The Classics at Brucemore: The Night of the Iguana
Let a live mariachi band transport you to Puerto Barrio, Mexico, the setting of American playwright Tennessee Williams's drama, The Night of the Iguana. This year's Classics at Brucemore performances are July 12-14 and 19-21 at 8:00 p.m. in the natural amphitheater near the pond on the Brucemore estate. Gates open at 7:00 p.m.
Tennessee Williams, considered one of the greatest American playwrights, is most known for two Pulitzer Prize dramas, A Streetcar Named Desire (1947) and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1955). Debuting on Broadway in 1961 and winning the New York Drama Critics Award, The Night of the Iguana is the last of Williams's major successes. Set at a Mexican hotel in the early 1940s, the drama presents several character portraits in an exploration of what it means to be human.
"We chose this show for the Classics because it has all the great hallmarks of a Classics show," said Artistic Director Jason Alberty, "a gorgeous outdoor setting, compelling characters, a classic literary pedigree, and themes that reach out to all of us."
Sponsored by Rockwell Collins and the Corridor Business Journal, The Night of the Iguana features a cast of the area's finest actors. Ten return to the Classics stage, including Heather Akers, Richie Akers, Megan Turner Ginsberg, Scott Humeston, Jim Kropa, Nathan Nelson, Marty Norton, Katy Slaven, Hannah Spina, and Len Struttmann. Making their Classics debut are Andrew Clancey, Olivia Frisch, Kivan Kirk, and Skyler Mathias.
Audiences for the Classics at Brucemore are encouraged to bring lawn chairs, blankets, picnics, and beverages to enjoy pre-show revelry from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. A trio from Mariachi de Colores, an Iowa based ensemble founded in 2010, will enhance the experience and set the tone for the show with traditional music. The full ensemble numbers 11 musicians from Mexico, Panama, and the United States. For more information about the band, please contact the director of Mariachi de Colores, Ed East, at (319) 504-2122.
Advance tickets are $18 for adults and $15 for Brucemore members and students. All tickets at the gate are $20. Tickets may be purchased at the Brucemore Store or by calling (319) 362-7375. Parking is available on the grounds. For additional information, please visit the Brucemore website, www.brucemore.org.
The Classics at Brucemore began as collaboration between Torchlight Theatrics and Brucemore in 1996, thus launching outdoor theatre in Eastern Iowa. The Classics celebrates a rich history of quality live theatre, from Greek tragedy to Shakespearean comedy and twentieth century American drama. Much more than a play performed outdoors, the Classics fully utilizes the site as the natural amphitheater provides a lush backdrop and the outdoor environment is incorporated into the action ? actors emerge from the woods, get dunked in the pond, and help themselves to the audience's picnics.
Experience Brucemore, an unparalleled blend of tradition and culture, located at 2160 Linden Drive SE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. At the heart of the historic 26-acre estate stands a nineteenth-century mansion filled with the stories of three Cedar Rapids families. Concerts, theater, programs, and tours enliven the site and celebrate the heritage of a community. For more information, call (319) 362-7375 or visit www.brucemore.org.
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