KCMETROPOLIS.org
Kansas City's Online Journal of the Performing Arts

For complete Theatre listings through 2011, click here to visit the KC Events calendar.

Theatre for Young America
Snoopy!!!
Runs June 14 through July 2 
For tickets call 816-460-2083 or online at www.unionstation.org
Call or visit the website for performance days and times  http://www.unionstation.org/

This cheery musical adaptation has Snoopy and the whole Peanuts gang learning about "The World According to Snoopy."  Lucy's psychiatric booth, Linus' blanket, and Snoopy's writing career are all a part of this hilarious show. 

Quality Hill Playhouse
Closer than Ever
Runs June 17 through July 17
For tickets call 816-421-1700 or online at http://www.qualityhillplayhouse.com/
Call or visit the website for performance days and times

This hit off-Broadway revue is a collection of wise and witty songs about the challenges we all face - loving, being loved, reconnecting with old friends, taking care of parents, taking care of ourselves... "Just when you have things set, when it's all in place, when your life is good, there's another door." Laugh at their foibles, be touched by their stories and join them on the journey through the doors of life and end up "closer than ever."  

Coterie Theatre
The Wiz
Runs June 21 through August 7
For tickets call 816-474-6552 or online at http://www.coterietheatre.org
Call or visit the website for performance days and times

Celebrate the power of believing in yourself in the Tony Award winning musical based on the tale we all know by heart. The soaring songs are "Ease on Down the Road," "Brand New Day," "No Bad News," "Be a Lion." It's the timeless classic you know and love with a modern, soulful twist. Join Dorothy and her friends Scarecrow, Tinman, and the Cowardly Lion on their fabulous journey as they "Ease on Down" the yellow brick road in a multicultural view of Oz. A brand new version of Broadway's The Wiz, appropriate for all young people. 

Central Standard Theatre
Driving Miss Daisy and The Event
Runs June 29 through July 8
For tickets call 816-569-3226 or online at www.metkc.org 
Call or visit the website for performance days and times

 Central Standard Theatre, in partnership with the MET, presents "Driving Miss Daisy" - directed by Bob Paisley and featuring Marilyn Lynch and Harvey Williams. It is a warm-hearted, humorous study of the relationship between an aging, crotchety, white Southern lady and a proud soft-spoken black man. "Daisy" is presented in tandem witrh "The Event" (a one man show starring Bob Paisley) at the MET, 3604 Main, KCMO. 

American Heartland Theatre
The Honky Tonk Angels
Runs July 8 through August 21
For tickets call 816-842-9999 or online at www.ahtkc.com
Call or visit the website for performance days and times

The creator of “Always…Patsy Cline” combines over 30 classic country tunes with a hilarious story about three gutsy gals who are determined to better their lives and follow their dreams to Nashville.  The all-hit song list includes I’ll Fly Away, Stand by Your Man, 9 to 5, Coal Miner’s Daughter, Ode to Billy Jo, These Boots Are Made for Walking, Rocky Top, and I Will Always Love You.  This charming, foot-stompin’ musical has played to sold-out audiences across the country. 

Gorilla Theatre Productions
Seven Against Thebes
Runs July 9 through 11
For tickets call 816-510-3372 or online at http://www.gorillatheatre.org
Call or visit the website for performance days and times 

 Oedipus, King of Thebes, realized he had married his own mother and had four children with her, he blinded himself and cursed his sons to divide their inheritance (the kingdom) by the sword. The story is the conflict between the sons of Oedipus, Eteocles and Polynices. In order to avoid bloodshed, they agreed to rule Thebes in alternate years. But after the first year Eteocles refused to step down. So Polynices raised an army (captained by the eponymous Seven) to take Thebes by force. This is where Aeschylus’s tragedy starts. Seven Against Thebes opens with Eteocles calling forth every man in the city, whether child or aged, to the fight and the threat, at hand. Every man must be ready to defend the city in battle. Adapted and Directed by Ernest L. Williams, with music by Mark Southerland. Presented on the South Steps of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.

Starlight Theatre
Guys and Dolls
Runs July 12 through 17
For tickets call 816-363-7827 or online at www.kcstarlight.com 
Call or visit the website for performance days and times

Presented by U.S. Bank. The romantic comedy of Guys and Dolls features a cast of characters who have become legend: reformer-of-evildoers Sarah Brown, her high-rolling suitor Sky Masterson, chronically ill nightclub dancer Adelaide, and Nathan Detroit who is desperate to find a spot for his floating game of craps. Suitable for all audiences.

Plane Productions
Children of Eden
Runs July 15 through 24
For tickets call 800-745-3000 or online at http://www.childrenofedenkc.com/
Call or visit the website for performance days and times

From Stephen Schwartz ("Godspell", "Pippin" and "Wicked") and John Caird ("Les Miserables") comes a joyous and inspirational musical about parents, children and faith... not to mention centuries of unresolved family business! Freely based on the story of Genesis, "Children of Eden" is a frank, heartfelt and often humorous examination of the age-old conflict between parents and children. Adam, Eve, Noah and the "Father" who created them deal with the headstrong, cataclysmic actions of their respective children. The show ultimately delivers a bittersweet but inspiring message: that "the hardest part of love... is letting go." Starring Nathan Granner, Cary Mock and Erikka Dunn, Children of Eden features over 120 performers and musicians.

Kansas City Fringe Festival
The 7^th Annual KC Fringe Festival
Runs July 21 through 31
For tickets call 816-516-4750 or online at http://www.kcfringe.org/
Call or visit the website for performance days and times

The 7^th Annual KC Fringe Festival is an unfiltered, uncensored sampling of Kansas City’s cultural arts and runs July 21 - 31st, 2011.  The 11-day festival is jam-packed with live theater, dance, performance art, visual art, spoken word, puppetry, storytelling, film and fashion.  At 17 venues throughout Kansas City, the KC Fringe Festival presents 358 live performances, 327 in the performing arts category alone, and exhibitions by 82 participating companies.

Starlight Theatre
Cinderella
Runs July 25 through 31
For tickets call 816-363-7827 or online at www.kcstarlight.com 
Call or visit the website for performance days and times

Presented by Beauty Brands Salon Spa Superstore. Shortly following the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, Starlight presents Cinderella. The magical fairy tale features Rodgers and Hammerstein's memorable score, including "Impossible" and "Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful?" Hearts still soar when the glass slipper fits. Suitable for all audiences.

For complete Theatre listings through 2011, click here to visit the KC Events calendar.

By Victor Wishna

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.