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In its 18th year of operation, Vaudeville Mews had to be shut down because of COVID-19. Vaudeville Mews was forced to close when Governor Kim Reynolds started the lockdown in April by enforcing all bars, restaurants and music venues to temporarily shut down. After the lockdown when the Vaudeville Mews could open back up, they were unable to consistently bring in large audiences for the few acts that they could get to come in and
perform. The extreme loss of revenue led to the venue closing its doors in October.

However, for the 18 years that the venue was open, it became home to a variety of acts.

“Any act on any night felt like home with the energy and excitement that everyone gave off,” said Bert Green, a regular on the weekends at the Vaudeville Mews.

Amedeo Rossi, one of the partners that helped start the Vaudeville Mews before becoming the sole owner, said “We would do somewhere near eight to nine shows a week. So, the amount of shows put on would be in the thousands.”

On some of the nights, there would be multiple shows to give options for the community. The Vaudeville Mews typically put on shows that were from local artists or artists who were just starting out and needed to debut their songs.

“Indie music was our middle-ground,” Rossi said. “But there would also be artists with a twang, there was some metal, could be pop, could be electronic. It was a very open-genre place.”

Vaudeville Mews also put on acts from outside Iowa or the Midwest. There were also many performers that came from other countries like Korea or Germany. Delvon Lamarr, from the Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio, originated his act in Washington and has performed at the Vaudeville Mews twice.

“The energy of the room, and inside of the Vaudeville Muse is pretty amazing,” Lamarr said. “I like the fact that they put the balcony on the top where people could look down at us while we’re performing. It feels like you are right there and with the people when you are performing.”

Lamarr said people were the best part of the Vaudeville Mews. Lamarr said that some of his favorite memories of being at Vaudeville Mews to perform took place with the people that he talked to at the bar. Just being with a fun community gave the venue the energy that made it stand out from others.

“I think the reason why I went there so much was because of the people,” Green said. “I met new people every time, and I heard so many interesting stories from people who had traveled hundreds of miles just to come to the Mews that night.”

The Vaudeville Mews was set up as a classic restaurant and bar but had a stage at the end where all of the acts could perform and people could gather around right up to the performers. Although the stage was not fancy or raised like those at Wells Fargo or Hoyt Sherman, the stage gave each person watching the concert a more personal experience.

“The vibe of the place and the way it’s set up is just like a wave of energy when you walk in,” Lamarr said. “It just feels right in there; every time I have been there it just felt right.”

Just by walking into Vaudeville Mews you can feel the vibe that Lamarr explained. The venue was full of quirky and nostalgic decor, such as multiple red leather sofas and a black-and-white checkered floor. When that floor was completely full of people coming to watch the performances, the people either performing or working there that night would throw things into the audience such as balloons to add extra dimensions to the performance.

The Vaudeville Mews gave a sense of community and a second family to anyone who entered its doors at night. It gave central Iowa a place to go and relax and forget about all of the stressors going on in their lives. Now in the age of COVID-19, Central Iowa has lost something within the community that it needs now more than ever.