17-Year-Old organization understands value of audience and performers.
The Great American Songbook is alive and well in Kansas City, with much of the life and enthusiasm due to Executive Director J. Kent Barnhart, Managing Director Rick Truman and the team at Quality Hill Playhouse.
Barnhart used to be a one-man show, striving to bring cabaret to Kansas City with the help of guest artists. About eight years ago, he hired Truman and then more staff followed. It’s still a small operation where subscribers and audiences know the staff by name and for Barnhart and Truman, they wouldn’t want it any other way. “We start the experience when people call for tickets or to simply inquire about a show,” Truman says. Barnhart says people now ask about Truman or Box Office Manager Berni Riley. “We are building a trust in the people here as well as with a detailed and coherent season.”
A typical season at Quality Hill Playhouse is four cabaret shows, the Christmas program and a more theatrical piece that Truman directs. There are two shows down this season, a season themed around partnerships. The remaining shows are My Romance (Jan. 20 –Feb. 19) that focuses on the partnership of composer Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart; Make Someone Happy (March 2-April 1), a look at Betty Comden and Adolf Green’s collaboration; and Life Is a Cabaret (April 20 – May 20) examines the music of Kansas City native John Kander and songwriting partner Fred Ebb. The last show is the more theatrical farce about a fictitious couple that reunites for a live television broadcast called Pete ‘n’ Keely.
“I like programming a mixture of songs people know and some they don’t but I hope they will enjoy,” Barnhart says. “It’s how I program for all the shows, including the Christmas show which I try to keep meaningful and fresh each year.” Barnhart says the other challenge is to explain what Quality Hill Playhouse is to those unfamiliar. “We don’t quite offer a play and it’s not quite a concert. People have to experience us to get us. The staff, guest singers, volunteers, contributors and subscribers all work in unison to create the experience. “The general audience is the final piece. These are tough times and we are so appreciative when people choose to spend their money to see a show. Really after 17 years, I am still amazed at the generosity and support,” Barnhart says.
Barnhart graduated from the Commercial Theatre Institute in New York City. “This is show business, not necessarily show fun. You have to continue to grow each year, stay fresh, and recruit new audiences while keeping the loyal fans. There is a certain amount of research for shows and for what we offer as part of this experience. It all comes alive with the singers and the intimate theater space. We are keeping alive the American Songbook because we get people to turn off their cell phones and experience the beauty and emotion of what the singers bring to the songs.” »»
As an example, the next show, My Romance, has all the ups and downs of romance, plus the intelligence and wit of Rodgers and Hart. “They speak about love and the lyrics were poetry,” Barnhart says. “For some, music is like junk food. There is so little active listening, but we try to offer something that requires that important skill. Just think about someone saying Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered instead of just confused and sad about love. It’s a little more soul stirring.” The show features Barnhart on piano along with bassist Brian Wilson and drummer Ken Remmert. The singers are Jon Daugharthy, Stephanie Laws and Lauren Braton.
The future of Quality Hill Playhouse includes the continuing efforts to preserve the American Songbook. Barnhart also wants to persist in building new and younger audiences. “Eventually I want to see this become a spot where writers, composers and lyricists can try new things. We can offer a place to be heard.” The theater’s future could include a restaurant, adjacent to the lobby and bar area. “We have to work harder and bolster our finances.”
Truman says he hopes younger crowds will find the cabaret scene at Quality Hill Playhouse. Famed singer Marilyn Maye, a Kansas City legend, performs in New York often. She has also sung on the Quality Hill Playhouse stage several times. “She tells us that the audiences that attend the shows in New York are young. They see cabaret as a cool and hip night out.” Barnhart says the use of songs from the 1930s and 1940s helps, especially in television shows and on commercials. “This resurgence of the past proves relevance. It’s still something timeless,” Truman says.
In 17 years, Barnhart has watched Brad Zimmerman open the Chesnut Fine Arts Center and Musical Theater Heritage has turned its shows more into performance/cabaret pieces. “Performers have built their repertoire here. Songs and songwriters are known because we offer their songs,” Barnhart says.
Truman says Barnhart’s educational aspects to shows might be considered both unique and innovative. “You may not know much about Rodgers and Hart, but the coming show will let you know their influences and their collaborations.”
“I work hard to put the songs in context such as the time period and the experiences of the composers,” Barnhart says. “I like the idea of inspiring the audience to do some research or watch an old movie. We are here to encourage a sort of discovery of great music, lyrics and how the music makes you feel.”
The season ends with Pete ‘n’ Keely. Truman directs Molly Hammer and Tim Scott as Pete Bartel and Keely Stevens. Take equal parts Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme, The Sonny and Cher Show and The Carol Burnett Show, put them in a cocktail shaker, add a healthy portion of jazz standards, a lot of laughs and a dash of Bob Mackie-style gowns, and it should be hilarious. “The audience is the studio audience for this comeback variety show,” Truman says. Barnhart will be at the piano, leading Remmert on drums and Wilson on bass.
“It’s going to be such an outrageous and fun show that Molly and Tim will help shape it. I look forward to working with them. The bickering and sniping of these characters that are just a little past their glory days is uproarious,” he says.
During the run of the show, there will be a 1960s Mad Men style party. Truman says the party itself will be a spoof as a sort of pre-telecast celebration of the reunion of “America’s swinging sweethearts” Pete and Keely.
The performARTS feature on Quality Hill Playhouse will air January 19 at 7:30 p.m. on KCPT’s The Local Show.
