On this day – National Theatre Day – I’m taking it back to September 11, 2001. I know, I know… but stay with me. I was involved with Tom and Shelley Walljasper’s studio and we were set to preview a new musical version of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow on that fateful day and open the […]
T.S. Eliot had it all wrong. In “The Waste Land,” the poet wrote “April is the cruelest month.” Well, five days before we can kick it into the dustbin of history, it’s safe to say that dishonor now belongs to March. At least March 2020, which has seen one bone-crushing loss after another for many […]
Following suit with Governor JB Pritzker’s call for all restaurants and bars to shut their doors, Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse in Rock Island is closing through March 31. Circa made the following announcement on their Facebook page today: CIRCA ’21 IS CLOSED THROUGH MARCH 31. Because of the state-mandated restrictions on restaurants & bars, Circa […]
“Hey, have you ever heard the one . . .” And that’s how it would usually begin. With a mischievous grin, a conspiratorial wink, and then that little aside, voiced down as if imparting some ribald secret, which, let’s face it, he usually was. That’s how Ed “Jonesy” Jones would greet me pretty much every […]
Need a little Sunshine in your life? Tomorrow night, you can cut through the gloom with some great pop songs and performance as Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse is thrilled to be hosting an all-ages pop music cabaret on Thursday, Feb. 20 called A NIGHT OF SUNSHINE, featuring one of the theatre’s most popular performers, Sunshine […]
What does Circa ’21 have in common with Lil John? They both love to make it “rain!” For the final production in the theatre’s spectacular 2019 season, Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse closes its 42nd year with the eagerly awaited return of a musical-comedy classic: the Tony Award-nominated SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN. Running through Nov. 2, […]
‘Laugh your way across the country and all the way down the aisle’ at the newest production to hit the Circa ’21 stage! Mama Won’t Fly, a Jones Hope Western Comedy, will be in production at Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse (1828 3rd Avenue Rock Island) from Sep 21 through Nov 3, with Preview Performances on […]
A new musical is hitting the main stage at Circa ‘21 Dinner Playhouse, and it’s freaky! Disney’s Freaky Friday A New Musical will be playing at Circa ‘21 Dinner Playhouse (1828 3rd Avenue Rock Island) from Jan 16 through Mar 24! Freaky Friday, a new musical comedy based on the celebrated novel by Mary Rodgers […]
Circa ‘21’s “The Music Man” is a triumphant success. It’s a magnificent show, brilliant on so many levels, and is easily the best show I’ve seen in 2017… so far. Now, anyone who has followed me over the years knows that I’m not especially a fan of some of the “classic” musicals. They tend to […]
Now into it’s third week at Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse in downtown Rock Island, THE MUSIC MAN is charming audiences and critics alike! “We’ve had wonderful response to the show” said Brett Hitchcock – Director of Audience Development. Local critics have also enjoyed this delightful musical with such comments as “Music Man was Terrific” River […]
