River Cities' Reader - Issue 843 -November 14, 2013.pdf

8/14/2019 River Cities' Reader - Issue 843 -November 14, 2013.pdf

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River Cities Reader Vol. 20 No. 843 November 14 - 26, 20132 Business Politics Arts Culture Now You Know RiverCitiesReader.com


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River Cities Reader Vol. 20No. 843 November 14 - 26, 2013 3Business Politics Arts Culture Now You Know RiverCitiesReader.com

WORDS FROM THE EDITOR by Kathleen McCarthy and Todd [email protected]

Twenty years of questioning the status

quo and providing readers with exhaus-tive resources and perspectives on all

things cultural in the Quad Cities merits somereflection and review. We continue to publishthe River Cities Readerbecause it is fulfilling

and meaningful.The Readeris independently owned and

operated. It started as a monthly newsprintpublication, with a regional circulation in Iowaand Illinois from Galena to Iowa City to

Cedar Rapids to Muscatine to, of course, theQuad Cities. After 20 issues, we reined in ourdistribution to the Quad Cities and immediateoutlying areas. This was 1995, and we made

the plunge to publish weekly and lived up tothe promise of Every Wednesday Everywherefor 13 years. We starting publishing ourcontent on the World Wide Web in 1996 atRCReader.com.

In 2008, the Readerwas not impervious tothe financial meltdown that contributed to theshuttering of century-old newspapers across

the country. While some papers were closingtheir doors, we cut back on some staffing, and

shifted to an every-other-week publishingschedule. The Readerprint edition has beendistributed at more than 800 locations in theQuad Cities region every other Thursday since

Celebrating 20 Years of the River Cities ReaderJanuary 2009.

This shift included a re-dedication to theReaders digital offerings. While the Readersprinted frequency was cut in half, our teamtransformed the weekly print-deadline grindinto daily content postings to the RCReader.

com Web site, reminding readers of all thelatest greatest offerings with a weekly e-mailsubscription.

Its no secret that we achieve a lot witha small staff. This is evident not only with

the rich Web content but also with thesupplementary products we publish.The Quad Cities Dining Guide (published

in print every six months) is the regions

definitive source on dining out, with refreshedlistings on every single restaurant in the area.The Dining Guide is inserted into the Readerevery six months, and the overrun of issuesis hard to keep on the stands until the next

one comes out. The Quad Cities is fortunateto have a great variety of dining options, andthe guide is effective in helping readers make

decisions whether they know what theyrehungry for or are looking to be inspired to

try something new. QuadCitiesDiningGuide.com as a stand-alone site is now live andboasts a mobile- and tablet-friendly interface,as well as a searchable database of more than

700 restaurants by name, cuisine, city, andkeywords. Whether you want to know what alocations hours are, or if it has Wi-Fi, or if it

has outdoor seating, the Quad Cities DiningGuide lives up to the Readers reputation as anexhaustive resource.

Speaking of exhaustive, from the very

beginning, one of the the Readers differentialshas been the comprehensive events calendar.There are a handful of contenders in the area,but none can keep up with the inclusiveness,

accuracy, and detail found in the Readerevents calendar. Mike Schulz is our calendarassassin, and his dedication to greatnessis hugely appreciated. The Dining Guidesmagazine booklet format was received so wellby readers that we decided to publish our

longstanding quarterly event guide in bookletformat, beginning with the Fall Guide andnow with the Winter Guide, which you willfind inserted into the edition you are readingnow. With more than 1,000 events listed

from concerts and festivals to art exhibits and

theatrical productions to childrens activitiesand academic lectures readers will have ahard time claiming there is nothing to do if

they have this guide in hand.We realize that a younger audience of new

readers is more likely to access the Readers

events calendars in a digital format rather thanin print. Thats why since 2009, weve publishedthe events calendar online in a database thatis searchable by date, venue, category, and

keyword. Moreover, the online calendar isshareable with friends via text, e-mail, and allsorts of social media. Plus, readers can addevents from our online calendar to their owndigital calendars and even set up reminders

via text or e-mail, as well as alerts should anyevent details get changed. If you have not

tried the online calendar yet, be sure to surf toRCReader.com/calendar today.Most consumers default to pigeon-holing a

media outlet either by its format (daily paper,talk radio, nightly broadcast news) or itscoverage (music rag, left or right propagandaorgan). While we have remained true to therelatively broad content-coverage categories of

business, politics, arts and culture, the Readercontinually frustrates its critics who cantreadily stereotype our content, inclinations, orperceived agenda. We are criticized as often for

being a liberal rag as we are of being a right-wing one. So we must be doing somethingright.

Are you an arts and entertainment rag, or

Continued On Page 12


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Perhaps the biggest loser in November 5s

historic passage of a gay-marriage bill in

Springfield was the National Organiza-

tion for Marriage.

The group, based in Washington, DC, has

been at the forefront

of attempts to stop

gay marriage in states

throughout the country.

A Maine investigation

uncovered what itclaimed were internal

NOM documents about

the groups strategy,

including this passage:

The strategic goal

of this project is to

drive a wedge between

gays and blacks

two key Democratic

constituencies. Find, equip, energize, and

connect African-American spokespeople formarriage; develop a media campaign around

their objections to gay marriage as a civil right;

provoke the gay-marriage base into responding

by denouncing these spokesmen and -women

as bigots. No politician wants to take up and

push an issue that splits the base of the party.

The organization tried all that in Illinois,

spending tens of thousands of dollars on

politically connected consultants and robo-

calls into black districts in the spring, summer,

and right up until the day of the vote, andholding media-friendly events in the black

community. The bill wasnt called for a vote last

spring mainly because black House members

were overwhelmed by fervent local opposition.

In the end, NOM lost badly. Fourteen of

20 Democratic members of the House Black

Caucus voted yes on the gay-marriage bill,

while just four voted no (Monique Davis,

Mary Flowers, Eddie Lee Jackson, and Chuck

Jefferson) and two voted present (Rita

Mayfield and Derrick Smith).

Ironically enough, though, other than

gay-marriage supporters, those who probably

cheered the loudest after the bills passage were

the four Republican gubernatorial candidates.

Theyve been hoping this issue would be safely

put away, allowing them to move on to their

own agendas.

They may be right. These things do tend to

fade away once a bill is passed. The big talk last

week in the U.S. Congress was about a bill to

prohibit employment discrimination against

gay people. Illinois has had that law on itsbooks for years. Despite much screaming by

opponents that the end of the world was surely

near, everybody just accepted the law and

moved on without incident.

Gay-Marriage Bill Clears Path for

GOP Candidates

by Rich Miller

CapitolFax.com

But people dont always move on. Social

conservatives could try to stir up a backlash

by demanding that the Republican candidates

pledge to repeal the marriage measure. Three

of the four candidates are on record opposing

gay marriage. The fourth,

Bruce Rauner, said he would

only sign a gay-marriage bill

into law if the public had

first voted to approve it via

a non-binding referendum.It obviously wasnt done that

way, so he could be forced

to answer some touchy

questions.

State Representative

Tom Cross, a Republican

candidate for state treasurer,

is undoubtedly hoping that

the issue fades quickly, at

least in the run-up to the spring primary. Cross

voted yes, even though a spokesperson hadrecently told the Chicago Sun-Timesthat he

opposed the bill. But its been known for weeks

that Cross was truly struggling with the issue,

both on philosophical and political levels.

Cross has a primary opponent, the socially

conservative DuPage County Auditor Bob

Grogan. Grogan hasnt been much of a

campaigner to-date, raising little money and

garnering few major supporters. He says hes

not interested in Cross vote. Some anti-gay-

marriage forces are, though, and that couldcause him problems.

The immediate fear among Cross allies

is that his gay-marriage vote could generate

more interest and money from the far right to

defeat him. Cross has done a good job so far

of rounding up traditional GOP supporters,

however, so the calculation was that the vote

wont be fatal in the primary.

Last weeks vote will, however, take an

issue away from Cross Democratic rival, state

Senator Michael Frerichs. Cross clearly took the

long view, and that could come with significant

benefits, including campaign contributions

from gay-marriage supporters and the ability

to paint himself as a moderate and modern

Republican in the general election.

And speaking of Republicans, unlike in

the Senate where the lone Republican yes

vote was more symbolic than essential to the

outcome the three House Republicans who

voted for the bill last week helped provide the

margin of victory. Without those votes, the

going wouldve been a whole lot tougher.

Rich Miller also publishes Capitol Fax(a daily

political newsletter) and CapitolFax.com.

ILLINOIS POLITICS

Republican

candidates for

governor have beenhoping this issue

would be safely put

away.

Davenport, Iowa 563.326.7804www.figgeartmuseum.org

19341934Through January 5, 2014

1934: A New Deal for Artistsis organized and circulated by the Smithsonian American ArtMuseum with support from the William R. Kenan Jr. Endowment Fund and the SmithsonianCouncil for American Art. The C.F. Foundation in Atlanta supports the museums travelingexhibition program, Treasures to Go.

Ray Strong, Golden Gate Bridge, 1934, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum,

Transfer from the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service 1965.18.50

FIGGE ART MUSEUM EXHIBITION


6/24


Will Taxpayers Agree to Save Rock Island Countys Nursing Home?

Hope Creeks Conundrumby Jeff Ignatius

[email protected]

The grim math for Hope Creek Care Cen-ter is pretty simple. Changing it is not.

Right now, the 245-bed Rock IslandCounty-run nursing home in East Moline ispaid $127.48 by the State of Illinois for eachMedicaid recipient it houses. The cost to care

for each person, said Administrator TrudyWhittington, is $200 a day.

And because by law government-run homescant turn away Medicaid recipients, typicallymore than 60 percent of Hope Creek residents

are on the state/federal public-aid program.So Hope Creek is nearly $4 million in

the red each year from that disparity alone,and the current property-tax subsidy for thenursing home doesnt cover it. And that doesnt

even consider other factors related to stategovernment such as late reimbursements anddelays in approving Medicaid applications.

In that context, Rock Island County officials

on October 10 bluntly announced that afterproviding an option for the long-term-careneeds for residents of our county since 1839

in one capacity or another, the county islooking to divest itself from the nursing-home

business due to forces beyond our control thathave made that commitment impossible tocontinue. ... The Rock Island County Boardwill take official action at their November 19meeting to explore the potential of leasing or

selling Hope Creek Care nursing home.That statement brought immediate backlash

by the union representing Hope Creekworkers, and by people concerned about thefate of Medicaid recipients who live at Hope

Creek or might need to in the future. Thecounty quickly retreated, and County BoardChair Phil Banaszek appointed an ad-hoccommittee to look at other options.

Whittington said selling or leasing HopeCreek is Plan D and Plan E at this point butthe county would be remiss if it didnt do itshomework on those alternatives. We have tostart looking at what Hope Creeks options are,

she said last week. If we dont do something,those may becomeour only options. ... That is... our last resort.

The Rock Island County Board could assoon as its November 19 meeting take some

sort of action on Hope Creek. The most likelycourse is approving a referendum question forthe November 2014 ballot to raise propertytaxes in 2015 to further subsidize Hope Creek.

(A handful of county-board members

were contacted for this article. Banaszekdeclined a request for an interview, referringall questions to Whittington. He also saidhe would be unavailable for brief follow-up

questions. On November 6, all members of

the county boards Health & Human Servicescommittee were sent five questions by e-mail;none responded by the November 11 deadline.Richard H. Brunk a member of the Hope

Creek ad-hoc committee was also contacted

by e-mail and did not respond.)The exact amount of the tax levy had

not been decided at press time the ad-hoc committee was scheduled to meetNovember 13 but it will probably be in the

neighborhood of $3.5 million annually, whichwould be on top of the existing nursing-homelevy that generates $2.25 million. For a homevalued at $150,000, the proposed levy wouldmean nearly $80 in additional property taxes

each year.If the county board approves the

referendum question, advocates for savingthe nursing home will launch a year-long

education campaign to sell voters on that steepproperty-tax increase.

Concurrent with that will be legislativeefforts to ease the burden on Hope Creek (andother county-run nursing homes all of which

face similar challenges because of Medicaidreimbursement rates). Whittington is presidentof the County Nursing Home Associationof Illinois, and she said the organization and

Rock Island County will be seeking severallegislative remedies, most crucially allowingcounty-run nursing homes to turn away someMedicaid recipients.

We want to continue to take Medicaid,Whittington said. But ... when a facilitys

financial health is in the situation like were innow, we dont have the ability to alter it [themix of Medicaid and private-pay residents] atall.

She said she favors a formula that allowscounty nursing homes to reduce their

percentage of Medicaid recipients when theyreunder financial duress. We just are askingfor some flexibility, she said. We need that

flexibility for survivability. And the stateneeds county homes, because we take thebulk of people on Medicaid.

Another legislative possibility is asking thestate to expedite Medicaid applications for

nursing homes.But raising Medicaid reimbursement rates

is a long-term goal. While thats the coreproblem, Whittington said, its not reasonable

to expect the state to increase reimbursements:Thats going to take a lot longer to do. Becausethe states broke.

Everybodys FacingThis Same Crisis

Hope Creek opened in 2009 as thereplacement for the countys Oak Glen facility,and it has seven 35-bed units six for people

who need continual nursing care, and one for

short-term rehabilitation.Its warm and inviting and doesnt feel

institutional. When visiting Hope Creek,nothing hints at its financial crisis.

But it is a crisis. The county earlier thisyear borrowed $750,000 for Hope Creek

operations, and that loan is due April 1. Thecounty is now exploring the possibility ofadditional short-term borrowing; securing

additional loans would allow the county toget through the 2014 state-legislative sessionand the referendum question, at which pointit would have a better sense of Hope Creeks

long-term prognosis.While the states Medicaid reimbursement

rate is the chief problem facing Hope Creek,its exacerbated by other issues.

For one, Illinois has often fallen far behind

with its payments. In 1995, Whittington said,Rock Island County merged one of its nursingfacilities with Oak Glen because the state hadfallen $1.6 million behind on payments. That[closed] facility was full all the time, they had

people waiting to get in, it was a great location,people really liked that facility, she said. Butwe just couldnt, as a county, continue to affordto operate two facilities when the state at thattime owed the county over $1.6 million.

The state eventually got current with Rock

Island County, she added, but by November2011, the state had fallen $1.3 million behind:Its been a roller-coaster ride with them, but

theres no signs of improvement in the nearfuture.

Beyond that, programs through whichnursing homes could earn additionalreimbursements are gone.

And the process to approve people forMedicaid has been shifted from local offices(where it would take four to eight weeks) tothe Office of the Inspector General. Those

applications, Whittington said, are sittingthere for eight, nine, 10, 12-plus months.

That creates a cash-flow problem, but italso means that if an application is ultimatelydenied, theres no guarantee that Hope Creekwill get paid for the care it has provided.

The home will work with the resident,Whittington said, but the money will comeonly if there are funds there to make thatarrangement. Three weeks ago, she added, 34

people at Hope Creek were awaiting public-aid approval.

And at the federal level, the sequestersautomatic spending cuts took 2 percent offHope Creeks Medicare reimbursements

which affects the homes short-term unit.Faced with this collection of persistent

problems, its natural that Rock Island Countyand other counties with public nursinghomes would consider closing, selling, or

leasing their facilities. (Private nursing homesarent required to take all Medicaid patients,so their financial situations arent nearly soprecarious.)

County homes are dwindling, becauseeverybodys facing this same crisis,Whittington said. There were 27 countynursing homes in 2005, and one of theremaining 21 will likely be sold this year, she

said.But Rock Island County doesnt want to

close Hope Creek, she said: Were looking

for anything that we can to literally save this

facility. In addition to the referendum and

lobbying, theres also talk of a lottery scratch

ticket to benefit county nursing homes, and

Hope Creek is looking to see where it can cut

costs without hurting care.

The Toughest QuestionI asked Whittington why Rock Island

County and the County Nursing Home

Association dont lobby to force private nursing

homes to dedicate a certain percentage of their

beds to Medicaid recipients.

She at first avoided the question Were

here to conduct our business, she said. But

then she said that fundamentally this is an

issue of the states responsibilities: If the state

met their obligations financially as far as

paying what it truly costs to care for someone,

keeping their reimbursement current, ... [and]making sure that applications are processed [in

a] timely [fashion], ... we wouldnt care what

percentage the other facilities did or didnt

take.

But because thats not the case, there are

several scenarios in which Medicaid recipients

could lose Hope Creek as an option when its

already often their onlyoption.

If the state relaxes its rules for county

nursing homes allowing them to turn away

some people on public aid that would result

in some Medicaid recipients not having a placeto receive the long-term care they require. (No

residents would be kicked out of Hope Creek in

this situation, Whittington stressed; a private-

pay person could simply get an open room

that previously would have gone to a Medicaid

recipient applying at the same time.)

And if Hope Creek were sold or leased to

a private company, theres the possibility that

many dozens of people on public aid would

be turned away. There are open beds in the

Quad Cities, Whittington said, but they mightnot be made available to people on Medicaid

particularly given the gulf between cost and

reimbursement.

So were would those people go? Thats a

problem, Whittington said. And that concerns

us. And we dont have the answer for that.

That question will be at the heart of efforts

to pass a property-tax referendum next

year. Thats all the more reason we need

the community to support us through the

referendum efforts, so that we can continue

to serve as many or all of the Medicaid peoplethat need us, Whittington said. How much

is it worth to take care of a senior citizen or a

person who has been a taxpayer all their life?

... How do you put a price on Grandma and

Grandpa or Mom and Dad ... ?

NEWS


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of first-graderThom Elliots

Jimmy the

younger brother

of Annie who

was separated

from her during

their time

together living in

an asylum the

voices heard lack

inflection and

sound read rather

than acted, which

diminishes their impact. During these moments,

even McClanathan, who is otherwise impressive

in the play, seems to be forcing her emotions,

overdoing her reactions beyond believability. In

truth, I found these scenes so awful that I cringed

every time I saw the red light come on or heard

the voice recording start, knowing Id have to

endure yet another one.

Yet while McClanathan and Terronez are the

highlights of the production, there are othernotable performances, particularly Betty Coseys

portrayal of Viney, the Kellers servant. Coseys

character is so full of moxie and attitude that

she elicited an ear-to-ear grin on my face with

her every word, delivering some much-needed

comic relief to the otherwise serious proceedings.

Peiffer offers some noteworthy moments of

conviction with his Captain Keller, particularly

when facing off against Annie; he maintains a

stalwart air while caving to her every demand

regarding Helen. Tyler Henning delivers his lines

as Helens stepbrother James with just a tinge ofsarcasm, getting his points across sharply without

seeming overly disrespectful. VanWinkles Kate,

meanwhile, first struck me as too mild-mannered

and meek and, thus, not very memorable but

I eventually realized that her gentility was fitting

for the Southern woman she plays, especially one

as long-suffering as Mrs. Keller.

Mary also makes excellent use of the space

in the barn theatre, with most of designer

Weeks set made up of pieces of period furniture

rather than backdrops. And happily, the leading

performances are key to the most poignantpoints in The Miracle Worker, such as the climax

in which something finally clicks in Helens brain

regarding what Annie is trying to do with her

fingers, and the girl finally understands that these

signs meansomething. Previous missteps in

this production aside, Marys final scene proves

moving, especially in the sincere emotional

connection between McClanathan and Terronez,

and it leaves a positive, lasting impression of

Playcrafters production.

The Miracle Worker runs at the Playcrafters BarnTheatre (4950 35th Avenue, Moline) through

November 17, and more information and tickets

are available by calling (309)762-0330 or visiting

Playcrafters.com.

The Miracle Worker,at the Playcrafters Barn Theatre through November 17

To Helen, Back AgainBy Thom White

When itmatters

most,

the Playcrafters

Barn Theatre gets

A Miracle Worker

right, and does

emotional justice

to author William

Gibsons tale of

Annie Sullivan

(Cayte McCla-

nathan) teaching

the blind, deaf,

and mute Helen Keller (Emma Terronez) how to

communicate through sign language. The scenes

shared by McClanathan and Terronez are power-

ful, and their chemistry palpable, in Annies

fight to force young Helen to learn, and Helens

stubborn efforts to resist. But in truth, Saturdays

performance didnt really find its footing until

McClanathan and Terronez first shared the stage

about halfway through Act I.

When the central pair is absent, director RaeMarys production lacks energy, with uneven

pacing and slow, almost boring progression.

On Saturday, the opening scene in which Leigh

VanWinkles Kate and Bill Peiffers Captain Keller

stood over their infant Helens cradle and first

realized their daughter could neither see nor hear

was a bit clunky, as the actors seemed uncertain

about how they were supposed to emotionally

maneuver their way through the scene. It wasnt

until McClanathans fiery Annie was introduced

in the third scene that the performance got the

spark it much needed. As the formerly blindwoman assigned to help calm Helen and give

her a voice, the captivating McClanathan

possesses the necessary stubbornness and spirit

of this independent and proud character. Still, it

took a few more scenes for Marys staging of this

classic piece of theatre to f ind its rhythm, which

happened when Annie arrived at the Keller home

and first met her young pupil. At that point,

the battle of wills that ensued, following their

introduction, drove Playcrafters production.

Terronez (who understudies the role of Helen

and substituted for Laila Haley on Saturday) isbelievable in her portrayal of a deaf and blind

girl; her characterization is so complete that at

no time did I ever sense that Terronez could

see anything around her, and she never once

responded as if reacting to sound. Her stubborn

fits of resistance lend credibility to one of the

plays most poignant scenes, which shows Annies

attempts to get Helen to sit still at the table, eat

from her own plate with a spoon, and fold her

napkin. McClanathans and Terronezs skirmish

is especially enthralling as Annie wrestles with

Helen, who constantly escapes her grasp.What really doesnt work in thisMiracle

Worker, however, are Annies flashbacks, staged

as voice-overs with Annie washed in red-light

effects by designer Donna Weeks. Other than that

THEATRE

Cayte McClanathan and Laila Haley

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8/24


Bonner Church shines as

Ralphies teacher Miss

Shields, particularly when

part of his daydreams,

belting and tapping her way

through the showstopping

number Youll Shoot

Your Eye Out. (In this

song, she also dons one of

costume designer Gregory

Hiatts most stunning

ensembles, which features

a flapper-style fur coat.)

Marc Ciemiewiczs (bad)

Santa delivers a delicious,memorable Up on Santas

Lap. And as Ralphies

brother Randy, Gage

McCalester sometimes steals scenes with

his adorable likeness to the films Randy,

though with more cheek-pinch-worthy

sweetness.

While set designer Susan D. Holgerssons

creation for Ralphies home is remarkable in

the way it depicts the socioeconomic status

of his family in the 1940s, I do think theoutdoor scenery, featuring nothing but low

piles of snow, seems too small in scale for

this musicals scope. Fridays performance

was also riddled with tardy cues, mostly

whenever Einspahr would enter to interject

with narration, which negatively impacted

the pacing and flow.

I have no doubt, however, that this issue

will improve with every performance, and

A Christmas Story: The Musicalis already

a true delight, with much of the credit goingto the childrens ensemble. Circa 21s

musical is at its most enjoyable when the

kids deliver the bullied-kids anthem When

Youre a Wimp, and also when acting out

Ralphies daydreams dressed as can-can

girls, gangsters, and flappers. Together with

Klocke and McCalester, they provide the

imagination and merriment that make this

production one not to be missed.

A Christmas Story: The Musical runs at the

Circa 21 Dinner Playhouse (1828 Third

Avenue, Rock Island) through January

4, and more information and tickets

are available by calling (309)786-7733

extension 2 or visiting Circa21.com.

Vol. 20 No. 843Nov. 14 - 26, 2013

River Cities Reader532 W. 3rd St.

Davenport IA 52801

RiverCitiesReader.com

(563)324-0049 (phone)

(563)323-3101 (fax)

[email protected]

Publishing since 1993

The River Cities Reader is an independent

newspaper published every other Thursday, and

available free throughout the Quad Cities and

surrounding areas.

2013 River Cities Reader

AD DEADLINE:5 p.m. Wednesday prior to publication

PUBLISHERTodd McGreevy

EDITORKathleen McCarthy

EDITORIALManaging Editor: Jeff Ignatius [email protected]

Arts Editor, Calendar Editor: Mike Schulz [email protected]

Contributing Writers: Amy Alkon, Rob Brezsny, Rich

Miller, Frederick Morden, Bruce Walters, Thom White

ADVERTISINGAccount Executives:

Roseanne Terrill [email protected]

Advertising Coordinator: Nathan Klaus

Advertising rates, publishing schedule, demographics,

and more are available at

QCAdvertising.com

DESIGN/PRODUCTIONArt Director, Production Manager: Shawn Eldridge

[email protected]

Graphic Artist: Nathan Klaus [email protected]

Design/Production Interns: Ellen Korn

ADMINISTRATIONBusiness Manager: Kathleen McCarthy

Office Administrator, Classifieds Manager, Circulation

Manager: Rick Martin [email protected]

Distribution: William Cook, Steve Cowan Cheri DeLay,

Greg FitzPatrick, Daniel Levsen,

Jay Strickland, Doug Wilming

T

heres magic in the Circa21 Dinner Playhouses

A Christmas Story: TheMusical, most notably in thefantasy sequences and anyscene involving the childrenschorus. Adapted from the1983 movie, this stage musicalis familiar without being anexact copy of its much-lovedinspiration, making it a freshtake on the holiday-traditionentertainment. Plus, the musi-cal numbers, by composers

and lyricists Benj Pasek andJustin Paul, add a lot of fun toan already laugh-worthy tale.

Directed here by Tony

Parise, with a book by Joseph Robinette,A

Christmas Story centers on Ben Klockes

Ralphie and his quest for an official Red

Ryder, carbine action, 200-shot, range-

model air rifle. In the days leading up to

Christmas, Ralphie tries asking his parents

for it, sending advertisements to his mother,

writing a theme paper on the toy, andrequesting it from a disgruntled Santa, all

the while garnering the same response to his

request: Youll shoot your eye out.

Klocke is truly the star of this show. His

charming Ralphie, though not refined, is

easy to sympathize with and to root for

in his quest for that air rifle. And Klocke

seemed obviously aware that he was

playing for an audience during Fridays

performance, partly because Parise has him

mugging to the crowd when appropriate.That, however, led to much of the charm in

his pretense-free portrayal; his awareness

of the audience seemed to connect him

to us, and his youthful joy and innocence

connected us to him.

Playing Jean, the (visible) narrator

of his childhood stories, Steve Einspahr

matches the wonder and purity in Klockes

Ralphie, lending the role a mesmerizing air

of nostalgia. And with Parise also serving

as the shows choreographer,A Christmas

Storys directormakes some beautiful

choices when pairing the two on stage,

particularly in the Red Ryder Carbine-

Action BB Gun number. As Ralphie tells

of his dream Christmas present, he imagines

himself using it against various enemies,

waving the boxed rifle around in graceful

arcs and movements. Meanwhile, Einspahr,

standing just behind Klocke, mimics his

movements, shadowing him in this fond

memory, and creating imagery thats

sentimental yet stirring.

Though many come close, the performers

in Circa 21s production are not allgiving exact character replicas of their

film personas. The furthest from its screen

equivalent is Kate Turners portrayal of

Ralphies mother, though likely not because

Turner is incapable of playing her the way

Melinda Dillon immortalized the matron

in 1983. Here, the character is written with

a more doting nature and is absent of dry

humor. But thats okay, as the musicals

creators use her to add sentimental touches

to the tale, which Turner effectively deliversin the songs What a Mother Does, which

is about Mom taking care of her family

before herself, and Just Like That, a

touching number she shares with Ralphie

after he beats up Chuckie Dixons Scut

Farkus. (Dixon and James Baker, who plays

Grover Dill, welcomely mimic the movie

bullies to a T.)

Despite being deeply emotional at times,

this musical is more often hilarious. Tom

Walljasper is at his funniest when his Old

Man, Ralphies father, is spouting off long

streams of profanity without actually using

profanity, and he also clearly relishes the

humor in his delivery of A Major Award,

a song about that well-known leg lamp.

All I Want for Christmas Are Two Front-Row SeatsA Christmas Story: The Musical,at the Circa 21 Dinner Playhouse through January 4THEATRE By Thom White

Ben Klocke (center) and A Christmas Story: The Musicalensemble members


9/24


THEATRE By Thom White

Whats perhaps most beautiful aboutthe QC Theatre Workshops Last

Call: The Songs of Stephen Sondheim

aside from it showcasing music by, arguably,

our greatest Broadway

composer is the way

show creators Tyson

Danner and (Reader

employee) Mike

Schulz weave a story

through their revue,

offering more than

just an in concert

experience. Theres a

natural progression

throughout the piece,

which theyve set in

a bar where individuals and couples gather to

drink, socialize, long for love, or lament love

lost. Rather than having a distinct plot and

conflict, the production delivers a look at a

typical bar evening in which the audience gets

to eavesdrop on every table conversation and

watch as people mingle, flirt, and attempt torepair relationships. And the flow of this slice

of life as told through song is to be admired

particularly because it lacks pretense and feels

real.

Kimberly Kurtenbach Furness starts Last

Calls evening by longing for love in her

rendition of Being Alive from Company,

during which, in one of several clever

arrangements by music director Danner, James

Fairchilds bartender interjects with a lyric from

Into the Woods No One Is Alone. (Furnessthen responds to Fairchild with an adroit I

wish from the same song.) Shortly thereafter,

two couples Angela Elliott and Patrick Gimm,

and Sara Tubbs and Mark Ruebling dream of

a Country House before Gimm and Ruebling

recognize each other as Old Friends. Allison

Swanson and Erin Churchill soon take seats at

another of the sets tables, explaining the reason

for their girls night out with Theres Always a

Woman before proclaiming their friendship in

Ive Got You to Lean on.Don Denton is the final patron of the

evening, first greeting his friend Fairchild

with Dick Tracys Live Alone & Like It (one

of four songs employed from that film, all

of which are among my favorite Sondheim

compositions). With its sense of evening at a

bar established, director Schulz then proceeds

to have cast members go up to the bar to order

drinks, or exit to the bathroom, or move to

another table sometimes while singing in

mid-conversation to be with someone else.

And rather than feeling staged and specificallytimed, all of these actions are executed just as

naturally as they would on a real night out.

While some of the women, on November 1,

struggled to hit a few of their higher notes, and

some of the men fell on the side of melodicspeaking rather than beautifully toned singing,

the performances flaws did little to inhibit

the enjoyment of Sondheims music and the

ways in which its used by

Schulz and Danner. (The

latter accompanies, with

remarkable musicality,

every song from a bar

piano in the corner of

the stage.) Their work is

most notable when they

change the compositions

original intent. Dick

Tracys More, for

instance, is no longer a

show-stopping dance

number, but Tubbs chance to brag about her

life of excess to Elliott who earned quite

a few opening-night laughs for her barely

masked feigned interest, and her eventual,

unspoken Well,yeah response to Tubbs

question Or does that sound too greedy?

Another example isAssassins attempted-murderer duet Unworthy of Your Love,

which, here, Furness performs seductively to

Gimm while Fairchild, singing with sadness,

watches her, the object of his affection, turn

her attention to another man. Schulz and

Danner also make a great choice in following

Fairchilds performance of Companys Have

I Got a Girl for Youa song in which in

which he describes Swanson as dumb with

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the

ForumsLovely,which finds Swanson singingI can neither sew nor cook nor read or write

my name.

But aside from Dentons exquisite singing

voice (best showcased in Marry Me a Little),

Elliotts showstopping Could I Leave You?

(with its forceful, independent-minded

ending), and Furness Ladies Who Lunch

(combined with the shame she registers

following this delightfully drunken musical

outburst), whats most brilliant about the

QC Theatre Workshops Last Call: The Songsof Stephen Sondheimis Danners climactic

combination of Being Alive and No One

Is Alone. The two songs fit so well together,

at least as Danner has arranged them, that

even considering the productions charmingly

woven tale and effective performances to say

nothing of Sondheims music this blended

number, to me, is reason enough to catch this

production before it closes.

Last Call: The Songs of Stephen Sondheim

runs at the QC Theatre Workshop (1730

Wilkes Avenue, Davenport) through November

17, and more information and tickets are

available by calling (563)650-2396 or visiting

QCTheatreWorkshop.org.

Nine Singers Walk into a Bar Last Call: The Songs of Stephen Sondheim,at the QC Theatre Workshop through November 17

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Erin Churchill, Mark Ruebling, Don Denton,

Allison Swanson, Sarah Tubbs, Patrick Gimm,

Angela Elliot, James Fairchild, and Kimberly

Kurtenbach Furness


10/24


The Quad City Symphony, October 26 at the Adler

MUSIC by Frederick [email protected]

With a diverse, rich sampling ofchamber music in its secondMasterworks concert of the

season, the Quad City Symphony onOctober 26 provided sensitive musicalinsight into the personal lives of com-posers. No symphonies, concertos, orphilosophical tone poems here; ratherthe program included instrumentalmusic for the stage, and vocal musicabout relationships with family and

friends. The performance was consis-tently strong throughout with a strangemusical shuffle near the end that almostruined the warm, cozy atmosphere themusicians worked so hard to create.

To Concert Conversationsparticipants sitting in the Adler justbefore the program, Music Directorand Conductor Mark Russell Smithexplained that in the old days, concertswere bookended by big works andfilled in with bits and pieces of other

works. Franz Schuberts Overtureto Rosamundeand Richard StraussSuite from Le Bourgeois Gentilhommemight have been the bookends of theprogram, but the soul was found in thebits and pieces sung by guest sopranoSarah Shafer.

Accompanied by the orchestra,Shafer sang Knoxville Summer of 1915,Samuel Barbers nostalgic reliving ofhis childhood and the illness looming

over his father; Mozarts concert ariaChio mi scordi di te? (You ask thatI forget you?) honoring a loyal friend,perhaps a lover; and Richard Straussart song Morgen (Tomorrow), agift for his new bride that anticipatedtheir happiness together. With textsin German, Italian, and English, thesepieces were tied together by a commontheme personal relationships in thecomposers lives that, combined with

Shafers impressive voice, made herperformance artistically cohesive.

Shafer has that special sound, atone color that is immediately warmand inviting with the flexibility todo just about anything an Italiansports car with great power in a smallframe. She has the depth to bothsing Strauss tender emotive arcs inMorgen and create the musicalambiance and conflicting feelings ofBarbers childhood as seen through thewisdom of an adult. But it was in theintricately difficult scales, leaps, andornamentation of the instrumental-likewriting of Mozart that she revealedthe disciplined vocal technique that

separates her from other singers.Shafer made it sound easy, but

singing this Mozart is like dancingaround rattlesnakes; there is no timeto linger. Musical intervallic leaps highand low, a glimpse of pathos, momentsof pause, racing and ritenuto shewas everywhere, showing the vocaldexterity to be light in one instant,intense the next, all with the pitchcertainty of a keyboard.

Instead of performing the printedpage, Shafer sang in the late-18thCentury style with quick, unwrittenchanges of tempo and dynamicsbringing the text to life. She insertedand emphasized dissonant one-toneappoggiaturas here and there, followingold performance practices that coloredthe music with delight, sorrow, andpassion. She accomplished difficultturns and mordents, adding notes to analready blithering array of scales and

arpeggios. With impressive physicaland vocal strength, she sustained long,extended musical phrases, articulatingevery note of the melismatic passages(parts with many pitches on a singlesyllable). All these changes made herperformance not only more dramaticand suspenseful but also more authenticthan performing unaltered music.

Adding color to the orchestral soundand anchoring the bulk of the work was

guest pianist Joel Fan, who improvised,in the Classical style, a brief cadenza

just before the large Allegrettosection and then nailed the virtuosicaccompanying scale figures andarpeggiated flourishes that Mozart hadwritten for himself to perform.

While the Italian text for Mozartwas heard in bold relief against theorchestra, American poet JamesAgees words in Barbers music were

marginally intelligible from where Isat. This was a fundamental problemconsidering that Barbers music notonly accompanied the words butamplified their meaning through tonepainting, such as sudden agitatedmusic with leaps of ninths and secondsrepresenting the illness of Barbersfather, and noisy metallic textures forthe electrical sparks of the streetcarmentioned in the text.

Barbers thick mixture of harmonyand orchestration competed againstor blurred the similar timbre ofShafers voice. Tucked between the

Continued on Page 15

Soul in the Bits and Pieces


11/24


by Mike Schulz [email protected] Mike Schulz [email protected] Reviews by Mike Schulz [email protected]

avoided diving into controversial issues

of geopolitics and religion subjects that

could never be adequately analyzed given

his formats demanded, three-quarter-hour

running length. (The docs potentially

divisive issues are quickly breezed past with

the Cumberbatch line Jews, Christians,

and Muslims have often found themselves

in conflict, which has to rank as one of theyears bigger cinematic understatements.)

But as a means of generating discussion

among interfaith viewers, and perhaps

especially as an introduction to the city for

young audiences, Fergusons work might

prove unmissable. A trio of lovely, well-

spoken teenage girls the Jewish Revital

Zacherie, the Christian Nadia Tadros, and

the Muslim Farah Ammouri speak on

Jerusalems deep beauty and its culturally

invaluable role in their lives with personalcandor and visible, endearing delight; theyre

exceptional big-screen tour guides. And

with his camera in almost constant motion,

as though restless to keep exploring this

fascinating new world, cinematographer

Reed Smoot delivers one visual stunner after

another, particularly the overhead shots

of the Dome of the Rock and Bethlehems

Church of the Nativity. At one point in

Jerusalem, the city is described as the closest

place on Earth to God. After seeing the

Putnams latest, good luck arguing with that.

For reviews of Enders Game, Last Vegas,

Free Birds, About Time, and other current

releases, visit RiverCitiesReader.com.

Follow Mike on Twitter at Twitter.com./

MikeSchulzNow.

THOR: THE DARK WORLD

As the comic-book demigod Loki, the

nefarious thorn-in-the-side to the Avengers

and adopted brother to Thor, Tom Hiddleston,

in the Marvel Studios movies, exudes a teasing,

seductive malevolence. With his sharp, angular

features and chilling gaze that suggests he

might prefer eating you to killing you, hes a

wonderfully unstable and hypnotic screen

creation. Yet the brilliance in Hiddlestons

interpretation is that his Loki is also so

damned charming. The character may forever

be planning destruction or plotting revenge

specifically against the golden-haired preferred

son with the red cape and hammer but

Hiddlestons bearing is so smooth and relaxed,

and his wide grin so infectious, that you

almost cant help rooting for him, especially

because he also, generally, gets his movies best

jokes.Unfortunately, while Hiddleston is typically

Marvel-ous in the new Thor: The Dark World,

Loki is confined, Hannibal Lecter-like, to a

prison cell for most of his screen time here,

and the film itself feels similarly constricted.

A considerable comedown from Kenneth

Branaghs sprightly, inventive, moving Thor

from 2011, director Alan Taylors follow-up is

something of a bummer for all sorts of reasons:

the labyrinthine yet abjectly meaningless

narrative involving the Nine Realms and theDark Elves and the energy force Aether that

perhaps only an astrophysicist (or a comic-

obsessed 10-year-old) could wholly decipher;

the depressing lack of visual panache, with

the one legitimately great-looking sequence

a funeral on Thors homeworld of Asgard

concluding nearly identically to the I See

the Light scene in Disneys Tangled; Natalie

Portman,

returning as

Earth scientist

Jane Foster,

and trying

awfully (too)

hard to give

a playful

performancewhen shes

clearly not in a

playful mood.

Yet its

biggest flaw, to me, is its timidity. With more

Thor andAvengers movies on the horizon, the

filmmakers obviously arent allowed to tinker

with the leading character or his franchise

in any truly significant ways, and so The

Dark World the effects for which are also a

comedown from those in its precursor boastsan inherently unsatisfying, going-through-

the-motions vibe. A familiar figure (or maybe

two) may be offed in the film, but otherwise

its just business as usual, with the brawny,

likable Chris Hemsworths title character given

even fewer chances at comically puffed up

braggadocio, and the fun supporting cast

including Anthony Hopkins, Stellan Skarsgrd,

Kat Dennings, Idris Elba, and Jaimie

Alexander not doing anything they didnt

do to stronger effect two years ago. (I was,

though, happy to see the much-missed Rene

Russo get to kick some ass as Thors mom,

and the fast and funny Chris ODowd and

Jonathan Howard are welcome new recruits

to the series.) Its not a tough sequel to sit

through, and the extended action climax does

supply a few gratifying moments of Being John

Malkovich-esque weirdness, with characters

popping into and out of invisible wormholes

with occasionally

amusing results. (In the

midst of battle, Thor

finds himself forced to

take the London tube to

Greenwich.) Thor: The

Dark World, however,

is still only really alive

whenever Loki iscausing mischief, and

one can only hope that

Marvel takes note of

Hiddlestons aggressive

scene-stealing and acts accordingly by giving

the guy a movie of his own. A comic-book

blockbuster in which the hero is actually a

villain? Now thatdbe something.

JERUSALEM

Prior to one of the Thursday-eveningpreview screenings of the Putnam Museums

new National Geographicdocumentary

Jerusalem, visiting writer/director Daniel

Ferguson asked our assembled, sold-out

audience how many of us had actually been to

Jerusalem before, and a good portion of the

crowd raised its hands. Ferguson replied by

saying that, after wed seen the film, hed hope

that wed all raise our hands, and his confidence

proved justified: This visually spectacular,

45-minute edu-tainment on Israels cradle ofcivilization is really quite a glorious piece of

work.

Narrated, with a gravitas that never

slides into portentousness, by the currently

omnipresent Benedict Cumberbatch,Jerusalem

is filled with intelligent, insightful detail on the

regions ancient history, even if, as Ferguson

stated at a press conference, he consciously

Listen to Mike every Friday at 9am on ROCK 104-9 FM with Dave & Darren

Loki Here

Chris Hemsworth in Thor: The Dark World

ank you readers, for 20 years of support!Please thank the businesses that advertise in the Reader,and let them know how much you love locally owned

alternative media and independent voices.e Reader staff reallyappreciates all the businesses that advertise with us, large and small.But, we know it means a lot more coming from you, the reader!


12/24


Whats HappeninWhats Happenin

WORDS FROM THE EDITOR Continued from Page 3

EventBuddy Valastro:The Cake BossAdler Theatre

Thursday, November 21, 7:30 p.m.

Ido hope, on November 21, that the janitorial staff

at Davenports Adler Theatre have their mops and

squeegees at the ready, because there just might be a few

hundred trails of saliva theyll have to contend with.The reason for this potential flooding is the area arrival

of Buddy Valastro, the celebrity chef best known as the

star of TLCs reality series Cake Boss. And while Valastro

is a good-looking guy, I was kind of thinking

the drool might result more from his interactipresentation, which will find the Hoboken, N

Jersey, native giving live cake- and cupcake-

decorating demonstrations. So if youre prone

losing control at the first sight of frosting, you

might want to request seats in the back.

Valastros Adler event will also feature him

sharing stories of his career as a professional b

and, as the 36-year-old started working at his familys

business, Carlos Bakery, at age 11, Im betting that hes

amassed a bunch of good ones. Taking over the bakery

head-chef reins at age 17, after his fathers passing, Valaproved to be both an exceptional entrepreneur and, wit

the 2009 debut of Cake Boss, one with exceptional natu

charisma, to boot; the show led to the spin-offs Kitchen

MusicDaytrotter: CommunionRock Island Brewing Company

Thursday, November 21, 7 p.m.

The word communion hasseveral definitions. It can mean

the elements of the Eucharist oran association or fellowship or thesharing of thoughts or emotion. Orit can mean the title of a 1989 sci-fimovie so bad that my buddy and Ileft halfway through and were forcedto drown our irritation in beer at

two in the afternoon. (Not that, ofcourse, that would be my definition oranything ... .)

But on November 21, the word

communion is goingto mean a kick-assassemblage of hot indiemusicians, at least ifDaytrotter and RIBCO

have anything to sayabout it. A special event

showcasing the singing/songwritingtalents of artists from all acrossAmerica, the Communion concertshould also be emblematic of the wordsdefinition as a group of people havinga common religious faith ... if that faithis the belief in the power of searching,soulful music.

On the docket for the night: Denvers

indie-pop duo Tennis, composed ofhusband and wife Patrick Riley andAlaina Moore; the six gifted musicianswho form Salt Lake Citys Night Sweats;

Brooklyn-based pop-Hammer and Deidreof Savoir Adore; Chiwhich boasts three foScattered Tress; and t

own The Multiple CCollins, Ben Crabb,Eric Stone.

Is your indie-musienough that you canbased on album or ELets find out! Try mtitles to the right witreleased them.

Tickets to the Coare $12 in advance a

door, and more infonight is available at (RIBCO.com.

TheatreThe TempestDistrict Theatre

Friday, November 15, through Sunday,

November 24

Hi, Mike.Jeffrey! Aman of unlimited breath

and bounty! I bid youfair day!

Oh, Lord ... . I

presume youre going to

the theatre?

Forsooth! I am to see

a delightful cheer by that

prosperous Bard of Avon

William Shakespeare!

That was my guess.

Heigh my heart!

Lets see ... Genesius Guilds

summer season ended ... and the

Prenzie Players new show isnt for a

few more weeks ... .

Nay! I shall be in attendance of

Shakespeares The Tempest, a prose

of empiercing compare,at Rock

Islands District Theatre! Twill be the

companys initial foray into the merry

grace of Shakespares poetic tongue!

Well, you certainly seem excited

for it.

I feel as though a thousandtwangling instruments will hum about

mine ears!

Thats from The Tempest, right?

Aye! As are Whats past is prologue

and O, brave new world and We are

such stuff as dreams are made on!Thine ear is good as the best!

Right. So whos in the show?

All manner of mickle ta lent!

Mike King as Prospero, Lauren

VanSprebroeck as Miranda, Tristan

Tapscott as Ariel,

Joseph Maubach as

Gonzalo, Bryan Tank as

Trinculo, Ed Villarreal

as Stephano, Andy

Curtiss as Antonio,Doug Adkins as

Sebastian ... ! And they

have the fortune to

be led in triumph by

director Chris Causer,

of the DistrictsHair

and reasons to be

pretty! How beauteous

mankind is!

Yeah, thats from The Tempest, too.

When its running?The actors shall tread the boards

from the 15th of November through its

24th night. And with that, Im off! Fare

thee well, kindly Jeffrey! Parting is such

sweet sorrow!

You can stop talking like that now.

Fine.

And Id ditch the costume.

But codpieces go with everything.

The Tempest will be performed

Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30

p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m., and more

information and tickets are available

by calling (309)235-1654 or visiting

DistrictTheatre.com. istakenlyguessedTheMultipleCatonthatlastone.Usually,itisacatthathassomethingcaughtinitsthroat.

are you a civic watchdog? is a question we haveheard many times over the years. Were both isthe accurate response. The establishment mediacontinually struggles for a credible reputation

on these fronts, and more, every day. TheReaders niche continues to include media-savvy consumers who seek out perspectivesunavailable in the compromised mainstreammedia. In addition to being the go-to source

for what is new, whats happening, and ideasfor things to do, weve tackled some of theareas toughest political topics, both locally and

nationally.These include ill-begotten referendum-driven agendas such as county-jail expansions,city entitlement programs, and blank-checkconstruction projects. We havent won manyfriends when nearly every major employer,

academic, utility, government institution,and chamber of commerce is cheerleadingand financially backing big-ticket taxpayer-funded projects and we take a critical,thorough, and balanced approach to the

pros and cons. Its not a journalistic modelthat any other media in town lives by.Yes, occasionally one of the establishmentmedia will take a measured approach to thecontroversial initiatives, but that is only after

public awareness has risen to a point thatforces such an atypical effort.

Were certainly not claiming we havetackled every difficult topic out there; we are

not a large enough organization. But we areproud of the bar our team has set. And thatjournalistic standard is primarily due to theefforts of our managing editor, Jeff Ignatius.

Jeff, who started in 2000, is very skilled at

multi-perspective analysis and keeping thecoverage balanced. We often say to folkswho ask us to cover a certain topic, Are yousure you are ready for Jeff to take a look atthis? Jeff is able to take complex details and

distill them down into a readily understood,compelling, and easy-to-read narrative.Additionally, Jeffs penchant for getting insidethe heads of musicians and artists has resultedin some of the more insightful interviews and

reviews available. Hes a talent we are fortunate

to have at the Readerand in this community.Speaking of talent, Mike Schulz wearsmany hats at the Reader, and he wears them

well. Besides being our dutiful calendar andarts editor since 2005, Mike has been writingthe Readers movie reviews since 1995, and

he was its primary theatre critic for fiveyears. Movies and plays are a natural area of

expertise for Mike and he, like the rest of us,has made nearly as many foes as friends fromhis no-holds-barred critiques of our local andregional theatre productions. While he steppeddown from the theatre-critic role now that he

is directly involved in acting in and producingtheatrical productions, he continues to edit thereviews. And Mikes index of movie reviews(at RCReader.com/movies/movie-review-index) continues to grow weekly with links

to more than 1,000 reviews written since early2000. We get feedback about his take on thebig screen that ranges from I have to have adictionary when I read his reviews to Hes

the best movie critic anywhere and gives youuseful insight into even the bad movies. Sadly

Celebrating 20 Years of the River Cities Reader


13/24


MUSICThursday, November 14 Matthew

Curry & the Fury. Blues and rockmusicians in concert, with an opening

set by The Winter Blues All-Stars. TheRedstone Room (129 Main Street,

Davenport). 7:30 p.m. $7. For tickets and

information, call (563)326-1333 or visitRiverMusicExperience.org.

Friday, November 15 DaphneWillis. Acoustic, pop, and rock musicianin concert, with an opening set by Hood

Smoke. The Redstone Room (129 Main

Street, Davenport). 8:30 p.m. $8. For ticketsand information, call (563)326-1333 or

visit RiverMusicExperience.org. For a 2008

interview with Willis, visit RCReader.com/y/daphnewillis.

Friday, November 15 Joanne ShawTaylor. British blues guitarist and singerin a concert sponsored by the Mississippi

Valley Blues Society. The Muddy Waters

(1708 State Street, Bettendorf). 9 p.m.$12-15. For tickets and information, call

(563)355-0655 or visit TheMuddyWaters.

com. For a 2009 interview with Taylor, visitRCReader.com/y/taylor.

Friday, November 15 Ray Live!A Tribute to Ray Charles. A night of

classic blues and soul tunes from theCharles catalog. Quad-Cities Waterfront

Convention Center (1777 Isle Parkway,Bettendorf). 7:30 p.m. $5-10. For

What ElseIs Happenin

by Mike Schulz

[email protected]

Continued On Page 14

MusicHoliday Pops featuringDebby Boonei wireless Center

Saturday, November 23, 7:30 p.m.

Not that youdknow it fromthese pages, but

when in public, Ido try to behave

with a fair amount

of professional

decorum. Yet this

past September,

when I ran into Steve

Jobman the artistic

director for the Quad City Symphony

Orchestras November 23 Holiday Pops

concert at the i wireless Center and he

told me theyd secured Grammy winnerDebby Boone as this years featured

vocalist, Ill admit it: I squealed like a

little girl. Apologies to those nearby

who thought I maybe saw a mouse.

The daughter of famed pop crooner

Pat Boone, Debby began touring with

her familys vocal ensemble at age 14,

eventually landing on the Billboard

charts with 1975s When the Lovelight

Starts Shining Through His Eyes and

1977s Hasta Maana. But it was laterthat year, with the release of Debbys

first solo album You Light Up My

Lifeand its title track, that the singer

became a star.

Spending 10 consecutive weeks atop

BillboardsHot 100 chart more thanany previous song in the charts history

and earning Debby the Grammy for

Best New Artist, You Light Up My

Life quickly became the biggest-selling

hit of the 1970s.

It also, for some of us, became the

song that our grade-school music

teacher made us perform for a

big school assembly, so some

of us listened to it an awful lot.

And developed serious crusheson Debby as result. Hence, my

squealing.

Since then, Debby has gone on

to find success in musical theatre

and contemporary-Christian

music, land a number-one hit on

Billboardscountry charts with Are

You on the Road to Lovin Me Again,

pick up two more Grammys, and even

co-author numerous childrens books

with her husband Gabriel Ferrer. (Andnot for nothing, but especially for age

57, she continues to lookfantastic.) So

kudos to Jobman and the Quad City

Symphony for the amazing booking for

this years Holiday Pops. Id be tempted

to ask them if I could meet Debby after

the show, but you know ... . Why make

her think there are mice ... ?

Holiday Pops will also feature

performances by the Sanctuary Choir of

Davenports First Presbyterian Church

and the Quad City Symphony Youth

Choir (those lucky so-and-sos ... ), and

tickets are available by calling (800)745-

3000 or visiting iwirelessCenter.com.

ew

to

aker

stroh

al

Boss and Bakery Boss, plus the competition series Next

Great Baker, in which the champion chef earns cash and anapprenticeship at Carlos Bakery.

With those programs plus several books to his credit

among them The Essential Cake Boss, released a mere

month and a half agoValastro has emerged as the

preeminent baking authority of his generation, and as his

fans will attest, certainly the most entertaining one. So enjoy

the culinary artists presentation and his accompanying

question-and-answer session, and remember: Bring a bib.

(See? I told my editor it wouldnt be offensive if I did this

whole article in Valastros Italian-American accent! You

werent bothered by it at all, were you?)For tickets to Buddy Valastros November 21 engagement,

call (800)745-3000 or visit AdlerTheatre.com.

rockers PaulMuro (pictured)ago trio On & On,rmer members ofhe Quad Cities

t, featuring Ryanatrick Stolley, and

cred impressiveell them aparttitles alone?

tching these fivethe artists who

munion concertd $15 at the

mation on the309)793-4060 or

1) Cape Dory2) Elements of3) Give in4) Red5) The Adventures of Mr.

Pumpernickel & the Girl withAnimals in Her Throat

A) The Multiple CatB) Night SweatsC) On and OnD) Savoir AdoreE) Tennis

Answers:1E,2A,3C,4B,5D.Iunderstandifyou

for some, Mike wont be implementing a starsranking system any time soon.

The Readers financial model is driven bypaid advertising. Thus, the paper and Web-site content are free to our readers, who areour number-one audience. Our smart andloyal readership is what is attractive to ouradvertising clients. With more advertisingoutlets available to business owners thanever, we are fortunate to have the dedicatedand talented team in our sales and graphicsdepartment. Ad sales is no easy career path,

no matter what medium, and RoseanneTerrills smiling and ebullient attitude is thereal deal. Keeping everyone on deadline isan endless task, and producing creative adsthat get results under such pressure is not for

everyone, either. Nathan Klaus steps up tothe task each week with a patient and helpfulphone manner, while still managing to createads that clients love.

Stringing it all together so readers can havea printed copy in their hands to read andshare with others is our art director, ShawnEldridge. Shawn has been ensuring that ourfinal product reaches the printer since 2006.While it is undoubtedly easier to do thingsoneself, Shawn has fostered an impressivelegacy of graphic-design and layout interns.

Over the years, he has provided mentoringand hands-on teaching that have helpeddozens get hired at other publishing houses,graphics shops, and more. His patient andunflappable demeanor is a valuable asset in aworld where things are constantly changing.

Of course, the key to any complimentarynewspapers success is distribution. One canpublish the greatest content in the world,but if its not readily available, then all isfor naught. Weve had our share of rackwars over the years and continue to fendoff wanna-bes every day, but the Readersextensive distribution network remainsunmatched thanks to our circulationmanager, Rick Martin. Rick started in 2001and has managed a stable of loyal anddedicated drivers as well as maintained

excellent relations with the more than 800locations where readers seek out and pickup the Reader. Jay Strickland has beendistributing the Readerlonger than anyone,having started in 1997, and hes stepped upto every task hes been asked to help with.

Were also thankful for the crew that has beenwith us for 10 years, ensuring the paper getsdelivered, come hell or high-water: RobertHughes, Cheri Delay, Greg Fitzpatrick, DanLevensen, and William Cook.

We are even prouder of the Readertodaythen we were when we first started, just thetwo of us in an empty warehouse with noheat 20 years ago. Weve come a long wayfrom cutting and pasting with scissors andglue to searchable online databases.

But the Readerwould not be around if it

were not for you, the reader. And we thankyou most especially, for your feedback andsupport two decades into this journey ofbringing you content that challenges thestatus quo and hopefully makes a differencewhere you live, work, and play.

by Kathleen McCarthy and Todd McGreevy

[email protected]


14/24


information, call (800)724-5825 or visitBettendorf.IsleOfCapriCasinos.com.

Sunday, November 17 Daniel LeahyTrio. Jazz pianist/vocalist and his ensembleeducate and entertain in the Polyrhythms

Third Sunday Jazz Workshop & Matine

Series. The Redstone Room (129 Main Street,Davenport). 3 p.m. workshop: $5/adults, free

for students. 6 p.m. concert: $10-15. For tickets

and information, call (309)373-0790 or visitPolyrhythms.org or RiverMusicExperience.org.

Friday, November 22 1964: The Tribute.Concert with the internationally touring

Beatles tribute artists. Adler Theatre (136 EastThird Street, Davenport). 8 p.m. $34.50. For

tickets, call (800)745-3000 or visit AdlerTheatre.com.

Friday, November 22 Tiny MovingParts. Idie rockers in concert, withperformances by Ice Hockey, The Easy

Mark, and A Little Strange. Rozz-Tox (2108

Third Avenue, Rock Island). 7 p.m. $5. Forinformation, call (309)200-0978 or visit

RozzTox.com.Friday, November 22, through Sunday,

November 24 Hansel & Gretel. EngelbertHumperdincks fairytale operetta performed

by Opera@Augustana. Augustana CollegesWallenberg Hall (3520 Seventh Avenue,

Rock Island). 7 p.m. $8-14. For tickets andinformation, call (309)794-7306 or visit

Augustana.edu.Saturday, November 23 Orquesta Son

Del Tumbao. Salsa music and dancing with EdEast, Omar Alaniz, and Nelson Martinez. The

Redstone Room (129 Main Street, Davenport).8 p.m. $10. For tickets and information, call

(563)326-1333 or visit RiverMusicExperience.

org.Wednesday, November 27 Minus Six

CD Release Party. Concert with the areapop and rock musicians. Rock Island Brewing

Company (1815 Second Avenue, Rock Island).9 p.m. $6. For information, call (309)793-4060

or visit RIBCO.com.

COMEDYFriday, November 15 Walloped at da

Wake. New Mafia-wake murder mystery withthe Its a Mystery! troupe, written by KimEastland. Skellington Manor Banquet & Event

Center (420 18th Street, Rock Island). 6:30 p.m.

$35. For tickets and information, call (563)344-9187 or visit SkellingtonManor.com.

Saturday, November 16 Lily Tomlin.The legendary comedienne performs in apresentation in the Hancher Auditorium

Visiting Artists series. Riverside Casino Event

Center (3184 Highway 22, Riverside). 7:30p.m. $10-45. For tickets and information, call

(319)335-1160 or visit http://www.Hancher.UIowa.edu.

MOVIESSaturday, November 16 Bringing It

Home. Screening of the new industrial-hempdocumentary, featuring a Q&A Session, hemp

food and drink samples, an informative display

on Iowa hemp history, and more. BucktownCenter for the Arts (225 East Second Street,

Davenport). 1 p.m. Free admission. For

information, visit BringingItHomeMovie.com.

EXHIBITSaturday, November 16, through

Sunday, February 9 College Invitational.Exhibit featuring artwork by students from

Ashford University, Augustana College, BlackHawk College, Knox College, Monmouth

College, Scott Community College, St.

Ambrose University, Western Illinois University,and the University of Iowa. Figge Art Museum

(225 West Second Street, Davenport).

Tuesdays-Saturdays 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Thursdays10 a.m.-9 p.m., Sundays noon-5 p.m. Free with

$4-7 museum admission. For information, call

(563)326-7804 or visit FiggeArt.org.

KIDS STUFF

Thursday, November 14, through Sunday,November 17 Disney on Ice: Passportto Adventure. All-new skating spectacularfeaturing favorite Disney characters. i wireless

Center (1201 River Drive, Moline). Thursdays

and Friday 7 p.m.; Saturday 11 a.m., 3 p.m., and

7 p.m.; Sunday 1 and 5 p.m. $16-51. For tickets,

call (800)745-3000 or visit iwirelessCenter.com.

EVENTSFriday, November 15 River Cities Reader

20th Birthday Celebration. As we enter our

third decade as the Quad Cities independentnewspaper, enjoy food, beverages, music, and

more. Modern Woodmen Park (209 South

Gaines Street, Davenport). 5-10 p.m. Free

admission. For information, visit RCReader.com.

Saturday, November 23, and Sunday,November 24 Iowa Burlesque Festival. Eventpresented by Danielle Colby, featuring Saturdays

Shimmy Baby Shake Offburlesque contest at 6

p.m. and the Queens of a Peelheadliner show

at 10 p.m., and Sundays Please, Have Mercy

Awards, highlighting new headliner sets and thewinners of Saturdays shake-off. Adler Theatre

(136 East Third Street, Davenport). Saturday

6 p.m., Sunday 7 p.m. $15-55. For tickets, call

(800)745-3000 or visit AdlerTheatre.com.

Continued From Page 13

What Else Is Happenin


15/24


self-evidently disruptive to the Strausssuite, and a drain on the concerts

momentum.

The Quad City Symphonys nextMasterworks concerts will be heldSaturday, December 7, at the AdlerTheatre and Sunday, December 8, at

Augustana Colleges Centennial Hall.The program features Jennifer HigdonsViolin Concertoand Rachmaninoffs

concertmaster and conductor, hersound seemed, at times, swallowed

up by the instruments that almostsurrounded her. By contrast, Mozartshide-and-seek Classical style,alternately jumping into and out of themusical spotlight, was more effectivewith this staging arrangement.

Despite the moments of imbalancebetween the ensemble and the singer,the orchestras playing of Barberwas wonderful, with its Southernatmospheric color a vivid, steamy

summer evening in Tennessee. Theorchestra members shaped the openingbars with warmth and lyric tenderness,and soloists emerged with artfullysculpted musical phrases, like a quiet,playful conversation among familymembers. The insightful musicaldialogues included the oboe andEnglish horn with the cello section,melodic fragments in the horn, a solocello with answering strings, and the

blend of solo clarinet with flute allmusically swaying around Shafers

voice.If the imbalance in Barber was

caused by a combination of the musicand the placement of the singer, a largerproblem was the bizarre and whollyavoidable choice of program order.The second half of the concert featurednine selections from Strauss opera LeBourgeois Gentilhomme, but after thefirst seven movements, the orchestrachanged its seating configuration andpersonnel with some players leavingthe stage and others joining andre-tuned. When Shafer returned tothe stage, the audience greeted herwith awkward clapping. The soloistperformed two vocal pieces withthe orchestra and left the stage toappreciative applause, and then theplayers returned to their original seatsfor the last two movements of the

Strauss, closing the concert.Despite the interruption of Strauss,

the orchestra demonstrated superbmusicianship as an ensemble andindividuals. The flutes produced aneffective contrast between abruptlyaccented notes and a lyric duet in theMinuet. The bold statements by thebass trombone and bravura trumpetarpeggios in The Fencing Masterwere impressive. The clarinet and

bassoon doubling of the melody in thefifth movement was not only perfectintonation, but it carefully delineatedthe musical line with even intensity

Continued From Page 10

and blend, a resonant mixture addedto Strauss rich harmony. Tasteful

percussion soft bass drum, cymbals,and orchestra bells added color and amartial feel to the Courante.

The concert effectively showcasedthe range and skill of both the orchestraand the soloist through diverse musicfrom four style periods. But thedecision to break up the closing piecewas destabilizing: logistically awkward,

Symphony No. 2, with guest conductorAlasdair Neale and violinist Naha

Greenholtz. For more information, visitQCSymphony.com.

Frederick Morden is a retired orchestra-music director, conductor, composer,arranger, educator, and writer who hasserved on the executive board of theConductors Guild.

Soul in the Bits and PiecesMUSIC by Frederick Morden

[email protected]


16/24


It certainly helps that Wallace is playingthe role of the cockeyed optimist Gideon,

the woman certain that her scheme to finally

bring home a man,

both figuratively and

literally, will work out.

Wallaces performance

is actually too broad

for the Richmond Hill

space; she seems to be

playing to the barns

rafters rather thanthe audience thats

sitting within spitting

distance. This hardly

matters, though, as Wallaces portrayal is

remarkably consistent and sincere. (Throw in

the fact that her character is a bit too much of

a dreamer, and Wallaces overacting actually

feels appropriate.)

In contrast, McLaughlin offers delightfully

deadpan deliveries of her frequently snarky

comments, while ONeill is enchanting in his

grand confusion, and consternation, when

the women tell him that the half-naked man

before him is actually Gideons husband. (Of

one year. And today is their anniversary.)

While ONeills readings, though, are

believable in their sincerity, his physical

responses and McLaughlins, as well

seem, for the most part, overly rehearsed,

rather than spontaneous. For his part, Woods

delivers a welcome, relatively subdued

portrayal compared to the grandiosity and

pomposity he so deliciously brings to manyof his Genesius Guild roles. And while

Ratkiewicz could employ more nuance in his

characterization of a man with amnesia, as he

does little more than act confused, he does so

with commanding stage presence.It is worth noting that while Ididnt laugh

all that much while watching Richmond

Hills production, many of Thursdays

other audience members did, and I did

find a smattering of truly guffaw-worthy

jokes, such as when the girls tell Dex thatthe bathroom is broken and he asks what

they do when they have to go, and Gideon

confidently replies, Grit our teeth and

smile. There are just enough laughs in I

Take This Manto please even the audience

members most jaded toward this type of

comedy (i.e., me), and that turned out to be

the icing on what I found to be a fascinating

cake.

I Take This Man runs at the Richmond Hill

Barn Theatre (600 Robinson Drive, Geneseo)

through November 17, and more information

and tickets are available by calling (309)944-

2244 or visiting RHPlayers.com.

To be frank, I didnt find the RichmondHill Barn Theatres comedy I Take This

Manall that funny, at least not consis-

tently. However, play-

wright Jack Sharkeys

plot about a single

woman who brings

home an unconscious

Boston Marathon run-

ner in order to finally

have the romance shes

long wanted isincredibly interesting,

particularly consider-

ing the gradual pace

at which Sharkeys story unfolds, leaving you

constantly wondering what will happen next.

I may not have laughed as much as Sharkey

would have liked, but I was certainly enter-

tained during Thursdays performance.

I Take This Mansplot is intriguing from

the get-go, as Bryan Woods police officer

Jud carries Tommy Ratkiewiczs passed-out

(and, at this point, nameless) Bret into the

apartment of Sarah Ade Wallaces Gideon

and plops him down on her couch. (Hes

put there, were told, because the fabrics

Scotchgard-ed and hes all sweaty.) After

sending Woods too-easily-persuaded

officer on his way, its revealed, through

a conversation with Molly McLaughlins

more grounded and sarcastic roommate

Charlene, that Gideon found the man

lying unconscious at the end of the Boston

Marathon. Believing him to be the eventsfinal racer, Gideon decides he must be

perfect for her, since nice guys finish last.

Once set up, Sharkeys story proceeds to

unfold slowly, and impressively delivers a

continued sense of anticipation about what

on Earth will transpire. What will happen

when Bret wakes up? (Which he does,

but with amnesia, and accepting Gideons

dr

Documents

River Cities' Reader - Issue 843 -November 14, 2013.pdf