KANSAS CITY THEATER REVIEWS

HTC's production of Spring Awakening, a folk-rock musical directed by Hersh Ellis, at the MTH Theater in Crown Center brings to life the gritty music of Duncan Sheik and the timeless lyrics and book of Steven Slater. Themes of injustice, homosexuality, teen pregnancy, masturbation, suicide, and conf...

Well performed but a little academic and study in how styles have changed...

KCAT's current production of Agatha Christie's 'And Then There Were None' grips the audience with a suspenseful quickly paced mystery. Ensemble shines in this timeless tale of accusation, guilt, judgement, and murder. The attention to detail from costumes, to set, to lighting provides a sensory exp...

If you want guaranteed show-stopping numbers create a musical with some of Whitney Houston's greatest hits. That's what Warner Brothers did when they released the movie THE BODYGUARD and what works the best in the touring production of the hit London show of the same name....

Holding an audience on a stage by yourself for a whole hour is no small task, but it is one accomplished by Buffalo Grove Illinois' Tim Mooney in his remarkably cogent performance of 'Breakneck Julius Caesar' at the Unicorn Theatre's Jerome Stage as his contribution to the 2017 Fringe. Tim Mooney is...

Value expressed as mystery and state of being...

As part of the 2017 KC Fringe, 'Yiddish With Dick And Jane' is worth seeing at the Arts Asylum close to downtown. Although just about anyone can enjoy this one, it says something about age when one realizes his own education falls after the McGuffey Reader period and smack in the middle of 'Reading ...

Five man magic show provides professional and enjoyable hour...

Misguided attempt at film noir style misses the target...

Dust off your willing suspension of disbelief. Starlight Theatre transforms into Elizabethan London in the year 1595. The play is 'Something Rotten.' William Shakespeare has not authored his 38 famous plays and 150 sonnets. By masquerading as patron to the struggling Bottom Brothers from Cornwall, t...

Props and Costumes are the high points. The playwright should reread Huck Finn...

It's big hair, even bigger music numbers, and a little Star Wars as Theatre in the Park takes audiences BACK TO THE 80S....

Crucible reminds us of the good old bad old days of church extremism and Congressional blacklists along with a warning for today....

Imagine transitional rock superstars Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, and Jerry Lee Lewis hanging out together for an impromptu recording session early in their musical careers. This is the unlikely, but mostly true tale told by the new production of the 2010 Broadway musical 'Million Dolla...

There are many musicals with the songs of George and Ira Gershwin intricately woven into them, but few have the grace and elegance of ballet like AN AMERICAN IN PARIS....

One you transport back to the late 50s and 60s this one is a lot of fun....

Combining ABBA's greatest hits, including 'Dancing Queen,' 'S.O.S' 'Super Trouper,' 'Take a Chance on Me' and 'The Winner Takes It All,' with an enchanting tale of love, laughter and friendship Catherine Johnson has crafted a plot to expertly string together these more than 20 songs (written by Benn...

'Crazy For You,' now playing at the Theatre In The Park in Shawnee Mission Park, is the theatrical equivalent of the 'Little Engine That Could.' It represents the fifth generation of musical shows based on George and Ira Gershwin's 1930 'Girl Crazy' score. Even though the original version kicked off...

Several hours spent with Kent Barnhart and friends at Quality Hill Playhouse are never time wasted if you love the great American songbook. The current sold out program features two hours of music celebrating tunes music of Carole King, James Taylor, and a few others of similar genre from the 1960s ...

Excellent production kicks off Black Box theater history...

Excellent production of a very complex piece of Musical Theater...

Unicorn Theatre's production of PRICILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT: THE MUSICAL comes just in time for Pride Month and reminds everyone of the joys of being your authentic self with a 'journey to the heart of fabulous!'...

Now running at the City Theater of Independence is the 2013 Tony winning comedy 'Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike' by Christopher Durang. Based loosely on charcters and the works of Anton Checkhov, you don't have to be familiar with the Russian writer to get all the jokes. Well, you might need to...

Disney's Little Mermaid at Starlight offers a great show and value added video assist...

An energetic cast take on the resplendently silly musical comedy Spamalot at Kansas City's Theatre in the Park. This adventure into British humor, slapstick shenanigans, musical farce, satire, parody, tap dancing, and grail quest keeps it's audience laughing the whole way through....