Tim Ahlenius

“Judgement at Nuremberg” at Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre’s (MET) Warwick Theatre is a fictional rendering of the 1947 Judge’s War Crime Trial held at Nuremberg, Bavaria, Germany. “Judgement at Nuremberg” is a painful remembrance of an attempt to both punish those accountable for the barbarisms committed in the name of the German state and to be consciously impartial in the administration of an accused’s trial rights. Eighteen million people died at the hands of the Third Reich and its National Socialist (NAZI) leaders. Six and a half million of the dead comprised two-thirds of Europe’s Jewish population. It was a determined and deliberate stated goal of genocide of a people. Post war, many of Europe’s surviving Jews fled places they had lived for millenniums in favor of reestablishing a sovereign state in their ancestral homeland where they could finally feel safe. It is ironic that this play opened in Kansas City on the very day that South Africa brought an accusation of genocide against the descendants of the survivors, today’s Israelis, at the International Court of Justice. The play centers on three main characters. One is Dan Heyward, a retired American District Court Judge called to lead a panel of three non-biased jurists in the trial of three NAZI era judicial officials. The second is a renowned German Judge named Ernst Janning. Janning had once sat in the chair similar to America’s Attorney General during pre-NAZI days. The third character is a youngish defense attorney named Oscar Rolfe, a volunteer defender of the estimable Ernst Janning. Janning initially refuses to recognize the authority of the court. It is two years since the end of the war in Europe. The scope of the evil that was done has become clear. The question facing the court is how far down into the German Bureaucracy must consequences for the German people reach? Usual suspects have already been tried, convicted, jailed, executed, or committed suicide. What is left to adjudicate are those who have allowed the worst to happen and why they allowed it. Were they true believers? Were they people who went along in hopes the system would self-correct? Is there any defense for crimes against humanity? Judge Heyward is our eyes as we attempt to understand how this monstrosity that was the Third Reich could have ever happened. “Judgement at Nuremberg” by Abby Mann is sixty-three years-old, yet it mirrors the Donald Trump era in exquisite detail. The arguments put forward in the staged court and from Judge Heyward’s investigation are heard in today’s legal briefs almost word for word. This makes “Judgement” frightening and important for 2024 audiences to see. When you see this play, you will recognize modern, living associates of the past administration mouthing dialog written before they reached their majority. MET has done an excellent job of casting. Director Karen Paisley has choreographed an exquisite twenty-four scene, two-act play in precise detail using minimal, yet effective set pieces. The few conceits adopted for this production work exceptionally well. Most acting is restrained and understated; except for two or three explosions from wholly appropriate characters when needed. Ms. Paisley has incorporated vintage documentary film from the era and what almost seems like a motion picture score backing up the action. “Judgement” is the third iteration of this story by Abby Mann, born Abraham Goodman, a son of Russian Jewish immigrants to the United States. The story first appeared as a television episode of Playhouse 90 in 1957, a feature film in 1961, and this version, a Broadway play in 2001. The Broadway version of “Judgement” was performed a total of fifty-six times. The expanded filmed version recently became available on “Prime Video.” The leading cast members in the MET production are John Clancy as Judge Dan Heywood, Tim Ahlenius as Ernst Janning, and Michael Dragen as Oscar Rolfe. They are backed up by a fine supporting cast. All the characters in this play are products of the playwright’s imagination. They are inspired by similar, real life people. True, historic situations influenced the plot and the legal arguments. “Judgement at Nuremberg” continues at the Warwick Theatre through January 21. Tickets are available at https://www.warwickkc.org/ or by telephone at (816) 569-3226.

It's the final week left to vote for the 2023 BroadwayWorld Kansas City Awards! Voting ends on 12/31 at midnight. Don't miss out on making sure that your favorite theatres, stars, and shows get the recognition they deserve!

There's just two weeks left to vote and we have the latest standings as of Monday, December 18th for the 2023 BroadwayWorld Kansas City Awards! Don't miss out on making sure that your favorite theatres, stars, and shows get the recognition they deserve!

It's the final 3 weeks and we have the latest standings as of Monday, December 11th for the 2023 BroadwayWorld Kansas City Awards! Don't miss out on making sure that your favorite theatres, stars, and shows get the recognition they deserve!

It's December, and the first standings of the month have been announced as of Tuesday, December 5th for the 2023 BroadwayWorld Kansas City Awards! Don't miss out on making sure that your favorite theatres, stars, and shows get the recognition they deserve!

Happy Holidays! The latest wave of standings have been announced as of Monday, November 27th for the 2023 BroadwayWorld Kansas City Awards! Don't miss out on making sure that your favorite theatres, stars, and shows get the recognition they deserve!

A new production of the 1990 award winning stage adaption of “Grapes” by Frank Galati plays now through November 19 at the new Arts Asylum in the lower level theater of their new facility at 824 E Meyer Boulevard in the Brookside neighborhood of Kansas City.  The play won the 1990 Tony Award for Best New Play.

Adapted for the stage by Frank Galati, the Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning classic will be staged this fall at the Arts Asylum in the Brookside neighborhood of Kansas City. Learn more about the production and find out how to get tickets here!

A new staging of John Steinbeck's 'The Grapes of Wrath' will come to the stage in Kansas City. This production stays true to the novel while examining its modern relevance. Get ticket and event information here!

Get to know the talented cast of Prejudice & Pride and hear from Chris Arnone about his experience and the exploration of gender in this unique adaptation of Jane Austen's classic novel. Discover how the characters and themes are brought to life in this captivating folk musical at 59E59 Theaters.

The full cast and creative team has ben revealed for Prejudice & Pride, featuring a book by Sam Wright & Nicholas Collett, music and lyrics by Sam Wright and direction by Nicholas Collett.

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 brings this gender-swapping American folk music to life with a comedy style befitting of a larger audience. What did our critic think of PREJUDICE AND PRIDE OPENS IN KANSAS CITY at Musical Theater Heritage?

The Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre busts loose with an evocative new adaptation of "The Shawshank Redemption. Audiences cannot escape being drawn in by this beloved tale and the strong ensemble that director Bob Paisley has brought to the Warwick Theatre stage. The Shawshank Redemption performs at the Warwick Theatre on Main Street in Kansas City, MO from April 4-21, 2019 Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre is located at 3927 Main St, Kansas City, MO 64111. There is ample parking behind the building. For tickets, call 816-569-3226. Visit www.metkc.org for more information or to purchase tickets online.

The Shawshank Redemption will make its north American stage debut at the Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre April 4-21. This famed classic, adapted for the stage by Owen O'Neill & Dave Johns and directed by Bob Paisley, will be staged at the historic Warwick Theatre.

The Shawshank Redemption will make its north American stage debut at the Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre April 4-21. This famed classic, adapted for the stage by Owen O'Neill & Dave Johns and directed by Bob Paisley, will be staged at the historic Warwick Theatre. Please visit www.metKC.org or call 816.569.3226 for more information.

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. 

Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre kicks off the new year with DEFYING GRAVITY, a clever and uplifting fantasy written by Jane Anderson, with ear catching musings about art, religion and the outer limits of human possibility. MET's production is directed by Bob Stewart, featuring: Bailey Rose Steinke, Laura Jacobs, Robert Gibby Brand*, Lewis J. Morrow, Shawna Pe a-Downing, Nancy Nail, and Tim Ahlenius.

Tale of Irish revolution turned to pretty funny cornpone comedy

Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre presents the Midwestern premiere of Tennessee Playboy by Preston Lane, an adaptation of J.M. Synge's Playboy of the Western World.  MET's production is directed by Karen Paisley and Elizabeth Bettendorf Bowman, featuring Casey Jane, Connor Eastman, Tim Ahlenius, Tony Beasley, Nicole Marie Green, Chelcie Abercrombie, Deanna Mazdra, and R.H. Wilwoit.

Eurydice, the story of love lost, found, and lost again currently plays at the Living Room Theatre in Kansas City, MO. Written by Sarah Ruhl and directed by Natalie Liccardello it is the retelling from Greek mythology of Eurydice, the wife of Orpheus and her travels into the Underworld following an early death. There she finds her father and faces a decision, whether to stay in Hade or leave with her husband Orpheus.