KC events Oct. 11-17: Pablo Francisco, Shawnee Indian Mission Fall Fest, ‘Dracula’
Pablo Francisco
Opens 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 11, at Kansas City Improv
With his arsenal of off-the-wall characters and impersonations of celebrities such as Mark Wahlberg and Ray Romano, Pablo Francisco has become a popular comedian around the world. He has sold out shows in Australia and South Africa as well as Amsterdam and London. A former cast member on “Mad TV” and “Frank TV,” Francisco also has starred in two Comedy Central specials. Also, 7:30 and 10 p.m. Friday, Oct. 12; 7 and 10 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 13; 7 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 14. 816-759-5233. Tickets are $20-$50 through improvkc.com.
Kansas City Ballet, “The Wizard of Oz”
Opens 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 12, at Muriel Kauffman Theatre
Dorothy and friends will dance to the Emerald City when the world premiere of “The Wizard of Oz” by choreographer Septime Webre and composer Matthew Pierce kicks off the Kansas City Ballet’s 2018-19 season. Webre and Pierce are the team behind “Alice (in Wonderland),” presented by the Kansas City Ballet in 2014. “The Wizard of Oz” is a co-production with the Colorado Ballet and Royal Winnipeg. Runs through Oct. 21. Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. 816-931-2232. Tickets are $34-$134 through kcballet.org.
Mavericks vs. Allen
7:05 p.m. Friday, Oct. 12, at Silverstein Eye Centers Arena
Last season, Kansas City’s minor-league hockey team compiled a winning record but didn’t make the playoffs in the Mountain Division of the ECHL. The Mavericks hope this season’s 72-game slate, which will begin with this game against the Allen Americans, will go a step further. Opening night will bring the debut of Silverstein Arena’s new party patio and will feature a postgame party and fireworks display. 816-252-7825. Tickets are $21-$55 through kcmavericks.com.
“Dracula”
Opens 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 12, at Spencer Theatre
Bram Stoker’s classic tale of obsession and desire will arrive just in time for the Halloween season as Kansas City Actors Theatre presents its first original production with this adaptation produced in partnership with UMKC Theatre. UMKC product Josh LeBrun will assume the role of Count Dracula, and veteran actor Kip Niven, a Prairie Village native who was a regular on network TV in the 1970s and ’80s before resettling in the Kansas City area, will play Van Helsing. Runs through Oct. 21. 816-235-6222. Tickets are $20-$40 through kcactors.org.
Pacifica Quartet
7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 12, at 1900 Building
The Friends of Chamber Music will launch its 2018-19 season with the Grammy Award-winning Pacifica Quartet performing works by Mendelssohn, Shostakovich and Beethoven. Members of the quartet-in-residence at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music are Simin Ganatra and Austin Hartman, violin; Mark Holloway, viola; and Brandon Vamos, cello. 816-561-9999. Tickets are $35 through chambermusic.org.
Kansas International Film Festival
Opens 5:20 p.m. Friday, Oct. 12, at Glenwood Arts Theatre
Indie rocker Stephen Kellogg will be the featured guest at the Kansas International Film Festival, which will present dozens of films, performances, panels and workshops over seven days. Kellogg will perform after a 30-minute documentary about him, “Last Man Standing” by Peter Harding, shows at 7:45 p.m. Oct. 13. Kellogg also will take part in a conversation about his life and career at 11 a.m. Oct. 14. Runs through Oct. 18. Tickets are $10 ($20 for Kellogg documentary and performance) and passes are $70 and $90 through kansasfilm.com; $15 at door.
Shawnee Indian Mission Fall Festival
6-8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 12, and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, Oct. 13-14, at Shawnee Indian Mission
Folk Alliance International will partner for the music, starting with a free concert Oct. 12 — enough reason alone to check out the three-day Fall Festival. But the 12-acre National Historic Landmark, site of a manual training school attended by children from Shawnee, Delaware and other Indian nations from 1839 to 1862, also will play host to vendors, living history presenters, crafts, children’s games, food trucks and other performances. 913-262-0867. fairwaykansas.org. $2 suggested donation.
Be My Neighbor Day
10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 13, at Children’s Mercy Park
Inspired by public television’s “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” Be My Neighbor Day at Children’s Mercy Park’s Toyota Plaza will bring together children from throughout the area for a day of entertainment and hands-on activities focused on being a caring neighbor. Daniel Tiger of “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood” will be on hand. Attendees are asked to take a pair of gently used or new shoes to donate to the Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood Shoe Drive, benefiting Soles4Souls. 816-756-3580. kcpt.org. Free.
10 Hairy Legs
7 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 14, at Polsky Theatre
The group’s title isn’t particularly appealing, but these legs were made for dancing, and that’s just what they’ll do. The New Jersey-based all-male repertory dance company, which formed in 2012, performs existing and newly commissioned works throughout the nation and the world. In addition to its dance concert, 10 Hairy Legs is presenting master classes at the University of Nebraska, the University of Missouri and other colleges while touring the Midwest. 913-469-4445. Tickets are $21-$25 through jccc.edu/theseries.
Jeremy Piven
7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 15, at Kansas City Improv
You probably know Jeremy Piven as Ari Gold, the arrogant agent on “Entourage,” a role that earned him three Emmy Awards. Or maybe as Harry Selfridge on the PBS series “Mr. Selfridge.” More recently, he has become known as the man accused by at least seven women for sexual misconduct. He has said the accusations are false. Still, as his movie and TV roles have dried up, he has hit the road as a standup comic. 816-759-5233. Tickets are $35-$55 through improvkc.com.
Chelsea Clinton
7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 16, at Village Presbyterian Church
The former first daughter generally isn’t shy about expressing her opinion. But the primary purpose of this public appearance by Chelsea Clinton will be to promote her children’s book, “Start Now!: You Can Make a Difference,” which provides tips on how youngsters can change the world. 913-384-3126. Tickets are $16.99 through rainydaybooks.com.
“Sweat”
Opens 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 17, at Unicorn Theatre
The winner of the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, “Sweat” by Lynn Nottage is “the first theatrical landmark of the Trump era” according to Michael Schulman of The New Yorker. It is about a group of friends at a Reading, Pa., bar who wind up at odds when layoffs begin at the factory where they work. The Unicorn has previously produced Nottage’s “Ruined” and “By the Way, Meet Vera Stark.” Runs through Nov. 11. 816-531-7529. Tickets are $33-$43 through unicorntheatre.org.
Also this week
Classical music and dance
Shmuel Ashkenasi, Oct. 11, 1900 Building. 1900bldg.com
Conservatory Orchestra, Oct. 12, White Recital Hall. conservatory.umkc.edu
Pianist Nathan Lee, Oct. 13, Unity Temple on the Plaza. hjseries.org
Kansas City Chorale, “The Kastalsky Requiem,” Oct. 14, National WWI I Memorial and Museum. kcchorale.org
Conservatory Chamber Orchestra, Oct. 16, White Recital Hall. conservatory.umkc.edu
Kansas City Symphony, Free Symphony Happy Hour Concert: “Stars of the Strings,” Oct. 16, Kauffman Center. kcsymphony.org
Kyiv Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, Oct. 16, Bell Cultural Events Center. mnu.edu/bell-center
Theater
“Halloween in Boo Town,” Oct. 13 and 19-20, Puppetry Arts Institute. hazelle.org
“Chicken Little, The Musical,” Oct. 16-Nov. 10, City Stage Theater. unionstation.org or tya.org
Comedy
Steven Lyons and Jamie Campbell, Oct. 12, Squeezebox Theatre. brownpapertickets.com/event/3615483
Music (rock, pop, jazz)
Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, Oct. 11, Lied Center. lied.ku.edu
Lettuce, Oct. 11, CrossroadsKC. crossroadskc.com
Puddles Pity Party, Oct. 11, Folly. follytheater.org
Cody Jinks with The Steel Woods, Oct. 12, Arvest Bank Theatre at the Midland. midlandkc.com
Dr. Zhivegas, Oct. 12, CrossroadsKC. crossroadskc.com
Foo Fighters, Oct. 12, Sprint Center. sprintcenter.com
Kansas City Jazz Orchestra, “Autumn in New York,” Oct. 12, Kauffman Center. kcjazzorchestra.net
Larry Carlton Quintet, Oct. 12, Folly. follytheater.org
Reverend Horton Heat with Unknown Hinson and The Delta Bombers, Oct. 12, Bottleneck. thebottlenecklive.com
The Roots, Oct. 12, Starlight. openspaceskc.com
Snow Patrol, Oct. 12, VooDoo. voodookc.com
TroyBoi with Manila Killa, Slumberjack and Strapback, Oct. 12, Uptown. uptowntheater.com
Badfish with Ziggowatts, Oct. 13, Crossroads KC. crossroadskc.com
Ed Sheeran, Oct. 13, Arrowhead. ticketmaster.com
Emmylou Harris, Oct. 13, Yardley Hall. jccc.edu/theseries
Gerardo Ortiz with T3R Elemento and Kevin Ortiz, Oct. 13, Arvest Bank Theatre at the Midland. midlandkc.com
Janelle Monáe, Oct. 13, Starlight. openspaceskc.com
J Balvin, Oct. 13, Sprint Center. sprintcenter.com
Minus The Bear, Oct. 13, The Truman. thetrumankc.com
The Church, Oct. 14, RecordBar. therecordbar.com
Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox, Oct. 14, Yardley Hall. jccc.edu/theseries
Vijay Iyer, Oct. 14, Starlight. openspaceskc.com
Rod Stewart with Cyndi Lauper, Oct. 16, Sprint Center. sprintcenter.com
Loudon Wainwright III, Oct. 17, Lied Center. lied.ku.edu
Years & Years, Oct. 17, The Truman. thetrumankc.com
Visual arts
Summit Art Festival, Oct. 12-14, Downtown Lee’s Summit. summitartfest.org
Events/festivals/etc.
Weston Irish Festival, Oct. 12-13, Weston. westonirish.com/weston-irish-festival
Botanical Brewfest, Oct. 13, Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Gardens. opabg.org
Harvest Fest, Oct. 13, Shoal Creek Living History Museum. kcparks.org/event/harvest-fest-2018
International Lineman’s Rodeo, Oct. 13, Overland Park Convention Center and National Agriculture Center and Hall of Fame. linemansrodeokc.com
Magic Woods, Oct. 13, Lakeside Nature Center. kcparks.org/event/magic-woods18
Oktoberfest Live! Oct. 13, Power & Light District. powerandlightdistrict.com
Prairiefire Oktoberfest, Oct. 13, Prairiefire. visitprairiefire.com
Sprint Family Fun Days, Oct. 13, Power & Light District. powerandlightdistrict.com
Book talks
Leif Enger for “Virgil Wander,” Oct. 15, Mid-Continent Public Library-Woodneath Library Center. mymcpl.org or rainydaybooks.com
Sports/recreation
Battle Gear Champions Cup Wrestling Tournament, Oct. 13, Hy-Vee Arena. battlegearusa.com/championscup
Food
Great Lawn, Feast of Fountains: A Food Truck Festival. 5-7 p.m. Oct. 11. 18th and Vine. kcparks.org/event/feast-fountains-greatlawn
Holy-Field Vineyard & Winery, Oktoberfest. Noon-4 p.m. Oct. 13. $7. 18807 158th, Basehor. holyfieldwinery.com, 913-724-9463
Julep, Grain to Glass Whiskey Festival. 1-4 p.m. Oct. 13. $40-$75. 4141 Pennsylvania. exploretock.com/julepkc, 816-216-7000
Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Gardens, Botanical Brewfest. 4-8 p.m. Oct. 13. $50-$75. 8909 W. 179th, Overland Park. opabg.org, 913-685-3604
Pinstripes, Four-Course Beer Dinner featuring Crane Brewing. 7 p.m. Oct. 12. $60. 13500 Nall, Overland Park. pinstripes.com/overland-park-kansas, 913-681-2255
Vox Vineyards, Back to the Land: A Slow Food Kansas City Harvest Brunch. 1 p.m. Oct. 14. 19310 NW Farley Hampton. slowfoodkc.org
Waldo Thai, Old Forester Pairing Dinner. 6 p.m. Oct. 15. $45. 8431 Wornall. eventbrite.com/event/50568579984