This weekend in Kansas City: Damon Wayans, 'Angels in America,' pro bull riders, and home and farm shows
Damon Wayans, Dave Coulier and Dustin Diamond
Wednesday through Saturday
Three comedians best known for their work on television will appear on area comedy stages this week. Damon Wayans may not be a subversive genius in the tradition of Lenny Bruce, but he managed to alter the way many Americans perceive comedy through his influential early 1990s program “In Living Color.” The first of Wayans’ five stand-up comedy performances at Kansas City Improv is Thursday. Dave Coulier, who played Joey Gladstone on “Full House,” opens at Stanford Comedy Club on Thursday. His run will be followed by Dustin Diamond, the embattled actor known for his role as Screech on “Saved by the Bell.”
Damon Wayans: 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 19, 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 20, 7 and 10 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 21, 7 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 22. Kansas City Improv. 816-759-5233. improvkc.com. $35.
Dave Coulier: 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 19, 7:45 and 9:45 p.m. Friday, Feb. 20, 7:45 and 9:45 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 21,. Stanford’s Comedy Club. 913-400-7500. stanfordscomedyclub.com. $15-$40. Dinner packages are also available.
Dustin Diamond: 8 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 25, 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 26, 7:45 and 9:45 p.m. Friday, Feb. 27, 7:45 and 9:45 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 28. Stanford’s Comedy Club. 913-400-7500. stanfordscomedyclub.com. $10-$35. Dinner packages are also available.
“Angels in America,” Kansas City Repertory Theatre
Friday-March 29 at the Copaken Stage
Experiencing the Kansas City Repertory Theatre’s production of “Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes” represents a major commitment. In addition to purchasing two sets of tickets, theater-goers must concede large blocks of time and be willing to make a considerable emotional investment. Tony Kushner’s ambitious work, which won both a Pulitzer Prize for Drama and two Tony Awards for Best Play in the 1990s, is split into two portions. The combined duration of “Part I: Millennium Approaches” and “Part II: Perestroika” is seven hours. The schedules of the deeply affecting play will alternate at the Copaken Stage.
Friday, Feb. 20 - March 29. Copaken Stage. 816-235-2700. kcrep.org. $20-$64.
Johnson County Home and Garden Show
Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Overland Park Convention Center
Johnson County is often regarded as a paragon of suburbia. If the area deserves its reputation as an exemplary outpost of well-maintained properties and comfortable lifestyles, events like the Johnson County Home and Garden Show deserve a portion of the credit. More than 100 exhibitors and several speakers will provide advice and motivation at the three-day show. Television personalities John Gidding of “Curb Appeal” and Christopher Straub of “Project Runway” will offer design guidance. Charitable components of the show include auctions of entries in “extreme pet house” and “better gnomes and gardens” competitions.
10 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 20, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 21, and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 22. Overland Park Convention Center. 816-931-4686. johnsoncountyhomeshow.com. $10. Children 12 and under are free.
Western Farm Show
Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the American Royal Complex
The West Bottoms may no longer teem with livestock, but the Western Farm Show is among the annual events that temporarily revive the Kansas City district’s agricultural roots. A presentation on Saturday titled “Stockmanship and Stewardship: Low-Stress Livestock Handling Demonstration,” for instance, will offer viewers a tutorial on the humane treatment of cattle. More than 500 exhibitors pitched agricultural-related products and services at last year’s show. It’s not all business. Championship tractor pull competitions will be held on Friday and Saturday. For an additional fee, spectators can watch more than 100 drivers compete for $60,000 in prize money.
9 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 20, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 21, and 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 22. American Royal Complex. 816-561-5323. westernfarmshow.com. $8 per day.
Midnight Underground Circus
Friday at the Exhibition Hall of Municipal Auditorium
The highly anticipated Midnight Underground Circus hardly qualifies as a surprise party, but the ambitious event possesses an alluring aura of mystery. A “stunning surprise” that will be revealed “at the stroke of midnight” promises to astound revelers. Additional entertainment includes circus-themed performances by multimedia troupe Quixotic. Guests will be treated to unlimited beer and champagne as they play carnival games. The festivities take place in the Exhibition Hall of Municipal Auditorium, the underutilized basement of the historic building that will offer an appropriately tantalizing setting for an evening of wonderment.
9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 20. Exhibition Hall of Municipal Auditorium. midnight. 816-721-5935. livekc.org/feb20. $62.
Celtic Thunder
Friday at the Midland theater
The lavish production and dramatic music of Celtic Thunder tend to more closely resemble a flashy show in Las Vegas than the sounds heard in a Irish tavern. Yet a convincing appearance by Celtic Thunder’s Neil Byrne and Ryan Kelly at last year’s Kansas City Irish Fest indicated that genuine dedication to authentic Irish folk music continues to inspire Celtic Thunder. Propelled to stardom by nine public television specials, the company has become a marketing powerhouse that sells goods and services ranging from jewelry to package tours to Ireland. Damian McGinty, the winner of the television talent competition “The Glee Project,” has rejoined Celtic Thunder for the current tour.
7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 20. Midland theater. 816-283-9921. midlandkc.com. $50-$75.
PBR: Professional Bull Riders
Saturday and Sunday at the Sprint Center
The riders and animals in the Professional Bull Riders competition at the Sprint Center this weekend aren’t the only entities with vested interests in the results. Among the thousands of people in attendance and the thousands more watching the television broadcasts of the event are participants in a fantasy league sponsored by the organization in which each player selects five riders and three bulls. The game is a reflection the popularity of the sport. Reigning champion Silvano Alves will be one of six former World Finals Event Champions daring to sit astride bulls during the Caterpillar Classic in Kansas City.
7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 21, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 22. Sprint Center. 816-949-7000. sprintcenter.com. $17-$100.
Lyric Opera of Kansas City, “Silent Night”
Saturday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday at Muriel Kauffman Theatre
The haunting diorama of a World War I battlefield is among the most memorable features of the National World War I Museum at Liberty Memorial. A similar scene will come alive with motion and music on the stage of the Muriel Kauffman Theatre during the Lyric Opera of Kansas City’s production of “Silent Night.” The opera by composer Kevin Puts and librettist Mark Campbell premiered in 2011. The Pulitzer Prize-winning work is inspired by the 1914 Christmas truce between World War I combatants. The Kansas City Symphony will support a cast of dozens that includes celebrated tenor Sean Panikkar in the harrowing work.
7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 21, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 25, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 27, and 2 p.m. Sunday, March 1. Muriel Kauffman Theatre. 816-471-7344. kcopera.org. $30-$165.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
Saturday at Yardley Hall
Even without the presence of Joseph Shabalala, the founder and primary spokesman of Ladysmith Black Mambazo, the legendary South African group’s performance at Liberty Hall in Lawrence last year was a thoroughly entertaining celebration of life. Shabalala’s son Thamsanqa and grandson Babuyile are two of the most charismatic members of the current lineup. The vocal ensemble may be best known to American listeners for their gorgeous contribution to Paul Simon’s 1986 album “Graceland” and for its association with the late Nelson Mandela, but it’s becoming evident that Ladysmith Black Mambazo has since become an enduring musical institution.
8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 21. Yardley Hall. 913-469-4445. jccc.edu/theseries. $32-$42.
The Charlie Daniels Band
Saturday at Ameristar casino
“Uneasy Rider,” Charlie Daniels’ first hit, is a shaggy-dog story about a marijuana-smoking man’s narrow escape from an ill-tempered group of ruffians in Mississippi. The 1973 novelty tune was followed by “Long Haired Country Boy,” a song in which the narrator’s boast — “I get stoned in the morning / I get drunk in the afternoon” — further established Daniels’ outlaw image. In recent years, however, Daniels has developed a parallel career as an outspoken conservative commentator. He’ll focus on music at Ameristar casino on Saturday, where he’ll almost certainly revive additional favorites, including “The Devil Went Down to Georgia.”
8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 21, Ameristar casino. 816-414-7000. ticketmaster.com. $35-$55.
Annual Art Auction
Saturday at the Kansas City Artists Coalition
Thomas Hart Benton, John Steuart Curry, Robert Morris and Robert Rauschenberg are among the notable artists who have studied, lived or worked in Kansas City. The Annual Art Auction, a benefit for the Kansas City Artists Coalition, provides art lovers and ambitious investors with an eye for art to make aesthetically pleasing and potentially lucrative acquisitions of works by contemporary artists who may achieve similarly lofty reputations. Dozens of artists have donated pieces to be sold in the 32nd edition of the event. Hundreds of pieces will exchange hands in silent and live auctions. Appetizers and drinks will be served at the lively function.
6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 21,. Kansas City Artists Coalition. 816-421-5222. kansascityartistscoalition.org. $25-$125.
Kansas City Symphony, “Peter and the Wolf, Live!”
Sunday at Helzberg Hall
Decorum will be temporarily set aside in Helzberg Hall on Sunday. Spontaneous outbursts and nontraditional attire will be the norm as the Kansas City Symphony performs a longtime children’s favorite. A rendition of Sergei Prokofiev’s “Peter and the Wolf” will feature contributions from mascots representing professional and university sports teams. Members of the audience are encouraged to wear related jerseys and hats. K.C. Wolf of the Chiefs is an obvious candidate to play the role of the wolf in Prokofiev’s playful piece while Sluggerrr of the Kansas City Royals or Kansas State’s Willie Wildcat are logical candidates to act as the cat.
2:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 22,. Helzberg Hall. 816-471-0400. kcsymphony.org. $20-$40.
“The Book of Mormon”
Tuesday through March 8 at the Music Hall
“The Book of Mormon” is one of the most unlikely hits in the history of Broadway. Conceived by men known for their scatological senses of humor, the profane musical mocks a religion. The concept isn’t a typical formula for success. Yet after opening on Broadway in 2011, “The Book of Mormon” was rewarded with nine Tony Awards, and the cast recording received a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. The surprisingly affectionate musical about idealistic Mormons was created by the same people responsible for television’s “South Park.” The cast of the touring production includes the Tony Award-nominated Gavin Creel as Elder Price.
Tuesday, Feb. 24 - Sunday, March 8. Music Hall. 800-745-3000. theaterleague.com/kansascity. $35-$133.
This story was originally published February 17, 2015 at 6:00 PM with the headline "This weekend in Kansas City: Damon Wayans, 'Angels in America,' pro bull riders, and home and farm shows."