I knew next to nothing about [title of show] before attending Friday’s opening-night performance at St. Ambrose University. I was aware of it in the sense that I knew it was a musical, and I’ve had people tell me I would love it, given that I do so (too?) much theatre. Yet after finally seeing the show for myself, I’d say I left the theatre more entertained than enamored.

Director/choreographer Ashley Becher, her performers, and her crew have whipped up one merry and delicious fudging indulgence. You don't need to know the movie to love this show.

Lauded by the New York Daily News as a work that "packs wit, earns its laughs, and, like love, surprises you," the romantic-comedy vignettes at the heart of playwright John Cariani's ceaselessly popular Almost, Maine enjoy a November 10 through 19 staging at Moline's Playcrafters Barn Theatre, with the New York Post adding, "the show offers a sweetness and decency that’s become rare at the theatre."

A critically acclaimed Broadway smash and modern musical classic making its very first appearance in the Quad Cities, composer Maury Yeston's and book writer Arthur Kopit's 1982 sensation Nine enjoys a November 16 through 19 run at Augustana College's Brunner Theatre Center, the show's original New York incarnation the winner of five Tony Awards including Best Musical, and its 2003 return awarded the Tony for Best Revival of a Musical.