I reviewed the Kansas City Young Audiences' concert performance of "A Gilbert & Sullivan Christmas Carol" for KCMetropolis.org. This version of Dickens' tale pulls inspiration from famous melodies from Gilbert & Sullivan's extensive output. Read it here.
ARTICLE on KCMetropolis.org: Q&A with (le) Poisson Rouge founders at UMKC
I wrote an article about the visit/discussion with (le) Poisson Rouge founders, hosted by the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance. Does Kansas City need a venue like this? Could it support one? Read it here.
PREVIEW KCMetropolis.org: Fusion and experimental music
I wrote about the experimental music scene in Kansas City for KCM's 2011 fall preview. Read it here.
REVIEW in KCMetropolis.org: “The 39 Steps” at American Heartland Theatre
I reviewed "The 39 Steps" at the American Heartland Theatre for KCMetropolis.org. This farcical adaption by Patrick Barlow took elements from the original novel and the Alfred Hitchcock thriller. The four person cast performed over 100 characters in a fast paced spy mystery full of slapstick humor. Read it here...
REVIEW in KCMetropolis: These “Trousers” need tightening
The musical In Trousers relates a story that falls somewhere between coming-of-age and coming-out-during-a-midlife-crisis. Egads! Theatre Company presented the Kansas City premiere at the Off Center Theatre, a frequent home for edgy, smaller scale productions. Though the lyrics were clever and the music interesting (if derivative), the plot was disjointed, the characters were one dimensional,... Continue Reading →
COVER STORY: It’s all Greek
The mad cap staging of The Greek Mythology Olympiaganza left the actors gasping for breath, after an hour-long marathon performance at the Coterie Theatre that covered thousands of years of myth—and the last forty years of pop culture. Following a script by Don Zolidis, the cast channeled cultural superstars from Greek gods and heroes to... Continue Reading →
COVER STORY: Swingin’ start to Christmas season
“We’re going to take the beautiful Christmas tunes you love and play them loud and angry,” was the introduction by Boston Brass’s tubist, Andrew Hitz. Loud, indeed, but the energy from the stage of Johnson County Community College’s Yardley Hall was in no way angry. The Boston Brass, along with the Brass All-Stars Big Band,... Continue Reading →