Entertainment Weekly may not represent the height of literary criticism, but in 2007 the magazine dropped a notable compliment on poet David Kirby when it declared his book The House on Boulevard St. “one of five reasons to live.” (The book was also nominated for the 2007 National Book Award in poetry.) A poet for people who think they don’t…
Just as Justin Timberlake did with sexy, activists are bringing cycling back. Alternative transportation is gaining a toehold among the masses, and Beau Baker, who manages the Clean Commute Program at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, is adding some cinematic inspiration to the hopeful trend. This semester, the Clean Commute Film Series includes flicks about bikes. Tonight’s is Breaking Away….
Offer a year of free studio space to a bunch of creative people, and who knows what might happen. A show opening tonight at Paragraph + Project Space (21-23 East 12th Street, 816-221-5115) takes a look at the results of such an experiment. Eyes of the World draws attention to the community of artists occupying the studios at Urban Culture…
What would you get if you combined the Big Apple Circus with Broadway’s The Lion King and wrapped it all up in the highly stylized Technicolor fantasy world of shows from Cirque du Soleil? The result might be something like Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy, which invites audiences into a jungle world alive with music, color and larger-than-life critters dancing, tumbling…
Three Kansas City jazz musicians — Joe Cartwright, piano, Ray DeMarchi, percussion, and Gerald Spaits, bass player — kick off the spring 2009 Jazz Series at JCCC. Tue., Feb. 24, noon, 2009 Tags: Gerald Spaits, Joe Cartwright, Kansas City, Night & Day, Ray DeMarchi
Anyone who has actually been to New Orleans during Mardi Gras knows the truth. The citywide boogie party is much less about the top-popping Girls Gone Wild scene than it is about dancing and costumes and drinking and hollering, or making something fresh and strange in a town that desperately needs something to be cheerful about. Our Crossroads is more…
Raymond T. Starzmann, the engaging and talented historical re-enactor returns to The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art for a theatrical journey through the American presidency. Portraying Harry S Truman, Starzmann uses photographs, paintings, prints and sculpture to inform and enlighten the audience regarding American presidents. Thu., Feb. 19, 6 p.m., 2009 Tags: Harry S. Truman, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Night &…
As a fundraiser for HELP Humane Society, The Ink Spot tattoo parlor is offering select animal-themed tattoos for just $35 between 5 and 8 p.m. Thu., Feb. 19, 5-8 p.m., 2009 Tags: HELP Humane Society, Night & Day
In Troop Train Treachery spies, soldiers, jazz and burlesque all collide to provide a setting for murder aboard the Mystery Train leaving Union Station in 1943. While the boys are “Over There” diners will be seeing clues in all the old familiar places and helping the new sheriff in town solve a murder and save America. Tue., April 7, 6:30…
Featuring the original work of talented Kansas City teenagers, this Jazz Poetry Jam provides a platform for student participants to grow as writers and performers. Winners of the teen poetry sessions are invited to become members of Kansas City’s nationally recognized poetry slam team, Write Now! Tue., Feb. 24, 7 p.m., 2009 Tags: Kansas City, Night & Day
Despite the perfectly respectable name, there’s always something a little rambunctious about Musical Theater Heritage, stager of such recent hits as The Pajama Game and Spectacular Christmas. MTH has a history of lunging over the top, but nothing matches the wildness that Tim Scott promises for Musical Mondays, the new series of nightclub-style shows debuting at 7:30 p.m. at Crown…
At the end of his three-day residency at Park Univeristy, internationally known violinist Nicholas Kitchen will perform a free concert for the public at Graham Tyler Memorial Chapel at 7:30 p.m., February 19. Thu., Feb. 19, 7:30 p.m., 2009 Tags: Nicholas Kitchen, Night & Day
The Smell of the Kill by Michele Lowe revolves around Nicky, Debra and Molly who have tolerated each other during once-a-month dinners for years. While their unseen spouses play golf in the dining room, the women exchange confidences for the first time, revealing that all three marriages are on the brink of disaster and all three women face the challenges…
There’s no cover for the Mardi Gras party in the Power & Light District. Pomeroy headlines the KC Live stage. Get your dance on, drink up and break out some beads. Sat., Feb. 21, 8 p.m., 2009 Tags: 1080, Night & Day
Beyond the Epic Run is a feature-length documentary reality film about a Swiss couple who live their dream to run around the world. See the film for free in this special screening. Thu., Feb. 19, 7:30 p.m., 2009 Tags: 347, Night & Day
It’s not exactly Dan Brown territory, but a handful of scholars dispute the authenticity of the Rossini bassoon concerto on today’s Kansas City Civic Orchestra program. However, there’s no arguing the rare pleasure of a whole piece showcasing the big daddy of the woodwind section. For the orchestra’s Winter Warmup, director Christopher Kelts has enlisted Eric Stomberg, associate professor of…
Attention spans aren’t what they used to be. What with Tivo, text messaging, Hulu and social-networking sites, some people just don’t have a whole lot of time to devote to sprawling cinematic epics. That’s why, when a batch of short films rolls into town, it’s worth considering the benefits of briefer fare. Micromanage precious viewing time this weekend with the…
If you’re heading downtown tonight, be on the lookout for packs of people dressed as exotic animals. Local fashion group WearHaus is throwing a jungle-themed Electro Dance Party at Madrigall (1627 Oak) at 9 p.m. The party includes the music of DJ Just, $2 drink specials until 10, and models made up as animals mingling with the crowd. Dressing as…
There’s no rest for justice seekers.In March 2006, we profiled Kansas City’s Alvin Sykes, who spent years working to get the U.S. Justice Department to address unsolved murders from the civil rights era. Last fall, the U.S. Senate passed the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act of 2008, creating an office to investigate and prosecute those slayings. Emmett Till…
Stacy D. Smith, aka Reach, is an MC worth celebrating. Despite a short-lived career in music, Smith is among the elder royalty of the city’s hip-hop scene. The Kansas City, Missouri, native has for years rocked local microphones with lyrics that alternate personal tales with streetwise political observations. His talent and perseverance have earned Smith notable honors. In 2005, Toyota…
Before the men’s basketball season began, a writer at the Waco Tribune-Herald predicted that only one team in the Big 12 North Division — Kansas — would finish among the conference’s top six. North teams have exceeded this geographically biased expectation. KU’s opponent today, Nebraska, beat Texas Tech on the road and slayed Texas at home, a win that choked…
After campaigning on the lofty promise of bipartisanship in Washington, D.C., President Obama hasn’t yet won over many Republicans, especially when it comes to his massive federal stimulus package. But the spirit of bipartisan dialogue hasn’t wavered at the University of Kansas’ Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics. Continuing a nine-week series tonight, Jackson County Legislator Scott Burnett and Dole…
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Despite the palpable pop-culture crack unleashed by the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack nearly a decade ago, the mining of Depression-era American roots has been primarily relegated to the outskirts of contemporary music. But thanks (or no thanks) to our own hard times, the channeling of pre-rock country blues, when done well, is starting to feel less like artsy…
