Described by Variety magazine as a work that boasts “plenty of laughs, a little romance, a little nostalgia – and it makes the audience feel smart,” St. Ambrose's theatre department opens its mainstage season with a popular verbal farce by comedian, actor, and author Steve Martin.

At the opening night for the Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse's Ring of Fire, the show began with its eight-person cast, one by one, declaring, “I am Johnny Cash.” Throughout the performance, they all at some point embodied the spirit of “The Man in Black.” And while the production boasts a 34-song set list covering much of Cash’s long songwriting career, I use the phrase “set list” intentionally, because the production does feel more like a concert than a traditional musical.

Presented as part of the Bettendorf Public Library's “Global Gathering: Korea” series, gifted members of the Minnesota dance ensemble will entertain and educate family audiences with examples of Korean folk, court, and ritual dance and music traditions.

A trio of professional standup comedians, all of them Iowa natives, bring their fall tour to Davenport in a Triple Crown Whiskey Bar & Raccoon Motel event showcasing the stylings of Davenport's Gideon Hambright, Glenwood's Patrick Hastie, and Marshalltown's James Doyle.

Called “a lively jukebox revue” by the Chicago Tribune and “a warm, straightforward pleasure” by the Denver Post, Broadway's musical celebration of Johnny Cash returns to the area for the first time since its engagement at Circa '21 in early 2009.

One of author Neil LaBute's most critically acclaimed yet controversial dark comedies makes its area debut with a two-performance run at Playcrafters – the third production in theatre's recently initiated “Barn Owl Series” of challenging and decidedly adult-themed presentations.

Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None – the story of murder on a remote island – was published in 1939 and adapted into a play in 1943, and is one of the top-10 bestsellers of all time. If you like the game Clue, or just a good whodunnit, you will likely enjoy this mystery, as the audience is taken on a suspenseful ride that's filled with twists and turns until its last scene. And while the Playcrafters Barn Theatre's current presentation of the piece, under the direction of Cynthia Safford, has a straightforward approach and is less scary than some productions I’ve seen, it's still effective.

Based on the famed mystery writer's most successful novel – with more than 100 million copies sold and Publications International recognition as the seventh-best-selling title of all time – Agatha Christie's 1939 And Then There Were None was adapted by Christie herself into a 1943 West End stage hit, with its 1944 Broadway run lasting 426 performances.

On the night of August 25, this one spoken line stuck in my head like newly poured concrete – clammy and heavy while slowly thickening in my mind. I can only imagine that most of us have been stuck at some point, but this didn't refer to the everyday kind of stuck. It wasn't about something normal such as being trapped in traffic, or having writer's block, or doing the same workout over and over. No, this question asked in a play referred to an endless hamster wheel of shame and humiliation stigmatized by one poor life choice.

In a momentary break from touring independent musicians, Davenport's latest Moeller Nights event will showcase the stylings of touring comedian Kristen Toomey, co-star of writer/director Dale Zawada's summer comedy Dirtbags.

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