Alan Portner

Overland Park, KS — The New Theatre & Restaurant has built its reputation on polished, crowd-pleasing comedies, and its latest production of Nobody’s Perfect keeps that tradition humming along with bright energy and old-fashioned farce. This show is a four-hander with a super cast starring Jim O’Heir (familiar to audiences from TV’s Parks and Recreation) as Leonard Loftus. Backing up O’Heir are New Theatre veterans Kelly Felthous, Victor Raider-Wexler and rookie KyLee Hennes.

Titanic… An Immersive Experience. The Exhibit has opened at Union Station for a multi-month run through April of 2026.   The key word is “Immersive.”  “Immersion” means that audience members are meant to feel like they are part of the experience.  The Titanic Immersion Voyage is the next logical step towards achieving what it must have been like to have been aboard the RMS Titanic on that cold April night in back 1912, 400 miles east of Newfoundland when she struck an iceberg, foundered, and lost 1500 of her passengers and crew to the icy north Atlantic while on her maiden voyage to New York.

The national tour of “& Juliet” opened Tuesday night for a run through Sunday at the Kansas City Music Hall with enough voltage to transform the theater into a full-color pop arena.  “& Juliet” is a clever take and reimaging of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.”  It is funny.  It is hip! It is hugely enjoyed by the audience!

“Hello, Dolly!” is a crown jewel of American Musical Theatre.  “Dolly” is a jubilant blend of romantic comedy, brassy optimism, and showstopping choreography. Opening night for the White Theatre production of “Dolly” was so surprising and memorable that it earned itself a five-star rating from this reviewer and from its audience writ large.

What Audiences at New Theatre’s new production of “Alone Together” experience an immediate, hilarious sense of “Been There… Done That…” and identify mostly with George and Helene, the lead characters.

“Stuff of Dreams” is a locally written and produced original musical play within a play. It is offered by the writing team of writing team of Barbara Nichols and Krista Eyler. Eyler is also responsible for conjuring the musical score. 

The national non-Equity tour of The Book of Mormon has landed in Kansas City and if the roar of laughter on opening night is any indication, Trey Parker, Matt Stone, and Robert Lopez’s irreverent musical comedy hasn’t lost its bite. It is only a gentle elbow at the LDS church. If you can get past the coarse language, this is funny stuff

Deathtrap is definitely worth your time. Long hailed as Broadway’s longest-running comedy-thriller, Deathtrap masterfully blends sinister suspense with biting wit—truly “two-thirds a thriller and one-third a devilishly clever comedy” from Kansas City Actors Theatre+

The opening night performance of Kansas City Actors’ Theatre production of Antov Checkov’s UNCLE VANYA ended with an enthusiastic standing ovation on City Stage in the lower level of Union Station.  UNCLE VANYA as performed is a modern translation of Anton Checkov’s 1899 classic musing on family and relationships.  Some audiences see the show as comic.  Others see it as tragic.  This production is solid based on its reception and an excellent cast.

From its first electrifying notes to its tragic final act, WEST SIDE STORY continues to captivate audiences with its blend of urgent drama, iconic music, and groundbreaking choreography. Each new staging of this classic presents a fresh opportunity to rediscover its timeless tale of love and rivalry. This latest interpretation seeks not only to honor the legendary legacy of the original but also to breathe new life into its unforgettable characters and vibrant score.

A surprising, bright, and entertaining production of THE WIZ opened Tuesday night at Kansas City’s Music Hall to an almost full house for a one week run.  THE WIZ is the season closer for American Theatre Guild’s 2024-2025 season.  I’m not sure what I was expecting with THE WIZ, but I found myself being grabbed from the very first number and thoroughly entertained.

Madcap! Frenetic! Hilarious! It is the New Theatre Restaurant production of CLUE. Clue is a comic murder-mystery tale based on the 1985 film of the same name which was based on the 1949 Parker Brothers board game that just about anyone who grew up in that period will surely have played at some point.

The strength of this production is unquestionably the superior musical treatments, including an excellent orchestra of twenty conducted by     Matt Richardson. Each of the leading characters is about as musically strong as it gets.

Kansas City Actors Theatre kicks off their twenty-first season with a super production of Jen Silverman’s THE ROOMMATE about two women who stumble awkwardly towards each other and learn a bit more than either one is ready to absorb.  This two hander has been kicking around regional theaters for about ten years before landing on the stage of the Booth Theater for a limited engagement.

Today we are speaking to one of the Lead Actors in Walt’s Disney’s production of “The Lion King.”  “The Lion King” opens on May 22 for a two week run through June 1 at the Kansas City Music Hall.

JERSEY BOYS at New Theatre Restaurant is a delightful evening out on the town.   The show tells the mostly true story of sixties pop legends Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. This show is an original and fun trip down memory lane with a singing group who offered a unique sound that still resonates almost seventy years later.  JERSEY BOYS was written before almost all the juke box musicals that have overwhelmed the Great White Way today. 

Kansas City Actors Theater presents an exceptional production of DOUBT, A PARABLE by John Patrick Shanley in the unexpected, but perfectly selected sanctuary of the Kansas City United Church of Christ in the Brookside area.

A super cast makes the most of Neil Simon’s 1988 word-salad comedy masterpiece entitled RUMORS. RUMORS opened last week at New Theater Restaurant in Overland Park.   This one is played strictly for laughs.