OK, Thanksgiving is still about two and a half weeks away, but I for one believe in planning my holidays out, considering the rich diversity of holiday performing arts in our metropolitan community.
Here are the listings I could find along with a brief description. Enjoy and find a show or a performance that strikes your fantasy.
• Nov. 3-Dec. 11, Chestnut Fine Arts Center, Tribute to the Big Band, including tunes from White Christmas. It’s a trip back to a WWII USO show. Visit www.chestnutfinearts.com for more information.
• Nov. 18 – Dec. 24, Quality Hill Playhouse, Christmas in Song. Celebrate Christmas with the gift of music. This Kansas City holiday tradition features music for the entire family – from traditional and sacred to contemporary favorites. Christmas in Song features Molly Hammer, LaTeesha McDonald Jackson, Lindsey McKee and pianist/emcee J. Kent Barnhart For more information or to purchase tickets, call 816-421-1700 or visit www.QualityHillPlayhouse.com.
• Nov. 19-Dec. 26, Kansas City Repertory Theatre, A Christmas Carol. In honor of last year’s 30th anniversary of A Christmas Carol, the venerable holiday production received a “makeover.” While staying true to the original Rep show we all loved, the set was rebuilt to include a revolving stage and other theatre magic that surprised and delighted audiences. For more than three decades, the Rep’s enchanting holiday show has captured the true meaning of Christmas for many Kansas City families, who year after year are inspired by its strong family values and message of hope and redemption. Go to www.kcrep.org for more information.
• Nov. 19-Jan. 1, Martin City Melodrama, Mother Goose’s Christmas Crimes. The Martin City Melodrama & Vaudeville Company presents Mother Goose’s Christmas Crimes!, a musical murder mystery written by Jeff Behan, Jeanne Beechwood and Dan Hall. Following Mother Goose is Martin City’s holiday vaudeville revue, Holiday Hi-Jinx!, directed by Artistic Director Jeanne Beechwood. Mother Goose’s Christmas Crimes and Holiday Hi-Jinx! feature veteran Martin City performers Jeanne Beechwood, Kattie Post, Andrea Huckaba, Dianne Brown, Marcus Mull, Mark Maasen, and Clint Griffey. For more information about show times, ticket prices, and the Melodrama’s location, call the theatre box office at (913) 642-7576.
• Nov. 22-Dec. 30, Theatre for Young America, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, Union Station Stage. This hilarious Christmas classic is adapted from the best selling book by Barbara Robinson. A mom is putting on a Christmas pageant and is forced to cast probably the worst kids in history — the Herdmans. As rehearsals ensue, mayhem and fun collide to teach everyone the true spirit of Christmas. Visit www.tya.org for ticket information and more details.
• Dec. 1-18, Musical Theater Heritage, A Spectacular Christmas, Crown Center. Experience a Christmas show like never before… in an intimate setting, where songs will be sung and stories will be told, gently tugging at the heart strings to reveal the true feeling of Christmas. Visit www.musicaltheaterheritage.com for more details.
• Dec. 1-4 and 8-11, Blue Springs City Theatre, 25th anniversary, first production, Scrooge: The Musical. Charles Dickens first published his classic Christmas ghost story in 1843. In 1970, renowned writer-composer-lyricist Leslie Bricusse adapted it into the hit screen musical Scrooge! In 1986, Blue Springs City Theatre was formed and performed its first show, Scrooge. Now 25 years later, BSCT is proud to bring back its original show for a new generation. The music is charming, haunting, and festive as his old partner, Marley, and the three Ghosts of Christmas confront Scrooge. For more details, visit www.bluespringscitytheatre.com.
• Dec. 2-3, River City Community Players, The Spirit of Christmas. This is an annual event at RCCP. The founder, Vernielle Searles, wrote it. Visit www.rccplv.com for more details and ticket prices.
• Dec 2, 3, 9 & 10, Fair Based Productions, Inspecting Carol, Riverside Community Center. A Christmas Carol meets The Government Inspector meets Noises Off in this hilarious hit from Seattle. Visit www.fbp.info for more information.
• Dec. 2-4, 9-11, 17-18, Olathe Community Theatre Association, Every Christmas Story Ever Told (and Then Some!). Join OCTA as they make mincemeat pie of Christmas traditions with this gaudy confection of a show that will have you laughing harder that spiked eggnog. The cast will lampoon shows from It’s A Wonderful Life to The Grinch Who Stole Christmas to the Rankin Bass television favorites of the 1960s (including the non-indictable tale of Gustav the Green-Nosed Rein-goat [because Rudolph is still under copyright]). All these and more get tossed into a madcap blender that bubbles over with wry wit and shameless belly laughs. As the play itself says, it’s “Xmas Xtreme.” Visit www.olathetheatre.org for tickets and other details.
• Dec. 2-4, Kansas City Symphony, Handel’s Messiah, Independence Messiah Choir joins with the Symphony and Chorus to continue this 95-year tradition, grand debut on the Helzberg Hall stage. Associate Conductor Steve Jarvi and Chorus Director Charles Bruffy lend their talents to these performances. Visit www.kcsymphony.org for details.
• Dec. 2- 4, Heartland Men’s Chorus, Holiday Glee, Folly Theater. Tis the season for HMC’s hugely popular holiday concert! This year, the performers are taking their cue from the hit television show Glee, presenting fun production numbers, and a hopeful, joyful, mirthful, merry celebration of the holidays. Visit www.hmckc.org for details.
• Dec. 3-24, Unicorn Theatre, The Salvation of Iggy Scrooge. The modern rock tale of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol has music by Edd Key and the book by Larry Larsen and Eddie Levi. Matt Rapport takes on the role of the grumbling, angry self-centered rock star Iggy Scrooge who gets his proverbial shake-up from a few specters who just might resemble some rock legends. There’s Buddy Holly, Bob Marley and the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley. The music also covers the spectrum from reggae, rockabilly and heavy metal. Visit www.unicorntheatre.org for more details and ticket prices.
• Dec. 3-24, Kansas City Ballet, Nutcracker, Muriel Kauffman Theatre in the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. Magnificent sets and costumes, marvelous choreography by Todd Bolender, dozens of beautiful dancers, and the acclaimed Kansas City Symphony playing Tchaikovsky’s wondrous music, make Kansas City Ballet’s The Nutcracker the most delightful event of the holiday season. Visit www.kcballet.org for ticket information and other details.
• Dec. 3, Heart of America Barbershop Chorus, Holiday Harmony Spectacular, Unity Village Auditorium. The Heart of America Chorus, located in Kansas City, Missouri is the second oldest chapter in the Barbershop Harmony Society. Visit www.heartofamericachorus.com for more details.
• Dec. 3, Philharmonia of Greater Kansas City, A Celtic Christmas on the River with Connie Dover and Audience Participation; Parkville’s Christmas on the River weekend celebration includes a performance by a leading community orchestra along with Northlander and leading Celtic singer Connie Dover. Visit www.kcphilharmonia.org for more details.
• Dec. 3, Performing Arts Series, Johnson County Community College, Turtle Island Quartet. Holiday music from around the world showcases what is referred to in both the Jewish and Hindu traditions as the Festival of Lights. From the songs of Chanukah, to the music of India’s Dewali, to the old English carols and Scottish reels of the 16th century, Turtle Island Quartet explores the music that has been part of winter holiday celebrations for centuries. The program also features music from Vince Guaraldi’s beloved A Charlie Brown Christmas, as well as famous classical gems and Te Deum, Kansas City’s Voice for Sacred Music, is a chamber vocal ensemble dedicated to excellence in performance, with an interfaith message that inspires all segments of the Kansas City community. Visit www.jccc.edu/performing-arts-series/ for more details and tickets.
• Dec. 3, 10 and 17, Treasures From Toyland, Puppetry Arts Institute, 11025 E. Winner Road. Puppeteer: Kraig Kensinger takes guests on a visit to a workshop of wishes as holiday puppets come alive in song. Show times: 11 a.m. & 2 p.m. Visit www.hazelle.org for details on tickets.
• Dec. 4, The Kansas City Chorale, A Family Christmas. The group offers a concert with a massed chorus of the Chorale and honor choirs from eight area high schools. Two hundred young voices singing with the Kansas City Chorale celebrating the joy of the holiday season …pure Christmas magic! Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral, 1300 Broadway. Visit www.kcchorale.org for more details.
• Dec. 5, TubaChristmas 2011, Scott Watson conducts TubaChristmas 2011 in Kansas City. Hosted by The Kansas City Symphony, this event is one of 240 TubaChristmas concerts presented around the United States in tribute to the late artist/teacher William J. Bell, born on Christmas Day 1902. The TubaChristmas ensemble (more than 300 students, professionals, and area tuba enthusiasts) will perform traditional Christmas carols and songs. Family, friends and the general public are encouraged to attend the free lunch hour concert to listen to the sounds of the season, tuba-style. For details, visit www.kcsymphony.org.
• Dec. 9, Sounds of the Season, A Benefit for The Mission Project Featuring the Texas Tenors & KC Symphony. Bring the family and friends to this magical holiday concert benefiting The Mission Project, a local group helping young adults with disabilities like Down syndrome and autism live and work on their own with minimal support. The Texas Tenors were seen on the TV show America’s Got Talent. For details, visit www.kcsymphony.org.
• Dec. 9-11, 16-18, Owen/Cox Dance Group, The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, with The People’s Liberation Big Band of Greater Kansas City, H&R Block City Stage Theater–Union Station. The Owen/Cox Dance Group brings together Kansas City artists and musicians to breathe new life into an old classic. Fifteen musicians of the People’s Liberation Big Band, horn sculptor Mark Southerland, artist Peregrine Honig, and students from the Paseo Academy of the Performing Arts join in presenting a familiar story that turns out to be not so familiar after all. Returning to the original and notably darker E.T.A Hoffman story, The Nutcracker and the Mouse King (1816), this production will feature original music and radical rearrangements of Tchaikovsky melodies created by a host of innovative Kansas City jazz musicians, as well as the award-winning choreography of Jennifer Owen. Visit www.owencoxdance.org for more details and ticket prices.
• Dec. 9-11, Paul Mesner Puppets, The Nativity, Grace & Holy Trinity Cathedral. Come see beautiful seven-foot puppets gracefully move through the aisles of the Cathedral with musical and chorale accompaniment as live actors narrate this familiar tale. Puppeteers, movement artists and volunteers who perform this eternal story of grace and love bring the larger-than-life characters to life. Visit www.paulmesnerpuppets.org for more details and ticket prices.
• Dec. 10, Fountain City Brass Band presents their annual Christmas concert Bells-A-Plenty X, Bell Cultural Events Center. A Fountain City Holiday Celebration with special guests the St. Joseph Community Chorus. To purchase: call: (913) 971-3636 or email: bellboxoffice@mnu.edu. For more details, visit www.fcbb.net.
• Dec. 10, Kansas City Women’s Chorus, Joy, Folly Theater. Come celebrate the Holidays with Kansas City Women’s Chorus as they explore the joy of many different holiday traditions. The women will perform seasonal favorites, beautiful choral classics, and some funny surprises thrown in as well. Visit www.kcwomenschorus.org for more information.
• Dec. 10, Fine Arts Chorale, Celebrate the Holidays with Jan Kraybill, Visitation Catholic Church. Fine Arts Chorale will partner with world-renowned organist Jan Kraybill to present a second consecutive holiday concert featuring the choir singing familiar Christmas carols, each verse from a different composer, and Jan at the organ responding antiphonally with another setting of the tune. The concert’s second half will feature pieces for choir and organ. Visit www.fineartschoralekc.org for details.
• Dec. 10, Liberty Symphony Orchestra, Holiday Concert, featuring Nutcracker Selections and a number of holiday favorites. Visit www.libertysymphony.org for information and for ticket details.
• Dec. 10, The Celtic Tenors, Songs of the Season, Lied Center. Considered the most successful classical crossover trio ever to emerge from Ireland, The Celtic Tenors is known for its range of passionate resonances. Performing a program of traditional folk and contemporary holiday favorites, The Celtic Tenors’ seasonal concert will take audiences on a journey and provide a thoroughly uplifting experience. Visit www.lied.ku.edu for ticket information and other details.
• Dec. 11, Jim Brickman, A Christmas Celebration, Folly Theater. Brickman has released seven Christmas albums and each captures the unique piano stylings that he has become so famous. The tour will also bring some guests to perform with Brickman. Visit www.follytheater.org for more details and ticket prices.
• Dec. 11 and Dec. 13, the Kansas City Chorale presents its much-loved holiday tradition, classical music to celebrate the season. From formal settings of the 16th century “Gaudete” to a sleigh full of traditional carols (that you sing with us), don’t miss the joy! Sunday Dec 11, 2 p.m., Redemptorist Church, 3333 Broadway; or Tuesday, Dec 13, 7:30 p.m., Asbury Methodist, 5400 W. 75th St. (at Nall). Visit www.kcchorale.org for more details.
• Dec. 14, Mannheim Steamroller, The Christmas: Music of Mannheim Steamroller by Chip Davis, heralds in the Christmas season for many people. They bring in their beloved Christmas concert to the Lied Center. In 1984, Mannheim Steamroller released Mannheim Steamroller Christmas, an album that changed the entire music industry. That was 27 years ago. Visit www.lied.ku.edu for more details.
• Dec. 15-Dec. 18, Christian Youth Theatre, East/Lee’s Summit area, A Christmas Carol, Avila University. Charles Dickens’ classic gets the full Broadway treatment by the Broadway team of Alan Menken (Beauty and the Beast and Little Mermaid), Lynn Ahrens (Ragtime and Seussical) and Mike Okrent (Crazy For You and Me and My Girl) In 2004, this version became the basis of an NBC Hallmark Entertainment special (teleplay adaptation by Lynn Ahrens) featuring Kelsey Grammer as Scrooge, and an array of stars including Jason Alexander, Jesse L. Martin, Jane Krakowski, Geraldine Chaplin, Jennifer Love Hewitt and Ruthie Henshall. For Christian Youth Theatre’s production, visit www.cytkc.org for details and ticket prices.
• Dec. 16-18, Kansas City Symphony, Christmas Festival, Helzberg Hall in the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. Associate Conductor Steven Jarvi leads soprano Laquita Mitchell, vocalist Olivia Sabates, Rezound!, KC Brass and the Allegro Community Children’s Choir as part of one of Kansas City’s grandest holiday concerts. The Symphony and Chorus present stunning musical arrangements of cherished Christmas carols and songs of the season, and welcome exciting guest singers and musicians for a healthy dose of Christmas cheer. Plus, an early visit from Santa! Visit www.kcsymphony.org for details.
• Dec. 16, Burning River Brass, Tradition, jazz and cheer, Performing Arts Series, Johnson County Community College. Composed of 12 of the finest brass and percussion players in the country, Burning River Brass is an ensemble on fire! With infectious joy, the BRB presents a variety of music designed to satisfy the tastes of every audience. Hear fresh arrangements of classic Christmas melodies as well as original works – all praised for their energy, sound and style. Visit www.jccc.edu/performing-arts-series/ for more details and tickets.
