Here are twelve great things to do in KC this weekend, January 19-22, including Hadestown, a David Bowie tribute band, and the Chiefs divisional playoff against the Jaguars at Arrowhead.
Kansas City Restaurant Week
The fourteenth annual Kansas City Restaurant Week returns this January. This ten day dining event features special multi-course menus and deals from hundreds of KC’s best restaurants. This provides the perfect opportunity to indulge, with exclusive menus from hot new restaurants and tried-and-true old favorites.
January 13–22.
The Iceman Cometh
The Iceman Cometh is a tragedy in four acts, written by Eugene O’Neill in 1939 and widely considered to be his best work. The drama centers on salesman Theodore Hickman, who encourages his fellow alcoholic friends to give up their pipe dreams and embrace their harsh realities. O’Neill’s raw drama showcases the innate human need for hope amid despair.
January 18–22. Times Vary. Warwick.
Hadestown
When Hadestown first premiered on Broadway in 2019, it gained widespread critical and commercial acclaim, winning eight Tony Awards. The musical is a modern retelling of the ancient Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, in which two poor lovers escape their nightmarish reality and show others the way to freedom.
January 17–20, 7:30 pm; January 21–22, 1 pm and 7:30 pm. Municipal Auditorium Music Hall.
Smart People
Closing out the eighteenth season at Kansas City Actors Theatre is one of the newest plays ever produced at KCAT, Lydia Diamond’s Smart People. In this contemporary play directed by Ile Haggins, four educated friends gather on the eve of Barack Obama’s 2008 election to attempt to navigate the tough questions about race while examining their biases.
January 18–29. Times vary. City Stage at Union Station.
Lauren Quin: My Hellmouth
Atlanta native artist Lauren Quin got her MFA from Yale in 2019 and has been showcasing in exhibits around the U.S. since, appearing alongside other tastemakers in the art world. Her large abstract oil paintings are built from a form that she calls the tube: thick strips of color that take after prisms and overlap to form various patterns. Near the end of her process, she layers paint, quickly carving new abstract forms before the paint can dry to form something completely new.
January 19–June 18. Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art.
Wagner’s Flying Dutchman
Violinist Maria Ioudenitch was born in Russia, but raised in KC. She returns home to perform Samuel Barber’s lyric Violin Concerto, a swelling and motion-filled production. Guest conductor Kevin John Edusei leads the orchestra in the overture to Richard Wagner’s masterpiece story of love and redemption in The Flying Dutchman.
January 20–21, 8 pm; January 22, 2 pm. Kauffman Center.
Third Friday Art Walk
This cultural and community event in Independence celebrates the arts, with a performance by the four-piece Mexican-American pop band The Jellymin, live glass-blowing along with hand-blown glass art pieces for sale, catering from Yummy Favorites Catering Co., along with local artisan products and art for sale.
January 20. 5:30 pm. Englewood Arts.
The Band That Fell To Earth KC
KC’s most popular tribute band returns for their seventh annual tribute to icon David Bowie. The band consists of thirteen musicians and will have special guest vocalists for each night of performances along with different set lists each night and items created by local artisans.
January 20. 7 pm. recordBar.
Steve Trevino
Steve Trevino is a stand-up comedian, writer, and self-proclaimed “America’s Favorite Husband.” His nearly sold-out weekend of shows will focus on his observations on fatherhood, husband-hood, and modern life.
January 20. 7:30 & 10:15 pm. January 21. 7 & 9:45 pm. January 22. 6 pm. Improv Comedy Club.
Chiefs Divisional Playoff
The divisional playoff comes to KC, with 14-3 AFC West divisional leaders Chiefs battling the 10-8 Jacksonville Jaguars for the coveted spot in the AFC Championship game.
January 21. 3:30 pm. GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
Chinese New Year Gala
Talented performers from diverse Kansas City communities will celebrate Chinese New Year through dance, singing, instrumental performances and more. Both traditional and contemporary styles will be showcased, with performances from UMKC Conservatory, Youth Chorus of Kansas City and others helping ring in the Year of the Rabbit.
January 21. 7 pm. Yardley Hall.
Oran Etkin: Open Arms
Multi-instrumentalist Oran Etkin has started the “open arms” project as a monthly release of singles and music videos recorded around the world with other master musicians in places like Zimbabwe, Brazil and France. He continues to collaborate and form musical connections that showcase the transcendent, communal nature of music.
January 22. 7 pm. Polsky Theatre.
