Kansas City Theater Reviews

Review: KINKY BOOTS at The White Theatre
by Alan Portner - January 30, 2023

Live, local musical theater in Kansas City opens for 2023 with a delightful, surprising, unexpected production of 2013’s six-time Tony Award winner “Kinky Boots.” The more or less true tale of “Kinky Boots,” performs in the unlikely setting of the White Theatre inside Overland Park’s Jewish Communit...

Review: HADESTOWN at Kansas City Music Hall
by Alan Portner - January 18, 2023

Blend two ancient Greek myths, add the climate change crisis, a screed on capitalism, fears surrounding immigration, sprinkle in delightful, original folk music, and stir. The unlikely result is the 2019 eight-time Tony-winning folk opus “Hadestown,” an exceptional piece of musical theater....

Review: WHO'S HOLIDAY, A CHRISTMAS FAVORITE NOW PLAYING IN KANSAS CITY at Musical Theater Heritage
by Steve Wilson - December 13, 2022

If you want to see a hilarious Christmas show, then it’s to WHO’S HOLIDAY you should go. Padgett Productions in Kansas City brings back the holiday favorite in the Ruby Room at the Musical Theatre Heritage Theatre in Crown Center. This Christmas delight, unlike any other you may see, is directed by ...

Review: COME BLOW YOUR HORN at New Theatre Restaurant
by Alan Portner - December 10, 2022

New Theatre Restaurant’s new production of Neil Simon’s COME BLOW YOUR HORN is a holiday gift to its audiences. It is a charming, gentle entertainment that rekindles a time when you were too busy laughing to worry about anything else....

Review: PRETTY WOMAN THE MUSICAL at KC Music Hall
by Alan Portner - December 08, 2022

Very entertaining - if not high concept. Pretty Woman is a hoot....

Review: TELL-TALE ELECTRIC POE OPENS IN KANSAS CITY AT at The Coterie Theatre
by Steve Wilson - October 24, 2022

Three of the master of the macabre, Edgar Allen Poe’s most frightening and grizzly pieces appear on the main stage of The Coterie Theatre through October 30 with TELL-TALE ELECTRIC POE. Adapted and directed by Jeff Church, Producing and Artistic Director of The Coterie, TELL-TALE ELECTRIC POE is sui...

Review: THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW USHERS IN HALLOWEEN IN KANSAS CITY at The Black Box
by Steve Wilson - October 09, 2022

It’s astounding, time is fleeting, madness takes its toll. . .no it’s the opening weekend of Padgett Productions THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW. The cult musical, which has become a Kansas City favorite, has been ushering in the Halloween season for several years. I have been in the audience at least once (m...

Review: MAN OF LA MANCHA at Music Theater Heritage
by Alan Portner - October 10, 2022

Playing now at Music Theater Heritage through October 23 at Crown Center is an imaginative new production of 1965's Tony award winning Best Musical 'Man of La Mancha' offered by Musical Theater Heritage....

Review: AKEELAH AND THE BEE at Coterie Theatre
by Steve Wilson - September 27, 2022

How do you spell winner? A-K-E-E-L-A-H because that’s what The Coterie Theatre has in their production of AKEELAH AND THE BEE, now playing at the theater located in Crown Center. AKEELAH AND THE BEE written by Cheryl West is based on the award-winning film starring Laurence Fishburne with a screenpl...

Review: ABOUT ALICE at KC Actors Theatre
by Kelly Luck - August 21, 2022

KC native humorist's play a touching and often funny memorial to an extraordinary woman...

Review: You Don't Want to Miss LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS At the Warwick Theatre
by Steve Wilson - August 16, 2022

Nick Padgett, Producing Artistic Director of Padgett Productions presents LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, through August 21 at the Warwick Theatre in the Westport Entertainment District. This production is one of the best to hit the stage in Kansas City this year. I know when I left the theater I could sti...

Review: PREJUDICE AND PRIDE OPENS IN KANSAS CITY at Musical Theater Heritage
by Steve Wilson - July 16, 2022

The heavens are filled with bright, shiny stars and so is the stage at the Musical Theater Heritage theater located in Crown Center. The hilarious world premiere of PREJUDICE AND PRIDE runs through July 24th and then goes to Edinburgh, Scotland in August. Sam Writes and Nicholas Collett Production b...

Review: WORLD PREMIERE OF ALICE'S WONDERLAND OPENS IN KANSAS CITY at Coterie Theatre
by Steve Wilson - July 09, 2022

The Coterie Theatres' world premiere of a new family musical, ALICE’S WONDERLAND runs at The Coterie Theatre at Crown Center through August 7. Adapted from the Lewis Carroll classic story the musical features an original score with book, music, and lyrics by J. Quinton Johnson and Julia Riew. Briann...

BWW Review: SWEENEY TODD, DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET at The Warwick Theatre
by Steve Wilson - June 13, 2022

The Warwick Theatre, in the Westport Entertainment District, plays host to Padgett Productions' opening of SWEENEY TODD, THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET through June 26. The Stephen Sondheim musical is one of the most elaborate productions I have ever seen Nick Padgett undertake, and he brings it t...

SWEENEY TODD, THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET at Warwick Theatre This June
by Steve Wilson - May 25, 2022

Stephen Sondheim’s wickedly funny musical masterpiece, SWEENEY TODD, THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET, opens June 10th at the Warwick Theatre in Kansas City. The theatre is located on the eastern side of the Westport Entertainment District at 3927 Main Street. Find out how to get tickets and learn a...

BWW Review: THE (R)EVOLUTION OF STEVE JOBS at Lyric Opera
by Kelly Luck - March 12, 2022

Mason Bates' modern score underlies this unflinching look at controversial Apple co-founder....

BWW Review: DRACULA at KC Ballet
by Kelly Luck - February 19, 2022

Pink and Feeney's production, first performed in Kansas City in 2014, makes is return to the Kauffman stage...

BWW Review: SPECTACULAR CHRISTMAS SHOW at Musical Theater Heritage
by Alan Portner - December 12, 2021

One of the annual challenges inherent to creating an absolutely new “Spectacular Christmas Show” at Musical l Theater Heritage is how to differentiate this year’s production from the thirteen editions that preceded it. I have been privileged to see eight of the fourteen iterations and can promise ...

BWW Review: THE NUTCRACKER at KC Ballet
by Kelly Luck - December 04, 2021

Devon Carney's Christmas fantasy is all the more fantastic in today's worldAfter riding the tempest of the last few years, we seem to crave nothing so much as a return to 'normal'. Nebulous word, normal, but if nothing else, the ability to gather together and enjoy our traditions without being overs...

BWW Review: AMAHL AND THE NIGHT VISITORS at Lyric Opera
by Kelly Luck - December 04, 2021

The Lyric's Amahl, created last year as an online-only performance due to Covid, makes its live stage premiere....

BWW Review: JOHNNY & JUNE at New Theatre Restaurant
by Alan Portner - November 24, 2021

New Theatre Restaurant in Overland Park has opened an original and very enjoyable, new production, entitled “Johnny & June.” The show is a country music tribute concert to Johnny & June Carter Cash with Scott Moreau and Ashley Pankow as the title characters and with Cathy Barnett as comedian Minnie ...

BWW Review: SOMETHING ROTTEN! THE MUSICAL OPENS IN OVERLAND PARK, KS at The White Theatre
by Steve Wilson - November 08, 2021

This is the first time I can remember something rotten being so enjoyable. SOMETHING ROTTEN! the musical directed by Tim Bair opened on Saturday night November 6 at the White Theatre at the J in Overland Park, KS. If you miss your chance to see this musical comedy, that would be SOMETHING ROTTEN! T...

BWW Review: COMPANY at Musical Theater Heritage
by Alan Portner - November 07, 2021

Now through November 21, Musical Theater Heritage offers a super production of “Company,” Stephen Sondheim’s breakthrough 1970 musical. “Company” marks the first appearance of the indelible Sondheim musical voice we have heard so often since. ...

BWW Review: THE SPONGEBOB MUSICAL FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES OPENS IN KANSAS CITY AT THE COTERIE THEATRE
by Steve Wilson - November 07, 2021

The Coterie Theatre made a big splash with the opening of its world premiere of THE SPONGEBOB MUSICAL FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES on November 4th at The Coterie Theatre located in Crown Center in Kansas City, MO. The new version of THE SPONGEBOB MUSICAL FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES has never been seen before and is ...

BWW Review: PIPELINE at Unicorn
by Kelly Luck - October 25, 2021

Unicorn's production of PIPELINE an unflinching look at race, education, and privilege...