I entered the Grandon Theatre at Theatre Cedar Rapids to see A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen (written in 1879), and as I passed the veiled Victorian frames and black molded walls, I was transported to another time and place. Knowing I’d see A Doll’s House, Part 2, by Lucas Hnath (written in 2017) the next evening […]
Cedar Rapids live theater
Posted inEastern Iowa
Crackling connections take center stage in Mirrorbox Theatre’s ‘Private’
Mirrorbox Theatre presents: Private Through May 22, Theatre Cedar Rapids — Grandon, $20 Do you ever stop to consider the connections between personal life, social media, employment and the world at-large? Mirrobox Theatre takes on these connections and more in the Iowa premiere of Private by Mona Pirnot, which opened last Thursday night and runs […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Mirrorbox leads audiences to consider their own friendships more deeply in ‘Cycle Play’
The quote “Art disturbs the comfortable and comforts the disturbed” has been attributed to various people in a variety of situations, but it is nowhere more applicable than to Cycle Play, currently running in the downstairs Grandon Theatre space at Theatre Cedar Rapids. Mirrorbox Theatre invites the audience into this two woman show, directed by […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Successful fundraising campaign brings Mirrorbox home
With 32 plays presented in 2020 and 19 staged in 2021, Mirrorbox Theatre may be one of the area’s most prolific theaters — and all of those plays were virtual. Audience members joined the show via Zoom from the safety and comfort of their own homes. This year is no less exciting for Mirrorbox because […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
With stage magic, a newer text, TCR’s is not your mama’s ‘Cinderella’ (but she’ll still enjoy it!)
This past Friday, Theatre Cedar Rapids reopened its main stage for the first time since COVID-19 hit with Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella. Director Angie Toomsen brings the adapted stage play to life through the brilliant actors throughout every scene. The new libretto, written for the 2013 Broadway production by Douglas Carter Beane, brings the differences […]
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Welcome back: Two CRANDIC theater companies return to the stage this weekend
It is late 1968 and Judy Garland is in London — in large part because her erratic behavior and performances have made it difficult for her to perform in the United States. She is preparing for a five-week run at the Talk of the Town cabaret club. And she’s remembering better times. That’s the story […]
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TCR’s ‘Bright Star’ is full of shine
The bright sun shone on the face of Alice Murphy, played by the majestic Jordan Arnold, as she casually entered the playing space of Theatre Cedar Rapids’ Bright Star. This riveting musical (music/book and story by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell) is presented live and outdoors on Brucemore’s beautiful Peggy Boyle Whitworth Amphitheater. Arnold opens […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Get “crumples in [your] dress” when you see the moving ‘Little Women’ with loved ones
As my tablemates and I arrived at Theatre Cedar Rapids’ production of Little Women at Brucemore, I could feel a crispness in the air. The rainy sky had opened to let the sun out just as we rolled up into the drive. The stage, covered with a painted backdrop of the interior of the March […]
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Mirrorbox Theatre deftly navigates uncharted territory with their first musical
What is love? To some, it might be a passionate affair in Paris. To others, it’s the very definition of one’s relationship with their furry companion. Perhaps, quite honestly, it’s just a catchy Haddaway tune that had you responding “Baby, don’t hurt me.” Or maybe, love is the last morsel of strength you have to […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Intoxicating and otherworldly, TCR’s ‘St. Nicholas’ will linger with you after you leave
Like the protagonist in Conor McPherson’s St. Nicholas, I, too, am struggling to find the perfect words — in my case, to convey my unadulterated awe and affection for Theatre Cedar Rapids’ exquisitely haunting (and hilariously vulgar) production of the 1997 play. Listening to the drunken, Irish monologue is intoxicating in itself as Mathew James […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Mirrorbox invites drive-ins for humorous, heartfelt, thought-provoking production ‘The Parking Lot’
Picture this: Several strangers gathered around in their cars, watching a married couple go through the pros and cons of a relationship on the verge of divorce. No, this isn’t your weekly trip to Walmart or your neighbor’s driveway — it’s the Mirrorbox Theatre production of The Parking Lot. A socially distanced, pandemic-proof theatrical drive-in […]
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.
