KC events March 28-April 3: Royals opening day, Janet Napolitano, Planet Comicon
Royals vs. White Sox
3:15 p.m. Thursday, March 28, at Kauffman Stadium
After a season in which they lost 104 games, tied for the second most in team history, the Kansas City Royals have no place to go but up. Right? The bad news is they have lost All-Star catcher Salvador Perez for the season because of an arm injury. The good news is they start the 2019 season at home against another team that lost 100 games in 2018 — the Chicago White Sox. Also, 1:15 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, March 30-31, and vs. Minnesota, 7:15 p.m. Tuesday, April 2, and 12:15 p.m. Wednesday, April 3. 800-676-9257. Tickets for opener are $58-$279 through mlb.com/royals.
“To the Moon”
Opening event 7 p.m., Thursday, March 28, at Linda Hall Library
July 20 will mark the 50th anniversary of man’s first steps on the moon, and five additional Apollo missions sent 10 more astronauts to the lunar surface. The exhibition “To the Moon” will relive Project Apollo, telling the behind-the-scenes story of how science got to and from the moon. At the opening event, best-selling author and space historian Andrew Chaikin will join Apollo 17 astronaut Harrison Schmitt and other experts to discuss the science of Project Apollo. Runs through Aug. 30. 816-363-4600. lindahall.org. Free; opening event filled to capacity.
Janet Napolitano
7 p.m. Thursday, March 28, at Unity Temple on the Plaza
As secretary of Homeland Security from 2009 to 2013, Janet Napolitano oversaw 22 federal agencies with 230,000 employees, all charged with keeping America safe. Napolitano, now the president of the University of California, will appear for her new book, “How Safe Are We?: Homeland Security Since 9/11.” Among other topics, it addresses how security efforts have changed our country and where failures have left us vulnerable. 913-384-3126. Tickets are $26 through rainydaybooks.com.
Kansas City Ballet, “New Moves”
7:30 p.m. Thursday-Friday, March 28-29; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 30; 2 p.m. Sunday, March 31; at Todd Bolender Center
“New Moves,” one of the Kansas City Ballet’s most popular annual performances, presents works by emerging choreographers in an intimate setting. Among the choreographers whose works will be featured will be three Kansas City Ballet company dancers — James Kirby Rogers, Emily Mistretta and Courtney Nitting — and Gary Abbott, associate professor of modern dance at UMKC. 816-931-2232. Tickets are $40 through kcballet.org.
Kansas City Symphony, “Carmina Burana”
7 p.m. Thursday, March 28; 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday, March 29-30; 2 p.m. Sunday, March 31; at Helzberg Hall
You might not be familiar with the title “Carmina Burana,” but you’ll almost certainly recognize the music when you hear it. Carl Orff’s resounding masterpiece, which was first staged by the Frankfurt Opera in 1937, has been heard in countless movies and TV shows. The Kansas City Symphony, with guest conductor Ryan McAdams, the Kansas City Symphony Chorus and the Lawrence Children’s Choir, will perform the often-recorded scenic cantata as well as pieces by American composers Sarah Kirkland Snider and Augusta Read Thomas. Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. 816-471-0400. Tickets are $30-$90 through kcsymphony.org.
Erik Griffin
7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 28; 7:30 and 10 p.m. Friday, March 29; 7 and 10 p.m. Saturday, March 30; at Kansas City Improv
He’s a standup comedian by trade, but Erik Griffin has taken on a lot of acting gigs on television (“Workaholics”) and in the movies (“Mike & Dave Need Wedding Dates”). He was able to combine both elements of his career in one of his most recent acting jobs, the canceled Showtime series “I’m Dying Up Here.” It was a drama about comics in 1970s Los Angeles looking to make it big. 816-759-5233. Tickets are $20-$50 through improvkc.com.
Planet Comicon
1-8 p.m. Friday, March 29; 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday, March 30; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday, March 31; at Bartle Hall
The region’s largest and longest-running pop culture and comic book convention will celebrate its 20th anniversary with a gaggle of celebrities, including Henry Winkler, Jennifer Morrison, Danielle Panabaker and William Shatner. Of course, the focus of the three-day event is comic books as well as fantasy, science fiction and superhero television and film. Attendees will be able to shop, attend panel discussions, take part in cosplay competitions and play games. Tickets are $26.99-$43.99 for one day ($72.99 for three-day, $8-$19.99 for ages 8-12) through planetcomicon.com.
NCAA Midwest Regional
6:29 p.m. Friday, March 29, and TBA Sunday, March 31, at Sprint Center
The fourth-seeded Kansas men’s basketball team didn’t make it to the round of 16 in March Madness, but all the other top seeds in the Midwest Regional did. Fifth-seeded Auburn will play top-seeded North Carolina at 6:29 p.m., Friday, March 29, followed by No. 3 Houston against No. 2 Kentucky. The winners will meet at 1 or 3:55 p.m. Sunday, March 31, for a spot in the Final Four, which will take place April 6 and 8 in Minneapolis’ U.S. Bank Stadium. 816-949-7100. Some tickets available through official resale at axs.com.
Terry Virts
6 p.m. Friday, March 29, at Leopold Gallery
NASA commander Terry Virts took spectacular photographs out the window of the International Space Station’s Cupola Observation Module and included the best of them in “View From Above: An Astronaut Photographs the World.” He will be on hand to autograph the book, and Leopold Gallery will display and sell a variety of prints from Virts’ collection in a benefit for Going To The Dogs: Caring for K9s. 913-384-3126. rainydaybooks.com. Free.
Aloft Circus Arts, “Brave Space”
7 and 9:30 p.m. Saturday, March 30, at Voler – Thieves of Flight Aerial Acrobatics
The audience moves about and becomes part of the show in “Brave Space” by Aloft Circus Arts, a contemporary circus company from Chicago. With the help of the audience, a pile of 250 yards of fabric grows into a blanket fort to create a space for aerial arts, acrobatics, juggling and balancing on poles. Each show’s audience will be limited to 100, and Aloft Circus Arts warns that people with claustrophobia might feel uncomfortable at times. Voler is located at 556 Lowell Ave. in Kansas City, Kan. aloftcircusarts.com. Tickets are $25 through brownpapertickets.com/event/4096932.
Sporting Kansas City vs. Montreal
2 p.m. Saturday, March 30, at Children’s Mercy Park
After a season-opening onslaught of seven matches — including four in Champions League play — in barely three weeks, Sporting will have had a much-needed 13-day rest before this Major League Soccer test against the Montreal Impact. Sporting, 1-1-1 in MLS play, will begin a portion of its schedule consisting of nine matches in nine weeks. 913-387-3400. Tickets are $35-$66 through sportingkc.com.
“The Play That Goes Wrong”
Opens 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 2, at Muriel Kauffman Theater
Fans of British farces are in for a treat with this comedy from the Kansas City Broadway Series. The plot is right in the title in “The Play That Goes Wrong,” which follows the misadventures of the fictitious Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society on opening night of a 1920s murder mystery play. After premiering in London in 2012, “The Play That Goes Wrong” opened on Broadway in April 2017 and just closed on Jan. 6. Also, 7:30 p.m. April 3-5, 2 and 7:30 p.m. April 6, 1 and 6:30 p.m. April 7. Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. 816-994-7222. Tickets are $61.50-$101.50 through broadwayinkc.com.
Also this week
Classical music and dance
Irina Muresanu, March 28, 1900 Building. 1900bldg.com
Morgenstern Piano Trio, March 29, Folly. chambermusic.org
Lyric Opera of Kansas City, “Penelope,” March 30, Michael and Ginger Frost Production Arts Building. kcopera.org
Heartland Men’s Chorus, March 31, White Theatre. thewhitetheatre.org
Kansas City Symphony, Free Symphony Happy Hour Concert: “Radiant Ravel,” April 2, Kauffman Center. kcsymphony.org
Theater
“Pete the Cat,” Folly Kids’ Series, March 29, Folly. follytheater.org
Comedy
David Scott, March 29-30, Clint’s Comedy Stop. clintscomedystop.com
Gallagher and Artie Fletcher, March 30, Ameristar. ameristarkansascity.com
Mike Brooks, March 30, Gem. brownpapertickets.com/event/4101655
Music (rock, pop, jazz)
Lil Baby with Blueface and City Girls, March 28, Arvest Bank Theatre at The Midland. arvestbanktheatre.com
3 Doors Down, March 29, Ameristar. ameristarkansascity.com
Switchfoot, March 29, Uptown. uptowntheater.com
Blue October, March 30, The Truman. thetrumankc.com
The Manhattan Transfer and Take 6, March 30, Kauffman Center. kauffmancenter.org
Ray Wylie Hubbard, March 30, Knuckleheads. knuckleheadskc.com
Smino, March 30, Granada. thegranada.com
Catfish and the Bottlemen, March 31, Arvest Bank Theatre at the Midland. arvestbanktheatre.com
The Wild Reeds, April 3, RecordBar. therecordbar.com
Visual arts
“Creatures of the Night: Women in Paris from 1850-1900,” March 28-March 22, 2020, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. nelson-atkins.org
“Never Forgotten: Victorian Hair Art,” March 28, Alexander Majors Barn. wornallmajors.org
Princess, “Out There,” April 3, 21c Museum. 21cmuseumhotels.com/kansascity
Events/festivals/etc.
Toughest Monster Truck Tour, March 29-30, Silverstein Eye Centers Arena. silversteineyecentersarena.com
Greater KC Science and Engineering Fair, April 3-6, Union Station. unionstation.org/kcsciencefair
Sports/recreation
Kansas City Mavericks (hockey) vs. Tulsa, April 2. Silverstein Eye Centers Arena. kcmavericks.com
Food
Raven’s Nest Winemaker Dinner Series: France. 6 p.m. March 27. $165. Corvino Supper Club & Tasting Room, 1830 Walnut. corvino.com, 816-832-4564
Jasper’s 65th Anniversary Dinner. 5-9 p.m. April 1. $50. Jasper’s Ristorante, 1205 W. 103rd. jasperskc.com, 816-941-6600
Italian Wine Dinner. 6-9 p.m. March 27. $95. Lazia, 2101 Central. eventbrite.com/event/58121660451 or crossroadshotelkc.com/food-and-drink/lazia-restaurant, 866-531-2400
“Natural Wine.” 2 p.m. March 30. $35-$80. The Restaurant at 1900, 1900 Shawnee Mission Parkway, Mission Woods. therestaurantat1900.com, 913-730-1900
Spring Tea with Jane Austen. 2 p.m. March 30. $50. Vaile Mansion, 1500 N. Liberty, Independence. vailemansion.org, 816-325-7430
This story was originally published March 26, 2019 at 6:00 AM.