Steve Wilson - Page 5

The Unicorn Theatre is currently streaming a virtual theatre production of Will Snider’s play DEATH OF A DRIVER. The feature is available through November 29 and when ordered through the box office the purchaser has 48 hours to view the production. The Associate Artistic Director for The Unicorn, Ian R. Crawford, directs this production as The Unicorn continues to invest resources in an attempt to keep artists working through the pandemic.

The Heartland Mena??s Chorus presented their first virtual program of their 35th season on Saturday, September 26 with their presentation of SMILE A FEEL GOOD CABARET on Facebook Live. The production presented songs to make the audience happy, with one goal to make the audience smile.

As if 2020 wasna??t scary enough, The Coterie Theater ushers in the haunting season with the opening of ELECTRIC POE on Friday, September 19. The play based on the works of Edgar Allan Poe was conceived, adapted, and directed by Jeff Church, Producing Artistic Director of The Coterie, and runs through Halloween night.

The second show of the inaugural season of Forge Repertory Theatre is an ambitious production of Mary Zimmerman's THE SECRET IN THE WINGS. It is hilarious, a generally dark comedy, with moments of violence, masterfully directed by Todd Lanker, but best of all opens Saturday, March 7, at The Black Box in Kansas City.

PUFFS is not the Kleenex tissue, though you may need one to wipe away the tears running down your cheeks from the sustained laughter. PUFFS OR SEVEN INCREASINGLY EVENTFUL YEARS AT A CERTAIN SCHOOL OF MAGIC AND MAGIC opened Friday, February 28 at The Coterie Theatre in Crown Center. Matt Cox has written a hilarious parody of the famous boy wizard series of books and movies which should not be missed. Amanda Kibler, the Education Director for The Coterie, directs this look at the secondary characters from the seven years that Potter was at that school whose name we cannot say.

Fishtank Theatre opened its first show at their new home, the Black Box, with the hilarious comedy SHOW FOR DAYS. Though several productions by other companies have already been staged at the new theater this is the inaugural show for Heidi Van's Fishtank Theatre. The show runs through February 29 at the theater located in the historic West Bottoms district of Kansas City, Missouri.

How sweet it is, GIRLFRIEND, the alternative rock musical written by Todd Almond from the 1991 hit album of Matthew Sweet opened Saturday, January 25 at Spinning Tree Theatre in Kansas City. Directed by Michael Grayman-Parkhurst with Musical Direction by Pamela Baskin-Watson the play based on Sweet's 1991 album of the same name and runs through February 9 at the Black Box Theatre located in the Johnson County Arts and Heritage Center.

The powerfully moving play, THE WHITE ROSE: WE DEFIED HITLER, by David Meyers opened Friday, January 24, at The Coterie Theatre in Kansas City. The 70-minute play is produced in cooperation with the University of Missouri at Kansas City Theatre Department and produced with the Midwest Center for Holocaust Education. The show based on actual events runs at The Coterie through February 9.

On occasion a show comes along that puts a smile on your lips from the opening curtain to the final bows, CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY is that kind of show. CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, presented by The American Theatre Guild, opened on Tuesday night at the Kauffman Center for Performing Arts. The staged musical is adapted from the children's novel by Roald Dahl with book by David Greig, music by Marc Shaiman, and lyrics by Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman.

Thought-provoking, 'NIGHT, MOTHER sheds new light on a subject that few want to talk about, and no one wants to face head-on, suicide. 'NIGHT, MOTHER a play by Marsha Norman and directed by Sidonie Garrett for the Kansas City Actor's Theatre continues at the City Stage in Union Station through January 26.

It's the Christmas season so what should I do? I'll go to the theater and see Cindy Lou Who. WHO'S HOLIDAY the hilarious parody of Dr. Seuss's a?oeThe Grinch Who Stole Christmasa?? is now playing at The Louis Curtiss Studio Building in Kansas City through December 21. This is not a children's show like Dr. Seuss wrote, WHO'S HOLIDAY is intended for an adult audience.

The 2019 theatrical season has afforded me the opportunity to see several fantastic plays and musicals, unfortunately, Ken Ludwig's SHERWOOD THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD does not rank among them. Yes, if you like slapstick, old jokes, and sword fights then it does provide a nice evening of entertainment and several moments of raucous humor. SHERWOOD THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD, starring Hal Linden, at the New Theatre Restaurant runs through February 2, 2020.

Smoke, gunfire, screams, the sound of a helicopter overhead, it's not just another night in Kansas City it's the opening night for Miss Saigon now playing at the Music Hall through December 15. While other theaters are busy bringing Christmas shows to life the Kansas City Broadway Series brings us a musical tale from one of the most turbulent times in American history, the Vietnam War.

It wouldn't be Christmas without a visit to the Folly Theatre in Kansas City for another much-anticipated holiday show performed by the Heartland Men's Chorus on December 7 and December 8. MAKING SPIRITS BRIGHT is the name of the 2019 offering for the holiday season and the name describes exactly what the show accomplishes.

Dear Santa, for Christmas please bring me another ticket to Musical Theater Heritage's Christmas show, A SPECTACULAR CHRISTMAS SHOW, what a marvelous way to get into the holiday season. As one theater-goer said, a?oeif this doesn't get you in the Christmas spirit I don't know what willa??. A SPECTACULAR CHRISTMAS SHOW opened Saturday, December 7 at the Musical Theater Heritage Theater located in Crown Center in Kansas City.

a?oePhenomenala?? is how one theatergoer, Elaine Jacobs, described the opening night of A CHRISTMAS CAROL, now a Kansas City tradition in its 39th year. Presented by the Kansas City Repertory Theatre the Charles Dickens classic opened Saturday, November 30 at the Spencer Theatre on the University of Missouri at Kansas City campus and runs through December 29.

The magic of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter comes to life at the Folly Theatre in POTTED POTTER THE UNAUTHORIZED HARRY EXPERIENCE, now playing through December 1st. This hilarious parody covers all seven of the best-selling Harry Potter fantasy series in just 70 side-splitting minutes.

If your washer and dryer sing to you it may be a bad reaction to medication or you may be at the wonderfully humorous and thought-provoking musical production of CAROLINE, OR CHANGE, which opened Saturday night November 9 at the Johnson County Arts and Heritage Center in Overland Park. The Spinning Tree Theatres Kansas City premiere, with book and lyrics by Tony Kushner and music by Jeanine Tesori, runs through November 24. Spinning Tree Artistic Director Michael Grayman-Parkhurst directs this musical incorporating blues, Motown, Jewish melodies, and folk music.

The only snow I want to see this year is the snow that transforms the stage at the Coterie Theatre into a winter wonderland at opening night of A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS. William J. Christie directs this hilarious stage adaption by Eric Schaeffer. Written by Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz the play is based on the 1965 television special by Bill Melendez and Lee Mendelson.

Cruise over to the White Theatre for their wonderful production of ANYTHING GOES now playing through November 17. ANYTHING GOES opened on Saturday, November 2 to kick off the 15th season of the theater located at the Jewish Community Center. Tim Bair directs this whimsical musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The original book was by P. G. Wodehouse and Guy Bolton and was heavily revised by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. The new book is by Timothy Crouse and John Weidman.