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

The biggest musical event in the United States is happening this weekend in Kansas City. Anyone with an interest in music, theater, dance and opera—and for that matter, architecture, acoustics, engineering, urban development, civic pride, public spending, and landscape design—has watched closely over the last decade as the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts has taken shape on the Kansas City skyline. All that planning comes to fruition this weekend with an extravagant grand opening bash.

The grand opening weekend began Friday night with a gala event to inaugurate the Muriel Kauffman Theatre. This theater will host the Lyric Opera, Kansas City Ballet, and numerous local and touring musicals, along with a variety of other events. The first performance in the hall was both an acknowledgement of achievement and a preview of things to come. Local and international talent took the stage in a jubilant celebration.

The buzz of excited conversation from Kansas City’s well-heeled citizens filled the Brandmeyer Great Hall before the concert. Steely grey skies shone through the multistoried glass façade, casting subdued shadows on the pristine white balconies where concertgoers posed for pictures and gazed at the dramatic views of the Crossroads District, Union Station, and Liberty Memorial.

Once inside the theater, the show quickly got underway. The first surprise of the night was a video statement from His Royal Highness Prince Charles, Prince of Wales complementing the new Kauffman Center and commending Kansas City’s dedication to the arts, which he deemed “hallmarks of humanity.” The Center is also a testament to the drive, vision and generosity of Julia Irene Kauffman, dressed in a silver grey gown with cascading gems (styled by the Helzbergs, perhaps?). Kauffman said a few words to honor her mother who first envisioned the Center, thanking the many people who worked together to make that vision a reality.

The first performance was by the Canadian Brass. Stationed antiphonally in the balconies, they played a fanfare composed for the occasion by Brandon Ritenour in honor of Muriel Kauffman’s Canadian heritage.

Also as a tribute to Muriel, the Kansas City Ballet, with the Kansas City Symphony, presented choreography by Todd Bolender set to the fourth movement of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 1. The dancers, clad in ivory and champagne hues, performed with graceful and sophisticated movement that was tickled by insinuations of fancy ballroom footwork.

The Canadian Brass took the stage again for their arrangement of the Allegro maestoso from Handel’s Water Music. Three screens displayed a video montage of Kansas City’s Rome-rivaling fountains, heavily featuring those in the Ewing and Muriel Kauffman Memorial Garden.

Throughout the night, projections on screens and simple, yet elegant backdrops served to accommodate the swift scene changes; the “Showstoppers” portion of the show was, ironically, non-stop.

Nine-time Tony Award-winner Tommy Tune sang and danced his way through a selection of Gershwin tunes including “Shall We Dance,” “Can’t Take That Away From Me” and “Who Could Ask For Anything More,” punctuated by flashy tap-shoe shuffles. He was backed by the Kansas City Symphony and hammed it up with the Manhattan Rhythm Kings.

Representing the future of theater, music, and dance was the University of Missouri-Kansas City’s Conservatory of Music and Dance. The students staged on a portion of “Tonight” from the American classic West Side Story.

The Kansas City Ballet previewed a selection from the new ballet Tom Sawyer, which opens their inaugural season at the Kauffman Center. The music by Maury Yeston brought to mind timeless melodies with creative colorings from the winds. Though I had imagined a more rough-and-tumble Tom, Alexander Peters and Laura Wolfe displayed the coy innocence of young love, choreographed by artistic director William Whitener. In contrast, the duet from Carmen with dancers Kimberly Cowen and Logan Pachciarz was lissome and sultry.

One highlight of the evening was Kansas City actor Robert Gibby Brand’s hilarious number from Gilbert and Sullivan’s Pirates of Penzance. He introduced the audience to the seat-back subtitle monitors, nicknamed Figaro. Then he (and Figaro) put on a riotous rendition of the “Modern Major-General’s Song.”

The Lyric Opera offered a five-minute teaser for their season opener, Turandot. They performed the finale of this popular Puccini opera with soprano Lise Lindstrom in the title role, resplendent in her princess costume.

The final portion of the “Showstoppers” was from Patti LuPone, Broadway star and multiple Tony Award winner. LuPone had wonderful things to say about the theater’s acoustics and likened the Kauffman Center to a “magnificent jewel.” She sang numbers from two of her most popular roles: Evita and Gypsy. Her “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina” was raw, emotional and brought tears to the eyes. But the highlight of the night was her heartbreaking “Everything’s Coming Up Roses.” For me, the night could have ended right there.

And yet the festivities continued.

The last set of the concert featured world-renowned tenor Plácido Domingo, making his Kansas City debut. It seemed very much a case of “build it and he will come.” With a jovial and easy air, Domingo sang selections from his extensive repertoire with the Kansas City Symphony, conducted by Michael Stern. He also performed with soprano Angel Joy Blue in a charming duet, which she followed with the stunning aria “Sempre libera” from Verdi’s La traviata. Domingo’s final number quite rightly brought down the house.

The concert ended with a well-deserved standing ovation for the four-hundred-person cast and crew as showers of glittering confetti fell from the rafters. On closer inspection the confetti proved to be die-cut silhouettes of the Kauffman Center, a unique and dramatic touch.

There was a final piece to the evening’s performance. On the path to Bartle Hall, members of Quixotic Fusion swayed and cavorted, lit by glowing orbs. The ensemble also performed an aerial number, leading into an inventive and magical video projection on the very shell of the center itself, recreating the building process. This was followed by celebratory fireworks.

Despite a few microphone glitches, the evening was an astounding feat of logistics and the theater proved to be an excellent venue that will serve Kansas City’s arts community well.

Saturday night will feature the inauguration of Helzberg Hall, home of the Kansas City Symphony, who will perform with Itzhak Perlman and Diana Krall, and also include a performance by Bobby Watson and the American Jazz Museum Orchestra. Sunday will be the open house, a free event for the community featuring performances in both halls and the surrounding area by numerous Kansa City ensembles.

REVIEW:
Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts
An Evening of Theatrical Delights
Grand Opening Celebration
Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, Muriel Kauffman Theatre
Friday, September 16, 2011 at 7 PM
1601 Broadway, Kansas City, MO
For more information visit www.kauffmancenter.com or call 816-994-7200

Top Photo: Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts (Photo by Mark Wickliffe)

By Libby Hanssen

Traditional and New Classical, Theatre Contributor

Libby Hanssen holds degrees from University of Missouri-Kansas City (M.M.) and Ball State University (B.M.) in trombone performance and also studied music education at Indiana University. She has studied trombone with Carl Lenthe, JoDee Davis, John Seidel, John Huntoon and Denis Wick, and music education with Brent Gault, Estelle Jorgensen and Katherine Strand.

While at IU, she taught classes in general music, focusing on listening skills and music fundamentals through practical music usage and exploring new sound constructions. During the course of her studies at UMKC, she performed with many ensembles, including the Conservatory Orchestra and Musica Nova. She has also performed with the Kansas City Puccini Festival, the People's Liberation Big Band of Greater Kansas City, the New Jazz Order, the Indiana Wind Symphony and the Muncie Symphony Orchestra.

In 2010, she was a fellow (one of 23 journalists selected from across the US) for the seventh annual National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Arts Journalism Institute in Classical Music and Opera at Columbia University’s Journalism School in New York City.

Most of her free time is spent with her three boys (son, dog and husband) and camera, exploring the many fine aspects of Kansas City living. She enjoys listening to KKFI - Kansas City Community Radio and KCUR - Kansas City's NPR station, visiting Kansas City's fine collection of museums and galleries, and scavenging in thrift and antique stores to add to her collection of toy instruments.

She writes for the joy of words and the process of constructing a story, maintaining the blog Proust Eats a Sandwich (www.prousteatsasandwich.wordpress.com). She is working on her first book: Murray Goes to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.