Here are ten things to do in KC this weekend, May 14—17 including Kansas City Cocktail Festival, The Wizard of Oz and Mobile Music Box.
Dolly Parton’s Threads: My Songs in Symphony
The Kansas City Symphony pays tribute to the “Smokey Mountain Songbird” at Dolly Parton’s Threads: My Songs in Symphony. The trailblazing country legend will appear on screen at this multimedia performance, sharing the stories behind hits like “Coat of Many Colors” and “Jolene.”
May 15—17. Times vary. Helzberg Hall.
Kansas City Cocktail Festival
Sip cocktails 60 feet above the Kansas River at the inaugural Kansas City Cocktail Festival. Held at one of KC’s newest venues, Rock Island Bridge, the event includes unlimited cocktails, spirit tastings and panoramic views. Casual fare, like hot dogs and loaded fries, are available for purchase throughout the evening.
May 16. 7 pm. Rock Island Bridge.
The Wizard of Oz
From The Wiz to Wicked, L. Frank Baum’s turn-of-the-century novel The Wizard of Oz has seen a plethora of interpretations—especially for the stage. As Dorothy and Toto stray far from their Kansas farm, KCRep’s upcoming production makes the classic story its own. A collaboration with PigPen Theatre Co., KCRep artistic director Stuart Carden says the New York City-based indie troupe specializes in productions that place “music-making at the center of the experience.” In this reimagining, the score is performed entirely by 15 actor-musicians: The Cowardly Lion will timidly strum the ukulele; the Tinman operates as a rustic one-man-band, complete with a washboard integrated into the costume; Dorothy doubles as a cellist.
May 5–24. Times vary. Spencer Theatre.
West Bottoms Heritage Days Pop-Up Market
West Bottoms Heritage Days—a month-long celebration of the neighborhood’s culture, history and future—returns for its fifth year. This weekend, the organization hosts a pop-up market featuring over 75 local makers (curated by Strawberry Swing), live music, food trucks and more.
May 16. 11 am. Liberty Courtyard.
Mini Golf At The Museum
It’s back! Art Course offers an artist-designed mini-golf adventure within the Donald J. Hall Sculpture Park at the Nelson-Atkins Museum. Play nine unique holes, each offering a creative spin on a masterpiece from the museum’s collection.
April 10—October 25. Times vary. Donald J. Hall Sculpture Park at the Nelson-Atkins Museum.
Talya Groves
Former Broadway performer Talya Groves is a Kansas City music scene star. Singing anything and everything from showtunes to jazz standards to pop songs, Groves’ magnetic presence seems to always captivate the room. Nearly every Friday night, she commands the stage at The Phoenix.
May 15. 4:30—8:30 pm. The Phoenix.
The Great Gatsby
In the Roaring Twenties, flappers defied modest societal norms of womanhood by sporting shorter dresses and hairstyles and embracing nightlife—which included partaking in once-scandalous dances like the Charleston. The Kansas City Ballet pays tribute to this formative era in music and dance with a reimagining of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. Bringing the glitz, glamour and grandeur of the Jazz Age to the Kauffman Center, the production is choreographed by renowned director Septime Webre and features extravagant set design and costumes by Academy Award-winning designer Tim Yip.
May 8–17. Times vary. Muriel Kauffman Theatre.
“The World in Kansas City”
The Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art prepares for this summer’s World Cup matches with its latest exhibition, “The World in Kansas City.” Representative not only of the global event but also of KC as a multicultural hub, the exhibit features a diverse array of artists with ties to the region. Curator Jessica S. Hong says the display aims to showcase “how we all belong to a shared, complicated and nuanced social and cultural fabric.”
March 6–August 9. Times vary. Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art.
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
Rooftop Cinema Club has officially reopened. Located at the corner of Broadway and 21st Street, the open-air movie theater is known for its skyline views in major cities like Chicago, Los Angeles, London and more. Enjoy cocktails, mocktails and elevated bar-food bites alongside a showing of beloved Y2K comedy The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.
May 17. 8:55 pm. Rooftop Cinema Club.
Mobile Music Box
The Kansas City Symphony’s free, metro-wide outdoor concert series, Mobile Music Box, is in full swing for the season. This weekend, the portable stage will make a stop at Mission’s Mohawk Park as orchestra musicians deliver a string quartet performance.
May 17. 6 pm. Mohawk Park.
