If you find yourself at odds with gloomy October weather, walking into Moline's Black Box Theatre and its production of Suddenly Last Summer will brighten your spirits, given that you can’t help but be immediately impressed by the onstage greenery.

Bram Stoker sucked the life force from the works of Transylvanian folklore scholar Emily Gerard for his 1897 novel Dracula. His immensely popular book, in turn, has been drained of its essence by many adapters. Playwright Kate Hamill's version is Dracula: a feminist revenge fantasy, currently running at Augustana College. But this show is probably not what you think it is.

Had I gone by the sudden chilly weather, or the title of the play itself, I would have assumed I was on my way to a night of frights at the Playcrafters Barn Theatre. Despite its name and October debut, however, there were no scares to be had on Friday – unless, that is, you jump a little at the sight of the word “layoffs.” Skeleton Crew, written by Dominique Morisseau and directed here by Marquita Reynolds, is a solid stage experience and worth seeing.

The world seems to be rampant with disappointments, disasters, and persistent obstacles. Conflict drives drama, but does real life have to be so hard so often? Sometimes, theatre can provide answers, comfort the life-weary, or entertain so thoroughly that you forget your problems. The Richmond Hill Barn Theatre's production of The Seafarer does all three.

School of Rock: The Musical was directed by the theatre's co-owner (and set, lighting, and sound designer) Brent Tubbs, aided here by musical director Laura Hammes and choreographer Becca Johnson. Onstage, we have 30 actor/singer/musicians, plus seven musicians in the pit, and they and the crew have staged an ambitious, complex production that runs smoothly, sounds great, and will leave you grinning.

It’s always interesting when a season is rounded out with a previously unfamiliar title, and in the case of the Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse's season-ender, it’s Paul Slade Smith’s politically themed The Outsider.

The Playcrafters Barn Theatre has kept us in suspense for months since postponing Witness for the Prosecution in March due to cast illnesses. Now the play is on its feet at last, with most of the original cast.

The Playcrafters Barn Theatre's current production Circle Mirror Transformation sounds très à l'avant-garde. However, though it's unconventionally staged, it's one of the most authentic theatrical slices of life I've ever tucked into.

Author Joe DiPietro's Over The River & Through the Woods is the Richmond Hill Barn Theatre's newest offering, an easy-to-watch comedy full of heart and Italian charm.

On Thursday, I made my third trek in three weeks to the Timber Lake Playhouse – this time to see Jersey Boys, which is about Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons' fascinating rise to fame. The show, boasting music by these early rock-and-roll legends, ran on Broadway from 2005 to 2017, winning four Tonys. I haven't seen the 2014 movie, but even if you have, see this. Seriously.

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