Lexi Smith, Audrey Seneli, Rachel Winter, Emmett Boedeker, Marc Christopher, Sarah Hayes, and Derrick Bertram in “Grace for President" at the Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse -- April 19 through May 14.
Tuesday, April 19, through Saturday, May 14
Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse, 1828 Third Avenue, Rock Island IL
Based on the beloved children's book by Kelly S. DiPucchio, the educational yet hilarious family musical Grace for President runs at Rock Island's Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse April 19 through May 14, this ode to civic duty and the excitement of politics lauded by the Columbia Star as "an entertaining hit for all ages and audiences."
In the star-spangled musical Grace for President, our heroine Grace Campbell attends class one day to discover that the United States has never had a female president. “Where are the girls?” she asks, as her third-grade teacher rolls out a poster with all of our country's presidents, all of them male. Frustrated by the lack of female faces in the White House, Grace decides she wants to be president herself, and inspires a school election. Through the throes of campaigning and pep rallies, service projects and posters, Grace and her classmates discover what it takes to both be the best candidate and find the fun and hilarity in the weighty but wonderful world of politics. An ideal family entertainment for an election year, Grace for President boasts a book, music, and lyrics by Joan Cushing, whose stage credits include a number of shows previously produced at Circa '21, among them Miss Nelson Is Missing, Junie B. Jones & a Little Monkey Business, and Diary of a Worm, a Spider, & a Fly.
Serving as Grace for President's director is Circa '21 veteran Ashley Becher, who previously helmed Seussical and the dinner theatre's current mainstage presentation Just Desserts, and also appeared in the holiday musical Winter Wonderland. The titular Grace is portrayed, in her Circa '21 debut, by Audrey Seneli, whose other area credits include roles in the Spotlight Theatre's The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical and Davenport Junior Theatre's The Wizard of Oz. And with venue favorite Shelley Walljasper acting as Grace for President's music director, the show's cast is completed by Derrick Bertram, Emmett Boedeker, Marc Christopher, Sarah Hayes, Lexi Smith, and Rachel Winter.
Grace for President will be staged locally April 19 through May 14, with performances at 10 a.m. and/or 1 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays through Saturdays. Admission to the show-only performances is $7.50-9.50, and more information and tickets are available by calling (309)786-7733 extension 2 and visiting Circa21.com.
