It’s the first weekend of June and time for calendar picks from KC Studio editor, Alice Thorson. Starting tonight, see Unicorn Theatre’s production of Heathers: the Musical and Cabaret at the Theatre in the Park. June First Friday in the Crossroads brings an explosion of new shows. The Kansas City Symphony performs Ravel and Dvořák June 3-5 in Helzberg Hall. And the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art presents discussions on art by immigrants, June 2 and June 4. For more ideas this weekend, visit Kansas City’s most comprehensive arts calendar at kcstudio.org/events.
Heathers: The Musical
June 2 @ 7:30 pm
June 3 @ 8:00 pm
June 4 @ 8:00 pm
June 5 @ 3:00 pm
“Are we going to prom or to hell?” In this dark musical comedy, based on the classic 1989 film, Westerberg High is ruled by a posse of mean girls: Heather, Heather and Heather, the hottest and cruelest girls in all of Ohio. When misfit Veronica rejects their evil regime for the dark and sexy new guy, J.D., their relationship starts racking up a body count. From the writers of “Desperate Housewives” and “Bat Boy” comes this explosive new musical.
Cabaret
June 3 – 11 @ 8:30 pm
Theatre in the Park
Cabaret is a musical based on a book written by Christopher Isherwood, music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb. The 1966 Broadway production became a hit, inspiring numerous subsequent productions in London and New York, as well as the 1972 film by the same name.
It is based on John Van Druten’s 1951 play I Am a Camera, which was adapted from the short novel Goodbye to Berlin (1939) by Christopher Isherwood. Set in 1931 Berlin as the Nazis are rising to power, it is based in nightlife at the seedy Kit Kat Klub, and revolves around the 19-year-old English cabaret performer Sally Bowles and her relationship with the young American writer Cliff Bradshaw.
A sub-plot involves the doomed romance between German boarding house owner Fräulein Schneider and her elderly suitor Herr Schultz, a Jewish fruit vendor. Overseeing the action is the Master of Ceremonies at the Kit Kat Klub. The club serves as a metaphor for ominous political developments in late Weimar Germany.
June 3 First Fridays in the Crossroads Art District brings an explosion of new shows.
The Leedy-Voulkos Art Center is opening five exhibits, including paintings by Jenny Meyer-McCall and Suze Ford, and Belger Crane Yard Studios is showcasing it six Red Star Artists-in-Residence in the exhibit, “Better Together;” Todd Weiner Gallery has paintings by Ian Young and Christine Buchholtz; the Mid-America Arts Alliance is featuring “Blake Little: Photographs from the Gay Rodeo.” And that’s just for starters.
The Immigrants are IN! and Shaping Kansas City Art
June 2 @ 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm
June 4 @ 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
Celebrate Immigrant Heritage Month at The Nelson-Atkins on June 2 as curators discuss the impact and contributions of immigrant artists in the United States. On June 4, three distinguished Kansas City Artists, Heinrich Toh, Jose Faus and Miguel Rivera, share their stories of immigration, inspiration and contributions to the local art scene. In partnership with the Kansas City Public Library.
Kansas City Symphony Classical Series Spring Fling: Ravel and Dvořák
June 3 @ 8:00 pm
June 4 @ 8:00 pm
June 5 @ 2:00 pm
Jeffrey Kahane, guest conductor and pianist
RAVEL Piano Concerto in G Major
F.J. HAYDN Symphony No. 88
DVOŘÁK The Water Goblin
DVOŘÁK The Noonday Witch
Jeffrey Kahane is both pianist and conductor in this Kansas City Symphony program opening with Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G. Written after the French composer’s United States concert tour, the work is a vibrant, jazzy affair. Haydn’s Symphony No. 88 is one of the composer’s most sparkling works, with delightful surprises at every turn. The program concludes with The Water Goblin and The Noonday Witch, two musical depictions of the supernatural by Dvořák. Tickets start at $25.
