Theatre
Antigone
QC Theatre Workshop
Friday, March 22, through Saturday, March 30
It seems to have taken forever to get here, but guess what, folks? Spring officially starts this week! The sun is shining! Birds are singing! And over at the QC Theatre Workshop, the season's arrival is being celebrated by our area's classical-theatre troupe the Prenzie Players with angry gods, family dishonor, rebellion, treachery, imprisonment, suicide ... !
Wow, Prenzies. Like a nice production of Barefoot in the Park would've killed ya?
Ah, but there's no reason to expect constant misery from the company's presentation of Antigone, French playwright Jean Anouilh's 1944 adaptation of Sophocles' ancient-Greek classic. Running March 22 through 30, the story of Antigone is, of course, a tragic one, telling of its heroine's single-minded quest to give her brother a decent burial in defiance of her unyielding father Creon. Yet there can, also of course, be exceptional catharsis and exhilaration - and even a few honest laughs - in a well-told execution of this tale, which director Catie Osborn will certainly strive for with her cast featuring gifted Prenzie veterans Dee Canfield, Andy Curtiss, Andy Koski, Jeb Makula, Aaron Sullivan, and Jake Walker performing alongside troupe newcomers Gini Atwell, William Scott Bray, and Abby VanGerpen.
To get yourself in the proper mood for the Prenzie's latest, try your hand at this quiz: Among the following characters (some of them only referenced in Anouilh's adaptation), would any of them, by the end of the play, still be around for an Antigone 2?
1) Antigone
2) Creon
3) Ismene
4) Eurydice
5) Haemon
6) Eteocles
7) Messenger
A) Yup. Still alive at the end.
B) Nope. Sleeping with the fishes.
Antigone performances will be held at 8 p.m. on Thursdays through Saturdays and 2 p.m. on Sunday - with the doors opening a half-hour before all shows - and more information and tickets are available by calling (309)278-8426 or visiting PrenziePlayers.com.
Answers: 1 - B, 2 - A, 3 - A, 4 - B, 5 - B, 6 - B, 7 - A. You know that expression "Don't kill the messenger?" They don't.
Music
Eric Sardinas
The Redstone Room
Saturday, March 23, 8 p.m.
Blues-rock slide guitarist and singer/songwriter Eric Sardinas plays Davenport's Redstone Room on March 23, and in researching the man's live performances, I was surprised to land on the information that he's been known to play slide with a full bottle of beer in hand, ending numbers with a celebratory geyser of foam.
That seemed a bit excessive until I read further, and learned that Sardinas has also been known to set his guitar alight during performances, and once, at a concert in Sydney, Australia, suffered third-degree burns to his wrist as a result. Now I'd be surprised if he didn't play slide with liquids nearby.
A 42-year-old Florida native who began playing guitar at the ripe old age of six, Sardinas began his early musical immersion listening to his mother's collections of gospel, soul, Motown, and early rock-and-roll albums, and was a member of numerous bands throughout high school. But his professional career began following his move to Los Angeles in the early '90s, where he assembled musicians for his outfit the Eric Sardinas Project and found himself not only performing 300 nights a year for nearly six years, but earning a touring gig alongside blues legend Johnny Winter.
It was in 1999 that Sardinas and his bandmates recorded their CD debut Treat Me Right, and since then - as both an ensemble musician and a solo artist - the guitarist has enjoyed enormous popular success for his electrifying guitar skills and rich, throaty vocals, releasing five additional albums and performing with the likes of noted bluesmen Hubert Sumlin and David "Honeyboy" Edwards.
Sardinas' reviews, too, have been filled with effusive praise, with AllMusic.com calling him "a rugged blues rocker with brains and brawn," and saying "once Sardinas revs up his engine, there is no slowing down." The United Kingdom's AlterBridge.org.uk, meanwhile, states, "Sardinas' unique mixture weaves his heavy blues and rock threads into a flamethrower to the listener," so prepare for an incendiary night of entertainment at the Redstone Room. And maybe keep your own full bottle of beer nearby. You know, just in case.
Eric Sardinas performs with an opening set by Mississippi Misfits, and more information on the evening is available by calling (563)326-1333 or visiting RiverMusicExperience.org.
Theatre
Letters Home
Galvin Fine Arts Center
Saturday, March 23, 7:30 p.m.
According to Greek mythology, the griffin is a creature of legend boasting the body, tail, and back legs of a lion, and the head, front feet, and wings of an eagle. It therefore makes perfect sense that Chicago's Griffin Theatre Company, with its lauded Iraq and Afghanistan war drama Letters Home, has fashioned its own kind of unique hybrid: one boasting the frame of a fascinating lecture and the soul of engrossing theatre. And if the production's reviews are to be trusted, it, too, has wings.
Being staged at St. Ambrose University's Galvin Fine Arts Center on March 23, Letters Home brings to life the experiences of male and female troops, and the loved ones they left behind, through actual correspondence written during the early years of the overseas conflicts. Adapter William Massolia, inspired by both the New York Times article "The Things They Wrote" and the HBO documentary Last Letters Home, explores military training, deployment, occupation duties, battle, and separation from family through a series of diverse voices enacted by Letters Home's cast of 10. In the process, Massolia's production also touches on resonant themes of bravery, social responsibility, patriotism, and compassion through both the words being spoken and the images and video projections that serve as background, all taken directly from actual soldiers' blogs and MySpace and Facebook pages.
What has resulted is a theatrical experience that received a nomination by Chicago's Joseph Jefferson Award organization for "Outstanding New Play," and one that has toured to dozens of cities nationwide since its 2007 debut, from California's Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts to Connecticut's Westport Country Playhouse. Those fearing a strident screed from Letters Home, however, shouldn't fear; according to the Daily Herald, "This thoughtfully conceived, quietly eloquent show avoids geo-politics and paints a compelling portrait of the men and women who carry out the country's political will." And those expecting nonstop grimness should also be pleasantly surprised, as Time Out Chicago praises the work's prowess at "balancing the light with the heavy," citing Letters Home's passage about "the solider who runs from the enemy, then discovers the enemy is in fact a baby camel." Which actually still sounds scary to me. Those freakin' things can spit.
For more information on, and tickets to, Letters Home, call (563)333-6251 or visit SAU.edu/galvin.
Music
Green Day
i wireless Center
Friday, March 29, 8 p.m.
Ashley:
I'm an American Idiot. A basket case before the brain stew of a lobotomy. A reject having a 21st Century breakdown while walking alone on a boulevard of broken dreams.
Oh love, I was waiting for you at the Green Day concert, hoping you'd let yourself go even if it meant hitchin' a ride. I was there. But in the end, I was a chump to expect a nightlife homecoming when you were having a blast with whatsername - the judge's daughter. I guess nice guys finish last.
Remember when I fell for you at that holiday makeout party at the library in '86? The one for the Razorbacks going to Pasalacqua that stuck with me all the time? Now that feels 2,000 light years away. You were the best thing in town, and even though I was a wild one and a scattered burnout, you led me on the road to acceptance. I had no pride, and you made this troublemaker feel like king for a day. Carpe Diem!
Well, I take back my love, you uptight, jaded brat. When it's time, it's time, and you need to know your enemy. It was like pulling teeth to see you tonight, and I don't want to feel any loss of control when I come around, so I'm coming clean: Your dominated love slave needs a rest, and I'd resist your lazy bones and geek stink breath even if you were the last of the American girls and this were the last night on Earth.
Good riddance, you android, from the forgotten disappearing boy,
Jesus of suburbia
Green Day plays Moline's i wireless Center on March 29 with opener Best Coast, and for tickets and the chance to hear some of the rock legends' 64 aforementioned songs, call (800)745-3000 or visit iwirelessCenter.com.
What Else Is Happenin'... ?
MUSIC
Thursday, March 21 - Brandon Heath & Mandisa. Concert with the Dove Award-winning and Grammy Award-nominated contemporary Christian artists. Adler Theatre (136 East Third Street, Davenport). 7 p.m. $19-30. For tickets, call (800)745-3000 or visit AdlerTheatre.com.
Friday, March 22 - March Madness with Levee Town and Kelley Richey. Americana quartet performs with the Ohio-based blues-rock singer/songwriter. The Muddy Waters (1708 State Street, Bettendorf). 8 p.m. $10. For information, call (563)355-0655 or visit TheMuddyWaters.com. For a 2007 interview with Richey, visit RCReader.com/y/richey.
Friday, March 22 - Elvis Lives! Multimedia concert event featuring Presley's classic songs, in a Broadway at the Adler presentation. Adler Theatre (136 East Third Street, Davenport). 8 p.m. $32-52. For tickets, call (800)745-3000 or visit AdlerTheatre.com.
Friday, March 22 - Franti Project: The Music of Michael Franti & Spearhead. A "Déjà Vu Rendezvous?h concert with half the proceeds benefiting the United Way of Western Connecticut's Sandy Hook / Newtown fund. The Redstone Room (129 Main Street, Davenport). 9 p.m. $5. For tickets and information, call (563)326-1333 or visit RiverMusicExperience.org.
Friday, March 22 - Naha Greenholtz. Award-winning Canadian violinist in concert. Englert Theatre (221 East Washington Street, Iowa City). 8 p.m. $10-12. For tickets and information, call (319)688-2653 or visit Englert.org.
Friday, March 22 - Neal McCoy. Concert with the platinum-selling country singer. Riverside Casino Event Center (3184 Highway 22, Riverside). 9 p.m. $22-35. For tickets and information, call (877)677-3456 or visit RiversideCasinoAndResort.com.
Saturday, March 23 - The Chordbusters Chorus. Concert with the men's barbershop ensemble. Central Performing Arts Center (519 East 11th Street, DeWitt). 7 p.m. $10. For tickets and information, call (563)249-8591 or visit CentralPerformingArtsCenter.org.
Saturday, March 23 - Chris Young. Chart-topping country singer in concert. Riverside Casino Event Center (3184 Highway 22, Riverside). 9 p.m. $39-59. For tickets and information, call (877)677-3456 or visit RiversideCasinoAndResort.com.
Saturday, March 23 - Morris Day & the Time. Concert with the rockers of "Jungle Love" and "The Bird." Quad-Cities Waterfront Convention Center (1777 Isle Parkway, Bettendorf). 7:30 p.m. $20-30. For information, call (800)724-5825 or visit Bettendorf.IsleOfCapriCasinos.com.
Tuesday, March 26 - Kopecky Family Band. Folk-rock musicians in concert, with an opening set by Evan P. Donohue. The Redstone Room (129 Main Street, Davenport). 7:30 p.m. $10. For tickets and information, call (563)326-1333 or visit RiverMusicExperience.org.
Wednesday, March 27 - An Evening with Todd Sucherman. Drum clinic and meet-and-greet with the pop superstar of Styx. The Redstone Room (129 Main Street, Davenport). 5:30 p.m. $10. For tickets and information, call (563)326-1333 or visit RiverMusicExperience.org.
Wednesday, March 27 - J.P. Soars & the Red Hots. Concert with the winners of the 2009 International Blues Challenge, sponsored by the Mississippi Valley Blues Society. Martini's on the Rock (4619 34th Street, Rock Island). 7 p.m. $8-10. For information, call (563)322-5837 or visit MVBS.org.
Thursday, March 28 - Justin Moore. Country singer in his Outlaws Like Me Tour, with special guest Dustin Lynch. Adler Theatre (136 East Third Street, Davenport). 7:30 p.m. $24.75-39.75. For tickets, call (800)745-3000 or visit AdlerTheatre.com.
Thursday, March 28 - The Ragbirds. Folk, rock, and world musicians in concert, with an opening set by the Eric Pettit Trio. The Redstone Room (129 Main Street, Davenport). 8 p.m. $8-10. For tickets and information, call (563)326-1333 or visit RiverMusicExperience.org.
Thursday, March 28 - Shuffle. Play. Listen. A blend of classical and pop music with cellist Matt Haimovitz and pianist Christopher O'Riley, in a Hancher Auditorium Visiting Artists presentation. Coralville Center for the Performing Arts (1301 Fifth Street, Coralville). 7:30 p.m. $10-37. For tickets and information, call (319)335-1160 or visit http://www.Hancher.UIowa.edu.
Friday, March 29 - The Return: A Tribute to the Beatles. Concert with the touring Fab Four impersonators. Quad-Cities Waterfront Convention Center (1777 Isle Parkway, Bettendorf). 7:30 p.m. $10-15. For information, call (800)724-5825 or visit Bettendorf.IsleOfCapriCasinos.com.
Wednesday, April 3 - MarchFourth Marching Band. Jazz, funk, and big-band musicians in concert. The Redstone Room (129 Main Street, Davenport). 8 p.m. $15. For tickets and information, call (563)326-1333 or visit RiverMusicExperience.org.
Wednesday, April 3 - Iris DeMent. The Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter in a Mission Creek Festival presentation. Englert Theatre (221 East Washington Street, Iowa City). 8 p.m. $29-33. For tickets and information, call (319)688-2653 or visit Englert.org.
THEATRE
Thursday, March 21, through Sunday, March 24 - No Exit. Jean-Paul Sartre's existential drama, directed by SAU senior Kristin Jett. St. Ambrose University's Galvin Fine Arts Center Studio Theatre (2101 Gaines Street, Davenport). Thursday and Friday 7:30 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 3 p.m. $6. For tickets and information, call (563)333-6251 or visit SAU.edu/theatre.
Friday, March 22, through Sunday, March 24 - Talley's Folly. Lanford Wilson's Pulitzer Prize-winning romantic drama. Old Creamery Studio Theatre (3023 220th Trail, Amana). Friday and Saturday 7:30 p.m., Sunday 2 p.m. $18-27.50 For tickets and information, call (319)622-6194 or visit OldCreamery.com.
Saturday, March 30, through Saturday, April 13 - The Life & Times of the Three Little Pigs. Comedic fairytale musical for family audiences. Old Creamery Theatre (39 38th Avenue, Amana). Saturdays at 1 p.m. $8.50. For tickets and information, call (319)622-6194 or visit OldCreamery.com.
LITERATURE
Friday, March 22 - A Memory, a Monologue, a Rant, & a Prayer. Annual readings on the theme of violence against women, with proceeds benefiting the One Billion Rising Campaign. St. Ambrose University's Rogalski Center (518 West Locust Street, Davenport). 7 p.m. $5-8. For information, call (563)333-6113 or visit SAU.edu.
Saturday, March 23 - Pen-in-Hand Writing Conference. Poetry workshops led by Ryan Collins, Erin M. Bertram, and Shane McCrae, with a panel discussion following. Midwest Writing Center (225 East Second Street, Suite 303, Davenport). Workshops at 9 a.m., 10:50 a.m., and 1:30 p.m.; panel discussion at 3.20 p.m. $25-30/event, $75-90/all four events. For information and to register, call (563)324-1410 or visit MidwestWritingCenter.org.
COMEDY
Thursday, March 21 - Etta May. Standup comedy with "The Queen of Southern Sass." Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse (1828 Third Avenue, Rock Island). 7 p.m. $20-25. For tickets and information, call (309)786-7733 extension 2 or visit Circa21.com.
Thursday, March 28 - Ralphie May. Standup comedian and Last Comic Standing contestant in his Too Big to Ignore Tour. Englert Theatre (221 East Washington Street, Iowa City). 7:30 p.m. $34.50. For tickets and information, call (319)688-2653 or visit Englert.org.
MOVIE
Wednesday, April 3 - Two Who Dared. The Jewish Federation of the Quad Cities co-presents the documentary on Waitstill and Martha Sharp, who aided Jewish and German refugees during World War II. Putnam Museum (1717 West 12th Street, Davenport). 7 p.m. $6-7. For tickets and information, call (563)324-0049 or visit Putnam.org.
EVENT
Friday, March 22 - Gilda's Club QC Fundraiser with Cesar Millan. Meet-and-greet fundraiser with the star of The Dog Whisperer, in a luncheon event co-sponsored by the Genesis Cancer Care Institute. Davenport RiverCenter (136 East Third Street, Davenport). Noon. $50 luncheon, $50 meet-and-greet. For tickets and information, call (563)326-7504 or visit GildasClubQC.org.
