For the theatre’s first holiday children’s musical since the winter of 2019, Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse brings a beloved series of storybook characters to life with the Tony Award-nominated sensation SEUSSICAL. Running through Dec. 26, this charming, magical entertainment was praised as “85 minutes of sweetness, humor and energetic high spirits” by the New York Times and will be brought to life in Rock Island through the tremendous talents of professional stage artists.

Brunch performance are every Sunday through Dec. 26. Doors for these presentations open at 10:45 a.m., brunch is served starting at 11 a.m. and the shows begin at noon. Tickets are $22.05 for adults, $19.95 for ages six to 18, and $16.80 for ages 5 and younger.

On Sunday, Dec. 19, the Polyrhythms’ exceptional Third Sunday Jazz Series returns to the Redstone Room at River Music Experience, with Fr. Stan Fortuna (a professional bass player before he became a priest) and his quartet in concert from 5 to 7 p.m.

Polyrhythms/Quad Cities Jazz Festival, Ltd., is a longstanding grassroots non-profit group of community and cultural arts advocates that evolved from the Louie Bellson Jazz Festival.

Catholic priest and jazz bassist Fr. Stan Fortuna will perform in the Third Sunday Jazz Series on Dec. 19 in the Redstone Room.

Get A Drink, Or A Foot Rub, Tonight!

That’s right, according to the event’s facebook page, you could get a free drink OR  a free foot rub if you go to check out the Big Room Open Mic Night 6-9 p.m. Sunday at the Village Theatre, in the Village of East Davenport.

So, bring your talents, your guitars, your fresh voice, and your tired feet and welcoming liver out to this fun event!

The Bettendorf Public Library is offering a perfect lunchtime accompaniment with a virtual concert. Throughout the month of December, the Library will host its popular Brown Bag Lunch series on the Bettendorf Public Library’s YouTube channel. December’s artist is Quad City local Angela Meyer who is known for her country-western originals and acoustic covers. No registration is required to view this free event, which is made possible through the support of the Friends of the Bettendorf Library.

Angela Meyer has played professionally in the area for over 10 years. Her career has included playing shows nationwide from New Mexico to New York. Along the way she’s graced stages of all sizes including the National Finals Rodeo events in Las Vegas. More information about this offering and other Bettendorf Public Library events can be found on the library’s website at http://www.bettendorflibrary.com or by calling 563-344-4179.

ABOUT the Bettendorf Public Library Information Center: Located at 2950 Learning Campus Drive, Bettendorf, Iowa 52722, the Library’s mission is “Committed to providing access to information and ideas for all.” For more information, visit www.bettendorflibrary.com or call 563-344-4175.

ABOUT the Friends of the Bettendorf Public Library: The Friends are members of a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting and promoting the Bettendorf Public Library. More information about the Friends can be found by visiting www.bettendorflibrary.com/contribute/friends.

Walk Through A ‘Winter Wonderland’ With Circa ’21

For the theatre’s holiday 2021 production in its spectacular 44th season of live entertainment,  Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse is treating family audiences to a special holiday gift: the yuletide musical revue WINTER WONDERLAND. This charmingly festive stage delight will charm audiences with its magical blend of laughs, sentiment and beloved songs from the past, and it’s being brought to life by a marvelous team of professional talents.

WINTER WONDERAND will be presented at Circa ’21 through December 29, with performances on Wednesday, Friday and Saturdays evenings at 7:45 p.m., Sundays at 5:45 p.m. and Wednesday matinées at 1:30 p.m. Ticket prices are $53.55 for the evening dinner-and-show productions and $46.73 for the plated-lunch matinées.

Reservations are available through the Circa ’21 ticket office. For reservations, contact the theatre at 1828 Third Ave., Rock Island, IL. or by calling 309-786-7733 ext.2.

In this heartwarming musical tale, a dad wishes to celebrate an old-fashioned Christmas like the ones of his youth leads him and his family first to a historic Christmas-tree farm, and then on a magical journey to the year 1921, where he learns that while remembering the past is important, the best way to hold on to tradition is to enjoy the Christmas present! Written for Circa ·21 by longtime Bootlegger and frequent mainstage actor Brad Hauskins, WINTER WONDERLAND is a nostalgic celebration of family that will leave audiences of all ages filled with the peace and joy of the holiday season.

Hauskins’ musical revue originally was presented at Circa ’21 during the 2000 holidays, and while his new version retains the former show’s title, situation and characters, it is now being staged with a new storyline and a new score of old favorites arranged and orchestrated by the author, Laura Hammes and Mason Moss. As Hauskins explained of this new WINTER WONDERLAND, you’ll hear a lot of traditional Christmas music, but a little differently from what we did 20 years ago. And all the songs are songs from that [1921] era, but they’re not necessarily all Christmas-themed · there’s some Irving Berlin and other songs that we’ve sort of incorporated into the storytelling.”

He continued, There’s a lyric in the song ‘Winter Wonderland’ that weighs heavily into the show: ‘To face unafraid the plans that we made.’ And to me, that was the hook of what I’m trying to say. That’s what living in the present day means. We make plans, we celebrate this holiday in spite of all the things that are going wrong and we face our plans unafraid. That’s a really appropriate statement for what we’re trying to do.”

Directing WINTER WONDERLAND for Circa ’21 is Sean McCall, former artistic director at the Old Creamery Theatre in Amana, Iowa, who also directed the Rock Island theatre’s smash-hit comedy Shear Madness in 2016. And with the show’s gifted cast of 10 including first-time Circa ’21 performers Wrigley Mancha (Quad City Music Guild‘s Matilda: The Musical), Mark Leo McGinn (Music Guild’s The Drowsy Chaperone), and local eighth-grader Cameryn Bergthold, seven familiar talents are returning to the Rock Island stage: Ashley Mills Becher (Saturday Night Fever), Bobby Becher (Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn), Derrick Bertram (Newsies), Erica Lee Bigelow (Disenchanted), Savannah Bay Strandin (Beehive: The ’60s Musical), Tristan Layne Tapscott (Kinky Boots), and Krianna Walljasper (Annie).

Circa ’21’s entire team is ecstatic to welcome audiences back for the holidays after last year’s unanticipated season off and urges patrons to make reservations early for what will no doubt be an unforgettable night of stage magic and merriment. Call 309-786-7733 ext. 2 for reservations and treat your whole family to the glorious stage celebration that is WINTER WONDERLAND!