This Week in KC for Nov. 17: Foreigner, Pompeii artifacts, Bobby Watson

Wilner “Wil B” Baptiste and Kevin “Kev Marcus” Sylvester are classically trained musicians from Florida who met in high school and have become one of the hottest acts going. Just don’t try to pigeonhole their music. Wil B plays the viola and Kev Marcus the violin, and they meld classical, R&B, soul, jazz, pop and hip-hop into their own unique sound. Their major label debut, “Stereotypes,” was released last year. 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 17. Muriel Kauffman Theatre, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. 816-994-7222. kauffmancenter.org. Sold out.

The idea of the Moth Radio Hour, on which this show is based, is incredibly simple. People tell stories about their experiences. That’s it. But it is enough that the show has won a Peabody Award and has been licensed to more than 200 public radio stations. The stage presentation will consist of five tellers who have shaped their stories with the show’s directors. 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 17. Folly Theater. 816-474-4444. follytheater.org. Sold out.

Most folks in the Kansas City area figure the holiday season starts each year with the Plaza lighting ceremony on Thanksgiving night. For some, however, the season begins when Kansas City Repertory Theatre opens its run of “A Christmas Carol.” This will be the Rep’s 36th version of the Dickens classic of hope and redemption. 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 18; runs through Dec. 24. Spencer Theatre. 816-235-2700. kcrep.org. $35-95.

The group that gave us both “Hot Blooded” and “Cold as Ice” has covered the entire spectrum of rock ’n’ roll songs since its founding in 1976. For this tour, the emphasis is on the “I Want to Know What Love Is” end of the spectrum with acoustic versions of the band’s many hits. Foreigner released its first live acoustic album earlier this year. 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 18. Yardley Hall, Carlsen Center, JCCC. 913-469-8500. jccc.edu/performing-arts-series. $29-$74.

The symphony will celebrate the season with a program combining Beethoven’s Egmont Overture portraying a Dutch nobleman’s heroic life with Brahms’ Second Symphony filled with memorable melodies and familiar lullabies. 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday, Nov. 18-19; 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 20. Helzberg Hall, Kauffman Center. 816-471-0400. kcsymphony.org. $23-$78.

Nearly 200 artifacts, some never before seen in the United States, will be on display from Pompeii, a bustling commercial port that was buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in A.D. 79. The city was rediscovered more than 1,500 years later. 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 18; runs through spring. Union Station. 816-460-2020. unionstation.org/pompeii. $12.95-$19.95.

Kansas State and Kansas University basketball fans both will have chances to celebrate. On Friday, former Wildcat Bob Boozer will be among eight greats inducted into the Hall of Fame. On Monday and Tuesday, the Jayhawks will be among four teams playing in the championship rounds of the CBE Hall of Fame Classic. They will meet Alabama-Birmingham at 8 p.m. Monday, then Georgia or George Washington on Tuesday night.

Hall of Fame Induction Celebration. 8 p.m., Friday, Nov. 18. Arvest Bank Theatre at the Midland. 816-949-7500. collegebasketballhalloffame.com. $30.

CBE Hall of Fame Classic. 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 21, and 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 22. Sprint Center. 816-949-7000. sprintcenter.com. $17-$67

Kansas City native Bobby Watson, saxophonist, composer, arranger and educator, also directs the 18-piece American Jazz Orchestra. Joining them for a concert that will be recorded live will be vocalist Ernie Andrews. The performance will feature a medley of original works by Watson, Andrews and Jay McShann. 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 19. Gem Theater. 816-474-8463. americanjazzmuseum.org. $45.

The first major exhibition of Dave Heath’s work organized in the United States features 184 black-and-white photographs from 1949 to 1969, most of which focus on a sense of urban isolation. Heath died earlier this year on his 85th birthday in Toronto. Running in tandem with Heath’s photographs will be “Forty-Part Motet” by Janet Cardiff. It is a sound installation consisting of 40 speakers arranged in an oval and emitting polyphonic choral music written in the mid-1500s. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 19; runs through March 19. Nelson-Atkins Museum. 816-751-1278. nelson-atkins.org. $6-$12.

This is what is known in NFL parlance as a trap game. The Chiefs are expected to beat the Buccaneers without much trouble, and the game falls a week before a showdown at Denver. The Chiefs will need to avoid the trap to keep pace in the AFC West. They also will be shooting for their 11th straight home victory. Noon Sunday, Nov. 20. Arrowhead Stadium. 816-920-9300. chiefs.com. $20-$340

Theatre for Young America will present an original play with original music that is sure to become a holiday tradition. The setting is an alley in New York City, where a trio of the feline persuasion comes to the rescue when developers threaten to convert a hotel into condos. The cats arrange a holiday display and carnival that warms the heart and saves the day. 10 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 22; runs through Dec. 24. H&R Block City Stage, Union Station. 816-460-2020 or 816-460-2083. unionstation.org or tya.org. $11.

The Jackson County Parks and Recreation Department will kick off the holidays with a stage show featuring Tevin Williams, Maggie Marx and a cast of young singers and dancers, followed by fireworks choreographed to Christmas music. This will also be the opening night for Christmas in the Park, a drive-through spectacle with more than 300,000 lights and 175 animated displays. 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 23 (Christmas in the Park runs through Dec. 31). Longview Lake Beach, Lee’s Summit. 816-503-4800. jacksongov.org. Free.

This story was originally published November 16, 2016 at 8:00 AM with the headline "This Week in KC for Nov. 17: Foreigner, Pompeii artifacts, Bobby Watson."