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Theater composers have a couple of reliable tricks to fall back on if the music at hand is not destined for the Show Tune Hall of Fame. One is to simply make it loud, so the actors can belt out a song for all it’s worth, which is often enough to convince ticket-buyers that they’re getting their money’s worth. The other is to make sure even relatively quiet songs wrap up with the Big Finish, suggesting that the emotion-tugging swell may actually be deserved.
His music is part disco, part funk, part hip-hop, part pop and rock. Some of it is live; some is programmed and canned. His act is all camp, kitsch and processed cheese. It was all enough to attract about 100 fans to the Brick on Wednesday night for a short but lively performance by the singer/songwriter/actor Sean Tillman, who performs as Har Mar Superstar.
Some shows that really shouldn’t work can turn out quite nicely if you have just the right combination of talent. That’s certainly the case with “It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play” at the American Heartland Theatre. This crisply directed, well-acted show hits most of the right notes and avoids potential pitfalls.
By the end of his second tour of duty in Iraq, Rudy Reyes had seen just about every form of cruelty that man can inflict on others. But nothing — not his tough upbringing in Kansas City, not the years spent in the boys home with his two brothers, not seeing his fellow Reconnaissance Marines killed and maimed — nothing prepared him for the final indignity of his military service.
“The Wanda Sykes Show” has an unhinged, Glenn Beck vibe so far, and while it’s undoubtedly compelling, I wonder what will be left once that goes away.
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The Iron Horse bills itself as “an American bistro,” and the concept fits. In France, a bistro is usually a small, informal neighborhood joint specializing in a limited menu of home-style classics.
The legend of Faust has found many a place in the world of modern music, from Robert Johnson's mythical trip to the Crossroads to Randy Newman's musical "Faust." It's a theme worth exploring, especially in these hyper-marketing days: How much would you compromise your art for a taste of wealth and fame? Friday night at the Off Center Theater in Crown Center, Alacartoona addressed that theme in the musical comedy "Bought and Souled." Though the narrative itself doesn't take its audience to a new destination -- they do the deal and pay the price for it -- the viewer has...
For young to old, funny to serious, our holiday movie guide is stuffed with gifts for all sorts.
Today @ 12:30 pm
Today @ 12:15 am
13 November, 2:48 pm
6 November, 10:13 am
21 May, 6:58 am
In "New Moon," Bella is torn between Edward the vampire and Jacob the werewolf. Which would you pick?
Mitchell Zuckoff, author of the newly published “Robert Altman: The Oral Biography,” will discuss the life and career of the Kansas City-born film director in a free presentation Monday. For the book, Zuckoff interviewed more than 200 of Altman’s friends, co-workers, enemies and family members.
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A famous line from “The Godfather” came to mind Friday night at the Unicorn Theatre as I watched a tasty little play about cutthroat politics: “It’s not personal; it’s business.”
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Addresses, Web sites and phone numbers for music venues throughout Kansas City and Lawrence
Check out the finalists and the winners in our 28-Second Film Fest contest
