Robert Trussell

April 1, 2017

A Magnificent ‘Raisin in the Sun’ at KC Rep

Thanks to a gallery of stunning performances by both local and out-of-town actors, Kansas City Repertory Theatre delivers an exceptional production of Lorraine Hansberry’s 1950s..

March 30, 2017

Provocative Themes Animate KC Rep’s New Works Festival

When Eric Rosen blew into town to take the reins of Kansas City Repertory Theatre back in 2006, he was a man on a mission...

March 12, 2017

Woman’s Fate: Good Performances Elevate Unicorn Drama About the Will to Survive

That women suffer during wartime is hardly a news flash. Troops have raped indiscriminately throughout history. But a war crime is a war crime. And..

March 11, 2017

Date Night at the Rep: Love and Loss in the Quantum Multiverse

Now Eric Rosen, Kansas City Repertory Theatre's artistic director, has staged Payne's smart one-act at Copaken Stage with two capable actors and elegant support from a gifted design team.

February 26, 2017

The MET Scores with August Wilson’s Beautifully Written “Gem of the Ocean”

Fine performances — deeply felt, charismatic, Shakespearean — are what you take away from Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre’s affecting production of “Gem of the Ocean,” the..

February 19, 2017

KC MeltingPot Tackles “Dutchman,” An Angry, Sadly Relevant ’60s Response to Racism

So the KC MeltingPot Theatre production of LeRoi Jones’s “Dutchman” is a slap-in-the-face change of pace that is most welcome. Jones, who later changed his..

January 29, 2017

Drama laced with acerbic humor in “How To Use a Knife” at the Unicorn

Anyone who has ever worked in a restaurant kitchen, struggled with addiction or faced a spiritual crisis will find plenty to relate to in Will..

January 23, 2017

Good Performances Buoy Unique Drama About Science, Love and History

Part science lesson, part love story and part philosophical rumination on the meaning of life, Anna Ziegler’s “Photograph 51” is a memorable account of one..

January 3, 2017

Folk Alliance International Celebrates Musical Activism

The timing couldn’t have been better. Months before we knew how the 2016 presidential election would play out, organizers at Folk Alliance International had chosen a theme for the annual conference this year in Kansas City — “Forbidden Folk – Celebrating Activism in Art.” Billy Bragg will be the keynote speaker as well as the headliner at the Kansas City Folk Festival on the final day of the public/private conference.

Author: Robert Trussell