Impossible!
THU 1/15
Hopefully when the City Theatre of Independence mounts the musical version of the Don Quixote story, Man of La Mancha, performers will be spared the woes of others who have tackled the tale. Terry Gilliam’s take on Cervantes’ Don Quixote — starring Johnny Depp for the few days that shooting actually took place — is the fascinating fiasco captured in last year’s documentary Lost in La Mancha. And a certain high school production of the musical a generation ago rattled a few parents because of the slutty performance of the teenager who played Quixote’s squeeze, Aldonza. Nevertheless, the story of the knight-errant tilting at windmills and dreaming “The Impossible Dream” continues to assert itself. City Theatre’s production, directed by Tracy Ramsey, stars Marcie Ramirez as Aldonza and Mark Lynch as the title character. The show is offered with or without dinner at the Roger T. Sermon Center, 201 North Dodgion. Call 816-325-7367 for tickets.— Steve Walker
Music
More Mandell
WED 1/21
Eleni Mandell, whose music sounds like klezmer one minute and like country the next, does not like cold weather. Back in 2000, she would have been out of luck; her shows drew only a handful of listeners, and their body heat was not sufficient to warm an entire bar. But now that she’s L.A. Weekly‘s Best Vocalist (a title she shares with Elliott Smith), she really packs ’em in. So the cold should not be a problem. Mandell just finished a new jazz album, Afternoon — yet another genre conquered. She performs (with a B-girl in tow!) at Davey’s Uptown Ramblers Club (3402 Main, 816-753-1909) this Wednesday.— Gina Kaufmann
Beats in Babylon
ONGOING
Dancehall, the fast, bawdy style of reggae, is getting big in Babylon. With help from American hip-hop producers, dancehall stars such as Capleton, Sizzla and Luciano have become the biggest Jamaican exports since sinsemilla. Dancehall effectively stirs the lower half with roots-influenced electronic rhythms and chills the soul with samples from old reggae standards and lots of deep, heavy bass. G’s Jamaican Cuisine (7940 Troost) has the sound system to power all that low end. The club’s dance floor is flanked by four gigantic speaker towers. With its airbrushed island ambience, G’s hosts either DJ Sky Juice or Tony B. on Saturday nights from 10 p.m. until 1:30 a.m. The DJs spin a variety of reggae (especially dancehall) and hip-hop. The cover charge ranges between $5 and $7. I and I say, See yu pan Satday. For details in heavy patois, call 816-333-9566.— Michael Vennard
