RSS 2.0 FeedFebruary 8, 2012, City Stage
Theatre through mid-February
“Beer for Breakfast” at American Heartland Theatre; “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” at Kansas City Rep; “My Romance” at Quality Hill Playhouse; “The Wrestling Season” at the Coterie Theatre; “Strega Nona” at Paul Mesner Puppets; “Next Fall” at the Unicorn Theatre. And coming this month: “The Last Days of Judas Iscariot” at UMKC Theatre; “Billy Bishop Goes to War” at Kansas City Actors Theatre; “The Who’s Tommy” at the White Theatre at the Jewish Community Center of Kansas City; and more.
For complete Theatre listings through 2012, click here to visit the KC Events calendar.
American Heartland Theatre
Beer for Breakfast
Runs January 6 through February 19
For tickets call 816-842-9999 or online at www.ahtkc.com
Call or visit the website for performance days and times
Four middle aged buddies reunite for a "guy's weekend" complete with old music, cheap beer and enough cholesterol to stop Superman's heart. These guys are out to prove they've still got it, so they are going to party like it's 1978! It's all going well until one of them doesn't show up...but his wife does. Snowed in overnight, an epic struggles ensues: Will man be judged the superior sex or will woman prevail? Will love truimph or will the old grudges win? And finally, perhaps most importantly, if Doritos are made of corn, why can't they be considered a serving of vegetables? Starring some of Kansas City's favorite actors, Cathy Barnett, Scott Cordes, Martin English and playwright Sean Grennan
Kansas City Repertory Theatre
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Spencer Theatre
Runs January 20 through February 12
For tickets call 816-235-2700 or online at www.kcrep.org
Call or visit the website for performance days and times
Labeled “sassy, ingeniously staged and deeply affecting” by the New York Times this is a new adaptation of Mark Twain’s American literary narrative The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by acclaimed playwright Laura Eason and veteran director Jeremy Cohen. Together they have created a work that is full of imagination and fresh theatrical style. Growing up in a small Missouri town on the banks of the Mississippi River, young Tom spends his days making mischief, avoiding school and famously tricking others into doing his chores.The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is a classic coming-of-age story that will fire the imaginations of young and old alike. This production ofTom Sawyer is produced through special arrangement with Hartford Stage and in collaboration with Actors Theatre of Louisville and the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis.
Quality Hill Playhouse
My Romance
Runs January 20 through February 19
For tickets call 816-421-1700 or online at www.qualityhillplayhouse.com
Call or visit the website for performance days and times
The lush melodies of Richard Rodgers combined with the clever lyrics of Lorenz Hart have made their partnership one of the greatest in the Great American Songbook, producing songs that are at times frivolous and playful, at times sad and wistful. This cabaret tribute celebrates the best of the best, with soul-stirring renditions of timeless classics “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered,” “Blue Moon,” “Isn’t It Romantic?” and, of course, “My Romance.” Starring Lauren Braton, Jon Daugharthy, Stephanie Laws and J. Kent Barnhart at the piano, with Ken Remmert on drums and Brian Wilson on bass.
The Coterie Theatre
The Wrestling Season
Runs January 24 through February 19
For tickets call 816-474-6552 or online at www.coterietheatre.org
Call or visit the website for performance days and times
With only a wrestling mat and a referee, eight teenagers struggle with how others see them and the destructive power of rumors. Commissioned and premiered by the Coterie in 2000, it is one of the most important plays in the Coterie's history and more significant today than ever. After each performance, the referee guides the audience through a post-show Forum. As the actors, in character, discuss their actions with us, we rank their behavior from most to least objectionable.
Paul Mesner Puppets
Strega Nona
Runs January 25 through February 19
For tickets call 816-235-6222 or online at www.paulmesnerpuppets.org
Call or visit the website for performance days and times
In this hilarious Italian folk tale, Big Anthony is left alone with Strega Nona's magic bubbling pasta pot. He is warned not to touch it, but he can't resist. But before you can say "Fetuccini Alfredo," pasta is pouring out of the pot into the entire village! Holy Cannoli! To restore order before Strega Nona returns, Big Anthony tries to eat his way through town and winds up with a belly-full of problems.
The Unicorn Theatre
Next Fall
Runs January 28 through February 12
For tickets call 816-531-PLAY or online at www.unicorntheatre.org
Call or visit the website for performance days and times
Luke and Adam are deeply in love, but there is a twist to their five-year relationship. Luke is a Christian and Adam is an atheist. A witty and provocative look at faith and commitment, Next Fall was nominated for a 2010 Tony Award for Best Play.
UMKC Theatre
The Last Days of Judas Iscariot
Runs February 3 through 19
For tickets call 816-235-6222 or online at www.umkctheatre.org
Call or visit the website for performance days and times
This daring and wildly comic play by Stephen Adly Guirgis was a sensation in New York and London. Director Barry Kyle will put his own brand of creativity on this performance as the courtroom drama plays out in “God and The Kingdom of Heaven and Earth vs. J. Iscariot.” The production previews Feb. 3–7 and runs Feb. 8–19 at Studio 116, James C. Olson Performing Arts Center.
Kansas City Actors Theatre
Billy Bishop Goes to War
Runs February 10 through 26
For tickets call 816-235-6222 or online at www.kcactors.org
Call or visit the website for performance days and times
The successful partnership continues with UMKC Theatre and one of Kansas City’s true treasures, The National World War I Museum, in this musical drama and one-man show about the Canadian WWI fighter pilot Billy Bishop. Written and composed by John Gray in collaboration with Eric Peterson, it will be directed by John Rensenhouse.
The White Theatre at the Jewish Community Center of Kansas City
The Who’s Tommy
Runs February 11 through 26
For tickets call 913-327-8054 or online at http://www.jcckc.org/cultural-arts/
Call or visit the website for performance days and times
Pete Townshend’s tale of a young boy’s journey from pain to triumph is the most electrifying evening of rock and roll ever to play in the theatre. After witnessing the accidental murder of his mother’s lover by his father, Tommy is traumatized into catatonia and as the boy grows, he suffers abuse at the hands of his sadistic relatives and neighbors. As an adolescent, he’s discovered to have an uncanny knack for playing pinball, and when his mother finally breaks through his catatonia, he becomes an international pinball superstar.
One Night Only
Performing Arts Series at Johnson County Community College
The Color Purple
Friday, February 10, 8:00 p.m.
For tickets call 913-469-4445 -864-2787 or online at www.jccc.edu/performing-arts-series/
The Color Purple is based on the classic Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Alice Walker and the moving film by Steven Spielberg. It is the unforgettable and inspiring story of a woman named Celie, who finds the strength to triumph over adversity, and discover her unique voice in the world. With a joyous, Grammy-nominated score featuring gospel, jazz, pop and the blues, The Color Purple is about hope and the healing power of love. This production is directed by Gary Griffin and features a libretto by Pulitzer Prize-winner Marsha Norman, music and lyrics by Grammy Award-winning composers/lyricists Brenda Russell, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray, and choreography by Donald Byrd. Rounding out the creative team are Tony Award-winner John Lee Beatty (sets), Paul Tazewell (costumes), Tony Award-winner Brian MacDevitt (lighting), Craig Cassidy (sound design), Steven M. Bishop (orchestrations/arrangements), and Jasper Grant (music director).
One Night Only
Equity Actors Readers Theatre (EARTh)
Born Yesterday
Monday, February 13, 7:30 p.m.
For tickets email kipniven@gmail.com
Born Yesterday, Garson Kanin's delightful romantic comedy classic, will be the fourth production in EARTh’s (Equity Actors’ Readers’ Theatre) 2011–2012 season of script-in-hand staged readings of seldom-produced plays. The reading will be performed Monday, Feb. 13, at 7:30 p.m. in the Music and Arts Building, St. Teresa’s Academy, 5601 Wyandotte. Admission is free. The cast will feature Katie Karel, Patrick DuLaney, Darren Kennedy, Teri Adams, Peggy Friesen, Herman Johansen, Michael Rapport, Ken Remmert, and William Grey Warren. Born Yesterday will be directed by Doug Weaver. Jim Mitchell will be the Production Stage Manager.
One Night Only
Lied Center of Kansas
Mamma Mia!
Tuesday, February 14, 7:30 p.m.
For tickets call 785-864-2787 or online at www.lied.ku.edu/
A mother, a daughter, three possible dads and a trip down the aisle you’ll never forget! When a young bride-to-be tries to find her father, three different men from her mother’s past travel to a Greek island paradise in this enchanting tale of love, laughter and friendship. Mamma Mia! is the ultimate feel-good show featuring some of ABBA’s greatest hits. Seen by more than 45 million people around the world, Mamma Mia! remains one of Broadway’s top-selling musicals.
For complete Theatre listings through 2012, click here to visit the KC Events calendar.
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Senior Editor, Theatre; Theatre and Features Contributor
Victor Wishna is a writer, editor, and author, among other things. A graduate of Stanford University and the New School's creative writing MFA program, he has written for the Wall Street Journal, the Baltimore Sun, the Miami Herald, the Kansas City Star, Humanities, and other major magazines and newspapers. He contributes a weekly real estate feature to the New York Post and his column “Letter from New York” is syndicated nationally.
With photographer Ken Collins, he published In Their Company: Portraits of American Playwrights (Umbrage Editions, 2006), for which he conducted and edited interviews with 61 prominent stage writers including Edward Albee, August Wilson, Tony Kushner, Wendy Wasserstein, and many others. The book won a 2007 Independent Publisher Book Awards Silver Medal (www.intheircompany.com).
He has always maintained a love for theatre, as a writer, an audience member, and even an actor, appearing in several community and semi-professional productions. As an undergraduate, he studied acting and playwriting with Anna Deavere Smith, in addition to journalism and psychology (and not engineering or medicine).
After nearly 12 years in New York City, Victor recently returned to his hometown with his wife, Annie, also a K.C. native. When not writing for publication or pleasure, Victor is honing his stand-up routine, which he has performed at numerous clubs and special events around New York, the Midwest, and elsewhere. In June 2010, he was named New York’s second-funniest amateur Jewish comedian by The Jewish Week. Seriously.
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