KC events Jan. 31-Feb. 5: T.K. Kirkland, Iliza Shlesinger, ‘Cabaret,’ ‘Evita’

In case you’re not a sci-fi fan, “Star Wars Episode IV — A New Hope” is actually the original, trailblazing “Star Wars” from 1977, written and directed by George Lucas with a classic score by John Williams. The Kansas City Symphony will play the entire score live while Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leia and Chewbacca tangle with the Galactic Empire on a huge screen in Helzberg Hall. Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. 816-471-0400. Tickets are $55-$95 through kcsymphony.org.

Known as the Gangsta of Comedy, T.K. Kirkland has opened for hip-hop artists 50 Cent, Jay-Z and Lil Wayne and has appeared on Jamie Foxx’s “Laffapalooza” and BET’s “Comicview.” He also has been a regular on the comedy-club circuit for more than two decades. Kirkland was a headliner at the recent MLK Weekend Comedy Explosion!!! in Berkeley, Calif. 816-759-5233. Tickets are $17-$47 through improvkc.com.

The spotlight will shine on woman composers who have made vital contributions to chamber music from the Middle Ages to present day when the Bach Aria Soloists’ all-female ensemble presents this special concert. The program will include works of composers ranging from Hildegard von Bingen, a 12th-century writer of lyric poems, to 35-year-old Indian-American Reena Esmail. 816-820-1473. Tickets are $17-$35 through bachariasoloists.com.

You might want to catch Iliza Shlesinger doing her standup comedy while you can, because she could be morphing into a TV and movie star. The 2008 winner of NBC’s “Last Comic Standing” and star of four Netflix standup specials had a part in the recent movie “Instant Family” and will appear in “Wonderland” later this year on Netflix. Meanwhile, “Halfway There,” a TV series with Shlesinger as writer and star, is in development. 816-283-9921. Tickets are $34.50-$44.50 through arvestbanktheatre.com.

Do you remember that New Year’s resolution you made a month ago to live a healthier lifestyle in 2019 but have done almost nothing to fulfill? Well, it’s not too late to start. The Good Living Expo is for people who want to enhance or maintain their lifestyles through fitness, nutrition, diet and other means. It will feature more than 200 vendors and sponsors, with free classes and samples, plus a kids zone. Tickets are $5 through goodlivingexpo.com; $8 at door; 12 and under free.

Vocalists Krystle Warren, Leigh Adams and Shay Estes will join the Owen/Cox Dance Group for a new interpretation of the darkly comical “What Keeps Mankind Alive?” composed in 1928 by Kurt Weill with lyrics by Bertolt Brecht for their “The Threepenny Opera.” “What Keeps Mankind Alive?” has been covered by such diverse artists as Tom Waits, the Pet Shop Boys and William S. Burroughs. 816-533-5904. Tickets are $10-$25 through owencoxdance.org.

This story of the Underground Railroad has become a Kansas City tradition. For the 12th consecutive year, Störling Dance Theater’s “Underground” will combine ballet, modern dance, corporeal mime and original music with beautiful costumes in a production by artistic directors Mona Störling-Enna and Tobin James. Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. 816-994-7222. Tickets are $36.50-$81.50 through kauffmancenter.org. More information at gounderground.org.

City in Motion Dance Theater will present its 16th annual “A Modern Night at the Folly,” but the show is different every year. Kansas City’s first adjudicated choreographers’ showcase will highlight the area’s contemporary and modern dance community by featuring 10 new works by 11 choreographers, with dance professionals from across the region performing them. 816-474-4444. Tickets are $15-$20 through follytheater.com. More information at cityinmotion.org.

Return to the Berlin of 1931, where Adolf Hitler has not yet gained full control but where political unrest racks the country and the economy is in shambles. British cabaret dancer Sally Bowles arrives as the headliner at the seedy Kit Kat Club and encounters an array of colorful characters in “Cabaret,” the 1966 musical that was turned into a hit movie in 1972. Runs through Feb. 17. Jewish Community Center. 913-327-8054. Tickets are $14-$45 through thewhitetheatre.org.

Declan O’Rourke released his epic song cycle “Chronicles of the Great Irish Famine” to standing ovations across Ireland in 2017. The renowned Galway-based singer-songwriter will make his Kansas City Irish Center debut with a live performance of the work, performed with an eight-piece ensemble. Inspired by O’Rourke’s family history, “Chronicles” took 15 years to assemble. 816-474-3848. Tickets are $20-$25 through irishcenterkc.org.

Set in Argentina from 1934 to 1952, “Evita” follows Eva Peron’s rise from poverty to become the most powerful woman in Latin America before her death from cancer at age 33. The Kansas City Broadway Series will bring the Tim Rice-Andrew Lloyd Webber blockbuster musical, with hit songs “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina,” “Oh What a Circus” and “Buenos Aires,” to the Kauffman Center as “Evita” celebrates the 40th anniversary of its 1979 Broadway debut. Also, 7:30 p.m. Feb. 6-8, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Feb. 9, 1 and 6:30 p.m. Feb. 10. Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. 816-994-7222. Tickets are $51.50-$96.50 through broadwayinkc.com.

Two women who have turned poetry into international performance art will share the stage to talk, read their work and sign books. Fatimah Asghar, a poet, screenwriter, educator and performer, is the author of the 2018 poetry collection “If They Come for Us.” Safia Elhillo is author of “The January Children,” which received the 2016 Sillerman First Book Prize for African Poets and a 2018 Arab American Book Award. 785-749-1972 or 785-749-3300. libertyhall.net or ravenbookstore.com. Free.

KU Percussion Group with Andy Akiho, Jan. 31, Lied Center. lied.ku.edu

John Bush and Dante Powell, Feb. 1-2, Clint’s Comedy Stop. clintscomedystop.com

Dale Jones, Feb. 2, Kansas City Improv. improvkc.com

Bayside, Jan. 31, Granada. thegranada.com

DeVotchKa with Neyla Pekarek, Jan. 31, RecordBar. therecordbar.com

Hinder with Soil, Jan. 31, Aftershock. aftershockshows.com

Walter Trout and Eric Gale, Feb. 1, Knuckleheads. knuckleheadskc.com

Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Feb. 2, Granada. thegranada.com

Lisa Loeb, Feb. 2, Yardley Hall. jccc.edu/theseries

Panic! At The Disco with Two Feet, Feb. 2, Sprint Center. sprintcenter.com

Dillon Francis and Alison Wonderland, Feb. 5, Arvest Bank Theatre at the Midland. arvestbanktheatre.com

Dorothy, Feb. 5, RecordBar. therecordbar.com

Excision, Feb. 6, Arvest Bank Theatre at the Midland. arvestbanktheatre.com

Wifisfuneral and Robb Banks, Feb. 6, Riot Room. theriotroom.com

First Fridays in the Crossroads, Feb. 1, Crossroads Arts District. kccrossroads.org

Benefit Art Auction, Feb. 6, Kansas City Artists Coalition. kansascityartistscoalition.org

Kansas City Mavericks (hockey) vs. South Carolina, Feb. 1-2; vs. Tulsa, Feb. 5. Silverstein Eye Centers Arena. kcmavericks.com

Kansas City Comets (indoor soccer) vs. Florida, Feb. 2. Silverstein Eye Centers Arena. cometsindoorsoccer.com

A Venue Retrospective five-course meal prepared by Dennis Kaniger, former chef/owner of Venue Restaurant. 6 p.m. Feb. 4. $250. 1900 Building, 1900 Shawnee Mission Parkway, Mission Woods. therestaurantat1900.com, 913-730-1900

“Winter Survival: Soup for the Soul.” 9 a.m. Feb. 2. $75. Broadmoor Bistro, 6701 W. 83rd, Overland Park. broadmoorbistro.org

Chocolate Crawl. Noon-2 p.m. Feb. 2. Free. Downtown Lee’s Summit. downtownls.org/event/chocolate-crawl-for-a-cause-2019, 816-246-6598

Opening of chef Michael Smith’s Crossroads modern Italian restaurant and oyster bar. 5-10 p.m. Feb. 5. Farina, 19 W. 19th. farinakc.com, 816-768-6600

“It’s a Night in Havana!” Slow Food Kansas City annual membership meeting. 6 p.m. Jan. 31. $15. Jasper’s Ristorante, 1205 W. 103rd. squareup.com/store/slow-food-kansas-city

Mondavi Wine Experience. 6:30 p.m. Feb. 1. $65; sold out. Maggiano’s Little Italy, 7025 W. 135th, Overland Park. eventbrite.com/event/53883048649, 913-897-8020

This story was originally published January 29, 2019 at 7:00 AM.