RSS 2.0 Feed"Adventures" to remember
Wed, Feb 01, 2012
Kansas City Repertory Theatre’s new staging of “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” is a boisterous blend of veteran acting talent and ingenious stagecraft.
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Coterie grapples with bullying, sexuality
Wed, Feb 01, 2012
The acclaimed children’s theatre takes on more mature subject matter with a restaging of the fast-paced, provocative teen-drama, “The Wrestling Season.”
A merry band of marionettes
Wed, Feb 01, 2012
The Paul Mesner Puppets’ presentation of “Strega Nona” is 46 minutes of fun for the family, strings attached.
Fine “Romance” at Quality Hill Playhouse
Thu, Jan 26, 2012
Some very familiar love songs are the subject of Quality Hill Playhouse’s current cabaret offering, “My Romance: The Songs of Rodgers and Hart.”
Fine “Romance” at Quality Hill Playhouse
Wed, Jan 25, 2012
Some very familiar love songs are the subject of Quality Hill Playhouse’s current cabaret offering, “My Romance: The Songs of Rodgers and Hart.”
Movers, Shakers, Stalwarts: Emily Behrmann
Wed, Jan 25, 2012
Now in its 21st season, the Performing Arts Series at Johnson County Community College has built a reputation for high quality, diverse programming, with a schedule of visiting artists ranging from chamber ensembles and jazz quartets to international orchestras, and from one-person comedy showcases and avant-garde dance companies to grandly staged Broadway musicals. Since assuming the role of general manager in 2009, Emily Behrmann has endeavored to broaden the Series’ target audience and further expand its offerings on the stages of the JCCC’s Carlsen Center. This week, Behrmann sat down with Victor Wishna to discuss the state of the Performing Arts Series—its successes, challenges, and plans for the future—and what it means to be both “a Johnson County alternative” and an integral part of Kansas City’s growing and glowing performing-arts scene.
A somewhat enchanted evening
Tue, Jan 24, 2012
The Lied Center of Kansas brought "South Pacific" to Lawrence on Wednesday. The night’s performance assembled a cast of varied talents, impressive sets, and colorful costumes which brought the beloved Rodgers and Hammerstein musical to life.
The chilly comedy of Chekhov
Wed, Jan 18, 2012
With a fine presentation of Tom Stoppard’s adaption of Anton Chekhov’s “The Seagull,” the Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre brings a bit of Russian winter to Kansas City.
The chilly comedy of Chekhov
Wed, Jan 18, 2012
With a fine presentation of Tom Stoppard’s adaption of Anton Chekhov’s “The Seagull,” the Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre brings a bit of Russian winter to Kansas City.
Talented cast is nothing to sneeze at
Wed, Jan 11, 2012
EARTh’s (Equity Actors’ Readers’ Theatre) concert reading of Noël Coward’s "Hay Fever" shows you don’t always need a fully produced play to capture an audience—just gifted actors. Some of Kansas City’s best talent, directed by Doug Weaver, came together Monday evening at St. Teresa’s Academy to portray a convincingly self-involved family and its confused and jostled weekend guests.
A rich "Tradition" renewed
Wed, Jan 11, 2012
A solid cast, anchored by John Preece, and simple-yet-effective design made all the humor and abject heartbreak of "Fiddler on the Roof" palpable in Troika Productions’ performance at on the Performing Arts Series at Johnson County Community College.
Spring 2012 preview: Family/Children’s theatre
Wed, Jan 04, 2012
From fairy tales to complex social issues such as rumors, bullying, and the environment, Kansas City theatre companies offer a variety of productions for the community’s younger crowd and families.
Spring 2011 preview: Theatre
Wed, Dec 28, 2011
And as January and February temperatures dip, the stages of area theatres—many in mid-season—are warming up. What follows are some highlights to look for this winter and spring from Kansas City’s adult professional companies and presenters—but come back often to KCMetropolis for more listings, previews, and reviews of the musical, family, community, and off-beat theatre our area has to offer.
Spring 2012 preview: Musical theatre
Tue, Dec 27, 2011
From Narnia to the decks of the Titanic and the beaches of the South Pacific, the Kansas City area is full of musical theatre events during the spring of 2012.
Theatre Gym swings for the green
Wed, Dec 21, 2011
Intricate schemes and messy love lives abound in the Theatre Gym’s regional premiere of Ken Ludwig’s "The Fox on the Fairway," a farce about life on the green.
Playwright Ken Ludwig talks farce on the fairway
Wed, Dec 21, 2011
Washington-based playwright Ken Ludwig, perhaps best known for his comedy "Lend Me A Tenor" (originally produced on by Andrew Lloyd Webber on Broadway) discusses his newest venture into farce on the golf green, "The Fox on the Fairway." The Theatre Gym is producing the play's Midwest premiere at Just Off Broadway Theatre through Dec. 31.
Another side of Shylock
Wed, Dec 21, 2011
The absorbing one-man show “Shylock” was one excellent example of the standout performances that make up Central Standard Theatre’s British Invasion series, featuring some of the most thoughtful, intelligent one-act and full-length plays from across the pond.
The return of Scrooge
Wed, Dec 07, 2011
As Kansas City Rep’s “A Christmas Carol” tradition enters its fourth decade, a talented, veteran cast and crew offers a newly urgent production—extravagant as ever—that reexamines the human story behind all the “humbugs.”
Charismatic quartet provides Christmas cheer
Wed, Dec 07, 2011
Need a little Christmas? Grab the nearest red-nosed quadruped and fly over to Crown Center for Musical Theater Heritage’s “A Spectacular Christmas In Concert” at the Off Center Theatre for a night of enthusiastic and heartwarming holiday cheer.
Christmas is rockin’
Wed, Dec 07, 2011
The Unicorn Theatre, in cooperation with the UMKC Theatre department, treats Kansas City to “The Salvation of Iggy Scrooge,” an irreverent musical take on “A Christmas Carol,” featuring The King, Buddy Holly, and Bob Marley—and other ghosts.
A delightful Christmas “Goose,” with trimmings
Wed, Dec 07, 2011
Martin City Melodrama & Vaudeville Company serves up a musical whodunit, “Mother Goose’s Christmas Crimes!,” and tops it with off with some “Holiday Hi-Jinx!” for a double portion of fast-paced family fun.
Classic tale of redemption set to song
Tue, Dec 06, 2011
Charles Dickens' somber "A Christmas Carol" receives a rollicking musical treatment in "A Gilbert & Sullivan Christmas Carol," a co-production by Yvonne Jameson and Kansas City Young Audiences.
Christmas is rockin’
Tue, Dec 06, 2011
The Unicorn Theatre, in cooperation with the UMKC Theatre department, treats Kansas City to “The Salvation of Iggy Scrooge,” an irreverent musical take on “A Christmas Carol,” featuring The King, Buddy Holly, and Bob Marley—and other ghosts.
Truth comes out in "Jest"
Tue, Dec 06, 2011
With excellent acting and skilled direction, the White Theatre presents "Beau Jest," playwright James Sherman's comic toast to life’s complications.
This Christmas, many “Carols”
Tue, Nov 29, 2011
As the holiday season arrives, Kansas City theatergoers can choose from a variety of staged interpretations of Charles Dickens’s classic, from full-blown to bare-bones, from dark to light, for—and by—all ages.
MET does Arthur Miller proud
Wed, Nov 23, 2011
More than sixty years after its debut, "All My Sons" gets a powerful and realistic exploration of its still-relevant themes at the Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre.
Magical, musical Christmas celebration
Wed, Nov 23, 2011
Quality Hill Playhouse's "Christmas in Song" is a charming musical start to the holidays. Vocalists Molly Hammer, LaTeesha McDonald Jackson, and Lindsey McKee joining pianist and musical director J. Kent Barnhart for a program of both traditional and contemporary Christmas music.
In “69° S.,” stagecraft chills
Wed, Nov 16, 2011
The designers and puppeteers of New York’s Phantom Limb Company create a visually stunning, Antarctic landscape on the stage of the JCCC’s Yardley Hall, but the plot of “69° S.: The Shackleton Project” moves at a glacial pace.
Imagination never ends with “Seussical”
Thu, Nov 10, 2011
"Seussical" has become a reoccurring favorite at the Coterie Theatre for good reasons. Though aimed towards young audiences, the quirky humor and philosophical message resonate with all ages, celebrating the inexhaustibly imaginative genius of Theodor Geisel.
A long way from Sesame Street
Wed, Nov 09, 2011
In a Kansas City premiere, the Jewish Community Center brings “Avenue Q” to The White Theatre in a finely rendered production that captures the heart of the hit puppet musical without avoiding its enjoyable excesses.
“Kisses” is a subtle seaside seduction
Tue, Nov 08, 2011
David Cale’s one-man show "The History of Kisses," playing through November 27 at Kansas City Repertory Theatre’s Copaken Stage, is a languorous but rewarding series of fleeting seaside romances.
“Kisses” is a subtle seaside seduction
Wed, Nov 02, 2011
David Cale’s one-man show "The History of Kisses," playing through November 27 at Kansas City Repertory Theatre’s Copaken Stage, is a languorous but rewarding series of fleeting seaside romances.
Comic conversion of “Intergalactic” proportions
Wed, Nov 02, 2011
"The Intergalactic Nemesis" combines the big-screen projection of a classic comic book with narration by three talented voice actors, a special effects expert, and a pianist. The Lied Center of Kansas presented this bombastic treat.
Maximum "Carnage"
Wed, Nov 02, 2011
The Unicorn Theatre, in conjunction with Kansas City Actors Theatre and UMKC Theatre, present "God of Carnage," Yasmina Reza’s Tony Award-winning play. Opening in Kansas City weeks before Roman Polanski’s film adaption, the stage production should not be missed.
Asinine antics abound
Wed, Nov 02, 2011
UMKC Theatre's production of Plautus' "The Comedy of Asses" is ultimate escapism. The madcap show proved that the actors involved are indeed "devoted students of comedy."
Spooky meets sexy
Wed, Oct 26, 2011
The buxom beauties of Burlesque Downtown Underground entertained a surprisingly large audience for a Thursday night at the Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre with the troupe's annual Halloween show, Scared Sexy.
Oh, what a beautiful production
Wed, Oct 19, 2011
The University of Central Missouri Theatre Department brings Rodgers and Hammerstein's “Oklahoma!” to life with a new staging that’s strong throughout and features a few standout performances.
Charles in charge
Wed, Oct 19, 2011
For one night only, “The Darwin Project,” a co-production of the Friends of Chamber Music and the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, brought together a diverse range of talent, music, and media to explore the life and ideas of the naturalist best known for one particular theory.
Deranged, demonic, and wickedly funny
Wed, Oct 12, 2011
Egads! Theatre Company’s revival of last year’s smash hit "Evil Dead: The Musical" stormed Off Center Theatre last weekend to robust audiences and solid splatter zones. I attended the Monday night showing, and although the crowd was understandably smaller, the splatter zone was still packed and ready for gut-spewing mayhem.
“Underneath the Lintel” and into adventure
Wed, Oct 12, 2011
The Theatre Gym's production of "Underneath the Lintel: An Impressive Presentation of Lovely Evidences" offers a riveting evening in one act, with one actor, and featuring one unexpected journey.
Living magically
Tue, Oct 11, 2011
"The Year of Magical Thinking," directed by Michael Grayman, is a refreshing interpretation of Joan Didion’s taut emotional account of grief and survival. The joint production between the Spinning Tree and Living Room Theatres is anchored by Peggy Friesen.
Art of memory and identity
Tue, Oct 11, 2011
American performance pioneer, Laurie Anderson, opened the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts’ Vanguard Series on Sunday evening with wit, soundscapes, and stories.
KCRep goes local and reaps the rewards
Tue, Oct 04, 2011
Thanks to a remarkable collection of all-local talent, Kansas City Repertory Theatre opens its 2011–12 season with style and substance, debuting “August: Osage County,” the Tony-winning family drama that bursts with hilarity and heartbreak.
Seeing "Red"
Tue, Oct 04, 2011
The Unicorn Theatre opens its 38th season with “Red,” John Logan’s 2010 Tony Award winner for Best Play, a wholly accessible and thoughtful examination of the artist Mark Rothko.
PREVIEW: Evolution of collaboration
Thu, Sep 29, 2011
Produced by The Friends of Chamber Music, The Darwin Project is not only a tribute to the mastermind of evolution theory but also a documentation of musical evolution through history. Co-presenting with the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts the result is a multimedia spectacle that aims to reignite a passion for science and music.
KCRep goes local and reaps the rewards
Wed, Sep 28, 2011
Thanks to a remarkable collection of all-local talent, Kansas City Repertory Theatre opens its 2011–12 season with style and substance, debuting “August: Osage County,” the Tony-winning family drama that bursts with hilarity and heartbreak.
"Noël and Gertie" is nostalgic and great
Wed, Sep 28, 2011
Quality Hill Playhouse opens its season with the delightful and often poignant "Noël and Gertie," a dramatization of the long collaboration and friendship of theatrical royalty: Noël Coward and Gertrude Lawrence.
Seeing “Red”
Tue, Sep 27, 2011
The Unicorn Theatre opens its 38th season with “Red,” John Logan’s 2010 Tony Award winner for Best Play, a wholly accessible and thoughtful examination of the artist Mark Rothko.
"The Outsiders" are in
Wed, Sep 21, 2011
S.E. Hinton's class novel, a staple of many middle school curricula, comes to life in the Coterie Theatre's adaptation of "The Outsiders." Though set in 1965, the themes and messages of gang violence and social intolerance are timeless.
One night with a troubled legend
Tue, Sep 20, 2011
With its production of “Nobody Lonesome For Me,” the American Heartland Theatre starts of its year with a one-man tribute to Hank Williams’s trying times and soulful music.