February. That month when two people are better than one under the covers. When the dinner hour is still dark enough to eat your favorite dish by candlelight. When the piece of chocolate cake you order before the show is just the right size to share.
You find your cozy seats. Your fingers accidentally touch as you pass her the folded pages of the program. She whispers something in your ear as the lights dim. The curtain parts, your knees bump in the dark, and for 90 delicious minutes, you get to steep yourself, together, in art.
Maybe your style is to stoke the flames with a passionate dance performance, a concert that stirs the soul, or a play so witty she lets her guard down and laughs out loud. Any which way, here’s a rich, velvety list of upcoming events in the area should you, gentle readers, need inspiration, or alternately, should some irresistible gent be tempted to treat me to a night out. Jonathan (Bridgerton) Bailey, I’m waiting for your call.
While not every worthy performance in the area takes place on Valentine’s Day—or even the week of—there’s nothing wrong with sneaking some theater tickets into a beautiful card, tucking them into a rosy bouquet, or baking them into a souffle as a promise of a special evening yet to come.
Okay, lovers. Here’s the short list.
February 14 • Dandelion Stompers Valentine’s Day Celebration. Jump into a nostalgic scene with serious razzmatazz as this Iowa City-based ensemble embodying the spirit of 1920s New Orleans presents a night of hot jazz, swing dancing (optional, of course), and the debut of their new album, The Whirlwind Sessions: Vol. II. This aptly named collection of recordings was the result of tornado weather that funneled the band unexpectedly into the studio for a prolonged and prolific stay. Voted “Best Local Band” by Little Village Magazine in 2022, the Dandelion Stompers will be celebrating Valentine’s Day proper at the Wildwood Saloon in Iowa City.
February 15 • Marvin Gaye Tribute with Jackie’s Boy. I’d be remiss not to include this dude who’ll be grooving Cedar Rapids into a romantic mood at the Ideal Theater & Cocktail Bar. Imbibe the smooth, sexy sounds of 1960s Motown as this Grammy Award-winning singer and his band present a soulful, sultry evening of Marvin Gaye’s greatest romantic anthems. “Let’s Get It On,” people.
February 21 • Weary Ramblers. Though they’re no strangers to flying solo, the newish duo of multi-instrumentalist songwriters Kathryn Fox and Chad Elliott is seemingly made of magic. I count myself lucky to have been at the Okoboji Writers’ Retreat last fall when their “Pretty Lights of Denver” dropped many jaws at the concert hall. I understand now why their debut album together soared into the #1 spot on the Contemporary Folk chart and stayed there for seven weeks. And as evidenced by their nine 2024 Grammy considerations, it would appear the pair is a folk force to be reckoned with. See them live the Friday after Valentine’s Day at the historic CSPS Hall in Cedar Rapids. With haunting harmonies, gifted storytelling, and nuanced musicianship, these Weary Ramblers will softly crack your heart open.
February 28 & March 1 • Shamel Pitts | TRIBE: Touch of Red. When trying to decide on a frontrunner among Hancher’s awesome February offerings, I kept coming back to this duo dance performance. Choreographed for two Black men, Touch of Red “reframes the boxing ring as a site for a duet rather than a duel, bringing vulnerability to the fore.” Seating is set up on the Hadley Stage, where audience members will be intimate witnesses to Shamel Pitts’s ten-part exploration of vulnerability, effeminacy, connection, and healing, with virtuosic feats that will leave you breathless.
March 18–23 • Some Like It Hot. I passed on a chance to see this musical comedy upon my last visit to the Big Apple and have regretted it ever since. An adaptation of the classic 1959 movie, Some Like It Hot follows the story of two Prohibition-era jazz musicians forced to flee the Windy City after witnessing a mob hit. With gangsters hot on their heels, they disguise themselves as women and catch a cross-country train for the trip of a lifetime. Winner of four Tony Awards, including Best Choreography and Best Costumes, and busting at the seams with romance, sizzling jazz, and top-shelf talent, this show is “A Super-Sized, All-Out Song-And-Dance Spectacular!” according to The New York Times. Don’t miss the six-day run in March at the Des Moines Civic Center.
Other Offerings at Hancher. Okay, so I couldn’t bear to include just one show at Hancher. These other impassioned performances deserve your consideration, and may be right up your date’s Ailey. I mean alley.
- On Tuesday, March 11, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater returns with a stunning mix of signature Ailey classics and new works from cutting-edge choreographers, wrapping up the concert with its masterpiece, Revelations—the most widely viewed modern dance work in the world.
- On Saturday, February 15, let yourself be wooed by Grammy-nominated French singer Cyrille Aimée, whose charming and otherworldly style blends Caribbean rhythms with pop and jazz.
- If jazz is your thing but you prefer something more fringe-y, try this one on for size: On Saturday, February 22, Hancher and Feed Me Weird Things present a unique evening of jazz music and soul food, featuring Ben LaMar Gay Ensemble and Isaiah Collier & the Chosen Few, both acts hailing from Chicago. Jazz visionary Ben LaMar Gay and his ensemble will offer up a set from their International Anthem, mixing flavors of funk, R&B, and Tropicália with electro and contemporary classical. After a soul-food, buffet-style dinner (included), saxophone prodigy Isaiah Collier & the Chosen Few will play the second set, joined by lauded gospel and soul singer Jimetta Rose.
- The final entry, albeit further out in the distance, is still dreamy enough to make my short list. Save the date, April 21, for Iron & Wine. With offerings that are at once soft-spoken and cinematic, acclaimed singer-songwriter Sam Beam brings his latest album, Light Verse, to Hancher Auditorium—a full-band performance with visuals enhanced by the shadow-puppet masters of Manual Cinema. I fully expect this one-of-a-kind evening of music, light, and shadow will be worth the wait.
Whether you’re courting a cutie, surprising your spouse, stepping out with a gal pal, or going stylishly stag, I hope you’ll partake in at least one of these enchanted evenings. Happy Valentine’s Day, and long live the arts in Iowa!
