Disc golf comes to Lenexa.
Two brand new disc golf courses opened at Lenexa’s Black Hoof Park in early April and are set to be the premier destinations for disc golf in KC. One course is a championship-level eighteen-hole timber course, and the other is a family-friendly nine-hole course meant to provide fun for people of all ages. Disc golf is similar to traditional golf: There’s a tee box and a hole—in disc golf’s case, a basket—and the objective is to get the disc in the hole in the fewest number of tries or throws. Whoever has the fewest throws at the end of the round wins. This sport has gained popularity in the last two decades because it can be both a laid-back game with friends and family and a competitive physical sport for more experienced players. The new Lenexa course provides both. The championship-level, ten-thousand-foot-long eighteen-hole course at Black Hoof Park expands across eighty acres of rugged terrain and includes multiple teepads and basket locations, which offer course variations for players. The smaller nine-hole course is shorter and more accessible to families and beginners.
GO: Disc golf courses at Black Hoof Park, 9053 Monticello Road, Lenexa. Park hours 5 am to 11 pm daily.
Les Misérables
May 2–7.
One of the most popular musicals of all time, Les Misérables, based on the Victor Hugo novel of the same name, follows various characters as they face tough decisions, sacrifice and hope in the midst of the June Rebellion of 1832. May 2–7. Times vary. Kansas City Music Hall.
Janet Jackson
May 2. 8 pm.
For the first time in four years, Janet Jackson is on the road again for her Together Again tour with beloved early 2000s rapper Ludacris. To celebrate Jackson’s fifty-year milestone in the entertainment industry, the tour highlights two of Jackson’s most defining releases, The Velvet Rope and Janet, along with new music and her greatest hits. May 2. 8 pm. T-Mobile Center.
Peter Pan and Wendy
May 2–7, 9–14 and 17–21.
Taking the original spirit of adventure and wonder from J.M. Barrie’s classic, Lauren M. Gunderson’s fresh adaption, Peter Pan and Wendy, focuses on budding scientist Wendy Darling, who dreams of earning a Nobel Prize. But when Peter Pan arrives at her bedroom window, she leaves school behind, chasing adventure with characters like Captain Hook and Tiger Lily instead. Soon, she and her friends discover the power of standing up together for what’s right. May 2–7, 9–14 and 17–21. Times vary. Spencer Theatre.
Pink Floyd Laser Spectacular
May 4. 6:30 pm.
Pink Floyd’s Laser Spectacular has become a cult classic, showcasing the original music of Pink Floyd accompanied by trippy effects never seen before. The show immerses viewers on a mind-expanding rock ‘n’ roll journey driven by bright lasers, huge video projections and special lighting effects. May 4. 6:30 pm. Uptown Theater.
ShuttleCork
May 4–5.
The festivities begin with Winemakers dinners, where an incredible home in KC will host the evening, with cuisine made by a renowned local chef and two winemakers from the West Coast teaching about their wines. Night two is the Grand Tasting and auction, where guests will sample food offerings from local restaurants and wines from more than twenty-five top winemakers inside the Nelson-Atkins, followed by the live auction under the big-top tent. The final event is After Dark, an after-party that features more food vendors, desserts, a DJ and a dance floor with beer and Cinco de Mayo-themed cocktails. May 4, 6:30 pm; May 5, 5:30; “After Dark,” 9:30 pm. Various locations.
Brooks & Dunn
May 4. 7 pm.
Time to shine your boots and perfect your Boot Scootin’ Boogie because iconic country music duo Brooks & Dunn is kicking off their 2023 REBOOT Tour in KC with American Idol season ten winner Scotty McCreery opening. May 4. 7 pm. T-Mobile Center.
Disco Inferno: A ’70s Celebration
May 5. 8 pm.
Conductors Gonzalo Farias and David T. Beals III lead a cast of New York’s top performers celebrating the disco days and boogie nights of the seventies, performing hits by ABBA, Donna Summers and more. May 5. 8 pm. Helzberg Hall.
Sondheim on Sondheim
May 6–7.
Lyric Opera of Kansas City presents Sondheim on Sondheim, a touching tribute to one of the most influential figures in musical theater. The show is an intimate portrait of famed songwriter Stephen Sondheim through his beloved songs and lyrics. Exclusive interviews are interspersed throughout to give audiences an inside look at the legendary composer’s personal life and artistic processes, which brought about some of the most influential musicals of our time, such as West Side Story and Sweeney Todd. May 6, 7:30 pm; May 7, 2 pm. Kauffman Theatre.
Stew
May 11–14 and 17–20.
The final show of the Melting Pot Theatre’s season is 2021 Pulitzer Prize finalist Zora Howard’s Stew, set in a kitchen as four generations of women come together to prepare a special meal for an annual celebration. As with all other shows, it will feature talk backs and themed community events that celebrate the long history of family and reunion in Black culture. “The kitchen is the heart of the home,” Stew director Ile Haggins says. “That’s where everything happens, that’s where conversations occur, where connections are made. [Stew] unpacks their dreams, their struggles, some turmoil that they’re faced with and the violence that’s in their community that creeps into their home.” May 11–14 and 17–20. Times vary. Melting Pot Theatre.
Billy Idol
May 11. 7 pm.
Almost fifty years into his music career, rock icon Billy Idol is performing on a fifteen-city U.S. tour after his EP, The Cage, last year. Idol will be joined by Steve Stevens, lead guitarist and songwriting partner, as well as his longtime band, performing newly released songs and a few of his old rock anthems. May 11. 7 pm. Uptown Theater.
Bliss Point
May 12–14 and 19–21.
Kansas City Ballet presents Bliss Point, featuring ballets by Mark Morris, Jiří Kylián and Alexander Ekman in a mixed repertory production of three unique contemporary dance pieces. Working in unity, these distinct creative pieces show the wide diversity of performance art through an evening of thrilling and thought-provoking dance. May 12–14 and 19–21. Times vary. Muriel Kauffman Theatre.
Beautiful Disruption
May 12, 19 and 26. 6 pm.
Beautiful Disruption: Experiencing the Bloch Galleries explores the minds and struggles of the Impressionist artists as they reached for the impossible—capturing a fleeting moment using the ephemeral effects of light. Guests are encouraged to analyze these pieces deeper, witnessing the beauty and the messiness behind the masterpieces in the Bloch Galleries. May 12, 19 and 26. 6 pm. Bloch Galleries, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.
Get Happy: A Judy Garland Centennial Celebration with Michael Feinstein
May 13. 8 pm.
Michael Feinstein and the Kansas City Symphony travel through the life and songs of icon Judy Garland to celebrate her one-hundredth birthday in this brand new multimedia concert, which features classic film clips, rare audio recordings, never-before-seen photos and her timeless music. May 13. 8 pm. Helzberg Hall.
Playtime
May 17 and May 20.
Part of Stray Cat Film Center’s Bargain Bin Film School collection, Jacques Tati’s 1967 nearly silent film Playtime took almost three years to complete and nearly bankrupted the director. The fantastically choreographed comedy centers on the themes of confusion in an age of rampant technology and stars the recurring character of the old-fashioned Monsieur Hulot, who bumbles around modern Paris. Filled with sparks of humor and inventiveness, the film serves as a record of modern life slipping into an absurd oblivion. May 17, 7 pm; May 20, 2 pm. Stray Cat Film Center.
The Princess Bride in Concert
May 18–21.
Rob Reiner’s beloved film The Princess Bride gets reimagined with the KC Symphony performing the entire musical score live-to-picture. Mark Knopfler’s unforgettable score is specially arranged for symphony orchestra while the comedy-romance-action story unfolds on the big screen in an “inconceivable” new form. May 18–20, 8 pm; May 21, 3 pm. Helzberg Hall.
Afrique en Cirque
May 19. 7 pm.
Afrique en Cirque is a vibrant show featuring incredible acrobatics and traditional choreography to the unexpected rhythms of the native instruments, including the melodious sound of the Kora of Guinea. Artistic director and company founder Yamoussa Bangoura brings audiences on an exciting and unexpected journey, exploring the diversity of traditional African arts mixed with modern circus performance. May 19. 7 pm. Yardley Hall.
Thomas Rhett
May 19. 7:30 pm.
Country singer-songwriter Thomas Rhett is touring the U.S. with theHome Team Tour ’23, with his signature romantic ballads and feel-good melodies, like “Die A Happy Man” and “Marry Me.” May 19. 7:30 pm. T-Mobile Center.
Tivoli Presents: The Passenger
May 19 and 21.
In celebration of the new exhibit, Alberto Giacometti: Toward the Ultimate Figure, the Tivoli at Nelson-Atkins presents Michelangelo Antonioni’s 1975 mysterious and visually arresting film, The Passenger. The film stars Jack Nicholson as a war correspondent who begins living under the identity of a dead man while in Morocco, following this absurd path no matter where it takes him. Antonioni’s film shares similarities to the sculptor’s surrealist work and his association with existentialist philosophers such as Sartre. May 19, 7 pm; May 21, 2 pm. Nelson-Atkins Museum.
Willie Nelson & Family
May 20. 4:30 pm.
Icon and legendary music singer-songwriter and activist Willie Nelson is performing with special guests Tracy Lawrence and Gary Allan in honor of country radio station 94.1 KFKF’s sixtieth anniversary celebration. May 20. 4:30 pm. Azura Amphitheater.
The Dolly Party
May 20. 8:30 pm.
This Dolly Party Dance Party follows suit with other popular U.S. touring themed dance parties, like The Taylor Party or Emo Night. This is for the 9-to-5 workin’ girls who want to dance to the music of iconic women like Dolly Parton, Tina Turner and Shania Twain. Come join the roving dance party—but I beg you, please don’t take my man. May 20. 8:30 pm. The Truman.
Cirque du Soleil: Corteo
May 25–28.
The world’s largest and most popular circus performance group, Cirque du Soleil, fuses high-performance dance with acrobatics to bring their newest show, Corteo, to life. Corteo tells the story of the funeral of Mauro the Dream Clown, whose spirit awakens as he watches his circus troupe mourn his death. The show transforms into a dream sequence of memories of Mauro’s life that mixes tragedy with absurdity, bringing the audience into a theatrical world of wonderment. May 25–28. Times vary. T-Mobile Center.
Aladdin
May 30–June 4.
Disney’s beloved classic Aladdin gets adapted for the stage, as the title character struggles in the face of poverty before discovering a magic lamp that may hold the key to achieving his dreams of fortune and love. May 30–June 4. Times vary. Kansas City Music Hall.
