‘Chicago’ meets Kansas City: A night inside the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts
When the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts opened in September 2011, it was the fulfillment of a decades-long dream from philanthropist Julia Irene Kauffman. It became an almost instant icon of Kansas City, former Star writer David Frese said in 2016.
It was on a restaurant napkin that architect Moshe Safdie designed the first sketch that would later become the famous rippled, shelled exterior, which continues to adorn countless T-shirts and postcards.
Its skyline profile pops up during commercial breaks when the Kansas City Chiefs play on national television, which is much more often than it was when the venue opened. Along with Bartle Hall’s Sky Stations and Liberty Memorial, it’s one of the key sights people see when they drive on I-35 into downtown Kansas City.
The venue has hosted hundreds of events since it opened, from operas to musicals and graduations to concerts. While thousands have stepped foot inside the Kauffman Center, thousands more Kansas Citians have yet to see inside.
Including myself.
That all changed Tuesday, Jan. 7, when “Chicago” came into town. The Muriel Kauffman Theatre hosts the iconic musical from Wednesday, Jan. 8, to Sunday, Jan. 12. Close to 1,000 guests trekked through the aftermath of the blizzard to watch opening night.
No matter which entrance you take to get inside the building at 1601 Broadway Blvd., the smells of ribeye steaks, charcuterie boards and seasonal soup at the Founders Lounge greet you, the in-house dining option open to all when shows are planned. You don’t need a ticket to a show to eat there or a reservation, but it helps to make one on busy nights.
The Great Hall
The Kauffman Center’s website says, ”Calling Brandmeyer Great Hall a ‘lobby is akin to calling the Milky Way a ‘constellation,’” and they were on to something with the description. The four-level glass curtain wall is breathtaking in person and is one of the best spots to see Kansas City’s skyline.
Despite the lobby being so big, it still feels intimate. The echoes of the hundreds of conversations happening pre-show, during intermission and as everyone leaves shrinks the building. It separates you from the rest of the world, if only for a few hours.
Snacks and drinks are available around the massive hall, and ushers stationed around the lobby are eager to help guide you to your destination. Guests could purchase merch from the musical in a pop-up display and near one of the entrances was the gift shop.
It’s also a great place to people-watch. Guests came in all attires, from fancy dresses and button-down shirts to leggings and Crocs, as there is no hard dress code. The venue would make a great date night option with the Founder’s Lounge or a fun family outing depending on the musical or show playing in one of the halls.
Inside the Muriel Kauffman Theatre
I also learned there were two performance venues inside. The Muriel Kauffman Theatre is where most of the musical and opera performances take place, while Helzberg Hall is home to the Kansas City Symphony. Acoustician Yasuhisa Toyota explicitly designed the 1,600 capacity Helzberg Hall for symphonic music, the Kauffman Center website says.
Speaking of the Muriel Kauffman Theatre, it’s deceptively big. It doesn’t look like it can hold up to 1,800 people, but its tiered seating from the orchestra to the balcony sections pack everyone inside for the show. There’s just enough room in every seat for you, so be cautious of your surroundings and to not use up all of the armrests if you’re in one of the middle seats.
I’m not sure if it was only the conversations happening on the orchestra level or a combination of the four sections above — parterre, mezzanine, grand and balcony — but it felt like someone was looming over my shoulder the entire time before the show began, adding to the anticipation for the show. The acoustics amplify the sounds of everything inside, including people running into each other unexpectedly.
The pre-show buzz feels like white noise and is calming, and it’s always very cool to see and hear the crowd sit down and silence themselves when the house lights turn off. The noise can be distracting to someone reading the playbill (which was digital since the trucks carrying the physical playbills were delayed because of the snow), but I didn’t mind it as a solo theater-goer.
Whether it’s “Chicago” or one of the upcoming shows headed to Kansas City, the Muriel Kauffman Theatre is a great spot to watch.
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Lead actors Taylor Lane (as Velma Kelly) and Ellie Roddy (as Roxie Hart) sounded incredible, and their voices boomed over favorite numbers like “All That Jazz,” “Me and My Baby,” and the closing medley of “Nowadays” and “Hot Honey Rag.”
Connor Sullivan (as Billy Flynn) got to flex his vocals on the closing note of “All I Care About,” holding his high note for at least 15 seconds as the audience cheered his feat.
The Cameron Blake Kinnear-led orchestra took full advantage of the theatre’s acoustics throughout the show. Throughout the two-hour performance, the mix of instruments became a key character in the story.
The Kauffman Center hosts a virtual tour of the Muriel Kauffman Theatre and Helzberg Hall on their website, but you should try to see these in person if the opportunity comes. I’d seen “Chicago” at the Ambassador Theatre on Broadway in New York City in May 2023, and, while the stage setup was the same, I thought it sounded better in Kansas City.
