Music
Third Sunday Jazz featuring Maggie Brown
The Redstone Room
Sunday, November 21
"There is a lot of great music out here," says performer Maggie Brown in a recent Chicago Defender interview. "It is not popularized. It's not going to come to you on the radio, or on a CD. You have to look for it."
Well, folks, you can stop looking; great music can be found at Davenport's Redstone Room on November 21. Appearing as the latest guest in Polyrhythms' monthly Third Sunday Jazz Series, the Chicago-based Maggie Brown will present a 3 p.m. jazz workshop and a 6 p.m. concert of bound-to-be-thrilling solos, underscoring why the Defender describes her as "a phenomenal artist who has loads of individual style."
Brown would likely credit her dad for that much of that style, as the Columbia College graduate is the daughter of Chicago's legendary Oscar Brown Jr., and paid tribute to the famed musician, poet, and playwright by recording nine of his compositions in her From My Window CD. "That has always been a goal of mine," Brown told the Chicago Tribune's Howard Reich, "to shed more light on the gems that I consider to be my family treasure."
Yet with Chicago's N'DIGO newspaper calling From My Window "a dynamite package of soul-rendering, passionate music in a jazz format," and Brown earning Chicago Music Award nominations for Best Jazz CD and Best Jazz Performer, she's clearly a gifted artist in her own right. And while Redstone Room patrons will surely enjoy some outstanding jazz during her visit, they might get more variety than they anticipated, as suggested by the acclaim Brown received for Legacy: Our Wealth of Music, her genre-defying, one-woman show about African-American musical heritage. "I am a vocalist," she told Reich. "I do not consider myself a 'jazz singer.'"
Let's maybe not mention that to the folks at Polyrhythms. "Third Sunday Jazz/Blues/Spiritual/Hip-Hop/
For more information on Brown's Davenport engagement, call Polyrhythms at (309)373-0790 or visit Polyrhythms.org.
Music
Destino
i wireless Center and First Presbyterian Church of Davenport
Saturday, November 20, and Sunday, November 21
If memories of my high-school foreign-language classes are correct, "destino" is Spanish for "fate." But the vocal ensemble Destino originated in Canada, so I'm thinking that in that country, the word more likely means "young, ridiculously talented, and boasting greater professional accomplishments than anyone should ever amass at their ages." Remind me to look that up some time.
In our area as part of Quad City Arts' 2010-11 Visiting Artist series, Destino may only have been on the music scene since 2006, but they've certainly wasted no time in shooting straight to the top. Composed of Joey Niceforo, Terance Reddick, and Roy Tan, the trio croons in a style oftentimes referred to as "popera" - what the Vancouver Province calls "the romance of opera infused with pop and bumped up with equal parts gospel and soul" - and their exquisite harmonies on both classical and contemporary works have amazed audiences worldwide.
Among Destino's prestigious credits are performances at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, the 2008 Miss America Pageant in Las Vegas, the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, and, this past April, New York's Carnegie Hall. And during their area stay, Quad Cities audiences will be able to enjoy Destino's thrilling vocals in not one, but two, public appearances: November 20's annual Holiday Pops concert at the i wireless Center - an event that also features the Quad City Symphony Orchestra, Ballet Quad Cities, and the Sanctuary Choir of the First Presbyterian Church - and November 21's engagement at the First Presbyterian Church of Davenport.
It probably goes without saying that Destino's Saturday-night performance will find the group singing tunes from its acclaimed holiday CD Christmas with Destino. But I'm guessing it's anything-goes on Sunday, as the album Destino Live in Concert includes everything from Josh Groban's "You Raise Me Up" to The Threepenny Opera's "Mac the Knife" to "O Sole Mio." Maybe, in Canada, "destino" actually means "phenomenally gifted in so many different musical genres that you'll be torn between wanting to applaud and wanting to smack them."
For more information on Destino's area appearances, call (309)793-1213, or visit QuadCityArts.com.
Movies
Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg
Figge Art Museum
Sunday, November 14, 4 p.m.
Show of hands: How many of you know who Gertrude Berg is?
Hmm. I'm not sensing a lot of hands raised there. Granted, some of you may be holding the paper with both hands. And others may be scrolling down the Web page with one and eating a sandwich with the other. But I'm betting the hand count's still pretty low.
Well, that number is about to increase dramatically - at least, it will if you attend the Jewish Federation of the Quad Cities' presentation of the Berg documentary Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg. Being screened at the Figge Art Museum on November 14, this critically hailed work by documentarian Aviva Kempner explores the life of "the most famous woman in America you've never heard of," the radio and television pioneer whose series The Goldbergs , in 1949, was television's very first character-driven sitcom.
Yet in this movie that Film Threat calls "a warm reunion with a beloved entertainer" and Film Journal International describes as "a fascinating portrait of a worthy personality and her era," Berg's groundbreaking show is but one of the many, many Berg factoids touched on. If you'd care to hazard a guess, which of the following is not one of this largely unsung legend's accomplishments?
1) Became the first performer to win an Emmy Award for Best Actress
2) Starred in a second successful sitcom titled Molly
3) Won a Best Actress Tony Award for 1959's A Majority of One
4) Was once polled as the most respected woman in America
5) Was, for a time, the highest-paid guest star in television
6) Wrote a bestselling cookbook
7) Wrote a popular advice column
8) Had her own line of clothing
Admission to Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg is $5, and information is available by calling the Jewish Federation of the Quad Cities at (309)793-1300 or visiting JFQC.org.
Answer: 4. She was actually cited as the second-most respected woman in America. First place went to Eleanor Roosevelt. So, you know, that's not too shabby.
Theatre
Pericles
St. Peter's Episcopal Church
Friday, November 12, through Sunday, November 21
What's that? How are rehearsals going for the Curtainbox Theatre Company's forthcoming presentation of Henrik Ibsen's Hedda Gabler? Quite well! Thank you for asking! I'd provide details, but since this production - which runs November 16 through 30 at the Village of East Davenport's Village Theatre - features me in the cast, it would be tacky to even mention it here.
I'll tell you what bothers me, though: Given the show's rehearsal and performance schedule, I might, for the first time in more than five years, have to miss out on seeing a new stage work by our area's classical-theatre troupe, The Prenzie Players. In this case, it's William Shakespeare's Pericles, running November 12 through 21. And lemme tell you, it's not a production I'm happy about possibly missing.
To begin with, this infrequently produced title by Shakespeare (or, as has been frequently suggested, by Shakespeare and a possible collaborator) is a weird, wonderful epic involving royal intrigue, heroic deeds, perilous storms at sea, games of skill, murderous machinations, families separated and reunited, and a brief sojourn to a neighborhood brothel. Whether or not it's the product of one author, Pericles, God bless it, is Bard-ian in the extreme.
Then, of course, there's the matter of the famously unpredictable Prenzie Players being the ones to tackle the material. And with Prenzie veteran Andy Koski serving as director, and a cast that boasts such talented troupe veterans as J.C. Luxton, Maggie Woolley, Angela Rathman, Cole McFarren, Alaina Pascarella, and Jeb Makula, the group's latest is bound to feature all manner of inventive, stylistic, and performance-based treats.
But perhaps my biggest reason for not wanting to miss Pericles? The choice of venue, as the ever-nomadic theatre company will be staging its new show in the beautiful St. Peter's Episcopal Church, located at 2400 Middle Road in Bettendorf.
The Prenzie Players in a church. Now who could've predicted that?
Pericles tickets are $10 at the door, and information is available by e-mailing info@prenzieplayers.com or visiting PrenziePlayers.com.
Theatre
Monty Python's Spamalot
Adler Theatre
Sunday, November 21, 7 p.m.
Monty Python's Spamalot, based on the film Monty Python & the Holy Grail.
Winner of three 2005 Tony Awards including Best Musical, with a book and lyrics by Eric Idle.
King Arthur and Sir Galahad and the Lady in the Lake.
Vulgar Frenchmen and a Trojan Rabbit and cows lobbed from catapults. ("Run away!!!")
The Holy Hand Grenade and the Knights Who Say "Ni!" and a shrubbery.
"The Fisch Schlapping Song" and "He Is Not Dead Yet" and "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life."
And these photos.
Need I say more?
Well, maybe a little more. The Broadway touring production of Monty Python's Spamalot plays at the Adler Theatre on November 21, and tickets are available by calling (800)745-3000 or visiting AdlerTheatre.com.
What Else Is Happenin'...?
MUSIC
Thursday, November 11 - Paul Barrere & Fred Tackett. Noted guitarists perform songs from their Little Feat catalog. Englert Theatre (221 East Washington Street, Iowa City). 8 p.m. $22. For tickets and information, call (319)688-2653 or visit Englert.org.
Friday, November 12 - Duke Tumatoe & the Power Trio. Blues musicians and frequent The Bob & Tom Show guests in concert. Circa '21 Speakeasy (1818 Third Avenue, Rock Island). 8 p.m. $20. For tickets and information, call (309)786-7733 extension 2 or visit Circa21.com. For a 2006 interview with Duke Tumatoe, visit RCReader.com/y/tumatoe.
Friday, November 12 - The Guess Who. Concert with the chart-topping musicians of "American Woman" and "These Eyes" fame. Quad-Cities Waterfront Convention Center (1777 Isle Parkway, Bettendorf). 7:30 p.m. $20-40. For tickets and information, call (800)843-4753 or visit Bettendorf.IsleOfCapriCasinos.
Saturday, November 13 - The Kenny Barron Trio. A Hancher Auditorium presentation of the jazz masters in concert, with special guest David Sánchez. Englert Theatre (221 East Washington Street, Iowa City). 7:30 p.m. $10-39. For tickets and information, call (319)335-1160 or visit http://www.Hancher.UIowa.edu.
Thursday, November 18 - Wolf Parade. Montreal-based independent rockers in concert. Englert Theatre (221 East Washington Street, Iowa City). 8 p.m. $18. For tickets and information, call (319)688-2653 or visit Englert.org.
Friday, November 19 - Paula Cole. Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter in concert. Englert Theatre (221 East Washington Street, Iowa City). 8 p.m. $25-35. For tickets and information, call (319)688-2653 or visit Englert.org.
Friday, November 19, through Sunday, November 21 - Truce of Carols. An Opera@Augustana presentation, with a libretto and music by Michael Taylor. Augustana College's Wallenberg Hall (3520 Seventh Avenue, Rock Island). 8 p.m. $10-12. For tickets and information, call (309)794-7306 or visit Augustana.edu.
THEATRE
Thursday, November 11, through Saturday, November 27 - The Complete History of America (Abridged). 600 years of American history in 6,000 seconds, in a comedy directed by Chris Walljasper. Harrison Hilltop Theatre (1601 Harrison Street, Davenport). Thursdays through Saturdays - 8 p.m. (no performance on Thanksgiving); Sundays and Saturday, November 27 - 2 p.m. $18-20. For tickets and information, call (563)449-6371 or visit HarrisonHilltop.com.
Friday, November 12, through Sunday, November 21 - Treasure Island. Family adventure based on the book by Robert Louis Stevenson, directed by Jennifer Kingry. Playcrafters Barn Theatre (4950 35th Avenue, Moline). Fridays and Saturdays 7:30 p.m.; Sundays 3 p.m. $10. For tickets and information, call (309)762-0330 or visit Playcrafters.com.
Tuesday, November 16, through Tuesday, November 30 - Hedda Gabler. Curtainbox Theatre Company presentation of Henrik Ibsen's classic psychological drama, directed by David Bonde. Village Theatre (2113 East 11th Street, Village of East Davenport). Tuesdays through Saturdays - 7:30 p.m. (no performance on Thanksgiving); Sundays - 3 p.m. $12-20. For tickets and information, call (563)322-8504 or visit TheCurtainbox.com.
COMEDY
Friday, November 12 - Five Card Murder. Dinner, interactive comedy, and a murder, in an It's a Mystery production written by Scott Naumann. Skellington Manor Banquet & Event Center (420 18th Street, Rock Island). 6:30 p.m. $35. For tickets and information, call (563)344-9187 or e-mail info@skellingtonmanor.com, or visit ItsAMysteryQC.com.
Saturday, November 13 - Gabriel Iglesias. Storytelling, parodies, sound effects, and stand-up with the Comedy Central veteran. Adler Theatre (136 East Third Street, Davenport). 8 p.m. $36.50. For tickets, call (800)745-3000 or visit AdlerTheatre.com.
MOVIES
Tuesday, November 16 - Western Canada. A presentation in the Putnam's World Adventure Series, featuring post-film Q&A with filmmaker John Wilson. Putnam Museum & IMAX Theatre (1717 West 12th Street, Davenport). 1, 4, and 7 p.m. $4-6. For tickets and information, call (563)324-1933 or visit Putnam.org.
KIDS' STUFF
Tuesday, November 23, and Wednesday, November 24 - Sesame Street Live: 1-2-3 Imagine! with Elmo & Friends. A new stage adventure with favorite PBS characters. Adler Theatre (136 East Third Street, Davenport). Tuesday - 7 p.m.; Wednesday - 10:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. $13-55. For tickets, call (800)745-3000 or visit AdlerTheatre.com.
EVENTS
Friday, November 19, and Saturday November 20: Burlesque Le' Moustache's "Mask-a-Raid!" Slapstick humor, comic skits, bawdy songs, striptease acts, and a scantily-clad female ensemble, with prizes awarded to the best-masked audience members. Circa '21 Speakeasy (1818 Third Avenue, Rock Island). 8 p.m. $15. For tickets and information, call (309)786-7733, extension 2 or visit Circa21.com. For a 2010 interview with Burlesque Le' Moustache founder Danielle Colby-Cushman, visit RCReader.com/y/burlesque.
Friday, November 19, through Sunday, November 28 - Quad City Arts Festival of Trees. Annual holiday event featuring displays, miniatures, vendors, and more. RiverCenter (136 East Third Street, Davenport). November 20, 22-24, and 26-27: 9 a.m.-9 p.m. November 19: 9 a.m.-noon. November 21: 10 a.m.-7 p.m. November 25: 5-9 p.m. November 28: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. $3-8. Holiday parade: November 20 at 11 a.m. For information, call (563)324-3378 or visit QuadCityArts.com/festoftrees.
