I find that year in, year out I have a love/hate relationship with the now PC-dubbed “Holidays.”   As a child of the eighties growing up in what can best be described as an agnostic household, we celebrated “Christmas” as it’s what everyone else did in the month of December, not because it was the birth of Jesus Christ.   As a child, I relished sugar cookies and the giant feast that came on December 25th as my waistline shows to this day. Some thirty years into my life, that same family and house...

If you are a child of the eighties, liked (or maybe still like) hair bands, or just liked the eighties in general, clear some time between now and Sunday to catch Rock of Ages before it leaves Kansas City. Rock of Ages is similar to the eighties in which it is set. What I mean is that it isn’t weighted with a heavy story or any lesson, though the book by Chris D’Arienzo very cleverly slips one in. I didn’t see coming, but I dug it. The story is pretty straight forward, but fun. All the characters in the...

The touring production of  Grease stopped into Kansas City’s Music Hall for the February production of Broadway across Americas season. For those curious, the thirteenth longest running musical in history did come before the 1978 film which many are, I am willing to guess, much more familiar with. I can’t say I am as I’ve never seen the film. Sure I’ve heard “Summer Nights” and a couple of melodies from the film/show over the years but short of that I was about as blank a slate as...

Kansas City’s EARTh (Equity Actors’ Readers’ Theatre) have announced their third presentation of their inaugural series with Nikolai GoGol’s The Government Inspector. Details about the show taking place one night only on Monday February 21 at 7:30PM at St. Teresa’s Academy/KCYA are included in the press release that follows. About the Play: A Recipe for Great Comedy: Take one corrupt, small-town mayor, a conniving judge who leverages the legal system, an ineffective superintendent of schools who...

Even with the historic December 22, 2010 repeal of  the commonly called “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” it’s deceptively easy for civilians to think that with President Obama’s signature that a major LGBT rights milestone had been reached (true.) It was also easy to be lulled into a sheltered sense that overnight everything would change (false.) In The Kansas City Repertory Theaters production of Marc Wolf’s powerful Obie Award-Winning one man show Another American: Asking and Telling the issues...

It would be easy to automatically assume that “Shrek The Musical” is nothing more than a stage adaptation of the 2001 Dreamworks Animation film. While the story behind the musical uses the source material pretty closely, there are a few tweaks here and there. The magic mirror is no where to be found most notably. Thus if you are a fan of the animated film, the live adaptation is a pretty easy to recommend. For others on the fence about the concept, an animated film brought to life on stage can be a tricky proposition....

Why hello old friend, you’ve been away a year and my you’ve changed. The story remains the same but your different and for the better. The Kansas City Repertory Theatre’s 30th Anniversary staging of the, I feel it’s safe to call it, Kansas City institution after three decades, will feel familiar to those that have attend it in the past. Though it offers enough new to warrant a revisit for those that feel it had become tired and bored by too much sentimentality by way of the same old, same old over the last several years....

The Kansas City Repertory Theater opened last season with an excellently dark take on Grimms Fairy tales with Into the Woods and ended it with what was easily the best show I saw last year, which Time Magazine also praised as such with Venice. Thus, Rep artistic director Eric Rosen had his work cut out for him when setting up the opening show of their 2010-11 season. So did he and director Gary Griffin pull it off? Sort of. Saved is a musical take of the 2004 film of the same name. I should note I was quite a fan of the film...

Well, that was an interesting wrap on Starlight Theater’s “Broadway” season. Rain A Tribute to the Beatles is an elaborate cover band, replete with no less than five costume and set changes and accompanying multimedia elements to aid in recreating the widely beloved Beatles. Thus Rain is more concert than musical. Not necessarily a bad thing right? In theory no, especially for fans of the Beatles. That’s to say if you are okay attending a concert with your grandparents and keeping the volume to a timid 5, out of the...

I hadn’t realized that The Producers wasn’t a touring production until Starlight President and Executive Producer Denton Yockey shared as much prior-to the show’s opening night curtain. I guess I should have noticed that the Preview performance Monday night was a giveaway or the fact that I had read about rehearsals taking place here in town for a couple of weeks now. Regardless, as it proved last season with Anything Goes, the Starlight production staff can put on a heck of a show as, pardon the pun here, producers...

Beauty and the Beast is one of those shows that is difficult to review as I feel it may be nearly critic proof. I state that as I feel most patrons will have already made up their minds when they attend as to what they are in for. To be sure it is approximately a straight forward adaptation of the Disney animated classic with several new numbers sprinkled in. That said animated classic also happens to be the first animated feature to ever be nominated for an Academy Award best picture. Yes, it was that good. So does the stage...

I have to admit up front that I am a bit of a sucker for shows like Dreamgirls that tell showbiz behind-the-scenes stories. The Dreamgirls touring production which is at Starlight Theatre through Sunday, is a fresh production that is making a run in hopes of a revival on Broadway. This latest production is a technology-packed spectacle which was plagued by the storms that greeted Starlight Theatre on Tuesday night. As the old adage goes however, “The show must go on.” When the curtain was finally raised around 8:30PM...

What ever preconceived notions you have about Little House on the Prairie The Musical are comfortably accurate. That is to say if the title is something that catches your interest, then this is probably for you. If it is not, well it may be best to sit out the opening show of Starlight’s sixtieth season. This is probably the safest show I have seen on a stage in the past year. That is to say those in the audience that enjoyed it seemed to really have a good time. And going back to my opening I would stand by my statement....

Warning if you find any of the following offensive you may want to cease reading this review: Dominatrixes, Zombies, Hermaphrodites, Golden Showers, leather outfits, lingerie just about any sexual deviancy you can think of…try to relax and open up your mind a little bit. Okay, with that out of the way, if you don’t have such delicate sensibilities and morals, are looking for a good dark and wicked laugh, stop what you are doing and make plans to see the Egads! Theater Company production of Eating Raoul The Musical. Eating...

The production-heavy hip hop fused world premiere musical Venice thrills. There has been lot’s to love about the Kansas City Repertory’s season. Though I think Artistic Director Eric Rosen may have just topped himself. Venice, the ‘explosive’ new musical that is world premiering at the Rep, is the theater’s second collaboration between the production’s Writer and Director Rosen and Matt Sax. Sax is credited with creating the music, lyrics, and the outstanding Clown MC of the show. Set in...