Even the oddest of retellings of Mozart operas can make for a satisfying evening if the peerless music is executed beautifully enough. Stage director Alison Moritz and her design team are to be applauded for their whimsical reinterpretation of The Abduction from the Seraglio, which they have set not in an 18th-century Turkish palace-harem but […]

AUGUST  Through August 25: Kansas City Actors Theatre; A Doll’s House; Ibsen’s classic may be 140 years old but the struggle of its lead character, Nora, with domineering patriarchy has lost little of its relevance. KCAT’s production, which stars Hillary Clemens, is presented in conjunction with the Unicorn Theatre’s production of Lucas Hnath’s “sequel” (see […]

Each year Kansas City’s cultural landscape becomes a little less predictable and a little more intriguing. In addition to several full-blown summer series that didn’t even exist a decade ago, this year the city offers some brand-new groups you may not know about yet.   MAY-JUNE Through June 9 Kansas City Actors Theatre; Morning’s at […]

Some day we hope to live in a world where we don’t need to refer to “women composers” or “women playwrights.” (How about just “composers,” “playwrights”?) But for now, let’s just celebrate the fact that 2019 looks to be the Year of the Woman, at least as far as KC’s performing-arts scene goes. Never in […]

At no time of the year is the abundance and generosity of Kansas City’s performing-arts scene more apparent than during the holidays. So get thee to a show: Fancy dress not required! Here are some suggestions for things to see and hear between now and the end of the year. NOVEMBER 6-December 30 The Coterie […]

One of the strengths of the Kansas City arts community is that it takes to heart the notion that art is for everyone. The arts are not elitist: They form the heart and soul of our civilization: We forget that at our peril. KC’s 2018-2019 season begins with a fall rich in live presentations ranging […]

Kansas City is about to experience the most culture-packed summer of its 168-year history. You heard it here first. With its dozens of ever-expanding theater companies, chamber ensembles, choral groups and dance companies; with a growing-like-Topsy Fringe Festival; with this summer’s massive National Convention of the American Guild of Organists; and with the new Open […]

Again our potpourri of intriguing events draws from all performance levels and all walks of life, a reflection of the burgeoning variety and cultural interest in this once-sleepy city on the Wide Missouri. This is not a comprehensive list by any means, but is instead designed to invite your own explorations into the riches of […]

As holidays approach, let’s all agree to relax and just have blessed fun this year. We’ve earned it! We offer suggestions for some of the more intriguing, inspiring events of this year’s performing-arts lineup. NOVEMBER Through the 19th: Lyric Opera of Kansas City; Everest; What better opera to get you in the mood for subzero […]

By Paul Horsley These days the arts scene during KC’s summer is about as active as it is during the regular season. Plus you don’t have to dress up. Here are our some of our tips for the warm months. . MAY Through June 11: Kansas City Actors Theatre: The Realistic Joneses; Will Eno’s haunting […]

By Paul Horsley . FEBRUARY 8-19: Theater League/Kansas City Broadway Series; The Phantom of the Opera; Andrew Lloyd Webber’s multiple Tony Award-winning hit now tours in a new version by Cameron Mackintosh; ALSO: March 8-April 2: Beautiful; May 2-7: 42nd Street; May 30-June 4: Fun Home, which won the 2015 Tony Award for Best Musical. […]

By Paul Horsley . AUGUST Through August 21: Musical Theater Heritage; Next to Normal; The multiple Tony and Pulitzer-winning musical by Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey stars Ashley Pankow and Ben Gulley, among others. Crown Center. 816-221-6987 or mthkc.com. Through August 28: Grace & Holy Trinity Cathedral; Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception; Summer Music at […]

By Paul Horsley Local organizations in music, theater and dance are bringing you the best that the world, and Kansas City, can offer. Here are some events to make a note of. JANUARY 29-February 21: Kansas City Repertory Theatre, The Diary of Anne Frank; This Pulitzer Prize-winning adaptation incorporates some new information about the young […]

By Paul Horsley We may be a tad hidebound in our cultural tastes at times, but here in KC we do a lot of things right and we don’t put on airs about it. Here are some Fall highlights to watch for. AUGUST 20-September 5 Spinning Tree Theatre; West Side Story; This plucky young company […]

By Paul Horsley We selected some of the best KC summer events in music, dance and theater. JUNE Through 14: Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre; The Full Monty; The outrageous comedy concludes the group’s season. 816-569-3226 or metkc.org. Through 14: Moonshine Variety Co.; Mother Freaking Hood; This musical comedy celebrates the joys and challenges of being a […]

By Paul Horsley NOTE: Since having to file my “Top 10” for the year 2014, I heard a concert Saturday (Dec. 6) featuring Park University faculty and students that was without question one of the best chamber-music performances I’ve ever heard. (And I’ve heard a lot.) At the risk of seeming “insider” (full disclosure: I […]

By Paul Horsley The season is upon us! To help you plan your holiday arts schedule in advance, here’s an early list of some of the highlights of the literally hundreds of concerts, theater productions, church programs and other important events happening between now and the end of the year. There’s no better way to […]

By Paul Horsley Kansas City is becoming one of the coolest cities in the U.S., at least from a performing-arts standpoint. Looking for ideas for your busy arts season? Here are some top events, which taken as a whole make you realize you really don’t have to live in New York or Chicago after all: […]

By Paul Horsley The best of the 2013-2014 performing-arts season has been saved for the second half, it seems: the LA Philharmonic, stage works that have garnered Tonys and Pulitzers, a vampire ballet, a rare Stravinsky chamber masterpiece, top-drawer soloists and a Van Cliburn tribute – pretty darned impressive. Here’s our somewhat opinionated selection. February […]

By Paul Horsley Can anything good, to paraphrase scripture, come out of Prairie Village? Many around the world have proclaimed Joyce DiDonato the greatest mezzo-soprano of our time. The peerless world-renowned star, who appears in the Lyric Opera’s The Capulets and the Montagues, is just one standout in a fall arts season that also includes […]

The year 2012 was a golden one for performing arts in Kansas City, part of an incredible flowering that has been going on for more a decade. This is not so much a “best of” list as it is a collection of performances that struck a nerve with me. The Mousetrap (Kansas City Actors Theatre, August 4st through […]