Category: Broadway

In 1996, the Broadway sensation and Tony Award®-winning musical Rent debuted at an Off-Broadway theater. It soon moved to Broadway’s Nederlander Theatre and ran for 12 years and 5,123 performances, making it the 11th-longest-running show in Broadway history. Anthony Rapp played the role of Mark Cohen, a struggling Jewish-American documentary filmmaker and narrator of the show. Rapp performed … Continued

The journey to creating Disney’s Beauty and the Beast began with an 18th-century French fairy tale written by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont. It was this story that Linda Woolverton, the screenwriter for Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, used to create the original 1991 Disney movie. Once the screenwriter molds the story, the Disney design team takes over. Disney … Continued

Four cast members from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast brightened the day of young patients at Children’s Mercy Hospital on July 14, when they visited the hospital to perform two songs from the musical, answer questions and autograph show photos. Brooke Quintana, who plays the lead role of Belle, captivated the audience of about 50 children, parents … Continued

Bring the kids to one of this week’s special story time events. Join us for Beauty and the Beast stories, games and activities for children of all ages. At each reading, we will hold a drawing for two tickets to either the July 13 or July 18 performance. Upcoming Readings Tuesday, July 12 at 10:30 a.m. Kansas City Kansas … Continued

When creating a musical, writers often turn to the influences in their everyday lives for inspiration. Throughout the history of Broadway, many shows have been written based on life lessons, songs, TV shows and books. In fact, several shows at Starlight Theatre this season were inspired by books, including Matilda the Musical, The Bridges of Madison … Continued

There’s a new and unique opportunity to experience the magic of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast next week – and it’s at an early hour when even the youngest of fans are sure to be awake! Starlight Theatre is pleased to announce the newly scheduled matinee performance of Beauty and the Beast at 10 a.m. on Saturday, July 16. … Continued

Last month we kicked off of an ongoing weekly Twitter series, #MusicalMonday. Each week we’ll share a song from a different musical circulating around a common theme for the month! What could have been a more fitting theme to start our series, than Tony winning and nominated shows for Best Musical? June’s #MusicalMonday series featured … Continued

She Loves Me, the acclaimed Broadway musical revival starring Laura Benanti, Zachary Levi and Jane Krakowski, will make musical theater history tonight, when the online streaming service Broadway HD broadcasts the show live from the Studio 54 theater in New York City. This groundbreaking presentation of the critically acclaimed, Tony Award-winning musical transports the power … Continued

We thought it would be fun to share a few fun facts compiled by the tour of The Bridges of Madison County. In showbiz, a triple threat is a performer who can sing, dance and act. The Bridges of Madison County could be considered a triple threat because it has been a novel, a movie and a musical! … Continued

Enhance your Tony Awards® party with two exclusive live streams. For pre-Tonys Red Carpet coverage, check out the Tony Awards Live Stream Show, which will be available to view in the window below beginning at 4:30 p.m. Following the Red Carpet coverage, the Tony Awards Live Stream Show will continue for a second-screen experience offering behind-the-scenes content and interviews with … Continued

The 2016 Tony Awards are just hours away and we have everything you need to put on the perfect last minute party. As the countdown to Sunday’s show continues, Starlight Theatre is bringing you a Tony Award playlists, available to stream and share for free on Spotify. We’ve created a mix of tracks from this year’s … Continued

This Sunday, June 12, marks the biggest night of the year for theatre fans everywhere. As Broadway’s biggest stars gather at the Beacon Theatre for a night of glamour, laughter and excitement; we’ll gather around our televisions to watch the magic unfold. A night this exciting is sure to work up an appetite, so we’ve … Continued

The soulful original score of composer Jason Robert Brown fills the summer skies of Winterset, Iowa, in The Bridges of Madison County, the romantic musical taking the stage at Starlight Theatre on June 14-19. For his work on the Broadway musical, Brown was honored with two Tony Awards® in 2014 – for Best Original Score and … Continued

In order to accommodate our many guests who were unable to attend Matilda The Musical due to the weather-related cancellation of Thursday night’s performance, the show’s producers have agreed to add a matinee performance on Saturday afternoon, May 28. While a few of the show’s lighting and special effects may be affected during the daytime performance, Starlight … Continued

Matilda The Musical, at Starlight Theatre through May 28, got our own staff thinking about our younger years, specifically about what we wanted to be “when we grow up.” For many working year-round at Starlight, theatre has been a lifelong love. Some Starlight associates stole the spotlight on stage in high school and college. And, … Continued

Hamilton broke the previous record held by The Producers and Billy Elliot by one, picking up 16 Tony nominations for the 70th annual Tony Awards on May 3. The Best Musical category also included Bright Star, Hamilton, School of Rock, Shuffle Along and Waitress. Broadway’s biggest night is scheduled for June 12, hosted by James Corden. Here is the complete list of 2016 Tony Award nominees: Best Musical … Continued

Ginger Zee proved she’s the Belle of the “Dancing with the Stars” ballroom on the episode that aired Monday, April 11. “For 20 years, I’ve wanted to be Belle,” Zee told reporters after the show. “And tonight, I got to live out a dream.” The “Good Morning America” meteorologist and her pro dancing partner, Val Chmerkovskiy, unleashed a dazzling … Continued

Pavement work under way at Starlight Theatre this spring presented an opportunity to install two new bronze stars in the Shirley Bush Helzberg Walk of Stars. The stars were previously cast and presented to two Hollywood stars – Cathy Rigby and George Hamilton – who performed on the Starlight stage during the 2012 Broadway season. As you … Continued

If seeing Tony Award®-winning musicals tops your wish list, you’ll want to spend the month of May at Starlight Theatre! ONCE The 2016 Broadway season at Starlight kicks off May 20-22 with a weekend special engagement of ONCE. The winner of eight Tony Awards in 2012, including Best Musical, ONCE is a truly original Broadway experience. Based on the … Continued

Two months before the eight-time Tony Award®-winning musical ONCE takes the stage at Starlight Theatre, it will get its Irish on during Kansas City’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Starlight and the producers of ONCE are collaborating with Cumulus Radio to re-create the musical’s Dublin pub setting atop the parade float of KCMO-FM on March 17. Kansas City’s annual parade … Continued

Get 16 songs from Broadway’s hottest hit shows for FREE! Starlight’s Broadway iTunes sampler will have you humming great music from the shows that are delighting audiences in New York and around the country. Some of these musicals are currently playing on Broadway. Others are getting ready to make their Broadway debuts or are touring … Continued

Looking for a Valentine’s gift idea? Love stories are at the heart of three Broadway musicals included in Starlight’s 2016 season! Sweethearts will enjoy a gift of season tickets to Starlight Theatre long after February 14th has come and gone. Summer nights under the stars at Kansas City’s iconic outdoor theatre have been a beloved … Continued

Behind every great performance is inspiration, and behind inspiration is a great teacher. The Tony Awards® and Carnegie Mellon University want to celebrate the teachers who create the next generation of theatre artists. Through their Excellence in Theatre Education Award program, the organizations seek to recognize dedicated teaching professionals who discover, nurture and inspire talented … Continued

With five new musicals making their Kansas City debuts at Starlight in 2016, the upcoming Broadway season is one you won’t want to miss! Starlight season ticket holders began the process of renewing their subscriptions for 2016 in late October. Now, advance season tickets for the 2016 Broadway season are on sale to the general public. Those … Continued

Forty years after it took home seven Tony Awards® on Broadway, including Best Musical, The Wiz will sing and dance its way into the homes of millions on Thursday night, Dec. 3. The Wiz LIVE! is the third live event production from NBC. It follows 2014’s Peter Pan LIVE!, starring Allison Williams, and 2013’s The Sound of Music LIVE!, which … Continued

The 15 artists of Cirque Éloize iD fill the Starlight stage with eye-popping spectacle this week. Two of the show’s dancers – Forty N’Guyen of Canada and Maria Pandora of the U.S. – shared insights into their personal routines. The show plays at Starlight on Sept. 8-13 and is the final production of the 2015 … Continued

We went backstage to learn more about our two youngest stars of the show, Fiona Scott and Maddox Carter Bane who play the roles of Jane and Michael Banks! Take a look and discover more about some of these performers’ favorite things! Favorite movie Fiona: Inside Out Maddox: In to the Woods Favorite singer or band Fiona: Taylor … Continued

Parents, children and dolls experienced the magic of Starlight Theatre this summer at American Girl’s exclusive group outings to three Broadway shows (Annie, Cinderella and Mary Poppins). Starlight, in turn, coordinated a number of activities for these special guests. Working with Starlight’s Group Sales department, American Girl Kansas City offered its customers a unique theatrical experience, including … Continued

The seventh and final show of Starlight Theatre’s 2015 Broadway season promises to delight audiences with a performance that is equal parts art, adventure and awe-inspiring skill. With the creative vibe of a modern circus, Cirque Éloize iD is set to transport Starlight audiences to a vibrant urban streetscape in the heart of a city. Starlight’s Cohen … Continued

Starlight Theatre was thrilled to welcome nearly 100 Girl Scouts, troop leaders and parents to a special Mary Poppins educational workshop on July 29. The girls, all members of Girl Scouts of Northeast Kansas and Northwest Missouri, gathered at the theatre to explore the inner workings of musical theatre. With help from Mary Poppins cast members and Starlight staff, … Continued