West Side Story at Starlight
In this American retelling of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, two rival gangs of different ethnic backgrounds—the Sharks and the Jets—vie for control of their Upper West Side turf, much to the displeasure of police officers Krupke and Schrank, who try to keep the peace. But when Tony, a Jet, meets Maria, the sister of a Shark, at a 1957 high school dance, things get interesting.
Four icons of American theater produced this long-running musical. Jerome Robbins conceived, choreographed, and directed the original West Side Story with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and the book by Arthur Laurents. It debuted on Broadway in 1957 to much acclaim and many Tony Awards. In 1961, it became a film, garnering ten Academy Awards, including Best Picture. From the first notes to the final breath, West Side Story is one of the most memorable musicals and greatest love stories of all time.
From August 20 to 25, this poignant and evergreen tale plays at Starlight Theatre, with renowned director, choreographer, and Tony Award recipient Baayork Lee directing. This touring production highlights the social issues then as now—poverty, crime, prejudice, immigration, diversity. Will love conquer all?
An American Musical Send-Off to Europe
To celebrate Kansas City Symphony’s upcoming tour of Europe—dates in Hamburg, Berlin, and Amsterdam—the orchestra will perform a concert of the All-American music they will also be performing on tour.
On Wednesday evening, August 21 at 7 p.m., Matthias Pintscher, the new music director, leads the orchestra with Conrad Tao on piano featuring a trio of American composers.
Modernist composer Charles Ives’s 1913 Decoration Day and The Fourth of July, two movements from New England Holidays, display his unique style of Americana with dissonance and quarter tones to give a contemporary spin on Ives’s Danbury, Connecticut, upbringing.
George Gershwin’s 1924 Rhapsody in Blue, for solo piano and jazz band, evokes both classical music and jazz in a defining moment of the Jazz Age. The opening clarinet glissando has become as recognizable as the opening of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony.
Aaron Copland, a favorite composer of the annual Symphony in the Flint Hills, serves up Symphony No. 3, written at the end of World War II and first performed in 1946. This work fuses his Americana styling in the ballets Appalachian Spring and Rodeo with symphonic sound.
Science Meets Diplomacy: Illegal Wildlife Trade at Linda Hall Library
On Thursday evening, August 22, from 6:45 to 7:30 p.m., Linda Hall Library, in partnership with the International Relations Council, hosts a discussion live as well as virtual (but you will still need a ticket). The illegal wildlife trade is decimating plant and animal life around the globe. Some of the most charismatic animals, such as elephants and rhinos, as well as many lesser-known species, are vulnerable to organized exploitation, undermining complex ecosystems already stressed by climate change and habitat loss.
The illegal trade in wildlife commodities also poses significant challenges to national security. Highly organized international criminal syndicates that are involved in wildlife trafficking are often also involved in drug trafficking, human smuggling, and other crimes.
In this program, acclaimed journalist Rachael Bale and a panel of experts will explore the scope of illegal wildlife trade and the international policies, advances in technology, and frontline enforcement actions that are part of a global effort to combat poaching, trafficking, and the demand for illegally traded wildlife and wildlife products.
Light Up the Lawn: The Freedom Affair
Bring the lawn chairs and blanket—and your dancing shoes—for this free concert on the lawn in front of the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art at Johnson County Community College.
On Friday evening, August 23, set up your chairs, then grab a bite to eat from a local food truck before the concert begins at 8:30 p.m.
The Freedom Affair is a female-fronted nine-member soul powerhouse led by Kansas City singers Seyko Groves, Paula Saunders, and Shon Ruffin. Their first album, Freedom Is Love, was released in 2020, with another on the way in 2025.
Described as a “warm hug for your soul” and “soul dynamite,” their performances move audiences physically and emotionally. Songs like Rise Up, Don’t Shoot, and Move On showcase their energetic, upbeat style that will get you up and dancing before you know it.
“Let’s move toward a brighter day/Together we can find a better way/Rise up…”