Here are ten great things to do this weekend in Kansas City, including: Six: The Musical at Kansas City Music Hall, Taylor Swift Night at the Truman and Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros at the Midland.
Six: The Musical
After sweeping a couple dozen awards in the 2021-22 Broadway season, Six has arguably become one of the biggest musicals since Hamilton. The musical is a modern retelling of the lives of the six wives of Henry VIII, presented as a pop concert. Throughout, the queens switch off singing their stories of suffering to decide who should become the group’s lead singer before ending in a celebration of girl power through the last five hundred years.
February 28–March 5. Times vary. Kansas City Music Hall.
It’s OK to be Different – Stories by Todd Parr
Three contemporary stories by bestselling children’s author and illustrator Todd Parr have been adapted for the stage. Blending playfulness and sensitivity, the show delivers important messages of acceptance, understanding and self-confidence for young audiences.
March 2. 10 am, 1 and 6:30 pm. Yardley Hall.
A Bird’s Eye View: Pixels & Paint
KC artists Evin Felix and Michael Hansford’s new joint exhibit features Hansford’s drone photography of the KC area juxtaposed with Felix’s oil painting interpretations, now on display at Leawood Fine Art. The opening reception will also offer light hors d’oeuvres and drinks.
March 2. 6 pm. Leawood Fine Art.
Josh Blue
Josh Blue’s quirky view on life and disability helped him win top “Last Comic Standing” which catapulted him to fame as a headlining stand-up comedian. Blue’s stand-up comedy tour focuses on his witty observations on life with cerebral palsy.
March 2-4. Times vary. Improv Comedy Club.
Hedwig and The Angry Inch
Directed by Vanessa Davis, Hedwig and The Angry Inch stars Justin Carter-Van Pelt and Katie Gilchris reprising their roles as Hedwig and Yitzak. Through glam-rock music by Stephen Trask and based on the book by John Cameron Mitchell, Hedwig, a genderqueer East German singer, shares her tumultuous life story and inspiring search for self-acceptance.
March 2-11. Times vary. The Arts Asylum.
Sewing Seams to Create Stories
Crossroads gallery and studio Vulpes Bastille‘s newest exhibition, Sewing Seams to Create Stories, by Kansas City textile artist KE Griffin—also known as Art by .E Lewis—features twenty large-scale quilted works depicting the artist’s creative journey, while connecting to the journey of her ancestors. In conjunction with the exhibit, there will be a storytelling event on March 12 and a make-and-take mini-quilt block workshop on March 19.
March 3. 6 pm. Vulpes Bastille.
Academy of St Martin in the Fields Chamber Orchestra
Originally formed in 1958 by a group of leading London musicians, the orchestra has had an prolific output of live performances and recordings, including the playing in the soundtrack to the Oscar-winning film Amadeus, the Academy quickly gained international recognition. Now, the Academy of St Martin in the Fields is regarded as one of the world’s best chamber orchestras, renowned for fresh interpretations of the world’s greatest orchestral music.
March 3. 8 pm. Yardley Hall.
Taylor Swift Night
Taylor Swift’s highly sought after “Eras” tour made headlines this past fall, with lawsuits over Ticketmaster’s price-gouging and scalpers’ reselling causing prices to balloon for hopeful fans, but this U.S. touring party is coming to KC. Following other wildly successful U.S. tours like “Emo Nite,” this Taylor Swift dance party may be a small salve to the burn of not being able to see the superstar live for some fans.
March 3. 9 pm. The Truman.
Ravel’s “Rapsodie” and the Poem of Ecstasy
Guest conductor Matthias Pintscher adapts Maurice Ravel’s “Rapsodie espagnole,” which draws on the composer’s rich Spanish heritage. Russian composer and pianist Alexander Scriabin’s The Poem of Ecstasy closes out the show with a transcendent and mystical finale.
March 3–4, 8 pm; March 5, 2 pm. Kauffman Center.
Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros
Best known for being a founding member of the legendary band the Grateful Dead, Bob Weir started this new project in 2018, with the band performing songs from both Weir and the Grateful Dead, adding in a string and brass quintet accompaniment for a new sound.
March 5. 7 pm. The Midland Theatre.
