Starlight Theatre Recap: 2021

This past summer has been a mixture of interesting adventures for the Starlight Theatre. They have had an amazing crew and cast this season after putting their shows on pause in 2020 due to Covid.

There has been much talent shown in 2021 through art, music, and choreography. They performed five shows that began running in July and lasted through the end of August. From painting sets and sewing costumes to selling tickets and rehearsing music numbers, it is quite a magical place for dreams to grow and be planted. 

The season started off with the first show, “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder.” This was packed with humorous murder plots and romance scenes that left you laughing and smiling all night. 

“You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown” was a light-hearted, colorful musical. It gave you the feeling as if you were jumping right into the classic Peanuts comic strips. The bittersweet life-long lessons were doused throughout this musical, making you quite entertained and in awe of the amazing costume, stage-sets, dancing and singing. Your heart melts at the adorable friendships between Snoopy, Woodstock, Lucy, Linus, Sally, Schroeder, and Charlie Brown.

“Once Upon a Mattress” is a touching story adapted from the classical “Princess and the Pea” fairy tale. It transported you into a whole new world of magic and wonder. In the world of this show, dreams and wishes really can come true! This classic prince and princess story is one every audience loves. 

“Pinkalicious” was a vivaciously rosy illustration of the famously well-known imaginative children’s story. Characters learned about having family relationships, and being kind and fair and true to your opinions. Bright colors filled the stage as dancing cupcakes and doctors came into the story. Little girls went crazy for this show and loved the interactions with Pinkalicious in this story about eating vegetables, or “green” foods rather than only pink cupcakes. 

“Little Shop of Horrors” is a favorite show for many. A nerdy florist works in a business-craving flower shop, searching for meaning in life at the beginning of this musical. He works at a rather unpopular flower shop with a beautiful young lady, whom he grows very fond of throughout the show. The florist finds a way to make the flower shop business boom by finding a rare, dangerous plant to display! The shop becomes popular and high in demand because of his blood-thirsty plant. The show uses creative and funny ways to deter becoming addicted to harmful substances and making wrong choices. It is a classic show that so many people love.

Starlight Theatre is operated by Rock Valley College on their main campus, located in Rockford, Illinois. Although summer is their busiest season, they always seem to have one thing or another to work towards.

This October 14-17 and October 21-23, they will be performing Macbeth. They have been putting a lot of work into this upcoming performance; it is something you will not want to miss.

For more information and show times, visit RVCStarlight.com. You won’t want to miss this unique theatre experience!