KENT KRIEGSHAUSER/The Register-Mail

From left: Mandy Anderson as Ellen Manville, Robert Thompson Jr. as Milt Manville, and Tim Holmes as Harry Berlin, share a park bench as they rehearse a scene from "Luv," a Coffee Bean Theatre production to be performed at The Homstead in Woodhull.

Dinner theater comes to Woodhull

Five Things to Do

Jane Carlson

LIFESTYLES

Thursday, November 8, 2007

"Luv," a romantic comedy by Murray Schisgal with a three-person cast of Tim Holmes, Robert Thompson Jr. and Mandy Anderson, debuts Saturday at The Homestead, just off I-74 in Woodhull.

Director and Coffee Bean Theatre founder Gary Mustain says owners of The Homestead contacted him about doing dinner theater in the facility and he took it from there, choosing a funny, intimate play that could be staged in the restaurant's ballroom.

"Luv," which is set at the foot of a New York City bridge, is the story of a love triangle between Milt Manville (Thompson), his wife Ellen (Anderson) and his old college buddy Harry Berlin (Tim Holmes.)

Tickets are $30, include a buffet dinner and must be reserved in advance at The Homestead or by calling 344-3480. Dinner begins at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, with the show at 8 p.m. The show also runs Sunday with dinner at 12:30 p.m. and the show at 2 p.m., as well as evening shows Nov. 16 and 17 and another matinee Nov. 18.

"Charley's Aunt" opens at GHS

Another theatrical option this weekend is Galesburg High School's production of "Charley's Aunt," an 19th-century farce set in England that requires its 10-member cast to speak in English accents.

Director Nancy Dillard said the students chose the play after seeing it performed at a festival earlier this year and liking its brand of humor.

Interpreting the lines, analyzing the historical context and working on accents have been an exciting challenge for a high school cast. Add an intricate, rotating set - designed by Russ Ullrich and GHS students - and a male cast member who dresses as a woman, and it's a show Dillard says you don't want to miss.

"Charley's Aunt" runs Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. in Hegg Auditorium at GHS. Tickets are $8 for adults and $4 for students.

Hear "Jesus' Son" author read at Knox

Novelist, short story writer and poet Denis Johnson - author of "The Name of the World," "Already Dead," and "Jesus' Son," which inspired the 1999 movie by the same name starring Jack Black and Billy Crudup - will read from his at 4 p.m. Friday in Muelder Room at Seymour Library at Knox College. The reading is free and open to the public.

Visit Midwest authors in Bishop Hill

Another literary option this weekend is "A Gathering of Authors," from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday in the Blacksmith Shop at 203 N. Bishop Hill St. in Bishop Hill.

Up to 20 Midwest authors - novelists, poets, children's authors - will read from their works, sign copies of their books at the event. For more information, call 927-3008 or 927-3899.

Experience da Vinci in Davenport

"Leonardo da Vinci: Man, Inventor, Genius," an international exhibit that originated in Austria, opens Friday at the Putnam Museum and IMAX Theatre in Davenport.

The Quad Cities is only the third U.S. locale for the exhibit, following Chicago and Seattle. It also has appeared in Austria, South Korea and Germany. The 7,000-square-foot exhibit features interactive displays, documentary films and reproductions of da Vinci's paintings and drawings.

The exhibit runs through Feb. 23. Admission is $6 for adults, $5 for seniors and $4 for children. For more information, call (563) 324-1933 or visit their Web site at www.putnam.org.

Jane Carlson is features editor of The Register-Mail. Contact her with information about upcoming local and regional events at jcarlson@register-mail.com or 343-7181, Ext. 265.

Things to Do

Dinner theater in Woodhull

"Charley's Aunt" at GHS

Denis Johnson reading at Knox

Midwest authors gathering in Bishop Hill

Da Vinci exhibit in Davenport