Theatre
A Behanding in Spokane
District Theatre
Friday, May 13, through Saturday, May 21
Rock Island’s District Theatre opens its creepy-funny new production, appropriately enough, on Friday the 13th, and the show’s star is Brant Peitersen, who has been an incredibly active stage performer over the past few years. For the District, he appeared in High Fidelity, Big Rock Candy Christmas, and as Ebeneezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol. For Countryside Community Theatre, he was seen in Shrek: The Musical, Big Fish, and Jesus Christ Superstar. For the Playcrafters Barn Theatre, he was featured in last fall’s Harvey. I even acted with him myself in the QC Theatre Workshop’s 2014 Bat Boy: The Musical. So let’s give Brant Peitersen a hand!
No, seriously. He really, really needs a hand. Preferably a leftie.
Peitersen, you see, is now the lead in A Behanding in Spokane, running at the District Theatre May 13 through 21. And while Peitersen’s drifter character Carmichael is short on several things, including patience and temper, it’s the absence of his left hand, understandably, that’s really making his blood boil.
This acclaimed dark comedy opens with Carmichael in a dingy, small-town hotel room, awaiting the arrival of Tony and Marilyn – a pair of grifters who claim to have the hand forcibly removed from Carmichael 27 years prior. They’re willing to sell it back to him for 500 bucks, and Carmichael is willing to pay. But is the hand they offer him actually the one he lost? And if not, where’d they get this hand? And where is Carmichael’s? And why does that odd receptionist Mervyn keep barging into the room?
If you know your modern über-grim comedies, you likely know these are questions that could only be answered by Martin McDonagh, the Tony-nominated, Oscar-winning talent behind such twisted theatre pieces as The Pillowman and Beauty Queen of Leenane and those violent movie riots In Bruges and Seven Psychopaths. With 2010’s A Behanding in Spokane, McDonagh lends his signature laugh-’til-you-gasp inventiveness to this tale of betrayal and retribution peppered with gloriously Byzantine monologues – the sort that Peitersen and castmates Jordan McGinnis, Liv Lyman, and Aaron Lord will no doubt tear into for District director Michael Turczynski.
Described by the New York Daily News as a “wildly entertaining black comedy,” and Bloomberg.com as “insane yet also fiendishly funny,” the area debut of A Behanding in Spokane will no doubt thrill audiences with with its unpredictable blend of terror and laughs. So make reservations now. This thing could wind up making money hand over fi– ... .
Sorry, Brant. Didn’t mean to rub it in.
A Behanding in Spokane will be performed Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m., and more information and tickets are available by calling (309)781-5972 or visiting DistrictTheatre.com.
Theatre
A Woman Called Truth
Playcrafters Barn Theatre
Friday, May 13, through Sunday, May 22
If you’re familiar with the name of abolitionist and human-rights activist Sojourner Truth, who lived from 1797 to 1883, you may be familiar with her legendary speech commonly known as “Ain’t I a Woman?”, which Truth delivered at the Ohio Women’s Rights Convention in 1851. After all, as frequent area actor/director Fred Harris Jr. says, “YouTube is stacked with it. So many actresses have done that piece for themselves on the Internet; you can find it, like, 50,000 times.”
Yet despite the speech’s fame, when it came time to begin rehearsals for the Playcrafters Barn Theatre’s biographical drama A Woman Called Truth (running at the Moline venue May 13 through 21), show director Harris says his team collectively realized that they were all better acquainted with Truth’s words than with her history. “Everybody was in the same boat,” says Harris. “We all knew who she was, but we really didn’t realize the extent of her life.”
For audiences similarly unaware of Sojourner Truth’s extraordinary saga, playwright Sandra Feniche Asher’s A Woman Called Truth will no doubt offer an illuminating, deeply moving, and ultimately triumphant introduction to a person who, in 2014, was included in Smithsonian magazine’s list of the “100 Most Significant Americans of All Time.”
Truth’s life story is filled with astounding milestones: She became the first black woman to win a custody-based court case against a white man; she recruited black troops for the Union Army during the Civil War; she had private meetings with Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant. And according to Harris, A Woman Called Truth “chronicles her life from the day that she was sold away as a young girl through her struggle to free herself and her son, and then as she emerges as a popular figure advocating abolition and women’s rights.
“That’s unique in itself,” he continues, “but then you realize that this is all taking place in the northeast part of the country,” as that’s where Truth was born into slavery and subsequently chose to live as a free woman. “So things are a bit different. Not that slavery is any different. They’re a little more advanced in the northeast. But still, slavery is slavery.”
Despite the play’s dramatic elements, however, Harris says that Asher’s work “also has a lot of music infused into it. We hear her [Truth’s] actual words, but they’re combined with authentic slave songs, spirituals, folk songs ... . Really, it’s kind of like only the second musical I’ve directed. And we got fortunate to have some extremely gifted singers.”
Playcrafters’ cast includes such talents as local storyteller and radio host Shellie Moore Guy as Truth – whom Harris previously directed in 2009’s A Raisin in the Sun – along with an ensemble that features venue veterans Don Faust, Rae Mary, Joseph Obleton, Renaud Haymon, and Jim Strauss. And A Woman Called Truth continues Playcrafters’ tradition of being the most consistently reliable area venue in terms of bringing plays on the African-American experience to area patrons, with recent titles including not only Raisin but also Fences, A Lesson Before Dying, and Blues for an Alabama Sky.
“Playcrafters has really done a very good job of bringing some diverse plays to the Quad Cities,” says Harris. “They’re well-attended, everybody enjoys them ... . And with this one, there’s a historical aspect that I think is good for students as well as adults. I’d really like people to take away a piece of history that they can relate to.”
A Woman Called Truth runs Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m., and more information and tickets are available by calling (309)762-0330 or visiting Playcrafters.com.
Music
The Obsessed
Rock Island Brewing Company
Tuesday, May 24, 8 p.m.
On May 24, the Rock Island Brewing Company hosts an evening with the doom-metal musicians of The Obsessed, and the accompanying photograph is of band members Scott “Wino” Weinrich, Dave Sherman, and Brian Costantino. We considered, instead, accompanying this article with the album cover from the group’s second studio LP Lunar Womb. But we also understand that a lot of people read our paper over their lunch break and ... . Let’s just say the demonic meal featured on the Lunar Womb jacket – Francisco de Goya’s Saturn Devouring His Children – might not sit well alongside your chicken-salad sandwich.
Those with an appetite for loud and thrilling stoner rock, though, won’t want to miss this special RIBCO engagement that serves as one of the first stops on the newly reunited ensemble’s 2016 tour. Originally formed (with Weinrich one of its co-founders) in Maryland in 1976, The Obsessed played local and regional gigs until the release of its self-titled debut album, one recorded in 1985 but not released until 1990. Two additional albums followed over the next four years – 1991’s Lunar Womb and 1994’s The Church Within – and critics, now and then, were happy to name The Obsessed masters of their genre. (Reviewing a recent re-issue of Lunar Womb, Blabbermouth.net raved about the band’s “desert-baked, hallucinogenic, heavy-lidded, and black-hearted doom sound,” succinctly describing the album itself as “f---ing awesome.”)
Following several changes in the band’s lineup, The Obsessed formally disbanded in 1995. But this past March, Weinrich announced that The Obsessed was making a comeback with new members Sherman and Costantino, and was also working on its first new album in more than 20 years. RIBCO patrons will no doubt hear songs from that impending release on May 24, as well as some of those head-banging, mind-blowing tunes from The Obsessed’s first three albums.
Wanna get in the mood for them, fans? Try filling in the blanks with the appropriate words to form songs from The Obsessed’s repertoire:
1) "Endless _____"
2) "Living _____"
3) "Back to _____"
4) "Forever _____"
5) "Climate of _____"
6) "Kill Ugly _____"
A) Despair
B) Midnight
C) Rain
D) Circles
E) Zero
F) Naked
The Obsessed performs locally with opening sets by Karma to Burn and The Atomic Bitchwax, and more information is available by calling (309)793-1999 or visiting RIBCO.com.
Answers: 1 – D, 2 – C, 3 – E, 4 – B, 5 – A, 6 – F. Fill all those blanks with “Naked,” and you’d get an idea of what Reader staff meetings used to be like. Man, I miss the aughts.
What Else Is Happenin’ …?
MUSIC
Friday, May 13, and Saturday, May 14 – QC Steel Guitar Show. The area’s 25th-annual steel-guitar celebration featuring performances by the Dale Thomas Band on Friday, Joe Wright and Russ Weaver on Saturday, and other area and regional musicians. Davenport Eagles Club (4401 West Locust Street, Davenport). Friday 5:30 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. $10 each day. For information, call (563)391-1921.
Friday, May 13 – All Sweat Productions Presents: Abbey Road. The legendary Beatles album interpreted by area musicians Alan Sweet, Bret Dale, Randy Leasman, Dustin Cobb, Mike Rodbard, Dave Abdo, Craig Heidgerken, Jason Carl, Zach Harris, Zac Tatum, Kellen Myers, Don Gustofson, Ellis Kell, and Erin Moore. Redstone Room (129 Main Street, Davenport). 9 p.m. $11.50-50. For tickets and information, call (563)326-1333 or visit RiverMusicExperience.org. For a 2016 interview withj Sweet, visit RCReader.com/y/abbeyroad.
Saturday, May 14 – Weedeater. Concert with the stoner-metal musicians, featuring opening sets by Author & Punisher, Today Is the Day, and Lord Dying. Rock Island Brewing Company (1815 Second Avenue, Rock Island). 8 p.m. $16 advance tickets. For information, call (309)793-1999 or visit RIBCO.com.
Saturday, May 14 – Camp Euforia Battle of the Bands. Sets with local outfits Have Your Cake, The Tritones Jazz Ensemble, and Jason Carl & the Whole Damn Band, with the winners earning a slot at the July 14 through 16 Camp Euforia festival in Lone Tree, Iowa. Redstone Room (129 Main Street, Davenport). 9 p.m. Free. For information, call (563)326-1333 or visit RiverMusicExperience.org.
Saturday, May 14 – Blue Öyster Cult. Concert with the multi-platinum-selling rock and power-ballad musicians, with an opening set by April Wine. Riverside Casino Event Center (3184 Highway 22, Riverside). 8 p.m. $29-54. For tickets and information, call (877)677-3456 or visit RiversideCasinoAndResort.com.
Saturday, May 14 – Tommy Emmanuel. Jazz and world-music steel guitarist in concert. Englert Theatre (221 East Washington Street, Iowa City). 8 p.m. $32-102. For tickets and information, call (319)688-2653 or visit Englert.org.
Saturday, May 14 – Celebrate Mom at the Pops: An Evening of Leroy Anderson. Annual Mother’s Day concert with the Knox-Galesburg Symphony performing from the repertoire of legendary composer Anderson. Orpheum Theatre (57 South Kellogg Street, Galesburg). 7:30 p.m. $10-20. For tickets and information, call (309)342-2299 or visit GalesburgOrpheum.org.
Sunday, May 15 – The Edgar Crockett Quartet. Polyrhythms presents a 6 p.m. concert themed “Voice of the Trumpet” with musicians Crockett, Corey Kendrick, Ron Wilson, and Manuel Lopez III, preceded by a 3 p.m. all-ages jazz workshop. Redstone Room (129 Main Street, Davenport). $10-15 concert; $5 workshop, free for kids. For tickets and information, call (309)373-0790 or visit Polyrhythms.com or RiverMusicExperience.org.
Sunday, May 15 – Har Mar Superstar. Pop and R&B singer/songwriter Sean Tillmann in concert, with an opening set by Solid Gold. Daytrotter (324 Brady Street, Davenport). 8 p.m. $15-20. For tickets and information, visit Daytrotter.com.
Tuesday, May 17 – Heart. Concert with the chart-topping Rock & Roll Hall of Famers, with an opening set by Lynch Mob. iWireless Center (1201 River Drive, Moline). 7 p.m. $25-69.50. For tickets, call (800)745-3000 or visit iWirelessCenter.com.
Tuesday, May 17 – Halestorm. Pennsylvania-based rockers in concert, with opening sets by Lacuna Coil and Cilver. Adler Theatre (136 East Third Street, Davenport). 7:30 p.m. $31.50-54. For tickets, call (800)745-3000 or visit AdlerTheatre.com.
Tuesday, May 17 – Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros. A Codfish Hollow Barnstormers concert with the independent folk musicians. Codfish Hollow Barn (5013 288th Avenue, Maquoketa). 7 p.m. $35. For tickets and information, visit CodfishHollowBarnstormers.com.
Thursday, May 19 – Laura Gibson. Nashville-based singer/songwriter in concert. Englert Theatre (221 East Washington Street, Iowa City). 7:30 p.m. $10-12. For tickets and information, call (319)688-2653 or visit Englert.org.
Friday, May 20 – The Nadas. Concert with the Iowa-based alt-rock and country musicians, with an opening set by Eric Pettit Lion. Redstone Room (129 Main Street, Davenport). 9 p.m. $16.75-17. For tickets and information, call (563)326-1333 or visit RiverMusicExperience.org.
Friday, May 20 – Jack Lion. Jazz and electronica musicians in concert, with an opening set by The Curl. Rozz-Toz (2108 Third Avenue, Rock Island). 9 p.m. $5-10. For information, call (309)200-0978 or visit RozzTox.com.
Friday, May 20 – Josh Thompson. Concert with the Nashville-based country singer. Red Rodeo (1720 Second Avenue, Rock Island). 8 p.m. $15-20. For tickets and information, call (309)206-8508 or visit TheRedRodeo.com.
Friday, May 20 – Bucktown Revue. A celebration of Mississippi River Valley culture through music, storytelling, poetry and humor, with emcee Scott Tunnicliff and special guests. Nighswander Theatre (2822 Eastern Avenue, Davenport). 7 p.m. $13 at the door. For information, call (563)940-0508 or visit BucktownRevue.com.
Saturday, May 21 – Verskotzi. Concert with the Minneapolis-based singer/songwriter Joey Verskotzi, featuring opening sets by Greyhounds and Foxholes. Daytrotter (324 Brady Street, Davenport). 8 p.m. $8-12. For tickets and information, visit Daytrotter.com.
Saturday, May 21 – Mayday Madness. Concert with area hip-hop musicians MC Squar3d, Boogie Get’em, Grewsum, Cattacombs, Crush, and Reality. Redstone Room (129 Main Street, Davenport). 8 p.m. $8.50-9. For tickets and information, call (563)326-1333 or visit RiverMusicExperience.org.
Saturday, May 21 – Farewell Angelina. All-female country-music quartet in concert. Timber Lake Playhouse (8215 Black Oak Road, Mt. Carroll). 7 p.m. $20. For tickets and information, call (815)244-2035 or visit TimberLakePlayhouse.org.
Sunday, May 22 – The Jayhawks. Concert with the alt-country and Americana musicians, with an opening set by Folk Uke. Englert Theatre (221 East Washington Street, Iowa City). 7 p.m. $30. For tickets and information, call (319)688-2653 or visit Englert.org.
THEATRE
Saturday, May 14 – Quad City Playwrights Festival. The 17th-annual presentation of staged readings of 10-minute works, with plays by Cam Best, Jordan McGinnis, Michael Callahan, and Aaron Adair followed by a reception and talk-back with the actors, directors, and playwrights. Augustana College’s Potter Theatre (Bergendoff Hall, 3701 Seventh Avenue, Rock Island). 1:30 p.m. Free. For information, call (309)794-7306 or visit Augustana.edu/arts.
Wednesday, May 18 – The Genesius Guild: Past, Present, & Future. Guild founder Don Wooten will describe the beginnings of the troupe, its place in area-theatre history and Quad Cities cultural life, and its future plans. Rock Island Public Library (401 19th Street, Rock Island). 6 p.m. Free. For information, call (309)732-7323 or visit RockIslandLibrary.org.
Tuesday, May 24 – In My Life: A Musical-Theatre Tribute to the Beatles. Musical biography of the Fab Four featuring the tribute band Abbey Road, with a performance by the Iowa City High School String Quartet. Coralville Center for the Performing Arts (1301 Fifth Street, Coralville). 7:30 p.m. $35-55. For tickets and information, call (319)248-9370 or visit CoralvilleArts.org.
COMEDY
Friday, May 13 – An Evening with David Sedaris. Readings by the internationally renowned humorist and bestselling author. Orpheum Theatre (57 South Kellogg Street, Galesburg). 7:30 p.m. $20-40. For tickets and information, call (309)342-2299 or visit GalesburgOrpheum.org.
VISUAL ARTS
Through Wednesday, May 18 – Bruce Carter: Retrospective. Exhibit composed of work ranging from the late artist’s college days to more-recent paintings. Scott Community College Library Gallery (500 Belmont Road, Betendorf). Free. For information, call (563)441-4338 or visit EICC.edu.
Saturday, May 14, through Sunday, May 22 – Young Artists at the Figge: Pleasant Valley Schools. Annual exhibition of works by elementary art students. Figge Art Museum (225 West Second Street, Davenport). Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Thursday 10 a.m.-9 p.m., Sunday noon-5 p.m. Free with $4-7 museum admission. For information, call (563)326-7804 or visit FiggeArtMuseum.org.
Wednesday, May 18, through Friday, July 1 – Don Heggen and David Smith. Exhibit of sculptures and prints by Smith and watercolors by Heggen, the latter of whom passed away last May. Quad City Arts Center (1715 Second Avenue, Rock Island). Tuesday through Friday 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Free. For information, call (309)793-1213 or visit QuadCityArts.com.
Friday, May 20, and Saturday, May 21 – Metro Mini Makers of the Quad Cities: Miniatures from the Heart of the Country. The 32nd-annual sale and exhibition of dollhouse miniatures, featuring workshops, raffle prizes, and more. Davenport RiverCenter (136 East Third Street, Davenport). Friday 4-8 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.-4 p.m. $5, ages 12 and under free. For information, call (309)797-6489 or visit RiverCtr.com.
KIDS’ STUFF
Sunday, May 15 – Dr. Scott Talks Dinosaurs! Family-themed interactive presentation with the paleontologist host of PBS’s Dinosaur Train. Englert Theatre (221 East Washington Street, Iowa City). 1:30 p.m. $25. For tickets and information, call (319)688-2653 or visit Englert.org.
EVENTS
Thursday, May 12 – Girl’s Night Outback: Australia’s Thunder from Down Under. Interactive show featuring male dancers, seductive routines, and cheeky humor. Davenport RiverCenter (136 East Third Street, Davenport). 7:30 p.m. $25-35. For tickets, call (800)745-3000 or visit RiverCtr.com.
Saturday, May 14 – Forget-Me-Not Victorian Day. Celebrate the160th anniversary of the cemetery’s official incorporation through storytelling, guided tours, period music, and more. Oakdale Memorial Cemetery (2501 Eastern Avenue, Davenport). Noon-5 p.m. $5, ages 12 and under free. For information, call (563)324-5121 or visit OakdaleMemorialGardens.org.
Friday, May 20, and Saturday, May 21 – Bottom’s Up Quad City Burlesque: Sensual Circus. Traditional burlesque and vaudeville entertainment with the area artists and emcee Joshua Kahn. Circa ’21 Speakeasy (1818 Third Avenue, Rock Island). 8 p.m. $16-18. For tickets and information, call (309)786-7733 extension 2 or visit Circa21.com.
Friday, May 20, through Sunday, May 22 – DubuqueFest. Annual weekend celebration of the arts, with live music, craft vendors, exhibitions, food, children’s activities, and more. Downtown Dubuque’s Washington Park and Town Clock Plaza. Free. For information, visit DubuqueFest.org.
Saturday, May 21 – St. Ambrose University Wine Festival. Enjoy samples of numerous wines and appetizers in the annual outdoor fundraiser for student scholarships. St. Ambrose University (518 West Locust Street, Davenport). 3 p.m. $45-50. For tickets and information, call (563)333-6290 or visit SAU.edu.
