Renovated Strand gets It thanks to Atlanta Lyric Theatre

When I walked into Marietta’s Strand Theatre to see The It Girl, I had an instant flash of what live theater could use in these hard times. Popcorn!

The Strand opened in 1935 as an art deco movie house, but stood vacant for years on Marietta’s historic town square (roughly catty-corner from Theatre in the Square). The newly restored venue proves cozier than the Fox Theatre but has a little less of the grindhouse funk than the Plaza. The Strand currently serves as the home for Atlanta Lyric Theatre, and when you step into the modest lobby, the popcorn aroma immediately surrounds you. That salty, buttery perfume carries an immediate sense of anticipation and nostalgia, putting you instantly in a “show” frame of mind.

The Strand also proves an ideal venue for The It Girl, a musical adapted by Michael Small, B.T. McNicholl and Paul McKibbins from Paramount Pictures’ 1927 film It.

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