Theatre Cedar Rapids is underground and online this year as they prepare to present their 10th-annual Underground New Play Festival. This year’s theme, The Mysterious, offers theatergoers an opportunity to see 13 original plays written, directed and performed by people with Iowa connections. The plays will be presented May 16 and 17 in an online […]
Laura Johnson
Posted inArts & Entertainment
In a time when we need theater most, Mirrorbox brings actors together online
Mirrorbox Theater is known for firsts. Iowa premieres. New writing. Topics that are tough. Shows that inspire conversations into the night, well after the curtain has fallen. Friday night, March 20, was no different. Earlier in the week, I saw that Mirrorbox’s Artistic Director, Cavan Hallman, asked on social media who had worked with the […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Riverside’s ‘Stages’ is 75 minutes of honest human experience
Riverside Theatre opened the Iowa premier of the one-man show Stages by David Lee Nelson on Feb. 28. Nelson’s show and performance are remarkable for several reasons. Co-created and directed with Riverside’s Producing Artistic Director, Stages is the chronicle of Nelson’s own lived experiences with stage four colon cancer. Nelson is both playwright and actor. […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
TCR shows how to murder your way to the top, with humor and music
TCR’s staging of ‘A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder’ features an outstanding cast, ensemble and musical direction. Although based on a serious question (“What will people do to get what they believe deserve?”), this musical comedy is energetic and humorous throughout.
Posted inBook Reviews
Book Review: ‘Paper Planes: A Collection of Poems not Crumpled on the Floor’ by Lovar Davis Kidd
Cedar Rapids-based dancer, educator and poet Lovar Davis Kidd started the new year by self-publishing a volume of poetry entitled Paper Planes: A Collection of Poems not Crumpled on the Floor. This collection calls to mind the author’s spoken word performances, and most of these pieces beg to be read aloud. The short book is divided into
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Riverside’s ‘The Agitators’ a timely exploration of 19th century concerns that still plague us
Riverside Theatre opened its first play of 2020 with an intense reminder of the importance of history, civil rights and activism. Jessica Link portrays Susan B. Anthony and Curtis M. Jackson is Fredrick Douglass in this retrospective of their friendship and political lives, which often found them at odds with one another.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Giving Tree’s ‘The Tin Woman’ warms the heart with artful storytelling
The Tin Woman, by Sean Grennan, opened at Giving Tree Theater in Marion during the icy rain last Friday, but the atmosphere in the theater was anything but cold. The Tin Woman tells the story of Jack and Joy — the former, an organ donor; the latter, the recipient of his heart.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
‘Almost, Maine’ a welcome reprieve from the frenzy of the season
Iowa City Community Theater opened Almost, Maine (John Cariani, 2004) Friday night. The minimalist sets (Jeffrey Allen Mead), lighting that mimicked the Northern Lights (Mike Jesse) and a series of eleven heart-touching scenes beautifully directed by Nate J. Sullivan all came together to provide a delightful evening for everyone.
Posted inBook Reviews
Book Review: ‘Heart Notes’ by Caleb “The Negro Artist” Rainey
Caleb “The Negro Artist” Rainey’s second volume of poetry was self-published in October, just five months after his first volume (Look, Black Boy) was released. Heart Notes departs from race as its central topic and focuses on aspects of love, which Rainey explores through widely varying structures and types of poems. In fact, if you’ve ever wondered whether
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Accept the challenge of Riverside Theatre’s ‘Straight White Men’
It is as if the audience is watching the events of the play unfold inside a diorama — a piece of history captured, but a history that is still being played out.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Remember what the holidays can be with Giving Tree’s ‘Best Christmas Pageant Ever’
Peppered with Christmas songs that are, well, mostly traditional, ‘The Best Christmas Pageant Ever’ offers a sweet meditation on inclusivity and what the true holiday spirit is meant to be.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Wonderfully acted ‘Matilda’ a TCR holiday joy
Theater Cedar Rapids opened Matilda the Musical, based on Roald Dahl’s book Matilda, on Nov. 15 with a high energy number that sets the tone for the whole show. The song, “Miracle,” poses the question: Who is special, and who decides? The choreography (Erin Helm) is outstanding in this number, and that carries throughout the show.
