KANSAS CITY THEATER REVIEWS

Scrooge walking into the Off Center Theatre in Crown Center would have had the Bah Humbug chased from him with the second performance of A Spectacular Christmas Cabaret Show! Anyone entering the theater without the Christmas spirit would leave filled with joy over the gift Musical Theater Heritage i...

The hilarious one-woman play I'll Eat You Last: A Chat with Sue Mengers currently plays as a season extra at the Unicorn Theatre in Kansas City. John Logan (writer of Tornado!, Star Trek Nemesis, and The Last Samurai among others) wrote the one-act play specifically for Bette Midler who starred in...

The Kauffman Performing Arts Center in Kansas City, Mo. is known as one of the most spectacular buildings in the metropolitan area. With its breathtaking city views, through the large slanted glass windows, little surpasses it for beauty. Through December, the phenomenal view from the windows is m...

The joyous trip back through musical history comes to life from Detroit to Los Angeles in Motown: The Musical now playing at the Music Hall in Kansas City, Mo. Motown: The Musical with a book by Berry Gordy based on his 1994 autobiography To Be Loved: The Music, the Magic, the Memories of Motown. ...

Misunderstanding the Candy Game, produced by the Kansas City! Tennyson Group played at the Gem Theatre in the historic Jazz District of Kansas City, Mo. Lewis Morrow wrote and starred in the timely, thought provoking two-act play, which was staged at 3 and 7 p.m. on Saturday December 6....

Thought provoking, dramatic, depressing, with a dash of humor describes the current production of the Unicorn Theatre on their Levin Stage. Ian R. Crawford directs Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, written by Rajiv Joseph. The complex plot and vivid images are a co-production of the University of M...

The outstanding musical production of Kansas City Christmas opened the 29th season of the Heartland Men's Chorus on Friday December 5 at the Folly Theater. The newly appointed Artistic Director Dustin S. Cates led the chorus of about 120 men through an array of humorous and sincere holiday songs to...

It amazes me how a musical performed with little or no scenery, props, or costumes, and on a small intimate stage can become one of the preeminent shows of the season. That is exactly what Oliver! accomplished on opening night Saturday December 6 at the Off Center Theatre in Kansas City. This achi...

The Gifts of the Magi opened Thursday night at the dinner gala for the Summit Theatre Group at the Emaline Ballroom in Lees Summit, Mo. The price of a ticket included a dinner buffet served by Outback Steak House, in which the server limited patrons to portions because he did not know if he brought...

Like a fine glass of champagne, A Christmas Carol, at the Kansas City Repertory Theatre only gets better with age. The 34th production of A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens and adapted by Barbara Fields, opened on Saturday November 29 at the Spencer Theatre in Kansas City, Missouri. The KC Rep ...

The final Musical Monday of 2014 took to the stage of the Off Center Theatre on Monday November 24. Produced six times a year by Musical Theater Heritage Tim Scott hosts the cabaret style production. In response to sold out seasons since 2009, additional performances on Tuesday night are scheduled...

Christmas arrives by train in Kansas City . . . the Mystery Train that is. Murder on the Ornament Express is the current offering of the dinner theater that operates out of the Golden Ox Restaurant and Californos in Westport. Wendy Thompson wrote and directs Murder on the Ornament Express, which t...

Gore Vidal's The Best Man a political drama is the current production of the Olathe Civic Theatre Association in Olathe, Kan. The play, which opened on November 7, runs through November 21. John Robinson directs the OCTA production stating in the playbill that it had been 15 years since he had don...

The two-person play Not About Heroes opened Friday November 14 at the Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre in Kansas City, Mo. Due to technical difficulties the opening of the play was delayed a week from November 6. Bob Paisley, a founding member of the theater, directs the thought provoking dramatic Wo...

The White Theatre inside the Jewish Community Center in Overland Park, Kansas presents Fiddler on the Roof through November 23. Steven Eubank directs the classic musical, with musical direction by Daniel Doss. This is the second production Eubank has directed for the theater. Doss has been involv...

The hilarious production of the French musical La Cage aux Folles currently plays at the Barn Players in Mission, Kan. The musical based on the play by the same name by Jean Poiret opened on Friday night November 7 and runs through November 23. Kipp Simmons directs the Barn Players production with...

Each time I think that the performing arts in Kansas City cannot get any better Spinning Tree Theatre opens another production and proves there is no limit to the highest quality shows available to local audiences. Opening night for Violet at the Just Off Broadway Theatre on Saturday November 8 was...

The holiday season soars into Kansas City on the nose of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Musical. The holiday treat opened on Friday November 7 at the Coterie Theatre in Crown Center. Jeff Church directs the musical based on the stop-motion animated television special, which starred the voice...

The world premiere of Columbus Day, a play by Forrest Attaway, closed on Sunday November 2 at the Living Room Theatre in Kansas City, Mo. Attaway stated the work began as a 60-minute production and over the last eight years, he developed into a full-length play. Bryan Moses directed the dark drama...

The first production of the Downtown Underground series at the Lawrence Arts Center, Edward Gant's Amazing Feats of Loneliness, a hilarious comedy continues through November 8. The play written by Anthony Neilson is a co-production of the Card Table Theatre and the Arts Center....

The hilarious comedy, Bad Jews, about death, family, identity, and faith opened Saturday on the Jerome Stage of the Unicorn Theatre. Bad Jews the dark comedy written by Joshua Harmon and directed by Cynthia Levin follows three cousins in a battle over an heirloom....

From zero to sixty like a fast luxury car is how The Who & The What transitions from a comedy to an intense look at faith, relationships, gender roles, and culture. So sit back it is a delightfully entertaining ride. The Who & The What opened on Friday October 24 at the Copaken Stage in downtown K...

Alice fell down the rabbit hole and into the hearts of Kansas City on Friday October 10 at the opening and Kansas City premiere of Alice (in Wonderland) produced by the Kansas City Ballet Company. Opening the 57th season for the Kansas City Ballet the full-length ballet is a delightful interpretati...

You do not have to be a large production company to work with the finest actors in Kansas City. Different Choices Productions proved that at their preview of their dark comedy Danny & The Deep Blue Sea on Thursday October 9. Directed by Bob Linebarger the show is being staged in the Buffalo Room b...

Mamma Mia! what a way to open a season. Mamma Mia! the feel-good musical that has over 5,000 performances on Broadway opened Tuesday October 7 at the Music Hall in Kansas City, MO. Phyllida Lloyd directs the Broadway Across America special engagement that runs through Sunday October 12. Benny And...