Rebecca Smith

December 4, 2019

“The Naughty Tour” Returns for the Fourth Year

On Dec. 17, 2019, The Folly Theater presents “A Drag Queen Christmas: The Naughty Tour” for the fourth year.

November 13, 2019

Arts News: Kansas City Receives UNESCO City of Music Designation

In August, the 1900 Building, a Karbank project, presented a rousing, electric performance by Jupiter & Okwess, an Afropop/funk band from Kinshasa, Congo, to an..

November 1, 2019

Artist to Watch: Krista Eyler

A Kansas City creation performed by a Kansas City cast won the “Best of Fest: Production” award at this year’s New York Musical Festival. “Overture, the Musical,” co-written by Krista Eyler and Barb Nichols, made its debut at the 2018 Kansas City Fringe Festival.

July 23, 2019

A Very Squeaky and Time-Consuming Process

“Nobody can be uncheered with a balloon.” So said “Winnie the Pooh” and thanks to Molly Balloons, Kansas City is experiencing the truth of that observation. The multi-talented balloon artist, formerly known as Molly Munyan, has long been making people smile — working kid and adult parties, fashioning wild headgear and objects, and decorating events.

May 20, 2019

Arts News: New Play Explores the Life of KC Jazz Legend Myra Taylor

“You should make a movie of my life,” local jazz legend Myra Taylor (1917-2011) said to independent filmmaker Michael Assesandro years ago. He never forgot..

March 26, 2019

Arts News: Flamboyant Sets and Costumes by Zandra Rhodes Highlight Lyric Opera’s ‘The Pearl Fishers’

It’s “a neon-bright confabulation that recalls the fascination of artists like Delacroix and Matisse with exotic textiles,” said the “Washington Post.” “A cross between a..

March 14, 2019

Artist to Watch: James “SugEasy” Singleton

Winner of a 2018-19 Rocket Grant from the Charlotte Street Foundation and a 2018 Inspiration Grant from ArtsKC, Kansas City artist James “SugEasy” Singleton is gaining a growing reputation for his advocacy and performance of hip-hop.

January 11, 2019

Arts News: For Music, Theater and Art – Go to Church

For those who find the arts a source of sanctuary, experiencing them in an actual sanctuary can be doubly enriching. And that’s what’s on offer..

November 21, 2018

‘On Shoulders Now’

Vernon and Eddie are survivors of the street. Levon is an Iowa farm boy facing eviction. Noi is a pregnant Jamaican immigrant. It is Christmas Eve, so Vernon, in the spirit of the season, decides to provide shelter to this desperate couple. That shelter is a “house of ill repute,” run by Ms. Lacy and her two companions, Shanel and Carmen. But best laid plans often go awry.

Author: Rebecca Smith