Local Arts News,
The State of the Arts in Missouri
Over the past few weeks, the legislature has been busy working on Missouri's FY11 budget and dealing with the task of keeping it balanced.
You have probably heard about the budget shortfall which the state of Missouri is facing. Proposed expenditures for the coming year total over 8 billion dollars, but revenues fall 1 billion dollars short of footing the bill. Obviously, cuts need to be made, and the Arts have been expecting a cut in the Missouri Arts Council funds which will affect ALL of the performing arts in our community. It is only fair that the Arts shoulder their fair share of the budgetary shortfall. We had not, however, anticipated that the State Senate would propose zeroing out the Arts Council for the coming year!
Last week, the Senate Appropriations Committee did preliminary mark-up for the budget and Chairman Rob Mayer asked that the line item for the Missouri Arts Council and the four Cultural Partners - public broadcasting, humanities, historic preservation, and libraries be cut to zero and closed for further debate.
This appropriation will next be discussed on the Senate floor by the entire Senate, probably the week of April 12. The conference committee will most likely begin their discussion and mark-up the week of April 19.
Unless funding is added on the Senate floor by amendment, the Conference Committee will be conferencing on $3 million in funding for MAC from the House and zero funding from the Senate. This means that MAC's funding is still up for debate; changes can still be made and the Senate Appropriations Committee cut is not final.
Contact your Senator to let them know how the state budget affects your organization.
Capitol Switchboard: 573-751-2000
The members of the State Senate's Appropriations Committee need to know that arts funding matters to you. While you understand that the arts budget must be cut, you do NOT believe it makes good business sense to eliminate it completely. Please phone or email the members of the Senate Appropriations Committee today. Just a brief email which states "Don't zero out the Missouri Arts Council. The arts are good for the economy and for the citizens of Missouri." would let the Senators know where we stand.
Members of the Senate Appropriations Committee
Senator Rob Mayer: Rob.Mayer@senate.mo.gov
Senator Tom Dempsey: tom.dempsey@senate.mo.gov
Senator Chuck Purgason: chuck.purgason@senate.mo.gov
Senator Frank Barnitz: Frank.Barnitz@senate.mo.gov
Senator Joan Bray: jbray@senate.mo.gov
Senator Timothy Green: timothy.green@senate.mo.gov
Senator Yvonne Wilson: Yvonne.Wilson@senate.mo.gov
The following senators prefer not receiving emails. You may reach their offices through the capitol switchboard at 573-751-2000: Senator Kurt Schaefer, Senator Jim Lembke, Senator David Pearce
Thank you for your support!
Classical,
Kronos defines the modern quartet
The Kronos Quartet will perform at the Lied Center on the University of Kansas' Lawrence campus on April 13th and I had the good fortune to speak with first violinist, David Harrington recently about their upcoming performance, collaborations with composers and his views on what will be appearing on music's horizon in the near future.
Lee Hartman: Hello David Harrington! We are very much looking forward to your upcoming performance in Lawrence at the Lied Center. The main bulk of the program consists of works by Terry Riley. Could you speak about those pieces and the collaborative process you've experienced with Terry?
David Harrington: Our relationship with Terry Riley goes back 30 years, more than that actually. Over those years Terry has written 26 new pieces for us. Most recently we played the premiere of a piece of his called Another Secret Equation. I feel all his works for Kronos have created this amazing spectrum of possibilities of how Kronos might sound, of how Kronos might approach music and even approach life. So we're opening our show at the Lied Center with a piece of his called "Good Medicine." "Good Medicine" is the final movement of his two-hour plus mega-quartet called Salome Dances for Peace. There's probably not another string quartet ever written that has as much good cheer as "Good Medicine." It's truly good medicine!
LH: That's like his "In C" which a lot of people refer to as "happy music"
DH: Well "Good Medicine" takes the joyousness of In C and just shoots it into space
LH: Well that handily transitioned us into the NASA commissioned piece!
DH: [Laughs] Yeah well that's true! "One Earth, One People, One Love" from Sun Rings opens with one of the NASA astronauts, Eugene Cernan, basically talking about what it's like to view the earth from space and to view his life on earth from space. It's like one of the most amazing prayers that I've ever heard. Really, it's just fantastic. That's how this piece begins. It also includes Alice Walker, the great American poet, who was chanting on September 12, 2001. She was chanting on the radio, "one earth, one people, one love..." and Terry happened to hear that. That was right during - not only was it the day after September 11, 2001 - it was also right in the middle of the composition of Sun Rings. And so, with Alice Walker's permission, her chant becomes part of this amazing cello solo. It's kind of like the "Earth mother sound" in music. It's just beautiful, incredible music. ... Also we're playing "At the Summit" from The Ecstacy. I know for a fact it's some of Terry's favorite music he's ever written for us. There will be quite a spectrum of the music of Terry Riley
LH: Do you think that's a driving force behind Terry's music? This almost religious notion of universality?
DH: My first instinct is to say yes. It's something that permeates Terry's approach to life. If you have a meal with him in his home there's kind of a shared prayer that is said. In the end, I feel his religion is a very personal one that is very, very hard to define. But it definitely would include the idea that every being of the universe is part of the fabric of everything, and that we're all connected. And that way there is this responsibility that is implicit on all of us to take care of one another.
LH: Since you've had such a long working relationship with Riley, have you noticed a change in his style? Do you feel that your playing has influenced his writing?
DH: Definitely. I know for a fact he's influenced Kronos and he's told me that we influenced him. So I suspect that's true! [Laughs] That's what you look for in any kind of a relationship-something that is mutually beneficial. I feel like I can learn so much from him and his sense of life. His music is so individual, so special. He's a very generous man. He's introduced me to some great musicians that have later written pieces for us-La Monte Young, Pandit Pran Nath (Terry's longtime Raga teacher) Jon Hassell, Hamza El Din-the list goes on and on. Not only is he a great musician, but he's also a very generous spirit.
LH: As you're working with Terry you're also working with other artists like Björk, Nine Inch Nails, Sigur Rós, ... And on this upcoming program you'll be playing a piece by Bryce Dessner, the guitarist from the Nationals. How do you see your efforts of pulling rock music into the "classical" music arena or vice versa?
DH: I don't really recognize categories and I don't think my ear does either. There's not a little man standing outside each of my ears controlling what goes in. Basically we don't have any control over that. The airwaves belong to all of us. What actually penetrates inside of us is very personal. You know what I mean? I don't think we have control over that. What I try to do is remain open, and available, and alert to music and people, instrumental colors, and voices, and approaches that might be wonderful to explore.
LH: So the uniqueness of individual artists really speaks to you and that draws you to their music in these collaborations?
DH: It wouldn't have anything to do with what category someone decided they should be in. For me that's just not how music works. It's made up of notes. The people that I admire the most are those deeply involved with making... notes. [Laughs] They can fill each note they make with as much knowledge and information and energy as they possibly can. If you make a note that you're happy with - and believe it or not that doesn't happen very often - when it does happen it's a pretty memorable moment. And what happens is it creates a new bar - almost like a high-jump bar. That bar goes up a bit when you make a note your really love. It resonates somehow. That becomes the point that you reference all the other notes that you make.
LH: That has to be gratifying to you as a performer to play those informed notes, those impassioned notes.
Yeah! And it might happen once a year if you're really thinking about it! Yet, the fact that it does happen occasionally, gives you a lot of hope and a sense of challenge. My teacher once said to me, "the great thing about music is that it can always be better." I will always remember that because it's kinda true. The best note has never been played.
LH: [Laughing] The potentiality of music...
DH: Yep!
LH: So music didn't die with Beethoven in other words.
DH: Oh, definitely not, definitely not! If there's anything that Kronos is about, it's to ensure that the art form of the string quartet is well and alive and energetic and [laughing] making cosmic explorations into the twenty-first century. That's really what I want to do. There isn't any question about that.
LH: In terms of exploration with Kronos, you've toured all over the world and your upcoming performance has pieces by Palestinian, Serbian, and Israeli composers. Do you find any cultural tropes that are similar? Ones that the audience should listen for while hearing these different composers?
DH: I delight in the variety of how amazingly prolific nature is and human nature as well. Going to a concert is a great thing to do. It allows you a moment to step back and appreciate how creative the human spirit - the human mind - can be. One thing that I've been noticing for a long time now is we never know where the next amazing musical experience might come from - where in the world. Working with people as young as 19 and as old as ... wow, I guess Terry is one of the oldest! But he seems like one of the youngest people you've ever met.
LH: Kronos has been on the forefront of musical ambassadorship of western musical style being influenced by other cultures like China and the Asian subcontinent. Any idea of where we should be looking next or are you just listening with open ears?
DH: I think there are big things coming from all over the place. That's what's so incredible about the time that we're sharing right now. I'm fully expecting the Palestinian group Ramalla Underground['s] next piece for Kronos will be off the charts of wonderfulness. We're working with men and women from many different parts of the world. [...] I'm anticipating that so many wonderful things will develop, even six months from now. The world of music will just seem like a more incredible world to be a part of.
LH: Well David, I thank you for taking the time to speak with me and I'm looking forward to your performance in Lawrence!
PREVIEW:
Lied Center of Kansas University
Kronos Quartet -Works by Terry Riley and more
April 13 at 7:30 p.m.
Lied Center at KU
For tickets call 785-864-2787 or online at www.lied.ku.edu/events/kronos-quartet.shtml
Top photo by Jay Blakesberg
KC Events this week and beyond
Click here to see all the events on the KC Events performing arts calendar.
How do you list your events on KC Events? It is easy!!
As an arts organziation or musician, you can add and edit your own events.
KCMetropolis.org's mission is to promote traditional and independent classical music, dance, theatre and independent film. We are very sorry, but we do not cover pop, rock, Christian or country music; we do not cover the visual arts or non-performing arts community events. If you would like to send a press release about an upcoming performing arts event, please send to press@KCMetropolis.org.
KC Events Categories are:
Traditional & New Classical Music
Dance
Theatre
Jazz
KCMetropolis.org builds assignments for reviews, previews and interviews exclusively from KC Events. Please make sure your events are listed inorder to be considered.
To Submit Information:
- Please go to the KCM front page and click on the login tab located at the top right-hand side of the website.
- Create a login account and then sign-in.
- Read the KC Events Terms of Service before proceeding
- On the left-hand nav is a category called Submit Content
- Click on Submit an Event or Manage Your Events.
- Listings will be approved with 48 hours if it fits the KCMetropolis.org criteria.
Local Arts News,
Art Council's campaign enters "Found" art phase launching colorful, hand-painted billboards
The Arts Council of Metropolitan Kansas City's public awareness campaign, "Lost-and-Found" Art, entered its second phase on April 5 by posting hand-painted billboards designed by local artists, Michael Toombs and Jose Faus. The colorful "Found" Art billboards replace the stark, white "Lost" Art billboards that have been displayed since March 1. The campaign's slogan, "If We Don't Support Artists, There Is No Art," remains on both the "Lost" and "Found" billboards.
"It's imperative," says Toombs, "that we support the creative elements within our society. This is where the true potential for growth, development and competition manifest."
The images on the "Found" Art billboards depict the breadth and diversity of art offered in the Kansas City Metro Area. The artists were chosen by Barkley Creative who created the campaign. Toombs designed a Cityscape with architecture of prominent arts organizations, performing arts centers and recognizable art throughout the city. In contrast, Faus took an abstract approach with bulbous, spiraling forms in vibrant colors of blue, red, yellow and green inter-mingled to suggest dancers or music notes. A black grid outlines and connects each form.
The billboards are displayed in the same locations as originally provided by ArtsKC Fund Futurist sponsor, UMB, on I-70 & Van Brunt, E Face & SW Blvd & I-35 S Face to reach rush hour traffic entering downtown Kansas City.
About the Artists
Michael Vance Toombs is an accomplished painter, art activist, and founder and CEO of Storytellers Inc., Artist Collective. Mr. Toombs is a community leader and champion for young people and working artists in the Greater Kansas City area. Michael began as a young student with Matthew Monks at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. He furthered his study through classes at the Kansas City Art Institute and completed a business entrepreneurial course of study through Donnelly College, Kansas City, Kansas.
José Faus received degrees in Studio Art and Creative Writing from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. José is a muralist with public works locally and in Mexico who has headed up groups of artists working on public art projects. José is a newspaper editor and founding member of the Latino Writers Collective.
About the ArtsKC Fund
The ArtsKC Fund, an initiative of the Arts Council of Metropolitan Kansas City, is a united arts fund that raises new money to support a wide range of arts organizations and programs. Its purpose is to provide stable sources of new financial support for the arts, broaden access to high-quality arts experiences, and sustain excellence in the arts and arts administration. The Arts Council of Metropolitan Kansas City is a not-for-profit organization that serves the five-county Kansas City metropolitan area and strives to strengthen and enrich the community by growing appreciation, participation, and support of its arts resources. For more information about the ArtsKC Fund, visit http://www.ArtsKC.org.
Top painting by José Faus
KC Events this week and beyond
Check out all the events on the KC Events performing arts calendar.
How do you list your events on KC Events? It is easy!!
As an arts organziation or musician, you can add and edit your own events.
KCMetropolis.org's mission is to promote traditional and independent classical music, dance, theatre and independent film. We are very sorry, but we do not cover pop, rock, Christian or country music; we do not cover the visual arts or non-performing arts community events. If you would like to send a press release about an upcoming performing arts event, please send to press@KCMetropolis.org.
KC Events Categories are:
Traditional & New Classical Music
Dance
Theatre
Jazz
KCMetropolis.org builds assignments for reviews, previews and interviews exclusively from KC Events. Please make sure your events are listed.
To Submit Information:
- Please go to the KCM front page and click on the login tab located at the top right-hand side of the website.
- Create a login account and then sign-in.
- Read the KC Events Terms of Service before proceeding
- On the left-hand nav is a category called Submit Content
- Click on Submit an Event or Manage Your Events.
- Listings will be approved with 48 hours if it fits the KCMetropolis.org criteria.
Film,
Kansas City FilmFest 2010
Kansas City FilmFest is both a juried and curated festival offering full-length independent feature films, documentaries and shorts from more than 20 countries. Audiences will see Oscar® nominated, pre-released, and Sundance® fan favorites as well as up-and-coming local talent.
At the heart of the Festival is a lively competition for independent filmmakers. Since last June, local filmmakers as well as filmmakers from across the country and throughout the world have submitted more than 400 short films, documentaries, features and experimental films. One hundred and twelve of the films will be screened during the festival, and judged by industry professionals.
The Kansas City FilmFest is a unique opportunity to meet and interact with the people behind the camera. Filmmakers often come to the festival with their films and speak to the audience after screenings and Festival-goers will have the opportunity to meet them, attend seminars and question-and-answer sessions with noted writers, directors and actors including Kansas City's own Jeff Goldsmith, noted director and Senior Editor of Creative Screenwriting Magazine and award winning director, Debra Granik.
For 14 years, the Festival has maintained a commitment to help regional filmmakers improve in their craft. Seminars, workshops and panels are an important component of each festival. This year they will present educational experiences for filmmakers, media crew members and others in the industry.
The Kansas City FilmFest is presented by the Kansas City Filmmaker's Jubilee and is proud to celebrate independent film while providing local talent a platform to showcase their work.
Tickets for Jubilee Showcase films (which were not included in a festival pass) went on sale April 1st. All other individual tickets will go on sale April 8th.
The Festival runs April 14-18th. For a complete schedule and to purchase tickets visit www.kcfilmfest.org
Jazz,
Bebop, Bid & Boogie
The American Jazz Museum invites you to come join the fun at their 2nd annual Vine Street Boogie spring celebration. On Saturday, April 10, 2010 The AJM Student All-Star Band, renowned jazz vocalist and recording artist Angela Hagenbach, celebrity emcee Bryan Busby and Honorary Chairs Bobby Watson and Pamela Baskin-Watson will take the stage to promote the American Jazz Museum's mission to celebrate and bring awareness to the rich history and experience of jazz. 
The Vine Street Boogie is the Museum's major annual fundraiser, and helps to generate awareness for Kansas City's internationally renowned jazz cultural institution. This event helps generate fiscal support and builds local awareness for the museum's education programs and Changing Gallery exhibits. In addition, a percentage of the proceeds will go to KCMetropolis.org to help fund this important nonprofit arts service organization's mission to keep the performing arts live, vibrant and visible in the community!
So - swing into spring at 18th & Vine for a dynamic 1920's themed evening of delightful cuisine, exceptional entertainment and a silent and live auction featuring a Yamaha AvantGrand piano, a luxury pool table, vacation package getaways, airfare, jazz memorabilia, entertainment packages, jazz festival tickets and a host of other fabulous items. Don't miss this chance to Bebop, Bid and Boogie with the Best in live local entertainment and fellow music lovers in Kansas City!
The American Jazz Museum offers a variety of educational programming to thousands of local students annually, provides opportunities for interaction with renowned musicians from all over the world and builds awareness and appreciation for the diverse range of cultures and people that create jazz. The Vine Street Boogie is an opportunity for YOU to contribute to the presentation and preservation of jazz in Kansas City.
The American Jazz Museum's Vine Street Boogie Silent/Live Auction
Saturday, April 10, 6:30-10:00 pm
American Jazz Museum
$60 per individual or $50 for two or more.
To purchase tickets call Katherine Carttar at 816-474-8463 Ext. 205 or email her at kcarttar@kcjazz.org.
Tell them you heard about this event on KCM!
For more information on the American Jazz Museum visit www.americanjazzmuseum.com
Classical,
PREVIEW: KCS to perform Mahler's Monumental 4th Symphony
This weekend's Kansas City Symphony concerts might be said to be all about love. One piece is about love for a countryman, another about love for one's country and the about the love of a child.
Ravel's La Tambeau de Couperin, which opens the program, is one of several affectionate settings produced by the early 20th century French master Maurice Ravel based on compositions by his predecessor, Francois Couperin, who predated him by almost exactly two centuries. The care which Ravel took with his distinguished countryman's pieces allows them to shine, but with a more modern flavor than would have been the case with a mere performance of the original numbers.
In Knoxville: Summer of 1915, Samuel Barber not only produced one of the most tuneful and singable numbers in the soprano repertoire, but also wrote music perfectly evocative of writer James Agee's loving portrait of his native South. One can easily picture oneself gently coasting back and forth on a lazy porch swing on a mildly muggy summer evening, casually batting away the flies and enjoying the sounds of carriages rolling up and down the street and the noises of distant dogs barking. It is a peaceful and serene composition, perfectly evocative of Agee's childhood days in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Soprano Heidi Grant Murphy, whose career spans a wide variety of operatic roles as well as concert appearances, will be the Symphony's guest for this weekend's concert, and her lilting soprano should be perfect for this music. To read her KCM profile click here.
Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 4 is a vast, sprawling work, far longer and more involved than either of the introductory pieces, but it too speaks of love. Although Mahler lived an anguished and fitful life, the symphony is considered his most relaxing and optimistic work, and in the final movement the soprano joins the orchestra in a reading of one of the verses of Das Knaben Wunderhorn (The Youth's Magic Horn), an anthology of German folk poems, a child's verse about the anticipated joys of Heaven, in which food and beautiful music abound.
Mahler was a composer caught in the crossfire between 19th century Romanticism and 20th century modernism. At the end of the 19th century when he began his compositional career (it occurred in fits and starts in the rare off periods of his other profession, that of world-famous conductor and opera house manager), young upstarts like Richard Strauss were beginning to rewrite the rules of composition. Mahler was initially seen as one of these rash youngsters, but eventually retreated back to much more traditional modes of composition such as those employed by his heroes Wagner and Liszt. Strauss and even more radical composers like Schoenberg and Berg left him behind as they boldly plowed into unchartered territory with atonal music and the like. Mahler found himself unable to follow them, and thus was considered by most in his own day as a useless relic of a bygone age.
Ultimately, long after his death, Mahler's reputation was considerably raised, particularly by Leonard Bernstein, who was a champion of his music in the 1960s and 1970s. Now the Fourth Symphony, along with other Mahler works, is considered one of the great works of the turn of the last century (it premiered in 1900).
"The work has as a central idea the expression of a child's view of heaven," says music critic Deryck Cooke, "which is expanded in the last movement by [the vocal part]." The first movement consists of a group of musical themes which are among the most tuneful Mahler ever penned. They lead to a second movement in the form of a scherzo (dance), using the horn and a fiddler's folk violin. In the third movement the piece is given over to a beautiful and restful melody, ripening into a full-blown climax near the end. The fourth movement, with the soprano, sings the child's announcement that she really is in heaven, and praising the wonderful things to be found there. In innocent fashion, she sings "Whole platefuls are prepared for us! Fine apples, fine pears and fine grapes - the gardeners let us have them all!"
All in all, a warmer and more comfortable evening at the concert hall could not be found.
Kansas City Symphony
Mahler's Monumental 4th Symphony
Friday, April 9 at 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, April 10 at 8:00 p.m.
Lyric Theatre
11th and Central, Kansas City, MOand
Sunday, April 11 at 2:00 p.m.
Yardley Hall at Carlsen Center, JCCC
12345 College Boulevard, Overland Park, KS
For tickets call 816-471-0400 or online at www.kcsymphony.org
Top photo: Gustav Mahler in 1909.
Film,
"A Prophet"
A 2010 Best Foreign Film Oscar nominee, A Prophet is a cinematic masterpiece of epic proportions that will stay with you long after you've left the theater. It's gripping storyline and superbly written characters make this film rank up with other prison drama classics like In The Name of The Father and Shawshank Redemption.
A Prophet begins when 19-year-old Malik El Djebena (Tahar Rahim) is checking into an adult prison for the first time to begin a 6-year sentence. Without any friends or family on the outside, and certainly no one on the inside, Malik, despite his capabilities for violence, is like a frightened deer caught in headlights.
Because he is half French and half Arab, Malik doesn't fit in with either the Arab prisoners or the Corsicans who control every aspect of prison life. Initially, all he wants to do is serve his time and to be left alone, but he is forced to work for the Corsicans when a brutal mafia boss, César Luciani (Niels Arestrup in a brilliant supporting performance) orders him to kill an Arab prisoner that he can't reach himself.
After committing a stomach churning murder, Malik falls under César's protection and gains increasing responsibilities within the Corsican family. As time goes on, the fresh-eyed juvenile gradually becomes a steel-eyed, calculating crime boss himself as the student becomes the master.
An instant classic, Director Jacques Audiard's A Prophet is emotionally raw and holds no punches. Nothing is glamorized or made overly sentimental. Its characters, although wonderfully developed, are truly bad people. His entire effort is also a brilliant dichotomy of the division between France's growing Arab population and its native one.
Rahim delivers a star-making performance that should have been worthy of an Oscar nomination. He pulls off his character's transformation with the ease of an actor who's been working at his craft for 50 years. Perhaps it's unfair to him to use such a lofty comparison, but Rahim's effort is reminiscent of a young DeNiro or Pacino. Hopefully this will be the beginning a long career for an actor who has tremendous potential.
On a letter grade scale from A being excellent to F for failing, A Prophet receives an A.
A Prophet is rated R and has a running time of 126 minutes.
Now showing through April 8 @
Tivoli Cinemas
Westport Manor Square, 4050 Pennsylvania, KCMO
Visit www.tivolikc.com or call 913-383-7756 for show times.
Rio
7204 W. 80th St., Overland Park, KS
Visit www.fineartsgroup.com or call 913-383-8500 for more information.
Classical,
PROFILE: Heidi Grant Murphy, opera singer
Life as an international opera star.
You stride purposefully, but calmly down the platform of a Paris train station, pursued by an army of redcaps with numerous bags containing costumes for the next performance. You spot familiar faces among passengers on the Orient Express enroute to the lounge car to begin the journey with a light refreshment.
You pause briefly to wave to the photographers as the conductor calls "all aboard" and step into your private Pullman. Your day as an international opera star begins afresh. Surely, glamour and elegance will follow you always...
And now - a day in the life of a real international opera star - Heidi Grant Murphy...
"The last thing you want to see is your caller ID with the number of your kid's school."
That's how Heidi Grant Murphy day began recently. She has four children. One of them was sick and the school was calling. That's the difference between image and reality. Image has you sipping champagne aboard the Orient Express. Reality has you picking up your sick kid from school.
Talking to Heidi Grant Murphy is like talking to a friend you haven't heard from in a while. She loves her children, her husband whom she met in college, and her work. She works to find a balance between the role of working mom with four kids, and international acclaim. There is nothing overbearing or presumptuous about her. She could walk down any street of Kansas City and fit in with any of us.
But then......
She sings. And the world sits up and notices when she stands before us on the stage of the Lyric Theatre, Yardley Hall or somewhere in Paris...
This is what Heidi Grant Murphy had to say about her life as an opera star. Her real life:
David Peironnet: When did you first realize that you wanted to be an opera star?
Heidi Grant Murphy: Never. Not until I got to the Metropolitan Opera auditions did I realize that I could even do it.
I went to college as an education major at the University of Indiana, and planned on going into choral conducting. My voice teachers suggested that I give singing a try. I really didn't know what opera was about yet.
I met my husband in college and he convinced me to go to the Met audition. I learned five arias - and that was it. I'd had relatively little vocal training and almost no language training. I didn't know what I was supposed to be afraid of, so I just went out and did it.
DP: Several reviewers have described your voice as "silvery." How would you describe your voice?
HGM: Each singer has a different vocal quality. Some try to impress you with volume. Some show their flexibility and agility in singing. Others try to deliver a quality of sound. My voice is not a large instrument although I can fill a large space because sound can be very focused.
DP: You've performed a lot of lyrical roles including Pamina in the Magic Flute, Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier, and Adina in the Elixir of Love, but also some lesser known, but very challenging roles in Poulenc's Dialogue of the Carmelites, and Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress. There doesn't appear to be a common thread. How do you explain this?
HGM: Oftentimes, directors will cast you by the sound of your voice. I try to deliver a crystal, beautiful sound and that's what these roles call for. For example, composers from Monteverdi to Gluck will write for someone with an angelic voice. I can deliver that quality. Poulenc's Dialogue of the Carmelites calls for a youthful persona, and that's who I am.
DP: Performing in a concert setting such as what you will do in Kansas City with Mahler's Fourth Symphony is quite different from performing in an opera. What is it like to have an entire orchestra directly behind you? Do you prefer opera performance or concert performance? Or, do you even have a preference?
HGM: I enjoy both. Comparing opera to a symphony concert is like comparing apples to oranges; they are hard to compare. Each one requires something different and I find something to like in both.
In a concert setting, I have to be one of the musicians. I may be a soloist but I am still one of the musicians, and I like doing that.
In an opera, I am a performer. The orchestra and the chorus are there to support the leads. I enjoy that, too.
DP: You have recently recorded the Mahler 4th. What draws you to this demanding role? What do you want us in Kansas City to hear in your performance?
HGM: There is so much beauty in the Mahler 4th. Being the soloist means that I get that one great seat, directly in front of the orchestra. I usually remain seated through the first movements and just enjoy the music.
It's also a great responsibility. Even though I am the soloist, I have to be part of the musicians. I listen to those movements before I begin singing and absorb the passion of Mahler's work. The orchestra musicians build this passion but I am the one who finishes. The way I can best show respect to them is to finish the way they have built the entire symphony.
INTERVIEW:
Mahler's Monumental 4th
Kansas City Symphony with Michael Stern
and Heidi Grant Murphy, soprano
Friday, April 9 at 8 p.m.
Saturday, April 10 at 8 p.m.
Lyric Theatre
11th and Central Streets, Downtown Kansas City, MO
Sunday, April 11 at 2 p.m.
Yardley Hall, Carlsen Center at JCCC
12345 College, Overland Park, KS
For tickets call 816-471-1100 or www.kcsymphony.org
City Classics,
Music and Dance through April 14
UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance
UMKC Conservatory Concert Jazz Band
Wednesday, April 7 at 7:30 p.m.
White Recital Hall
4949 Cherry, Kansas City, MMO
For tickets call 816-235-6222 or online at http://conservatory.umkc.edu/calendarofevents.aspx
The Conservatory Concert Jazz Band is one of the major jazz ensembles at the UMKC Conservatory of Music and it presents its spring jazz concert this evening. No information is available about the programming for the concert.
The Friends of Chamber Music
Kevin Kenner, piano
Friday, April 9 at 8:00 p.m.
Folly Theater
12th and Central, Downtown Kansas City, MO
For tickets call 816-561-9999 or online at www.chambermusic.org
Kevin Kenner's impressive piano career began 30 years ago at age of 17 when he placed in the International Piano Competition in Warsaw, Poland (he won it ten years later). He won a host of piano competitions early in his career, including the International Tchaikovsky Piano Competition in Moscow, the International Terence Judd Award (London), the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition and the Gina Bachauer International Competition. Since then he has become one of the world's leading pianists, both as a recitalist and as guest soloist with many of the world's leading orchestras.
In this performance, part of The Friends of Chamber Music's Master Pianists Series, Kenner will perform Arabesque in C Major and Carnaval by Robert Schuman and Frederic Chopin's Four Scherzos.
The Financial Times of London has described Kenner as a "player of grace, subtle variety and strength, with a mature grasp of dramatic structure and proportion." This sounds like it should be an outstanding recital.
KC Metro Opera
The Mikado
Friday, April 9 at 7:30 p.m.
Central United Methodist Church
5144 Brookside Boulevard, Kansas City, MO
And
Saturday, April 10 at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, April 11 at 4:00 p.m.
Congregation Kol Ami
7501 Belinder Avenue, Prairie Village, KS
Free admission. For more information visit www.KcMetroOpera.com
Patrick Buckley's spirited young opera company, the KC Metro Opera, continues its presentations of light hearted works with a perennial Gilbert & Sullivan favorite, The Mikado, this weekend. The English pair's portray of life and (threatened) death in ancient Japan is really all about Victorian England, of course, making it special fun.
Who can resist the tuneful exuberance of the romantic ballad "A Wand'ring Minstrel I," the Lord High Executioner's mock threatening "I've Got a Little List," the ensemble's portrayal of universal bafflement in "Here's a How-De-Do," or Ko-Ko's "Tit-Willow" when he goes a-wooing after Katisha? It's delightful stuff, but please try to resist the urge to sing along.
UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance
Musica Nova
Friday, April 9 at 7:30 p.m.
White Recital Hall
4949 Cherry, Kansas City, MO
Free admission. For more information visit http://conservatory.umkc.edu/calendarofevents.aspx
The UMKC Conservatory's new music ensemble, Musica Nova, performs this evening in a concert featuring performances by guest artist Claire Chiu and the UMKC Conservatory Concert Jazz Band lead by Bobby Watson. On the schedule are two pieces by UMKC composition professor James Mobberly, Phenomenon and Night Waves. Professor Zhou Long's Wu Kui is also scheduled, along with pieces by Mara Gibson, Karen Engebretson and Zhang Zhao of the UMKC Academy.
Harriman Jewell Series
Michael Schade, tenor and Russell Braun, baritone
Saturday, April 10 at 8:00 p.m.
Folly Theater
12th and Central Streets, Downtown Kansas City, MO
For tickets call 815-415-5025 or online at www.harrimanjewell.org
Canadian singers Michael Schade, a tenor, and Russell Braun, a baritone, have been appearing together in operas and touring for several years now, and have become audience favorites with their somewhat unusual dual recitals.
Schade has appeared during the last 15 years or so at most of the world's leading opera houses, including the Metropolitan Opera, La Scala, the San Francisco Opera, the Paris Opera and the Salzburg Festival, to name just a few. He is also a specialist in oratorio singing.
Braun has had an equally stellar career, singing opera roles with the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden, the Paris Opera, the Vienna State Opera, Glyndebourne, the Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago and other companies. He has appeared with many of the world's leading orchestras and conductors and has an extensive discography.
After performing the obligatory lieder by Mendelssohn and Schumann (just to prove that they are serious classical music artists), the pair will launch into the more interesting part of their program, at least to this audience member: the opera arias and duets. Scheduled are selections and tenor-baritone duets from Rossini's Il Barbieri di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville), Mozart's Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute) and Le Nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro), Donizetti's L'Elisir d'Amore (The Elixir of Love), Wagner's Tannhäuser, Lehar's Land des Lächelns (The Land of Smiles), Gounod's Faust and Bizet's Les pecheurs des perles (The Pearl Fishers).
It sounds like great fun; an evening not to be missed.
City in Motion Dance Theatre
25th Anniversary Concert
Saturday, April 10 at 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, April 11 at 2:00 p.m.
Gem Theater
1615 East 18th Street, Kansas City, MO
For tickets call 816-474-6262 or 800-745-3000. For more information visit www.cityinmotion.org
It's hard to believe that City in Motion Dance Theatre, one of the city's most adventurous promoters of modern dance, could be a quarter century old, but so it is. This weekend the group will celebrate 25 years of dance with a recital at the Gem Theater featuring its professional company performers. This viewer has always enjoyed City in Motion performances and anticipates that the company will pull out all of the stops for this landmark celebration. Fans of the dance will not want to miss it.
Performing Arts Series at JCCC
The 5 Browns
Saturday, April 10 at 8:00 p.m.
Yardley Hall, Carlsen Center
12345 College Blvd. Overland Park, KS
For tickets call 913-469-4445 or online at www.jcc.edu/TheSeries
This weekend the Performing Arts Series at Johnson County Community College brings The 5 Browns to the Yardley Hall stage. These siblings, all classically trained pianists between 24 and 31 years of age, were trained by their father Keith Brown, who sent them all to Juilliard. They began performing together in 2005 and since then have been featured on television, in concert halls and have recorded several best-selling compact discs. They are billed as being proficient at "classical music and commanding showmanship." This may be your only chance this year to hear a concert with five grand pianos on the stage at once.
Ruel Joyce Concert Series
Steven Elisha, cello and Larisa Elisha, violin
Monday, April 12 at 12:00 noon
Recital Hall at Carlsen Center, JCCC
12345 College Boulevard, Overland Park, KS
Free admission. For more information visit www.jccc.edu/home/depts.php/1113/site/recitals
The Ruel Joyce Concert Series continues its series of free noontime concerts at Johnson County Community College on Monday at noon with this violin and cello duo. No word yet on the programming for the concert.
Lied Center
Kronos Quartet
Tuesday, April 13 at 7:30 p.m.
Lied Center at University of Kansas
1600 Stewart Drive, Lawrence, KS
For tickets call 785-864-2787 or online at www.lied.ku.edu
The Kronos String Quartet has carved out a challenging and unique nitch for itself over the past 30 years, playing modern, often edgy music in classical concert halls. Plus, the group has created an image as a quartet of enfant terrible (actually, not so young any more) with more of the persona of rock stars than classical music artists. Not an especially great formula for success, one would think. But somehow its going against-type focus has worked wonders, and today the Kronos is celebrated as one of the most popular string quartets worldwide.
Kronos' adventurous approach dates back to the ensemble's origins. In 1973, David Harrington was inspired to form Kronos after hearing George Crumb's Black Angels, a highly unorthodox, Vietnam War-inspired work featuring bowed water glasses, spoken word passages, and electronic effects. Kronos then began building a compellingly diverse repertoire for string quartet, performing and recording works by 20th-century masters (Bartok, Shostakovich, Webern), contemporary composers (Aleksandra Vrebalov, John Adams, Alfred Schnittke), jazz legends (Ornette Coleman, Charles Mingus, Thelonious Monk), and artists from even farther afield (rock guitar legend Jimi Hendrix, Azeri vocalist Alim Qasimov, avant-garde saxophonist John Zorn).
Tuesday evening offers you a chance to hear the group live at the Lied Center in Lawrence, as the group takes on the music of contemporary composer Terry Riley (the so-called "Father of Minimalism"), with whom the quartet has been long associated. The works of other composers will be featured as well.
To read the KCM interview with David Harrington, click here.
Local Arts News, Theatre ,
Unicorn Theatre announces 2010-11 season
Unicorn Theatre, under the artistic leadership of Producing Artistic Director Cynthia Levin, announces the 37th season of bold new plays. The new season will open on September 18 and include six regular season shows and one exciting season extra. In addition to a full line up of new productions to Kansas City, the Unicorn will also continue the In-Progress New Play Reading Series which brings six scripts in development to be read that are being considered for production in upcoming seasons. Also announced, the Unicorn's annual fall gala will take place October 3, 2010. More details on the season and the gala to follow this summer.
[title of show]
Book by Hunter Bell
Music and Lyrics by Jeff Bowen
Directed by Missy Koonce, Musical Direction by Anthony T. Edwards
September 18-October 10, 2010
Previews September 15, 16 & 17
On The Mainstage
Imagine two hyper-talented young songwriters in New York trying to write a new musical about two hyper-talented young songwriters in New York trying to write a new musical. That's [title of show], the deliciously smart and tuneful musical that wowed Broadway audiences and critics last fall. It's a dizzy, unpredictable, and uproarious tongue-in-cheek musical about show business and making one's dreams come true. Follow Jeff, Hunter, Heidi and Susan as they negotiate a musical theatre obstacle course of finding backers, casting singers and making it to Broadway. Fresh, funny and playful, [title of show] is a Cinderella tale set to music about the journey from the unemployment line to the Great White Way.
THE SEAFARER
By Conor McPherson
Co-Produced by Unicorn Theatre and Kansas City Actors Theatre
Directed by Mark Robbins
October 23-November 7, 2010
Previews Oct 20, 21 & 22
On The Jerome Stage
The Seafarer is a chilling new play about the sea, Ireland, and the power of myth. It's Christmas Eve, and Sharky has returned to Dublin to look after his irascible, aging brother who's recently gone blind. Old drinking buddies Ivan and Nicky are holed up at the house too, hoping to play some cards. But with the arrival of a stranger from the distant past, the stakes are raised even higher. Sharky may be playing for his very soul.
DISTRACTED
By Lisa Loomer
Co-Produced with UMKC Theatre
Directed by Cynthia Levin
November 27-December 12, 2010
Previews November 23, 24 & 26
On The Mainstage
Are we so tuned in to our info-rich, 24-7 world that we've tuned out the things that really matter? Jesse is eight and easily distracted, but so are his mother, father, neighbors and even the doctors. When Jesse is diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder, the question becomes what to do about it? Is it caused by over stimulation, bad parenting, too many chemicals in the food, or is he just a kid in an ADD world? In their fractured, fast paced, overly wired lives the consequence is almost inevitable. Distracted is a fast-paced and comic look at parenting in the age of the Internet and Ritalin.
IN THE NEXT ROOM OR THE VIBRATOR PLAY
By Sarah Ruhl
Directed by Sidonie Garrett
January 29-February 13, 2011
Previews January 26, 27 & 28
On The Mainstage
Set in the 1880s at the dawn of the age of electricity and based on the bizarre historical fact that doctors used vibrators to treat 'hysterical' women (and some men), the play centers on a doctor and his wife and how his new therapy affects their entire household. In a seemingly perfect, well-to-do Victorian home, proper gentleman and scientist Dr. Givings has innocently invented an extraordinary new device for treating "hysteria" in women (and occasionally men): the vibrator. Adjacent to the doctor's laboratory, his young and energetic wife tries to tend to their newborn daughter-and wonders exactly what is going on in the next room. When a new "hysterical" patient and her husband bring a wet nurse and their own complicated relationship into the doctor's home, Dr. and Mrs. Givings must examine the nature of their own marriage, and what it truly means to love someone.
TWO JEWS WALK INTO A WAR
By Seth Rozin
Directed by Cynthia Levin
March 5-20, 2011
Previews March 2, 3 & 4
On The Jerome Stage
Wonderfully funny and amazingly poignant. In a dilapidated old synagogue in Kabul during the final days of the Taliban regime, the one thing that binds Ishaq and Zeblyan together - they hate each other's guts. Ishaq and Zeblyan are the last two surviving Jews in all of Afghanistan. Inspired by a true story, they are, in fact a real life middle-eastern odd couple. Could it be that the salvation of Afghanistan's Jewish community is left in the hands of these two mushuganas? This play was read in our In-Progress New Play Reading Series.
RUINED
By Lynn Nottage
Co-Produced with UMKC Theatre
Directed by Ricardo Khan
April 16-May 1, 2011
Previews April 13, 14 & 15
On The Mainstage
Entertainment and escape await guests at Mama Nadi's rain forest bar and brothel in civil-war-torn Congo. But is she protecting or profiting from the women she shelters, and how far will she go to survive? Inspired by interviews she conducted in Africa with Congo refugees, Nottage has crafted an engrossing and uncommonly human story with humor and song served alongside its postcolonial and feminist politics. Winner of the 2009 Pulitzer Prize in Drama.
PLUS A Season Extra
A VERY JOAN CRAWFORD CHRISTMAS
Written by Jeff Church and Ron Megee
Directed by Jeff Church
Starring Ron Megee
December 11-26, 2010
Previews December 8, 9 & 10
On The Jerome Stage
Imagine a setting where you can settle in with Joan Crawford, along with her loyal housekeeper, Mamacita, and several Hollywood friends and enemies. Give Joan the respect she's entitled to! Pepsi and vodka: you'll learn to love it. Be sure to visit the craft room to decorate a wire hanger for the tree, and enter the contest. But clean up that mess! Created by Jeff Church and Ron Megee especially for Unicorn Theatre.
Subscriptions for the new season go on sale May 3, 2010.
For tickets call 816-531-PLAY (7529) or online at www.unicorntheatre.org
About Unicorn Theatre
Founded in 1974, Unicorn Theatre exists to enhance the cultural life of Kansas City by producing professional contemporary, thought-provoking theater, which inspires emotional response and stimulates discussion. Unicorn Theatre is under the artistic and executive leadership of Producing Artistic Director Cynthia Levin, who joined the company in 1980. From a newly expanded home in the Midtown neighborhood of Kansas City, Missouri, the Unicorn houses two stages--The Mainstage and The Jerome Stage (added 2007). A fully professional not-for-profit theatre, the theatre operates under agreement with Actor's Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers in the United States. The Unicorn is a founding member of the National New Play Network, an alliance of not-for-profit professional theatres that champions the development, production and continued life of new plays for the American theatre; and is a constituent member of Theatre Communications Group, Inc., the national service organization for the not-for-profit professional theatre. Financial assistance for this theatre has been provided by The National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency; the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency; corporate and foundation gifts; and the generous individuals throughout the community we serve.
About Kansas City Actors Theatre
Founded in 2004, KCAT operates under a paradigm radically different from other theatres in the Greater Kansas City metropolitan area, having been founded and led by practicing theatre artists striving to perform plays in the classic "rotating repertory" format. KCAT's vital core company of artists--actors, stage managers, directors & designers from the greater Kansas City community, focus on the craft of the actor and the talents of the playwright; implementing exciting lighting, music and sound, and eschewing expensive, elaborate scenery and costumes. The Actors Theatre performs in locations throughout the city, whether in found spaces such as the recent production of David Mamet's Boston Marriage at The Webster House, or at its "unofficial home" on Union Station's H&R Block City Stage, or in collaboration with friends on the Unicorn Theatre's Jerome Stage.
About UMKC Theatre
UMKC Theatre has been ranked by U.S. News and World Report among the top graduate theatre training programs in the country. The program trains a select group of highly talented actors, designers, stage managers and dramaturgs for careers in the performing arts. Graduates from the UMKC program are invited to the most prestigious New York competitions and auditions to exhibit their work and secure positions with national and international performing companies. The program is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Theatre (NAST) and is a member of the University/Resident Theatre Association (U/RTA). Faculty and alumni of UMKC Theatre have founded the following theatres in Kansas City: New Theatre Restaurant, Coterie Theatre, American Heartland Theatre, Heart of America Shakespeare Festival, Actors Theatre KC, Gorilla Theatre, Martin City Melodrama, Kansas City Repertory Theatre and the wonderful Unicorn Theatre.
Local Arts News, Theatre ,
American Heartland Theatre announces 2010-11 season
American Heartland Theatre in Crown Center has announced its 2010-2011 season, celebrating the theatre's 24th season of productions. AHT continues its tradition of providing variety in live theatre by showcasing one, two-time Tony award winning comedy, four Kansas City Premieres, one AHT favorite and one Richard Rodgers Award Winner in its upcoming season. This season's productions will feature local and out-of-state performers.
The Love List
September 10, 2010 - October 24, 2010
Written by Norm Foster
Kansas City Premiere - Rated PG-13
What do you get a friend for a 50th birthday present? If he's still single, you buy him a "love list" from the local gypsy. You help him put pen to paper to come up with a list of ten qualities that define the perfect woman and, "Weird Science-style," she appears! But, just as the gorgeous dream woman appears, the scheme starts to go horribly, mysteriously and hysterically awry! It's as if Neil Simon combined The Odd Couple and The Bride of Frankenstein in this insightful and outrageously funny comedy.
"Sharp, snappy and irresistibly funny." -Contra Costa Times
"Funny, sophisticated and sexy." -Hamilton Spectator
"Outrageously funny. Brilliant writing!" -Rossmore
Plaid Tidings
November 5, 2010 - December 26, 2010
Book by Stuart Ross and Music and Lyrics by Various
Kansas City Premiere - Rated PG
Dreaming of a Plaid Christmas? Great! because the hilarious, harmonious quartet, The Plaids (Frankie, Sparky, Jinx and Smudge) are back with a swingin' holiday spectacular. After their sudden demise, the four young men return to Earth - under the order of a heavenly phone call from Rosemary Clooney - this time to perform a touching, nostalgic holiday show blending mirth, music and a bit of The Ed Sullivan Show. This sequel to the record-breaking Forever Plaid, mixes favorites from the holidays (The Christmas Song, Cool Yule, Let It Snow, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas) and popular tunes from the 1950s (Strangers in Paradise, Sh-Boom, Fever). A perfect holiday treat for the entire family.
"It's a charming Christmas show you will always remember." -The Austin Chronicle
Maybe Baby, It's You
January 7, 2011 - February 20, 2011
Written by Charlie Shanian and Shari Simpson
Rated PG
The blockbuster comedy about the search for that most elusive of all entities... your soul-mate. We take a raucous ride through male-female relationships in the company of two searchers with a laundry list of must-have qualities for a mate that swiftly dwindles down to "warm and breathing" as the only prerequisite; a mild-mannered Midwesterner whose blind date turns out to be the Greek goddess Medea; a gorgeous, charming brain surgeon who is always "Mr. Wrong" due to his penchant for spastic, arrhythmic club dancing; an elderly divorced couple who entertain the fantasy of a reconciliation at their grandson's soccer game; and other would-be and shouldn't-be couples trying to find each other. Maybe Baby, It's You. Or maybe...it isn't.
"NO 'MAYBE' BABY, IT'S A WINNER! Maybe Baby is smart, funny, adorable." - New York Post
"These deceptively simple pieces possess a wisdom and good sense that explode gently in the mind afterward." - New York Post
No Way to Treat a Lady
March 4, 2011 - April 17, 2011
Written by Douglas J. Cohen. Based on the novel by William Goldman
AHT Premiere - Rated PG
A devilish blend of humor, romance and murder, this theatrically-charged musical comedy thriller is about an endearing detective who is pursuing a publicity-crazed actor-turned-killer. The detective works to foil the killer's plots while balancing the attentions of a beautiful socialite and a meddling mother. Meanwhile, the killer adopts a myriad of over-the-top disguises, including a slinky Latin dance instructor, French waiter, and kindly Irish priest. This outrageously comic musical will win your heart.
Richard Rodgers Award Winner
"A fine way to treat a musical! A real winner." -N.Y. Post
"Catchy tunes and snappy lyrics." -N.Y. Times
"A fine and dandy way to treat an audience.... It should be on Broadway." - N.Y. Observer
"TERRIFIC! HILARIOUS! DYNAMIC!" -L.A. Time
The 39 Steps
May 6, 2011 - June 19, 2011
Adapted by Patrick Barlow, from the novel by John Buchan, from the movie of Alfred Hitchcock
Kansas City Premiere - Rated PG
Mix a Hitchcock masterpiece with a juicy spy novel, add a dash of Monty Python and you have The 39 Steps, a fast-paced whodunit for anyone who loves the magic of theatre! This Tony® Award-winning treat is packed with nonstop laughs, over 150 zany characters (played by a ridiculously talented cast of 4), an on-stage plane crash, handcuffs, missing fingers and some good old-fashioned romance! The mayhem starts when a man with a boring life meets a woman with a thick accent who says she's a spy. When he takes her home, she is murdered. Soon, a mysterious organization called "The 39 Steps" is hot on the man's trail that climaxes in a death-defying finale! The 39 Steps amounts to an unforgettable evening of pure pleasure!
WINNER! 2 Tony® and Drama Desk Awards, 2008
WINNER! BEST NEW COMEDY Laurence Olivier Award, 2007
The 39 Steps, is Broadway's longest running comedy and still going strong!
"THEATER AT ITS FINEST... Absurdly enjoyable! This gleefully theatrical riff on Hitchcock's film is fast and frothy, performed by a cast of four that seems like a cast of thousands." -Ben Brantley, The New York Times
The Honky Tonk Angels
July 8, 2011 - August 21, 2011
Written by Ted Swindley
Kansas City Premiere - Rated PG
The creator of Always...Patsy Cline, combines over 30 classic country tunes with an hilarious story about three gutsy gals who are determined to better their lives and follow their dreams to Nashville. The all-hit song list includes I'll Fly Away, Stand by Your Man, 9 to 5, Coal Miner's Daughter, Ode to Billy Jo, These Boots Are Made for Walking, Rocky Top, and I Will Always Love You. This charming, foot-stompin' musical has played to sold-out audiences across the country.
"Touched by 'Angels' ... makes audiences laugh until they cry!" -TULSA World
"You'll have to step on your toes to keep them from tappin'." -Asheville Times
For reservations and/or information on 2010-2011 season tickets, call 816-842-9999, visit the box office in Crown Center, or visit www.ahtkc.com.
American Heartland Theatre serves over 150,000 theatre-goers every year from Kansas City and surrounding states. Each season, the theatre presents six productions, including comedies, musicals, dramas and mysteries featuring local, regional and national performers. AHT operates under agreements with Actors' Equity Association in its 440+ seat intimate theatre. American Heartland Theatre is located downtown in Crown Center and is a proud member of www.kclivearts.org.
City Stage, Theatre ,
April Theatre Listings
For complete Theatre listings through 2010, click here to visit the KC Events calendar
Theatre for Young America
Junie B. Jones and A Little Monkey Business
By Barbara Park
Runs March 2 through April 16 at H&R Block Stage at Union Station
For tickets call 816-460-2020 or online at www.unionstation.org
Call or visit the website for performance days and times.
Barbara Park's wildly popular Junie B. Jones character comes to life onstage in this musical adaptation of the book Junie B. Jones and a Little Monkey Business. Junie finds out from her parents that she is getting a present. She is so excited until she finds out it is a "P. U." baby brother! At first jealous, when she hears that her new baby brother is "cute as a monkey", she gets the school kids to give her their snack treats and other gifts in exchange for a peek at the monkey! Songs and words are by Joan Cushing, the same playwright who adapted TYA's Miss Nelson series of musicals.
American Heartland Theatre
I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change
Book & Lyrics by Joe DiPietro
Music by Jimmy Roberts
Runs March 12 through April 25 at Crown Center
For tickets call 816-842-9999 or online at www.ahtkc.com
Call or visit the website for performance days and times.
I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change celebrates the universal theme of love and pokes fun at the life experiences we've all either gone through or will go through. I Love You explores every aspect of relationships- the joys of dating, romance, marriage, lovers, babies, husbands, wives...and in-laws. Always funny and fresh, I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change is well suited for the new couple looking to see what life's going to be like or for the husband and wife that have been through it all and still say "I love, you're perfect, don't change." When the off-Broadway run of I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change closed in the summer of 2008, it had played 5,003 performances and 20 previews, an astonishingly long run by any measure, but downright historic for an off-Broadway musical (and second only to the run of "The Fantasticks"). If its 12 year run isn't a testament to the enduring charm, wit and wonder of this musical, we don't know what is! Returning to the American Heartland Theatre 12 years after its Kansas City premiere, I Love You is back and better than ever.
The Coterie Theatre Elementary/Family Series
Frindle
Runs April 6 through May 23 at the Coterie Theatre, Crown Center Lower Level
For tickets call 816-474-6552 or online at www.coterietheatre.org
Call or visit the website for performance days and times.
Nicholas is ingenious. In Mrs. Granger's language arts class, Nick gets his best idea ever when his teacher explains how words end up in the dictionary. Nick decides to create his own word... frindle, and he gets other kids in the class to use the word. Before long Nick's word creates a buzz well beyond his school and town. But his teacher loves the dictionary, so a fierce power struggle ensues over a made-up word!
Read the KCMetropolis review here.
Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre
Mappa Mundi
Runs April 8 through at METspace
For tickets call 816-569-3226 or online at www.metkc.org
Call or visit the website for performance days and times.
Midwest premiere directed by Bob Paisley at the MET, Mappa Mundi treads the edge of dangerous waters. Jack is a grouchy, terminally ill patriarch who is staying with his well-to-do daughter, Anna. She is the apple of his eye but he's nursing bigoted attitudes about her black fiancé, Sholto. Jack's questionable fascination with a map-drawing, plantation-owning ancestor is tied up with his yearning for another life and a dark incident in his past.
Read the KCMetropolis review here.
Kansas City Repertory Theatre
Venice
By Matt Sax & Eric Rosen
A co-production with Center Theatre Group
Runs April 9 through May 9 at the Copaken Stage, H&R Block Building
For tickets call 816-235-2700 or online at www.kcrep.org
Call or visit the website for performance days and times.
Matt Sax and Eric Rosen, creators of the phenomenal Clay, join forces once again to tell an explosive new story of struggle and redemption. Set in the not-too-distant future, Venice is the tale of two brothers who must lead a city out of a terrorist war. Though both are haunted by the memory of their mother, a leader of Venice whose call for peace was silenced in a massive attack on the city, one brother chooses to follow in his mother's footsteps and the other sets out to see his brother's plans undone.
An operatic story of war, love, treachery and the quest for peace, Venice boasts a powerful and highly original score of hip-hop, R & B, art song and opera that will make your heart pound. A cooperative effort with Los Angeles' Center Theatre Group, which originally commissioned Venice, this world premiere will rock Kansas City before heading west to its L.A. premiere. (Contains strong language & adult themes.)
New Theatre Restaurant
Becky's New Car
By Steven Dietz
Starring John Davidson
Runs April 15 through June 20 at New Theatre Restaurant
For tickets call 913-649-SHOW (7469) or online at www.newtheatre.com/home.html
Call or visit the website for performance days and times.
To call John Davidson "a man of many talents" is to utter the understatement of the year. He has made a very successful career out of excelling in just about every form of entertainment there is. From Broadway to TV to movies and a dozen or so solo albums. John's talents prove him to be much more than just an incredibly nice, handsome man. And in BECKY'S NEW CAR, he's also very funny!
Becky Foster has a pretty good job, a pretty good husband and a pretty good life so when a charming, bumbling billionaire starts flirting with her, Becky is surprised that she allows him to believe that she is widowed.
Theatre for Young America
The Monarchs of KC
Runs April 20 through May 15 at City Stage at Union Station
For tickets call 816-460-2083 or online at www.tya.org
Call or visit the website for performance days and times.
Two of Kansas City's nationally known performers, Lonnie McFadden and Danny Cox, will appear together in Theatre for Young America's The Monarchs of KC.
Baseballs were bouncing and jazz was jumping in the 1930's and 40's in Kansas City. Step back to the glory days at 18th and Vine when every baseball player wanted to play bass and every bass player wanted to play ball! This musical is produced to honor the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.
Quality Hill Playhouse
Lullaby of 42nd Street
Runs April 23 through May 23 at Quality Hill Playhouse
For tickets call 816-421-1700 or online at www.qualityhillplayhouse.com
Call or visit the website for performance days and times.
Harry Warren gave us the music for the show 42nd Street; we'll explore those songs plus others he wrote including "Chattanooga Choo Choo", "You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby", "I've Got a Gal in Kalamazoo" and more. Featuring Lauren Braton, Molly Hammer, Julie O'Rourke and James Wright, with J. Kent Barnhart at the piano, Steve Lenhert on bass and Ken Remmert on drums.
The Coterie Theatre
Young Playwrights' Festival
Wednesday, April 28 & Thursday, April 29
Coterie Theatre, Crown Center Lower Level
Free admission. For more information visit www.coterietheatre.org
Call or visit the website for performance days and times.
The Coterie's Young Playwrights Roundtable features a collection of new work by the city's best young writers. The rich and varied theatrical writings which emerge from a year-long process are forged into an ambitious festival of script-in-hand stagings utilizing professional actors.
Unicorn Theatre
And Her Hair Went With Her
Directed by Jacqueline L. Gafford
Runs April 30 through May 23 at the Unicorn Theatre
For tickets call 816.531.PLAY or online at www.unicorntheatre.org
Call or visit the website for performance days and times.
Wigs, weaves, and pop culture! Salon owner Jasmine and her radical assistant Angie dish the dirt on a salon of eccentric clients and discover how self-image affects us all. A wild range of women, personalities, hairstyles and trends emerge in this funny, poignant blowout of African-American sisterhood and identity. Another BOLDNEWPLAY from our In-Progress New Play Reading Series.
For complete Theatre listings through 2010, click here to visit the KC Events calendar.
To be included in this column, you must have your event listed on the KC Events Calendar. Click here for instructions.
Off the Vine,
May Events
Women In Jazz:
A collection of portraits, artifacts and films showcasing seminal women jazz artists from Kansas City & beyond
Far too long, women have been written out of the history books. Jazz venues and scholars have an obligation to strengthen the awareness of the many incalculable contributions women have brought to the music by showcasing their talents on stage, musing about their historical significance in text books and mounting meaning exhibitions spotlighting their images and personal artifacts.
To that end, the American Jazz Museum has proudly opened a groundbreaking exhibition, Women In Jazz: A Collection of Portraits, Artifacts and Films Showcasing Seminal Women Jazz Artists from Kansas City & Beyond. The exhibit runs through May 30, 2010. Curated by Sonie Ruffin together with Geneva Price and the American Jazz Museum staff, this opening marks an important milestone as the first multi-dimensional exhibition from the archive collections at the American Jazz Museum.
Elements of the exhibit include commissioned portraits by noted Kansas City visual artist Janet Kuemmerlein. Her work pays tribute to eleven celebrated Kansas City Women artists including Oleta Adams, Karrin Allyson, Queen Bey, Deborah Brown, Pearl Thuston Brown, Carol Comer, Angela Hagenbach, Lisa Henry, Marilyn Maye, Julie Turner and the Wild Women of Kansas City.
Priceless images and personal artifacts from the Museum's archives spotlight other seminal women jazz and dance artists including Mary Lou Williams, Julia Lee, Priscilla Bowman, Billie Mahoney, Betty Miller, Marsha Bland, Billie Holiday, Lena Horne, Carline Ray, Joanne Brackeen, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Melba Liston, Betty Carter, Shirley Horn, Abbey Lincoln, Anita O'Day, Cleo Brown, Carmen McCrae, Nancy Wilson, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Dorothy Donegan, Marian McPartland, Annie Ross, Gloria Lynn, Geri Allen, Nnenna Freelon, Alice Coltrane and Lil Hardin Armstrong. 
Women In Jazz also features rare film soundies from the American Jazz Museum's John H. Baker Jazz Film Collection along with recorded aural interviews and an exhibition text booklet with brief biographical support - soon to be released.
These portraits, images, artifacts and films serve as fitting exemplars of the significance women have brought to the music.
To further highlight the far-reaching impact of women and their un-matched contributions, the American Jazz Museum will continue to host a series of public programs, conduct dedicated tours and launch its Women In Jazz National Initiative. We hope you will make a point to visit the Museum and to experience, for yourself, why this exhibition is a fitting tribute to women in jazz.
Public Programs:
May 13, 2010 - 2:00 pm
Changing Gallery - American Jazz Museum
Women in Jazz Salon
An open, yet intimate discussion about your favorite women jazz artists, their barriers and accomplishments. Salon conversation with Geneva Price.
May 22, 2010 - 2:00pm
Atrium - American Jazz Museum
Marching on While Standing on Their Shoulders
Closing Session & Free Atrium Concert w/ Deanna Witkowski
With celebrated recording artist Deanna Witkowski live in concert and an all-star scholar panel including Dr. Tammy Kernodle (Miami University, Ohio), Dr. Sherrie Tucker (University of Kansas), Dr. Doris Wright Carroll (Kansas State University) and filmmaker Carol Bash (Paradox Films, NYC). A special Stories from the Vine event moderated by yours truly.
Exhibition Hours: Tuesday - Saturday, 9:00 am - 5:30 pm; Sunday, 12:00-5:30 pm. Closed Mondays and national holidays. Free admission. School tours available.
All public programs are free and open to the public. Donations of $10 to support education programs are welcomed. For additional details and to RSVP for any of these public programs, please contact Glenn North at (816)474-8463, ext. 221 or for more information visit www.americanjazzmuseum.org
JAMMIN at the GEM SERIES
Bobby Watson and the 18th & Vine Big Band w/Ernie Andrews
Saturday, May 8 at 8:00 p.m.
Closing out the season "KC-style" is our town's very own 18th & Vine Big Band, led by Palmetto Recording Artist, renowned saxophonist and UMKC Director of Jazz Studies Bobby Watson. The Big Band, which features a rotating cast of some of Kansas City's best jazz musicians, will be augmented by the rich, bluesy baritone of special guest vocalist Ernie Andrews.
For tickets to any of these performances call 816-474-6262 or online at www.ticketmaster.com
Gem Theatre
1616 E. 18th St., Kansas City, MO
For information call 816.474.8463 or online at info@kcjazz.org
Auditions,
Upcoming Auditions
AMERICAN HEARTLAND THEATRE ANNOUNCES AUDITIONS FOR ITS 2010-2011 SEASON
Open auditions will be held for American Heartland Theatre's 2010-2011 Season. All auditions will be held by appointment at the theatre.
Dates are as follows:
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
2:30 - 4:30pm Acting
4:30 - 6:00pm Singing
Friday, April 9, 2010 2:30 - 4:30pm Acting
4:30 - 6:00pm Singing
Sunday, April 11, 2010
4:00 - 6:00pm Singing
6:00 - 7:30pm Acting
Acting auditions should consist of two contrasting monologues, not to exceed one minute each. Singing auditions should consist of two contrasting songs no longer than 32 bars. An accompanist will be provided.
To schedule acting and singing auditions, please call the theatre at 816-842-9999 Monday through Friday, between 10:00am and 5:00pm. The theatre is located in Crown Center at 2450 Grand Blvd., Suite 314, Kansas City, Missouri 64108. For more information on American Heartland Theatre, visit our website at www.ahtkc.com.
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