Ripcord, now playing at the Spotlight Theatre, is a hoot, as well as an all-too-relatable piece of storytelling for those with ornery parents or grandparents. Sharply directed by Jessica Taylor, and featuring an incredible cast, this show is a charming addition to a long summer season.

M: Spencer Donovan’s set was truly amazing. I really liked the study, for example, tricked out with matching antique chairs and sofa, not to mention a spiral staircase that leads nowhere but was actually used very dramatically.

K: And the turntable also allowed for set adjustments to happen offstage, leading to some big reveals when a room came back into view. Seriously, I was in love with this set.

If you’re anything like me, from the moment you step into the Prospect Park Auditorium, you’ll be swept away by the stark and rickety set that is the little village of Anatevka, and the fact that the titular Fiddler is already just chilling on the roof. You might miss Josiah Wollan initially – he kind of blends in and the set is merely backlit – but his humanity emanates from time to time in small movements ... or, at least, it did at Friday’s opening-night performance of Quad City Music Guild's Fiddler on the Roof.

Ten miles from the Mississippi River, the peaceful, corn-stippled town of Eldridge escaped the floods. Yet it is currently awash by the undersea explosion of music, color, joy, laughter, and drama that is Disney's The Little Mermaid, which is being produced by Countryside Community Theatre at the North Scott High School Auditorium.

The Marvelous Wonderettes, directed by Ryan Scoble, is the closing production of the Clinton Area Showboat Theatre’s 2024 season, and what a sendoff! Featuring gorgeous vocals, fun choreography, and enough nostalgia to give you a toothache, this production is a must-see for those who grew up in the '50s and '60s, or anyone who’s a fan of those eras of music.

It’s hard to imagine a more ideal venue for a performance of Charlotte’s Web than the Playcrafters Barn Theatre. Because the show's action takes place almost entirely in a barn, the space itself blends seamlessly with the set, inviting the audience to immerse themselves in the world of the play.

Aristophanes wrote Plutus more than 2,400 years ago, and we're still griping that people wealthier than we are haven't necessarily earned it, whether through hard work or by reason of virtue.

The Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse's current production is The Bikinis, which is subtitled A New Musical Beach Party, and I attended Thursday's preview night. The musical part is enjoyable; the four singers and four-member band perform admirably. However, I'd personally subtitle the rest of the show When Bad Scripts Happen to Good People.

I was overdue for captivating theatre, and on Friday, the Black Box Theatre delivered.

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