Kansas City Ballet Will Present THE GREAT GATSBY With Guest Artists at Kauffman Center

Kansas City Ballet has announced that guest artists Lonnie McFadden, Eboni Fondren, and Tanner Rose will join its upcoming production of THE GREAT GATSBY, running May 8 through May 17 at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts.

Choreographed by Septime Webre with music by Billy Novick, the production will incorporate live jazz performed by Billy Novick’s Blues Syncopators, a seven-piece ensemble created specifically to perform the ballet’s score. The company includes musicians from New York and Boston’s 1920s jazz scene and will perform throughout the production.

Lonnie McFadden will appear as a tap dancer, Eboni Fondren will perform as vocalist, and Tanner Rose will serve as narrator. Artistic Director Devon Carney said the guest artists will help bring “the glamorous world of the Roaring Twenties” to life, immersing audiences in the energy and atmosphere of 1920s New York.

The ballet adapts F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, unfolding at Jay Gatsby’s Long Island mansion, where lavish parties reveal a world of glamour, jealousy, and hidden tensions. The production aims to capture both the spectacle and emotional undercurrents of the Jazz Age through choreography, live music, and theatrical design.

McFadden, a Kansas City-based entertainer, has performed internationally and collaborated with artists including Wayne Newton, Sammy Davis Jr., and the Count Basie Orchestra. Fondren, a nationally recognized jazz vocalist and performer, has appeared across music, theatre, and voiceover and currently serves in leadership roles within Kansas City’s arts community. Rose’s stage credits include productions with Kansas City Repertory Theatre, Unicorn Theatre, and Music Theatre Heritage, as well as television work on HBO’s The Deuce.

The production is presented by Kansas City Ballet Guild with support from the Richard J. Stern Foundation for the Arts and the Neighborhood Tourist Development Fund, with additional support from the Muriel McBrien Kauffman Family Foundation, Missouri Arts Council, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Pre-performance talks, known as Belger Footnotes, will be offered one hour before each performance, featuring insights from Artistic Director Devon Carney and guest artists.

Ticket Information

Tickets start at $34 and are available at kcballet.org, by phone at 816-931-8993, or through the Kauffman Center box office. Student rush tickets and senior discounts are available, along with subscription packages for the season.