Coming Soon to The Barn Players
Our 57th Season
April 20 — May 6
Music and Lyrics by Jeff Lynne & John Farrar
and Book by Douglas Carter Beane
Directed by Guy Gardner
Musical Direction by Mackenzie Zielke
Xanadu follows the journey of a magical and beautiful Greek muse, Kira, who descends from the heavens of Mt. Olympus to Venice Beach, California in 1980 on a quest to inspire a struggling artist, Sonny, to achieve the greatest artistic creation of all time - the first roller disco! (Hey, it's 1980!) But, when Kira falls into forbidden love with the mortal Sonny, her jealous sisters take advantage of the situation and chaos abounds. This hilarious, roller skating, musical adventure about following your dreams despite the limitations others set for you, rolls along to the original hit score composed by pop-rock legends Jeff Lynne and John Farrar, and includes, "Magic", "All Over The World", "Suddenly", "I'm Alive", "Evil Woman", "Have You Never Been Mellow" and "Xanadu", to name a few, and is based on the Universal Pictures' cult classic movie of the same title, which starred Olivia Newton-John and Gene Kelly. It's hilarity on wheels for adults, children and anyone who has ever wanted to feel inspired, as one of Broadway's master storytellers, Douglas Carter Beane, weaves a moving, electrifying tale of endless fun that will keep you in stitches, while the original, legendary chart-topping tunes lift you out of your seat. You'll want to keep the music in your head, and Xanadu in your heart, forever. A Kansas City community theatre premiere.
June 1 - 17
By Craig Lucas
Directed by Darren Sextro
At Peter and Rita's wedding, a mysterious old man insists on kissing the bride. While honeymooning, Peter gradually realizes that the woman by his side is not his wife. The wedding kiss caused Rita's soul and the old man's to change places. Peter must track down the old man and free his young love's spirit trapped in an aging and diseased body before it's too late.
July 20 — August 5
By Kathy Najimy & Mo Gaffney
Directed by Tiffany Garrison-Schweigert
In the opening scene, two Supreme Beings plan the beginning of the world with the relish of two slightly sadistic suburban wives decorating a living room. Once they've decided on the color scheme of the races, a little concerned that white people will feel slighted being such a boring color, they create sex and the sexes. Afraid women will have too many advantages, the Beings decide to make childbirth painful and to give men enormous egos as compensation. From this moment, the audience is whisked through the outrageous universe of Kathy and Mo, where talented actresses play men and women struggling through the common rituals of modern life: teenagers on a date, sisters at their grandmother's funeral, a man and a woman together in a country-western bar. With boundless humor, PARALLEL LIVES reexamines the ongoing quest to find parity and love in a contest handicapped by capricious gods—or in this case, goddesses.
A Barn Kids Production
Session 1: June 19 — 21
Session 2: July 24 - 26
Music and Lyrics by Mel Leven, Randy Rogel, Richard Gibbs, Brian Smith, Martin Lee Fuller & Dan Root
Book adaptation and additional lyrics by Marcy Heisler
Music adapted and arranged by Bryan Louiselle
Directed by Jason Coats
In a loving home in the city of London, Dalmatian parents Pongo and Perdita happily raise their Dalmatian puppies, until the monstrous Cruella De Vil plots to steal them for her new fur coat! Join all the dogs of London as they daringly rescue the puppies from Cruella and her bumbling henchmen. This stage adaptation will charm and delight with a wonderfully fun score, lovable characters, and one of the most deliciously evil villains in the Disney canon. This year, our summer Barn Kids program will stage this production twice, with a different group of young performers each time, giving twice as many kids the opportunity to enjoy the learning and performing experience our Barn Kids program provides.
The Beatles: A Tribute
August 10 - 12
Our 2012 Fundraiser
Directed by Eric Van Horn
(Creator/Director of 2010's "Women Of Rock")
Musical Direction by Bill Welch
September 14 - 30
Music, Lyrics and Book by Willy Russell
Directed by Eric Magnus
Musical Direction by J. Preston Schell
Blood Brothers, by the author of the plays Educating Rita and Shirley Valentine, is a haunting rags to riches tragedy of our times. A woman with numerous children to support surrenders one of her new born twins to the childless woman for whom she cleans house. The boys grow up streets apart, never learning the truth. They become firm friends and fall in love with the same girl. One prospers while the other falls on hard times. A narrator warns that a price has to be paid for separating twins. One of the longest running shows in London's West End history (22 years), Blood Brothers is a cautionary tale for the ages. A Kansas City community theatre premiere.
November 2 - 18
Music by John Kander
Lyrics by Freb Ebb, John Kander & Rupert Holmes
Book by Rupert Holmes
Directed by Kipp Simmons
Musical Direction by Martha Risser
It's the brassy, bright and promising year of 1959. Boston's Colonial Theatre is host to the opening night performance of a new musical. When the leading lady mysteriously dies on stage the entire cast & crew are suspects. Enter a local detective, who just happens to be a musical theatre fan! Curtains is a brash, energetic and hilarious musical comedy, featuring a score by John Kander and Fred Ebb (creators of Kiss of the Spider Woman, Cabaret and Chicago), with a book and additional lyrics by the Tony Award winning writer of The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Rupert Holmes. Don't miss this Kansas City community theatre premiere to close out The Barn Players 57th season!
December 7 — 9
Directors and Scripts to be chosen Summer 2012
