Here are fifteen great things to do in Kansas City, this weekend, Novemeber 17-20, including concerts from legend Mavis Staples, Reba McEntire and a talk from powerhouse chef Nigella Lawson.
Monet & Friends Alive
Starlight Theatre is partnering with the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art to present Monet and other impressionists’ works in a new way that aims to channel them through “rich, dynamic display of light, color, sound and fragrance.”
November 1–December 31. Times vary. Starlight Theatre.
Turnover
The indie rock band from Virginia Beach has been on the scene for over a decade, gaining popularity with melodic riffs and most recently, a dream-pop vibe that is more hazy and trippy than their previous emo sound.
November 17. 8 pm. Madrid Theatre.
International Festival
In celebration of International Education Week, Park University is hosting its free annual festival which celebrates student diversity. Sharing the unique and diverse characteristics of their homeland, the student festival will include information booths, performances, cultural activities and fashion shows.
November 18. 5-8 pm. Park University.
Festival Fever
Overland Park’s annual Mayor’s Holiday Festival is back this month with an evening full of train rides, hayrides, live reindeer, a performance and Santa. The free entry is a perfect way to kick off the holiday season. Make sure to bring your family and friends for a festive night.
November 18. 5–8 pm. Downtown Overland Park.
Tree Lighting Ceremony
Live performances by local elementary children and the high school marching band will begin the festivities, before photo ops with Santa and his elves lead the countdown to the lighting of Ward Parkway Center’s thirty-foot tree.
November 18. 6 pm. Ward Parkway Center Pavilion.
Footprints
This showing is part of a series of screenings of four movies discussed in writer Kier-La Janisse’s influential House of Psychotic Women, “an autobiographical topography of female neurosis in horror and exploitation films.” Footprints follows a freelance translator who wakes one morning missing all memory of her past three days. It’s described as among “the most criminally underseen giallo of the ’70s.”
November 18. 7 pm. Stray Cat Film Center.
Reba McEntire
With fifty-plus top ten hits, a sitcom and a successful Broadway run, Oklahoma-bred country singer and actress Reba McEntire has done about everything there is to do. She can play an hour or two of nothing but No.1 hits and will close the show, as she always does, with “Fancy.”
November 18. 7:30 pm. T-Mobile Center.
Mavis Staples
Legendary R&B/gospel singer Mavis Staples is in her early eighties but can belt out songs from across a catalog that now stretches over eight decades with intensity and grace.
November 18. 7:30 pm. Lied Center in Lawrence.
A Christmas Carol
Charles Dickens’ all-time Christmas classic tells the story of Ebenezer Scrooge’s redemption through visits from the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future. KC Repertory Theatre’s annual production of A Christmas Carol creates generations of memories and helps remind families of the seasons’ meaning.
November 18 through December 24, Spencer Theatre.
Sensatia
Kansas City-born and internationally renowned performance art collective Quixotic brings an interactive multimedia performance this winter. Blending acrobatics, futuristic visuals, live music, and perfumery, Sensatia promises a wildly unique sensory experience.
November 18-19, 25-26. December 2-3, 10, 16-17, 30. 8:30 pm. Quixotic Theater.
An Evening with Nigella Lawson
Lawson has been a powerhouse in the culinary world for over twenty years. She’s coming to KC, sharing stories about the people, food, and recipes that have impacted her career and life in a conversation with Jenny Vergara, food critic and co-host of “Hungry for MO.”
November 19. 8 pm. Yardley Hall.
Plains
Plains is a project from Overland Park resident Katie Crutchfield (better known as Waxahatchee) and LA-based singer-songwriter Jess Williamson. Their collaborative album, I Walked With You A Ways, released last month, finds the women learning into The Chicks and Dolly Parton. “We gave ourselves permission to lean into the music that raised us and write the kind of classic timeless songs that we both grew up singing along to,” Williamson told Stereogum. This show marks the end of a national tour.
November 19. 8 pm. Knuckleheads Saloon.
Uptown Hoedown
This annual fundraising event supports the American Royal’s agriculture education programs. This year, the “good old-fashioned party in the dirt” features Canadian country musician Tenille Arts performing an intimate concert, along with dancing, an all-you-can-eat buffet, a full-service bar, various shopping vendors, raffles, and more.
November 19. 7 pm. Hale Arena.
Alaska – The Red 4 Filth Tour
After winning the second season of RuPaul’s Drag Race: All Stars, Alaska skyrocketed to stardom with her catchy taglines, shady comebacks, and love for drama. On tour, she’s promising to spill all of the tea.
November 19. 8:30 pm. recordBar
Dance Divas
The historic Folly Theater has reopened after a four-million dollar renovation, and is hosting their annual fundraiser. This year, they are hosting Tony Award winner LaChanze who has performed in Broadway favorites like The Wiz and The Color Purple. She will be joined by fellow Broadway alums for a night of disco hits and show tune classics.
November 19. 8 pm. Folly Theater.
Gimme Gimme Disco: A Dance Party Inspired by ABBA
You too can be the dancing queen (over seventeen), in this disco themed dance party. Playing ABBA hits as well as other disco favorites from the 70’s and 80’s like The Bee Gees and Cher, disco attire is encouraged as you dance all night long (all night)!
November 19. 8:30 pm. The Truman.
