoketa's Ohnward Fine Arts Center on November 30, this yuletide treat also featuring your favorite Christmas songs performed by music greats Bennie Wheels and Lori Gravel.
It goes without saying that the long-awaited arrival of a Wicked movie is being met with feverish anticipation by many sects of the musical's fan base. The best news about director Jon M. Chu's film version is that it matches devotees' collective excitement with unmissable, infectious excitement of its own.
Going to the cineplex or staying in and streaming this weekend? Every Thursday morning at 8:15 a.m. you can listen to Mike Schulz dish on recent movie releases & talk smack about Hollywood celebs on Planet 93.9 FM with the fabulous Dave & Darren in the Morning team of Dave Levora and Darren Pitra. The morning crew previews upcoming releases, too.
Or you can check the Reader Web site and listen to their latest conversation by the warm glow of your electronic device. Never miss a pithy comment from these three scintillating pundits again.
Thursday, November 21: Discussion of Hot Frosty, Red One, A Real Pain, and Emilia Perez (the worst one isn't the one you think), and previews of this year's "Barbenheimer" event: the "Glicked" two-fer of Wicked and Gladiator II. No segment during Turkey Week, so we overstuffed this one. Happy Thanksgiving and we'll be back in December!
There's a kick in watching actors play their widely recognized “types” so flawlessly, and with such fresh enthusiasm, that these roles feel like ideal distillations of their portrayers' talent and presence. I'm thinking of Brad Pitt in Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood and Julia Roberts in Erin Brockovich … and also, now, Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin in A Real Pain.
Both the funniest and saddest Cinderella tale you've ever seen, writer/director Sean Baker's Anora is a great movie with some great big problems.
Now playing at area theaters.
Boasting large woodcut prints and charcoal and pastel drawings of a dying willow tree from her yard in Dubuque, the arresting, fascinating exhibition Louise Kames: I Don’t See Anything That’s Not Beautiful – on display November 30 through April 6 – will be showcased in the Gildehaus Gallery of Davenport's Figge Art Museum, the artist focused on creating works that explore the beauty of natural decay, the line between life and death, and what remains after.
Between now and November 30, Dubuque's Voices Studio will host a new and compelling dual exhibition featuring the works of renowned artists Ellen Wagener and Greg Gossel, whose works displayed in separate galleries will deliver a full visual experience that juxtaposes the serene, ethereal landscapes of Wagener with the bold, provocative explorations of pop culture by Gossel.
A wide variety of artworks – thoughtful, arresting, disturbing, even hilarious – by nearly four dozen area artists will be on display at the Quad City Arts Center through December 6, with the Rock Island venue presenting a series of fascinating takes on the prompt of the exhibit's title: “It's Fine. Everything Is Fine.”
From now through December 7, local and regional artists and crafters are sharing their talents for a good cause in the Muscatine Art Center's Heartfelt & Handmade Ornament Competition Exhibit, with beautifully designed ornaments on display and available for purchase beginning December 7, and each sale benefiting the Friends of the Muscatine Art Center and its mission to support educational programs.
Roughly 40 photographs showcasing the exhilarating and dangerous world of motorsport will be on display at the University of Dubuque's Bisignano Art Gallery, with the exhibition Freezing Speed – Ian Brightman offering evocative, arresting images through December 31.
You'll get both the current official narrative challenge and What's Happenin' in the Quad Cities.
(Did you know we publish a new Amy Alkon Advice Goddess, Real Astrology, Red Meat cartoon and RCR Crossword every week?)
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