Now famous as the home of Triple Espresso—a highly caffeinated comedy, the Music Box Theatre was originally known as the Loring Theatre. The building was constructed in 1920 as a silent theatre and vaudeville house. Built in the Classical Revival style, the theatre reflects the era of progress in the Loring Park neighborhood during the turn of the century. Aided by the expansion of the streetcar line, the Loring experienced great success throughout the 1920’s playing silent movies. In 1930, after the conversion to “talkies,” alterations were made by Liebenberg and Kaplan, adding Art Deco details. Due to the rise in popularity of television, the theater was forced to shut down in 1955. In the years that followed, the building underwent several renovations, and was renamed the Music Box Theatre. It housed a Pentecostal church (evangelist Jim Bakker of PTL fame preached his first sermon in the Music Box) and later the Cricket Theatre, which was highly respected for its productions of new American theatrical works. The Cricket’s last production, in 1996, was Triple Espresso. After the Cricket’s demise, Triple Espresso formed its own company and moved back into the Music Box, where it ran almost continuously from April 1997 through April, 2008.

Mission Statement

Music Box Theatre, LLC, a for-profit company, seeks to enrich the south Nicollet/Loring neighborhood and add to its vibrancy by providing a venue for positive, uplifting, high-quality entertainment, special events, and meetings, while maintaining appropriate financial stewardship to its owners. The Music Box is also committed to providing a home for Spirit Garage, a Christian faith community, which holds Sunday morning services in the theater each week.