KANSAS CITY THEATER REVIEWS

THE HAPPY ELF is filled with elves, Santa Claus, Mrs. Claus and a town where everyone is the naughty list and Christmas is forbidden. These are just some of the things that face Eubie, the happiest elf at the North Pole. THE HAPPY ELF is featured at the Black Box Theatre, located in the Johnson Cou...

Create your own holiday tradition by sharing this classic with friends and family. This show will vanquish your inner Grinch, Scrooge, and Potter as you leave humming Auld Lang Syne!  It's A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play performs at the Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre in the Warwick Theatre, Kans...

The call of the wild is an indoor soccer team made up of eleventh grade girls in THE WOLVES, now showing at the Unicorn Theatre in Kansas City. Directed by Heidi Van, THE WOLVES is a glimpse into the minds and lives of a diverse group of girls from varied ethnic and social backgrounds....

Exciting and current, Harvey Williams' play 'On Shoulders Now' takes a fresh look at the power of friendship and compassion during the season that inspires it....

Devon Carney's Nutcracker is fast becoming a tradition in its own right. And, like the best traditions, it is adapting to stay relevant....

If CHRISTMAS IN SONG at Quality Hill Playhouse does not get you in the holiday spirit, then you are either the Grinch or Ebenezer Scrooge. Directed by J. Kent Barnhart and with Barnhart at the piano Lauren Bradshaw, Brad Dawby and Lindsey McKee celebrate the Christmas season with performances throu...

Now in its 38th season, Kansas City Repertory Theatre's "A Christmas Carol" is as much an iconic Kansas City holiday tradition as is the annual Plaza lighting ceremony every Thanksgiving evening.  Charles Dickens (Mark Robbins) once again spins his immortal 1843 ghost story of redemption as he hims...

Naked Magicians perform at Starlight Theatre indoors.  That pretty much sums up the two Australian illusionists' adult comedy/prestidigitation ac...

Audiences at 'School Of Rock, The Musical' (now playing at the Kansas City Music Hall) are in for an evening of fun.  This production is pure entertainment highlighted by a dozen songs from the reigning King of musical theater, Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber.  'School Of Rock' onstage offers a lot to adm...

Barn Players turn up the volume and rolls out the '80's music with their current production of "Rock of Ages." The musical, directed by Eric Magnus, features songs from Journey, Styx,, Bon Jovi, Pat Benatar, Steve Perry, Twisted Sister, Poison, etc... Rock Of Ages at Arts Asylum Kansas City by Barn ...

Rediscover RUDOLPH The Red-Nosed Reindeer, the Musical, now on stage at the Coterie Theatre in Kansas City. Relive the nostalgia of childhood while introducing a new generation to one of the most joyous stories of the season with the rambunctious return of Rudolph. PARENTS: turn off the tv/computer ...

Now playing at the White Theatre inside the Jewish Community Center in Overland Park is their community theater production of Lerner and Loewe's 1960 classic 'Camelot.' Featuring a hidden away orchestra of twenty-three and a cast of seventeen 'Camelot,' is always a challenging project....

Lyric Opera's 'Madama Butterfly' as performed on the stage of the Muriel Kauffman Theater is extraordinary. Puccini's music remains transcendent even after one hundred fourteen years....

'The Nance' brings 1930's NYC life to vibrant life at the Spinning Tree Theatre in Kansas City. Perfectly cast with a standout ensemble this bawdy comedy (with some musical treats) is an absolute knockout performance. Definitely in the 'not to be missed' category, treat yourself to this fabulous s...

Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II touched off an earthquake in Musical Theater with their 1927 musicalized version of Edna Ferber's 'Show Boat.'  A new iteration of 'Show Boat' has shoved off from the dock inside the MTH Theater on the third level of Crown Center for what will be pleased audienc...

Horton Foote's 'Orphans' Home Cycle' is a monumental project for any theatre company.  Kansas City's Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre should be recognized for taking it on.  It is the first time any company has attempted Foote's Opus since its short Broadway run ending in early 2010. ...

'Of Mice and Men' transports us to Steinbeck's world on the Monterey Peninsula of California during the Great Depression prior to World War II.  It was (and still is) mainly an agricultural breadbasket area.  As the play opens, two of these men approach a ranch in Soledad California. They are ...

Powerful story, top notch stagecraft, and excellent acting make the Unicorn production of 'Sweat' by Lynn Nottage a must see before you cast your ballot on November 6.  'Sweat' begins to explain divisions in the 2018 electorate and how they developed.  The Pulitzer committee agreed and awarded thi...

In Regard to Flight, the Remarkable conclusion of the Huck Eternal Cycle, by Phil Kinen and directed by Jake Leet and Phil Kinen. October 12-21, 2018. Tickets available at the door.  Just Off-Broadway Theatre is located at 3051 Penn Valley Dr, Kansas City, MO 64108 and there is plenty of free parki...

The show ,"Animal Amigos! Stories from the Tree of Life" is showing at the Mesner Puppet Theater October 17 - November 4, 2018.  The theater is at 1006 E Linwood Blvd, Kansas City, MO 64109. You can call the theater if you have any questions at 816-756-3500 ...

World premiere of Dracula: A Song of Love and Death at UMKC in co-production with KCAT. See Mitch Brian's adaptation and enter the hauntingly enchanted world of Dracula, bound in mystery, intrigue, and suspense. October 12-21st, 2018 at the Spencer Theatre on the UMKC campus - a co-production of KCA...

"In The Heights" is Lin-Manuel Miranda's premiere effort at an entirely new way of telling a story through musical theater. "Theater In The Park's" fine indoor production of Miranda's "Heights" is a fine Kansas City area community interpretation of this 2008 four Tony award winner....

'Always… Patsy Cline' at New Theatre Restaurant in Overland Park is a delightful, two-hour sojourn into mid-twentieth century 'Country and Western' music.   Patsy Cline was an early country singer who achieved crossover success and a very loyal listener following....

Five Magical 'Illusionists' light up the stage a the Starlight Theatre as they close their summer outdoor season. Sophisticated and majestic, the variety of acts is enough to get your pulse racing as they work quickly from one amazing stunt to the next. One weekend only at Kansas City's Starlight ...

Lyric Opera of Kansas City steps off its 2018-2019 season with a bravura interpretation of 1957's "West Side Story." It is difficult to say enough good things about this Lyric Opera of Kansas City presentation....