Party in the USA
On a relatively mild and storm-free summer evening, I met a longtime friend and Broadway aficionado (and Leawood Chamber of Commerce CEO), Stephanie Meyer, for an evening at Starlight Theatre.
Each time I approach the ten-story, grand Shakespearian tower-framed stage, I get a jolt of endorphins. It’s as if my body senses how fortunate we are to have one of just two remaining outdoor Broadway-producing theaters in the U.S. It’s hard to believe that, were it not for Queen Marie of Romania’s 1925 visit to Kansas City—and funds that resulted from the musical showcase in her honor—we may not have this renowned venue. Did you know?
In the years since, the nearly 8,000-person amphitheater has undergone a series of major changes. Depending on when you last visited, you’ll likely notice many updates and additions. There are large LED screens on both sides of the stage for a zoomed-in view of the performers. Four ultra-quiet mega fans in the seating bowl now generate a gentle, cooling breeze. [High-summer pro tip—you are cooled even further by air conditioning coming from the climate-controlled stage if you snag tickets in the very front section.] There’s also a museum chronicling Starlight’s long history and more robust pre-show dining options (more on that in a bit).
The occasion for Stephanie and me meeting at Starlight was a late-summer “Party in the USA.” Who doesn’t love a big blowout (Stars and Stripes bunting included) for America? Having nothing to do (sadly) with the same-titled and greatest Miley Cyrus song of all time, the evening was instead centered around a musical neither of us had yet experienced: 1776.
1776 originally debuted on Broadway in 1969, winning three Tony Awards, including Best Musical. It was made into a film in 1972 and revived on Broadway in 1997 and 2022. This all-new production was a Kansas City debut. The musical is based on events leading up to the Declaration of Independence signing, telling the story of John Adams’s efforts to persuade his Continental Congress colleagues to vote for American independence and sign the declaration document.
Hot Gossip: Who was locked out of the house as punishment for late-night lawn shenanigans?
This latest 1776 revival production was exclusively cast with people who identify as female, transgendered, or non-binary. The non-traditional casting model, called conceptual casting (or conscious casting), is when a non-white actor, female actor, or actor with a disability is cast in a role to give the performance greater resonance. It’s a deliberate choice, intended to punctuate the issues being addressed onstage for the audience. I found it interesting how, through casting, one is coaxed into thinking a little more deeply about some topics—e.g., fundamental rights, women’s roles, slavery, etc.—when gender and race have been dropped into a theatrical blender. Think, Hamilton with its primarily Black cast. Which, on the note of Hamilton, it’s impossible not to compare these two early-American history, conceptually cast sagas. With both of us being major U.S. history and politics nerds, the 1776 storyline was a fun way to reconnect to that history—and frankly, each other. I’m here to report, however, it was no Hamilton. Still completely fun, thought-provoking, engaging, and worthy of an evening of outdoor live theater.
Prior to the performance, we thoroughly enjoyed the outdoor patio barbecue buffet and cocktails for a “dinner and a show” experience. There were beef brisket burnt ends (smoked on site), cherry-smoked chicken, mac ‘n’ cheese, cornbread, buttered corn cobs, and fruit cobblers. It was everything I needed to feel proudly American. Indoors, there was an alternate (less backyard, but still very American) buffet. We were happy with our choice to dine alfresco, though. Both options are available throughout the summer Broadway series at Starlight and offer a more proper alternative to the concession stands, which themselves have seen a major upgrade. While (thankfully) you can still get nachos with fluorescent-yellow cheese, options also include pizza, veggies and hummus, burgers, street tacos, etc. While waiting for the show to begin, we also got to test our show-tune knowledge with some Broadway-themed music bingo.
Finally, just because summer is drawing to a close doesn’t mean you must wait until next year’s season to enjoy live performing arts at Starlight. The venue’s indoor off-season programming provides entertainment year-round and focuses on small comedies, musicals, parodies, and more unconventional shows. The autumn/winter schedule is forthcoming.
Overheard: “I just want to retire and care about shoes.”
Downtown is Lit
Periodically, I like to use this space (especially during party-quiet times, à la late summer) for unstructured adventuring. Often, I’ll choose a part of the city I haven’t properly explored lately—or at all. With that sense of discovery in mind, I invited a group of good friends to join me for a Saturday in downtown Overland Park.
We met late morning at the biggest Saturday draw in the area: the Overland Park Farmers Market. There, next to Clock Tower Square, you will find an eye-popping hive of activity. If endless vegetable stands come to mind, you’ve mirrored my own misperceptions. There was fresh local produce—yes. But because I was days away from a long vacation, I was not in the market for perishables. Had I been, there was a bounty of formidable options.
First on my agenda was something to eat. Fortunately, I stumbled upon the Green Truck Bakery, and spotted the perfect, flaky pain au chocolat. Green Truck’s presence at the market is an extension of its shop in Warrensburg. My friends each helped themselves to generous hunks of my breakfast, and we were on our way.
Nearby, I spotted a stand for Kansas City Canning Co.. While their cocktail shrubs looked delicious, I smartly veered toward items I could mix into my occasional evening salads at home. It’s still “swimsuit season” after all. I picked up some candied jalapeños and pickled red onions (to the inevitable shock of many—I typically make my own). Still hungry, we also swung by Prairie Village-based Dolce Bakery for a nice lemon poppyseed scone and one of their adorable “cake cups.” If you’re sensing a trend, you’re on to something. Many of the farmers market vendors are familiar local shops with brick-and-mortar storefronts planted in other parts of the city.
Hot Gossip: Who chucked a storied philanthropy’s scrapbook in a recent feng shui cleanse?
With our market path complete, we sauntered to the main drag—Santa Fe Drive. It’s worth mentioning that Lulu’s Thai Noodle Shop has a brand-new location in OP—right next to the clock tower where we began. We passed by, however, because my UberEats app can verify that I’m already very familiar with their delivery menu. We were here to try new things—next! Still too early for lunch, but also still hungry, we dropped into Kate Smith Soirée. Their rows of delicate French macarons were singing my name, but we were in the mood for something savory. In the spirit of sharing, we ordered a bacon, egg and cheese croissant and a prosciutto caprese sandwich. My velociraptor-style splitting of the items left my friends nonplussed. But the food itself was absolutely top-notch. And the shop is adorable. I’ll also add that a while back, I enrolled in the bakery’s macaron cooking class at Lenexa Public Market, and it was the coolest experience. Highly recommend.
Speaking of cooking classes, our next stop was the Kitchen Shop. We were entranced by the array of both unusual and useful kitchen gadgetry. Onion-cutting goggles anyone? On the more handsome side, they had a full array of premium larch-wood cutting boards and a library of solid cookbooks. My friend picked up Stanley Tucci’s The Tucci Cookbook. If you haven’t watched his Italian cooking travel series on CNN, you must. Besides retail, the Kitchen Shop offers a diverse variety of cooking classes (more than 600 per year) at their massive cooking center behind the shop. Check out their ever-rotating course calendar online.
Making our way down the street, we dropped into the General Store & Co.—positively the most precious shop we’d visit that day. It’s a modern mercantile that’s chock-a-block bursting with design-conscious curiosities and gifts. If you’re a Mixture fan—they’ve got you covered from personal fragrance to laundry to candles. Trapp and Company and Pickwick & Co. are also well-represented with full candle lines as well. There’s wall art, books, socks, T-shirts, puzzles, nostalgic candies, and children’s toys. I picked up a hefty stack of clever greeting cards and a mass of bud vases. I’m organizing an autumn trip for friends, and every guest should have fresh flowers in their rooms and bathrooms.
If there were another theme for the day, it would be the culinary focus shared by a good deal of the retail shops here. Practically next door to each other were Penzeys Spices and The Tasteful Olive. As the name might imply, Penzeys has any cooking spice you could possibly desire. We discovered the most beautiful French fine gray sea salt that was almost too pretty to sprinkle. And at the Tasteful Olive, the focus is on specialty olive oils and both dark and white balsamic vinegars. Everything from a blood orange-infused olive oil to a habanero and honey dark balsamic can be yours. Seeking something I couldn’t simply pluck off the shelves at Price Chopper—but not so exotic to render it a dust-collector in my well-edited kitchen—I selected a bottle of the Coratina olive oil. It ranked the highest on their polyphenol scale, giving it an especially robust flavor and pungency. I’m eager to give it a whirl. The final stop on our Santa Fe trail was The Upper Crust. I’ve ordered pies here before. Pro-tip: they make the perfect summertime host gift for a dinner party or party-party. At this late-afternoon hour, however, they were completely sold out of pies. Sad. I picked up some good ol’ chocolate chip cookies and “pie fries” for later.
With our shopping complete, we made it to our final-final destination, just around the corner: Strang Hall. I’ll begin by saying that it’s downright embarrassing it has taken me so long to finally get here. With a vast variety of options, I already need to plan a return trip.
Overheard “What’d you think of her Disney princess TED talk eulogy?”
Strang Hall is the sort of cavernous food emporium I’ve stumbled into on many occasions roaming through New York City. It’s a chefs’ collective of five distinctly different restaurant concepts: Anousone, (southeast Asian), Fénix (reinvented tacos), Norcini (craft pizza and sandwiches), Solstice, (light and fresh), and Tora Zushi (Japanese). You can order at any place individually or do an examination tour (as we did), and head back to your table to place one comprehensive order from your phone. With there being four of us, our focus was on shareables. That is, however, except for the dunce who added a heaping bowl of vegan pho to our order. I will not divulge identities. Oh, how I love the communal slurping of hot noodles …
For the sake of representative sampling, we ordered at least one item from each of the five restaurants; from some places—several items. There were crispy pork egg rolls, fluffy steamed buns, and pho(!) from Anousone. Fénix provided a birria-dipped short-rib quesadilla and a variety of street tacos. From Solstice, we nibbled on grilled bread and ricotta, a Cali club, and sweet potato fries. Gyoza, “sushi nachos,” and a delicate sushi roll tumbled in from Tora Zushi. And finally, the meat-shed pizza (pepperoni, bacon, and cream cheese) was provided by Norcini. It was a tall order narrowing to these “few” items—which barely fit on our table. So much more that we wanted. We had the absolute best time trying everything on this tour de Strang, and each of us left with a tower of take-out boxes.
Inspired to plan your own downtown Overland Park adventure? Why not drop in for the Fall Festival taking place on September 29 and 30? They’ll have an artisan fair with more than 100 artist booths, live performances, the farmers market in full swing, and scattered food trucks. Not for sale: your spirit of adventure.