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.

This is a beautiful place with a lot of things to do and see! I love it during the summer, but…read morethere's always something to do in kc.

First Fridays is this organic event that is ever evolving into something better. Art installations,…read moremusic, hands on community involvement, food and drinks. Fire dancers, graffiti artists, pop up bands, drinks on the patio, it can be whatever experience appeals to you the most. The art galleries are always there even in the winter with their doors open. Block after block with something new. Vendors, sometimes free samples or live bands or watching an artist create something. Of course their is always the people watching which is a sport unto it self. It definitely started with the focus being on the art but it's grown into so much more. Feels more all inclusive but I do believe this is in large part to a creativity that really resonates and keeps people coming back but also participating. Perfectly acceptable to go solo, date, group, family friends, kids, all are accounted for. You don't have to start the night out with a meal, but that's usually the route I go and than walk it off. Coffee, beer, wine, popsicles, ice cream, chocolate shops it's all available. Parking! Yikes! That can be rough but persistence will pay off and if you don't mind walking a spot will eventually materialize. Their are some parking garages available and with the street car available that might help, just allow for the extra time.

This is a gem. I've taken my granddaughter there and she loved it. It's small....so there are no…read morebad seats and small children can sit on the floor up front if they like. Shows are scheduled once a month that you can reserve seating for. They also have puppet making classes, a gift shop and a little museum. Children and "kids at heart" will enjoy the artistry and play of a bygone era. It's probably deserving of a 5 star...I gave it a 4 in case you come expecting the scale of the Paul Mesner Puppets, then you'll be disappointed. On the other hand, if you come for a chance to really be up close and personal with the production, you'll be in the right place and it's a 5 star all the way. Almost my favorite part was when it was time to leave and you could hear all the kids excitedly replaying the scenes that they loved. To view their web page go to: www.hazelle.org/

My daughter and her cousins loved it! The staff outstanding and knew there history. So much fun and…read moreaffordable! :-)

The Bowery definitely has lots of interesting events going on, and I feel like no one knows about…read moreit behind the Flea! Usually it's a lot of live music, but I went to 2 one-man shows during Fringe Fest that were super fun! You can enter via the door from the parking lot behind Westport Flea Market, and it's off to the left. Plenty of parking in the lot! Or you can enter from a door in the Flea restaurant. There's a bar in the Bowery and a bathroom by the Bowery entrance. A lot of the events will let you bring food into shows too, so definitely grab a burger and curly fries before heading in. The bar is located in a weird spot, I have to say. It's like right next to the stage. So if you're at a live music show, it's really convenient. But if you are at a theater production, it's annoying to have people walking across your view to the bar if it's open during the show. They also kind of need to work on their soundproofing a little bit. For some reason, they have a lot of late night events on Sunday nights, and I can hear the music in my apartment, which is on the other side of the parking lot. I'm pretty chill with noise since I signed up to live in Westport, but on Sunday nights, it's not ideal to be hearing the lyrics of songs in my room at 11 pm.

I attended a Fringe Fest event here at 9:30pm on a Friday night. The production was excellent -…read moreAustralian playwright / comedian / story-teller Jon Bennett delivered an hour of heartbreak and hilarity in his one man piece - "Fire in the Meth Lab". I have no issues with the space itself. With room for about 50, the stage is always close by and sound and lighting was great. The space is in the back part of the Westport Flea Market. My biggest complaint, and it is a big one; why in the hell do you have a bar that is less than 10 feet from the stage and 3 feet from my seat and allow it to be open during performances? Seriously??!! All throughout the performance I was distracted from the performance by audience members buying a drink. The loudest person in those transactions was the bartender! With Mr. Bennett's Australian accent and rapid delivery, the PAYING members of the audience really needed to focus clearly on the stage, not a bartender reciting what beers are available. Move the bar outside the performance area or at least install a heavy curtain for sound muffling. if you are going to run a performance hall, have some respect for the artist and audience!

oustanding performances well you know except for that one lol…read morewe goto 10 of them each time just wish if your sick coughing sneezing wiping your nose all over your hand stay the (&^&^%^%!! HOME!

Kansas City has a lot of annual arts events and festivals that are phenomenal; but Fringe Fest is…read morethe standout in my playbill. After a 2 year Covid break, the 2 week festival returned to Kansas City and runs until 7/31/22. Over 55 different productions are being presented across 15 venues over 2 weeks, which equates to almost 300 separate performances! There is also a visual arts display and film. The festival is in it's 18th year, but this is only my 3rd year to attend and as long as it returns so will I. You must purchase a $5 button and then with the button, you are allowed to purchase event tickets for $10 per show. The performances range from dance, stand-up, story telling, drama, music... from family entertainment to risque' adult themed cabaret. I have attended 3 events this past weekend and have seen an intense drama with adult language and violence, a one man comedy dealing with mental health issues and relationships and another one man presentation based on the biblical book of Ecclesiastes. I have never had a bad experience in the 3 years and 10+ shows I attended. I'm eager to finish out this weekend with at least 2 more shows. For only $10 I'm able to support local and traveling artists, attend an event at one of KC's top venues and walk away with a something to ponder. Open Your Mind and Support Local Art!

I recently attended an Indian music concert here and had a great time! The auditorium is very…read morespacious inside and had a sitting area facing the huge stage. It was easy to go in and out of the auditorium area and the toilets were besides the gates of the auditorium- very convenient. I did see a balcony section as well. The food provided by the auditorium was ok - I bought popcorn and it turned out to be stale and very salty but I was glad to find outside vendors selling more food inside and it filled the void. I also felt that they should do a better job of hanging seating signs outside the main areas because it was very confusing to find my seat inside. To conclude, The stage, sound, service and overall event was fantastic and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Went for the fabulously funny show and the sound system was HORRIBLE ...could not hear any of the…read morejokes; had to leave because the sound was so bad worst $70 EVER SPENT! Please remove ALL events from this low budget space and take them to the Sprint Center... Please and Thank you

Fantastic show with a variety of talent. Juggling. Jumping. All together fun to watch. I have no…read moreidea how the mind reader was able to guess what I wrote on a paper; absolutely amazing.

We visited the last weekend it was open and there was barely a wait. If you're fine with going to a…read morehaunted house after Halloween, I would highly recommend. The wait times during October are ridiculous because of the sheer amount of people and the fact that they rarely open on time. For how much a ticket is, the stress free experience after Halloween is way better. Having done The Beast twice, I figured it was time to try The Edge of Hell. Honestly, I liked Edge of Hell better. In my opinion, it was scarier and the end was cool. The fact that we weren't overcrowded by people before and after us also helped.

Scared me way more than I expected--great actors and creepy vibes the whole time! Amazing…read moreenvironment