Comedy
Double Wider: Murder at the Chitlin County Fair and Five Card Murder
The Lodge Hotel and Skellington Manor
Friday, December 10, and Friday, December 17, 6:30 p.m.
When I first heard that Five Card Murder - the latest interactive comedy by the Quad Cities' It's a Mystery troupe - concerned a killing that takes place during a poker game, I thought it sounded like an ideal setup for big, juicy laughs. Then, a couple weeks later, some friends emptied my pockets in a poker game of our own. Now I'm just feeling enormous empathy for the killer.
My bitterness aside, there's sure to be all manner of hilarity on hand in this new production by author Scott Naumann (pictured - he's the one on the left), with Five Card Murder being performed at Rock Island's Skellington Manor on December 17. And the gifted It's a Mystery artists are doubling our delight this month, with December 10's Lodge Hotel staging of Naumann's trailer-park whodunit Double Wider: Murder at the Chitlin County Fair. Both events will begin with a 6:30 p.m. cocktail hour followed by a scrumptious dinner with the mysteries' respective suspects ... one of whom, in each case, won't be around for dessert.
While roaring at the performers' over-the-top antics, It's a Mystery guests will have plenty of opportunities to study clues and suss out potential assassins. But if you want a leg up on your fellow sleuths, here's a little pre-introduction: Try guessing which characters are in Five Card Murder, which are in Double Wider, and which one I made up to throw you off track:
1) Five Card Murder
2) Double Wider: Murder at the Chitlin County Fair
A) Flemm Hockin
B) Jack O'Harts
C) Ma Banks
D) Mike the Mark
E) Mo Ron
F) Pastor Prime
G) Pooter Ann
H) Ruby Redd
Reservations to Five Card Murder can be made by calling (563)344-9187, tickets to Double Wider: Murder at the Chitlin County Fair are available by calling (563)359-1607, and information on both shows can be found at ItsAMysteryQC.com.
Answers: 1 - B, C, H; 2 - A, E, F, G. "D" is the name I made up ... or rather, the name given to me by my poker-playing friends. The bastards.
Theatre
A Christmas Story
Davenport Junior Theatre
Saturday, December 11, through Sunday, December 19
For this year's annual holiday presentation, Davenport Junior Theatre is producing the stage adaptation of A Christmas Story, the modern film classic about a boy, his family, and his quest to secure an official Red Ryder carbine-action 200-shot range model air rifle with a compass in the stock and this thing which tells time. Of course, that's a rather long-winded description of the plot. I probably could've just written "A Zeppeli-i-in!!!" and memories of the movie would've come flooding back to you.
As that's my absolute favorite line of Christmas Story dialogue, I'm hoping that this student-performed take on the tale, directed by Jessica Sheridan, will find room for it in the show's hour-long running length. But if not, there are dozens upon dozens of other unforgettable quotes that'll no doubt be included. Prep yourself for Junior Theatre's Christmas-themed family fun - running December 11 through 19 - by matching the memorable Christmas Story line with the character who says it.
1) "Icicles have been known to kill people!"
2) "Cry! Cry for me, crybaby! Cry!!!"
3) "C-plus! Ha ha ha ha ha!!!"
4) "Meat loaf, smeat loaf, double beet loaf. I hate meat loaf!"
5) "NADDAFINGA!!!"
6) "You'll shoot your eye out, kid!"
7) "Ovaltine? A crummy commercial? Son of a bitch!"
A) Ralphie Parker
B) Randy Parker
C) Mr. Parker
D) Mrs. Parker
E) Ms. Shields
F) Scut Farkus
G) Santa Claus
A Christmas Story will performed on Saturdays at 1 and 4 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m., tickets are $5 for ages three and older, and more information is available by calling (563)326-7862 or visiting DavenportJuniorTheatre.com.
Answers: 1 - D, 2 - F, 3 - E, 4 - B, 5 - C, 6 - G, 7 - A. Let's assume that last one won't be heard in Junior Theatre's version.
Music
Naughty by Nature
Rock Island Brewing Company
Saturday, December 18, 8 p.m.
As we know from the song, Santa makes a list - and checks it twice - to find out who's naughty or nice. The jolly old elf could save himself the trouble, though, just by heading to the Rock Island Brewing Company on December 18. Several nicely naughty ones there.
Not that they can help it, as they're Naughty by Nature, the Grammy Award-winning hip-hip artists who'll perform an 8 p.m. concert co-sponsored by Daytrotter. Formed in East Orange, New Jersey, and composed of Treach, Vin Rock, and DJ Kay Gee, the platinum-selling trio will headline an event that finds all proceeds benefiting the Quad-City Times/United Way Wish List program, and that will showcase Billboard hits from such albums as Iicons, Poverty's Paradise, and the group's self-titled 1991 debut.
You may be particularly familiar with Naughty by Nature's smash single "O.P.P." - which sampled the Jackson 5's "ABC" and found crossover success on the pop charts - but how well do you know the rest of the musicians' output? Try filling in the blanks on these Naughty by Nature song titles.
1) "_____ Anthem"
A) Downtown
B) Uptown
C) Jersey
2) "Feel Me _____"
A) Flow
B) Right
C) Please
3) "_____ All by My Lonely"
A) I'm
B) Stuck
C) Dirt
4) "Mourn You Til I _____ You"
A) Join
B) Leave
C) See
5) "Written on Ya _____"
A) Mind
B) Soul
C) Kitten
Tickets to Naughty by Nature's RIBCO concert are $20 in advance and $25 on the day of the show, and more information is available by calling (309)793-4060 or visiting RIBCO.com.
Answers: 1 - B, 2 - A, 3 - C, 4 - A, 5 - C. Poor kitten.
Music and Dance
Handel's The Messiah and The Nutcracker
Augustana College's Centennial Hall and Davenport's Adler Theatre
Saturday, December 11, and Sunday, December 12
The holiday season is a time of tradition. Gathering together with friends and family. Sipping cocoa in front of the fireplace. Explaining that you would've written Christmas cards if time hadn't slipped away from you, even though you were really just distracted every night by the bottles of rum that you picked up to make eggnog ... . Oh, I'm sorry - is that just my tradition?
And for Quad Citians, December 11 and 12 will bring with them two more annual, and beloved, holiday events: the Handel Oratorio Society's Augustana College presentations of The Messiah, and Ballet Quad Cities' Adler Theatre stagings of The Nutcracker.
Featuring four internationally acclaimed soloists - including mezzo soprano Astrid Robillard from Stockholm, Sweden - this year's Messiah will also boast a full professional chamber orchestra and nearly 250 singers from the college and the Quad Cities community, and is, if you can believe it, the 130th-annual performance of composer George Frideric Handel's legendary work to be held at Augie.
The Nutcracker, meanwhile, will find those crazy-gifted professional dancers of Ballet Quad Cities (and some sure-to-be-adorable oversize mice) bringing exhilarating life to Tchaikovsky's balletic masterpiece, with pre-performance holiday tunes sung by the Davenport Chordbusters, Davenport North's high-school choir, and Davenport Central's Holiday Singers.
But while you might be familiar with both Quad Cities traditions, how do you fare when it comes to Messiah and Nutcracker trivia? Let's find out, shall we?
1) How many days did it take Handel to compose the entire Messiah oratorio?
A) 24
B) 47
C) 71
2) Which of the following is not a dance in The Nutcracker?
A) Spanish
B) Arabian
C) Indian
3) The Messiah is an exception to the traditional definition of "oratorio" because it has no _____.
A) spoken narrative or dialogue
B) plot or characters
C) acts or scenes
4) Which character dances with the Nutcracker Prince in the Pas de Deux?
A) The Snow Queen
B) The Sugar Plum Fairy
C) Clara
5) In which city, in 1742, did The Messiah premiere?
A) Dresden
B) Dublin
C) London
6) Which Reader employee played Drosselmeyer in Ballet Quad Cities' 2006 Nutcracker?
A) Todd McGreevy
B) Jeff Ignatius
C) Mike Schulz
Handel's The Messiah will be performed at Augustana College's Centennial Hall at 8 p.m. on December 11, and 2 p.m. on December 12. Tickets range from $16 to $20, and are available by calling the Augustana box office at (309)794-7306 or visiting Augustana.edu/tickets.
Performances of Ballet Quad Cities' The Nutcracker will take place at the Adler Theatre at 2 and 8 p.m. on December 11, and at 2 p.m. on December 12. Tickets are $8 to $25, with ages four and under free, and can be reserved by calling (800)745-3000 or visiting BalletQuadCities.com or AdlerTheatre.com.
Answers: 1 - A, 2 - C, 3 - B, 4 - B, 5 - B, 6 - C. Did you get that last one right? You did? Aw, how sweet of you to remember!
What Else Is Happenin'...?
MUSIC
Thursday, December 9 - Christmas at the Speakeasy. Holiday cabaret performance with the Circa '21 Bootleggers and cast members from the theatre's production of Plaid Tidings. The Circa '21 Speakeasy (1818 Third Avenue, Rock Island). 7 p.m. $10. For tickets and information, call (309)786-7733 extension 2 or visit Circa21.com.
Thursday, December 9 - Esperanza Spalding. Noted jazz singer and bassist in a Hancher Auditorium presentation. Englert Theatre (221 East Washington Street, Iowa City). 7:30 p.m. $10-29. For tickets and information, call (319)335-1160 or visit http://www.Hancher.UIowa.edu.
Friday, December 10 - A Christmas Celebration with Rachel West Kramer. Holiday concert with Midwestern Christian artist and special guest Jairo Aryizu. Orpheum Theatre (57 South Kellogg Street, Galesburg). 7 p.m. $11-15. For tickets and information, call (309)342-2299 or visit TheOrpheum.org.
Friday, December 10 - Crystal Gayle. Christmas concert with the Grammy Award-winning country-pop singer. Riverside Casino & Golf Resort (3184 Highway 22, Riverside). 8 p.m. $25-35. For tickets and information, call (877)677-3456 or visit RiversideCasinoAndResort.com.
Saturday, December 11 - An Old-Fashioned Christmas. Holiday concert featuring performances by the Davenport Chordbusters, Choir Boys, the Second Baptist Church Brotherhood Male Chorus, Davenport North High School Chamber Singers, A Touch of Fun, and Possible Side Effects. Second Baptist Church (919 Sixth Avenue, Rock Island). 2 p.m. $5, ages 12 and under free. For information, call (563)332-4810.
Saturday, December 11 - Mini Mansions. Los Angeles-based rockers in concert, with openers Break Up Art and Centaur Noir. Rock Island Brewing Company (1815 Second Avenue, Rock Island). 9 p.m. $5. For information, call (309)793-4060 or visit RIBCO.com.
Sunday, December 12 - Quad City Wind Ensemble Holiday Chamber Music Concert. Featuring a variety of Christmastime and classical pieces - including combinations for woodwinds, brass, and the organ - with a reception following the concert. St. Johnson's Lutheran Church (1450 30th Avenue, East Moline). 3 p.m. $5/adults, students free. For information, call (309)507-2971 or visit Quad-City-Wind-Ensemble.webs.
Wednesday, December 15 - Kenny G. Legendary soprano-saxophone stylist in his "2010 Holiday Show." Adler Theatre (136 East Third Street, Davenport). 7:30 p.m. $44-64. For tickets, call (800)745-3000 or visit AdlerTheatre.com.
Friday, December 17 - Rehab. American Southern rockers in concert, with opener Curb Service. Rock Island Brewing Company (1815 Second Avenue, Rock Island). 9 p.m. $16-22. For information, call (309)793-4060 or visit RIBCO.com.
Friday, December 17, and Saturday, December 18 - A Nova Christmas. Holiday concert with the acclaimed vocal ensemble the Nova Singers. Friday - St. Paul Lutheran Church (2136 Brady Street, Davenport). Saturday - First Lutheran Church (364 East Water Street, Galesburg). 7:30 p.m. $10-15. For tickets and information, call (309)341-7038 or visit NovaSingers.com.
Sunday, December 19 - Thelonious Assault. Six-piece ensemble performs and educates as part of Polyrhythms' Third Sunday Jazz Matinee Workshop Series. The Redstone Room (129 main Street, Davenport). 3 p.m. all-ages workshop - $5/adult, children free; 6 p.m. concert - $10-$15. For tickets and information, call (309)373-0790 or visit Polyrhythms.org and RedstoneRoom.com.
Friday, December 31 - The Meat Puppets. New Year's Eve party with the touring rock musicians and openers the Retribution Gospel Choir, Driver of the Year, and Los Yegueros. Rock Island Brewing Company (1815 Second Avenue, Rock Island). 8 p.m. $20-25. For information, call (309)793-4060 or visit RIBCO.com. For a 2009 cover story on the Meat Puppets, visit RCReader.com/y/puppets.
THEATRE
Thursday, December 10, through Sunday, December 19 - The Gift of the Magi. Musical adaptation of O. Henry's holiday-themed short story, presented by New Ground Theatre, directed by Lora Adams. Village Theatre (2113 East 11th Street, Village of East Davenport). Thursday through Saturday and Tuesday - 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, December 12 - 2 p.m.; Sunday, December 19 - 2:30 p.m. For tickets and information, call (563)326-7529 or visit NewGroundTheatre.org.
Sunday, December 19 - Sister's Christmas Catechism. Holiday comedy and audience interaction by the creators of Late Night Catechism. Orpheum Theatre (57 South Kellogg Street, Galesburg). 2 p.m. $18-28. For tickets and information, call (309)342-2299 or visit TheOrpheum.org.
COMEDY
Thursday, December 30 - Jeff Dunham. Comedian and master ventriloquist in his "Identity Crisis Tour 2010." i wireless Center (1201 River Drive, Moline). 8 p.m. $48. For tickets, call (800)745-3000 or visit iwirelessCenter.com.
