Went to the Kansas City Symphony last Friday night, and Augustin Hadelich was the soloist, with…read moreMatthias Pintscher conducting. Hadelich was outstanding. His playing had a clarity and control that held the whole room, and I couldn't look away. The orchestra matched him, and the hall's acoustics are as good as people say. A few practical notes: * Be on time. We got there a couple of minutes late and were lucky they let us in. Many halls hold latecomers until a break, so don't count on that. * Seating: I wish the upper tier had a little more room. Legroom was fine, but the seats felt snug. * Parking: Easy and simple, and probably worth the money. Highly recommend catching Hadelich if he comes through again.

Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. I call it the…read moreKansas Opera House :). This massive performing arts center is like a State pride for Kansas City, Missouri. It reminded me of the famed Opera House in Australia, except that this one is at a crossroad, not near any sort of water body, and much closer to home in US !  Kansas , Missouri has been historically known for its jazz, classical music and theatre. It has this typical theatrical staging for an auditorium with all the seats facing the same way towards the stage, which is framed by an arch- this setting also has a fancy name - its called  Proscenium Arch ( pruh-see-ni-um - I had to ask google how to pronounce it ...lol)It is a non-profit theatre !!!!  Wow! Built to promote dance, opera, music , it is perfect for the city to live up to its reputation of being widely recognized destination for vibrant and colorful arts. It has two big halls interconnected with a foyer, its simply impressively massive and absolutely stunning architecture.  I read from the brochure that Acoustical considerations factored into every architectural decision of the building, right from the shape of the hall to the grain of the wood paneling. And also that it seats 1600 guests at a time. Located at the heart of downtown Kansas on 16th and Broadway, it is near the  city's Power & Light District, the T-Mobile Center and the Crossroads Arts District with plenty of parking within, but if you don't want to get stuck after a performance, it is better to take a cab here.

Whim Space is an awesome LGBTQ+ performance venue in the Pendleton Heights neighborhood! The…read moretheater is a (very pretty) converted church, and it's quite small (maybe 50-100 seats depending on the performance). The seating is all at the same level, and the stage is small, so I recommend trying to sit as close to the front as possible in order to see. Whim Space strives to make LGBTQ+ art accessible. They frequently have "pay what you can" tickets. They have 3 all gender restrooms. The staff are always welcoming and helpful and passionate about what they do. They have a little concession counter at the back of the theater with drinks and popcorn. Whim Space is in the middle of a residential street, so it's all street parking. Since the theater is small, I have never had difficulty getting a close parking spot.

Whim Space is the home for Whim Productions; a theatrical production company focused on presenting…read moreLGBTQ+ playwrights and their works. The space is a beautiful stone structure in the historic Pendleton Heights neighborhood that was constructed originally as a church. I was in attendance for a KC Fringe Fest 2023 event" Mind-Set" by local actor and playwright Tyler Lindquist. Since Whim Productions has been involved with producing Fringe events for over a decade they are now hosting multiple Fringe events at their new home. Mind-Set was a one man tour de force utilizing many different vignettes to tell a story of authentic and focusing on the moment. The theater seats about 90 and had great lights and sound. They also have a small snackbar. I would have no reservations on attending another Fringe event in the future here...much better than a few of the other hosting stages.

Wonderful Theater, comfy seats, Amazing Content…read more Just off Broadway is home to the Melting Pot Theatre Company. KCMPT is an African American theatre company and puts on thought provoking pieces. JOB also has many other local groups that stage productions there ( music, dance, spoken word... ). The theater is open seating, but it's "in the round." The seating is on risers around the stage, so there isn't a bad view in the house! The theater is in Penn Valley park, just north of Indigo Wild. There is a parking lot on the south side of the building.

Tonight was my first time at the Just Off Broadway Theater. I attended the KC Melting Pot…read moreTheater's production of "Night, Mother" by Marsha Norman. I really enjoyed this performance. It's one of my favorite plays. With a cast of two, it's a big load for the actors. They were wonderful!! Both of them were lovely and did this fine work great justice. Wednesday and Thursday are "Community Pricing" nights so the tickets are $10 cheaper. That's great on the wallet. The theater is very nice and professional. The set was fantastic! Wardrobe and makeup were spot on. I am very impressed and grateful I made it to see this show before the end of the run.

Season ticket holder here. We loved KCAT shows!! "Dial M for Murder" is another winner. Just a…read morelovely show! We laughed, we were concerned and so involved in the great story. What a treasure this theatre company is for our community! Love the venue too. Choose your own seats. So nice.

Located in the lower level of the Union Station, City Stage is a 200 seat theater (10 rows x 20…read moreseats), so not a bad seat in the house. I sat 9th row on the end and had a great view. The seating is comfy and lights and sound were great. I attended "Plume" from local playwright Mike Rice as part of the KC Fringe Festival 2022 on it's opening night. A 5 actor ensemble that was a no holds barred 45 minutes of intense drama featuring adult language and violence - Excellent! Keep the kids at home! Besides annually co-hosting Fringe Festival performances City Stage is also the current home for Theater for Young America and KC Actors Theater.

We attended a great jazz show by Terri Lyne Carrington at the theater. It was my first time…read moreattending a show there. The building is so lovely. Beautiful architecture. It's older and the only disadvantage to this is the seating is not on levels like a more modern theater. As a person who is 5'2, I had to constantly try to move around in my seat to get a view between people's heads in the rows in front of me. I could never get really comfortable but that was my only complaint. If o were wealthier, I'd grab some of the box seats. That looks like fun! The show was fantastic and Carrington and her magnificent band performed music of resistance! She and her band did a twist on one of Max Roach's albums, We Insist! Starting out with the great Driva'Man. I enjoyed it so much! I know the theater is having an art auction to raise money soon of you love art especially local artists, this would be a great event to support. I'd love to go back to see more shows and plays.

Gorgeous Historic Venue, wonderful performances, great location downtown…read more I've seen jazz concerts, cabaret shows, local talent and touring shows. There is a parking garage to the west, street parking, or public transit. There is a concession stand in the lobby and they allow refreshments into the theater. I prefer the main floor, near the front. There is a balcony, the seats are narrow, and they have box seats as well. The bathrooms are small for the size of the venue, so there is usually a line.

Bold. New. Plays. The Unicorn Theatre features mostly…read moreoriginal work, with several World Premires each season. The cast draws from the best local talent. I love that they have 2 theater spaces so they are able to adapt the room to the show. The concessions feature alcohol, coffee, and non alcohol options. They allow you to bring drinks purchased there, and most shows will have an intermission. Parking is available in the lot north adjacent, the lot south of the structure, behind 39th and Main, or on Baltimore, one block West. Do not park on main street. The street car runs right in front.

The Unicorn offers up a slice of Broadway on Main Street, KCMO. I daresay it was the most enjoyable…read moretheater experience I've had since seeing Cabaret several years ago at Studio 54. Why? Because the theater offers top notch entertainment (they advertise that they produce "the hippest BoldNewPlays"). But it's more than that. Often the top notch entertainment bit is all you can ask for when going to the theater. Since childhood, I've been going to see many a Broadway Play that cost well over 200 dollars a ticket (some are up to 400 dollars a ticket. I don't lie!) and despite my petite stature (I'm freaking SHORT), I feel absolutely cramped and miserable in a seat that if it were on an airplane, at least it would be soon be spitting me out in a foreign land at those prices! I know, I know. Theater is expensive. Many theaters are old and that is part of the charm. The history, right? Of course. I'm a sucker for all of that, too, don't get me wrong. The theater in which I saw Grey Gardens the Musical offers spacious, comfortable seating in an extremely intimate environment. It's a modern theater, sure, but I was able to stretch my legs out, cross them even, and shift in my seat (OK, I'm restless when sitting for more than an hour), while enjoying the show. I believe there isn't a bad seat in the house. Grey Gardens blew me away. The sound was absolutely stellar and the performances were perfection. Everyone agreed that Drew and Jessica were on point with their GG performances. The actresses last night were just as good. I am not exaggerating. Blew. Me. Away. As Big Edie would say, "You CAN have your cake and eat it, too, in this life." Thank you, Unicorn for existing and making a quality theater experience a sure thing in Kansas City.

Had an amazing time at The Producers. You all are awesome…read more I barely got there on time and there were only four open seats. Get there early to get good seating if that's a deal breaker. The musical director sang for patrons the weekend earlier at a sponsoring restaurant and convinced me to attend.

Had a fantastic time here a couple weeks ago at a showing of "Chess." The cast was excellent - all…read morepeople who have to hold down full-time jobs in order to "play" in their free time. Great singing, decent pricing, and comfortable seats. Support local theater. Or there won't be any.

Last night was my 2nd visit to see a show at the Voodoo Lounge at Harrah's Casino, the first time…read morewas about a decade ago. That seems strange because I attend about 20-25 concerts per year. They just don't seem to book a lot of shows for my demographic or taste it appears, which is sad because I like this venue. The space is well maintained and has good sound. Two bars and a few tables on the main floor with a large area in front of the stage for standing. This is a mid size venue that would be on the same size capacity as The Truman, The Madrid, or Knuckleheads Garage; just the right size for a fun crowd and still be able to get up close and personal with the performers. Another plus is that parking is free and safe and there is food and drink options on site with gambling or a hotel to make it a complete night or weekend destination. I just wish the booking agent would call me and ask what shows to bring in so I could attend more often.

We thought balcony row 1 middle would be the best seats in the venue right? Wrong. Turns out…read morethere's a row of couch seating ahead of everyone. The balcony seats are old tiny flip up stadium seats with little knee room. Row 1 is crammed up so close behind the hard wood backs of the couches that no one's knees could fit and the pain became unbearable. Although the sound was great, the lighting sucked. White strobes and spotlights blasting into everyone's retinas. Also the drinks were weak and the bar lines very long. At least the staff were nice but this venue is awful. I'd travel to another city and see the same band in a better venue.