Alan Cumming Brings his New Cabaret Show to the Kauffman Center
The award-winning actor’s performance, “Legal Immigrant,” will be in Helzberg Hall on May 13
Kansas City, MO – Tony Award-winning actor Alan Cumming will perform at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts on May 13 as part of the 2017-2018 Kauffman Center Presents series.
Alan Cumming brings his latest cabaret show to Helzberg Hall on May 13. The performance, Legal Immigrant, features songs and stories of the Scottish-born actor’s life and loves in his adopted U.S. homeland, where he’s been a citizen since 2008.
Alan Cumming won a Tony Award for his performance as the emcee in the revival of Cabaret and an Olivier Award for Accidental Death of an Anarchist. His portrayal of Eli Gold on television’s The Good Wife earned him Emmy, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild award nominations. His film credits include Emma, GoldenEye, and X2 of the X-Men series.
Tickets go on sale to the public at 10 a.m. Friday, March 23, 2018.
ABOUT ALAN CUMMING
Alan Cumming has been described by Time magazine as one of the most fun people in show business, by The New York Times as a “bawdy, counter-cultural sprite” and by The Guardian as “European, weird, and sexually ambiguous.” He is many things to many people – renaissance man, style icon, social activist and bon viveur.
Alan Cumming trained at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. After leaving, he quickly found himself celebrated in his homeland for his TV work and his stand-up comedy. He found his biggest break in theater, where he was recognized for roles in Hamlet, Macbeth, The Threepenny Opera, and more. His previous cabaret show, Alan Cumming Sings Sappy Songs, was described by The New York Times as an “emotional firestorm.”
Cumming has won more than 30 awards for his humanitarianism and social activism, received both the Great Scot and Icon of Scotland awards from his homeland and was made an OBE – Officer of the British Empire – for his contributions to the arts and LGBT equality. His 2014 memoir, Not My Father’s Son, was a New York Times No. 1 bestseller.
Alan Cumming. Photo: Emil Cohen
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Alice Cooper will perform at the Kauffman Center
The horror rock pioneer brings ‘A Paranormal Evening with Alice Cooper’ to Kansas City on August 6
Theatrical rocker Alice Cooper will perform at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts on August 6, as part of the 2018-2019 Kauffman Center Presents series.
Known as the architect of shock rock, Alice Cooper – in both the original Alice Cooper band and as a solo artist – has rattled the cages and undermined the authority of generations of guardians of the status quo. Cooper’s performance, A Paranormal Evening with Alice Cooper, will bring the dark and horror-themed theatrics he’s known for to the stage of Muriel Kauffman Theatre.
ABOUT ALICE COOPER
Alice Cooper pioneered a grandly theatrical brand of rock that was designed to shock. For more than five decades, Cooper’s show has surprised fans and exuded terror at every turn. Spending six months each year on the road, Cooper brings his own brand of rock psycho-drama to fans both old and new.
The Alice Cooper band formed while its members were in high school in Phoenix, and was discovered in 1969 by Frank Zappa, who signed the group to his record label. The band found success through the 1970s with albums including Love It to Death, Killer and School’s Out, building a more elaborate touring stage show with each release. Cooper released his first solo album, Welcome to My Nightmare, in 1975, followed by many more solo releases, including 2017’s Paranormal.
Cooper’s television and movie credits include Wayne’s World, Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare, and That 70’s Show. He will appear as Herod in NBC’s live staging of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Jesus Christ Superstar on April 1. The Alice Cooper band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011.
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Community Experience at National Geographic Live
Students attended Brian Skerry’s Ocean Wild presentation on January 9. Photo by Jillian Shoptaw.
The Kauffman Center hosted another educational series of National Geographic Live student matinees this season, with performances for local students in January, February and March. The 2018 school matinees came to a close last week with a presentation by marine biologist/photographer Cristina Mittermeier about how different groups of people interact with water around the world.
Almost 4,000 students attended the matinees over the course of three dates at the beginning of 2018. Presenters for the National Geographic Live matinees included underwater photographer Brian Skerry, wildlife photographer Florian Schulz, and Cristina Mittermeier. These presenters covered a variety of topics ranging from the ecosystems of the Arctic to water conservation in Greenland.
Florian Schulz provided students with a glimpse into the vast world of animals who live in the Arctic region with his presentation, Into the Arctic Kingdom on February 6.
One teacher who attended said, “Many of our students have not been outside of their neighborhoods. The opportunity to have them experience a world class theater and presentation is invaluable. It inspires and motivates them to set higher expectations for themselves to help achieve short and long term goals because they have seen possibilities.”
Brian Skerry presented photos and stories to student audiences on January 9 in a presentation titled Ocean Wild. He amazed his viewers with facts about different sea creatures and spoke about some of the challenges currently facing the oceans and their ecosystems.
Also speaking about oceans, Cristina Mittermeier talked to student groups on March 6 about her experiences living with indigenous groups around the world and the relationships these groups have with water. Students gained appreciation and knowledge on the topic of water conservation in Mittermeiers performance, Standing at the Water’s Edge.
In advance of the presentations, the Kauffman Center provides educators with a study guide including classroom activities, vocabulary lists, and tips for what to expect at the student matinee.
“The study guide helped us prepare our students for what they were going to experience. We included vocabulary, visuals, geography and information about the speaker. We also used it upon return with the follow up activities and discussion,” said one teacher who attended.
The Kauffman Center is excited to provide educational opportunities like National Geographic Live student matinees for KC metro area youth through the Open Doors program. As part of the Open Doors program, the Kauffman Center offers schools opportunities such as the Open Doors Transportation Fund. This program aims to help offset the cost of bus travel for schools so that getting to and from the Kauffman Center for student performances is not an issue.
The Center also hosts student performances by resident arts groups Kansas City Ballet, Kansas City Symphony and Lyric Opera of Kansas City. These performances give local students a chance to experience some of the best artistic features Kansas City has to offer. Visit the Open Doors webpage to sign up to receive more information about the Open Doors program and to view upcoming educational opportunities.
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Happy Together Tour joins 2018-2019 Kauffman Center Presents series
Happy Together Tour brings solid gold 1960s and 1970s hits to Muriel Kauffman Theatre on August 19
Kansas City, MO – The Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts has announced that the Happy Together Tour will stop at the Kauffman Center on August 19. This event is part of the 2018-2019 Kauffman Center Presents series.
The Happy Together Tour brings its sunny classic rock songs to Muriel Kauffman Theatre on August 19. The tour features six headline artists who delivered some of the biggest rock hits of the 1960s and 1970s: The Turtles, Chuck Negron (formerly of Three Dog Night), Gary Puckett & The Union Gap, The Association, Mark Lindsay (former lead singer of Paul Revere & The Raiders), and The Cowsills. Tickets for the event range from $49 to $89 plus applicable fees and go on sale to the public at 10 a.m. Wednesday, March 14.
Tickets will be available through the Kauffman Center Box Office at (816) 994-7222, via the Kauffman Center mobile app, or online at www.kauffmancenter.org.
ABOUT HAPPY TOGETHER TOUR
Now in its ninth consecutive year, the Happy Together Tour highlights popular rock acts from the 1960s and 1970s, including: The Turtles, Chuck Negron (formerly of Three Dog Night), Gary Puckett & The Union Gap, The Association, Mark Lindsay (former lead singer of Paul Revere & The Raiders), and The Cowsills. This all-star ensemble brings classic tunes to the stage, including “Happy Together,” “Joy To The World” and “Never My Love.” Signature headliners The Turtles have sold more than 40 million records worldwide; the band’s tour lineup features founding member and singer Mark Volman, along with The Archies singer Ron Dante.
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Acoustic Quintet Punch Brothers Joins the 2018-2019 Kauffman Center Presents Series
The genre-bending group will perform September 9 in Muriel Kauffman Theatre
Kansas City, MO – The Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts announced that the Punch Brothers will perform September 9 in Muriel Kauffman Theatre. This event is part of the 2018-2019 Kauffman Center Presents series.
Punch Brothers are the acoustic quintet of mandolinist Chris Thile, guitarist Chris Eldridge, bassist Paul Kowert, banjoist Noam Pikelny and violinist Gabe Witcher. Says the Washington Post, “With enthusiasm and experimentation, Punch Brothers take bluegrass to its next evolutionary stage, drawing equal inspiration from the brain and the heart.” The band combines instrumental wizardry with playful storytelling, pushing genre boundaries to make music like no one else. Singer-songwriter Madison Cunningham will open the evening, followed by headlining act Punch Brothers.
Tickets for the event range from $29 to $59 plus applicable fees and go on sale to the public at 10 a.m. Friday, March 2. Tickets will be available through the Kauffman Center Box Office at (816) 994-7222, via the Kauffman Center mobile app, or online at www.kauffmancenter.org.
ABOUT PUNCH BROTHERS
Punch Brothers formed in 2006. The band’s first Nonesuch record, Punch, was released in 2008 and combined elements of their many musical interests. In 2009, they began a residency at NYC’s intimate club, Living Room, trying out new songs and ultimately spawning the GRAMMY-nominated Antifogmatic (2010). In 2012, the band released Who’s Feeling Young Now?, which Q praised for its “astonishing, envelope-pushing vision,” while Rolling Stone said, “The acoustic framework dazzles – wild virtuosity used for more than just virtuosity.” The band’s most recent album, the T Bone Burnett-produced, The Phosphorescent Blues (released in 2015 on Nonesuch Records), addresses with straight-up poignancy and subversive humor the power and the pitfalls of our super-connected world.
Recently, Chris Thile took over hosting duties of Live from Here (formerly A Prairie Home Companion) in 2016 and released Thank You for Listening in late 2017 – a collection of songs written for the popular radio show. Chris Eldridge partnered with Julian Lage for the GRAMMY-nominated Mount Royal and Noam Pikelny released his fourth solo album, the GRAMMY-nominated Universal Favorite. Both Mount Royal and Universal Favorite were produced by Gabe Witcher, who was also behind Sara Watkins’ latest, Young In All The Wrong Ways. Paul Kowert has been recording and touring with the Dave Rawlings Machine while developing his latest project Hawktail, his band with Jordan Tice, Brittney Haas and Dominick Leslie.
ABOUT MADISON CUNNINGHAM
Orange County, Calif. native, Madison Cunningham, possesses a keen understanding of songcraft that is perplexing for someone who’s just 20 years old. With an ear for melody that is reminiscent of early Joni Mitchell and approach to guitar and vocals that isn’t far off from long past heroes of Jeff Buckley or Nick Drake, Cunningham exhibits a unique ability to keep the listener on the edge as they explore her debut EP, Love, Lose, Remember. The oldest of five daughters, Cunningham picked up a guitar at the age of seven and was singing with her sisters and family in church by the age of 12. It was a happenstance meeting with producer Tyler Chester (Blake Mills, Sara Watkins) four years ago that helped Cunningham start to develop her approach as a songwriter. Released in early 2017, Love, Lose, Remember, showcases Madison’s ability as a songwriter and arranger with the lyrical content of someone who has lived twice the life of this young artist.
Madison Cunningham. Photo by Robbie Jeffers
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