Producers preview

TCR is coming home.

In less than a week, Theatre Cedar Rapids will re-open the Iowa Theater Building with its production of The Producers. The hit musical, by Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan, won a whopping 12 Tony Awards when it premiered on Broadway. It is based on Mel Brooks' 1968 film of the same name.

In The Producers, producer Max Bialystock and his accountant Leo Bloom learn that they can actually make more money from a flop than a hit - assuming the IRS doesn't notice they're raising more money than they spend. With dollar signs in their eyes, they set out to raise $2,000,000 to produce the worst $100,000 musical ever: Springtime for Hitler. Of course, nothing goes quite as planned, and the result is the combination of ribald humor, zany characterizations and riotous slapstick that has made Mel Brooks famous.

The Producers is the first show to be produced in the newly-renovated Iowa Theater Building. Much of the building was damaged in the flood of 2008, and TCR has been producing plays in the Grant Wood House and at TCR Lindale. Thanks an ambitious reconstruction plan and a vigorous fundraising drive, TCR is now able to move back into its traditional space, and will host a Grand Reopening Gala with drinks and snacks before the show. The new building features added comforts for both audiences and performers, including a lounge, larger restrooms, a new green room and dressing room, and a new stage floor with a more sophisticated trap door system. Constructions crews have uncovered and restored some of the original plasterwork, and Richard Barker has been commissioned to design a mural celebrating TCR's history. Videos of some of the reconstruction process can be found at TCR's website.

The Producers opens February 26th and runs until March 14th. Performances are at 7:30pm Thursdays through Saturdays and 2:30pm Sundays. Tickets are $20-25 for adults, $15 for youth; rush tickets are $12. More information here.