Dinner and a Show in KC

Enjoy dinner and a live show at one of Kansas City’s premier theaters.

The Coterie is Kansas City’s professional children’s theater located on the first floor of Crown Center. From March 21 to May 7, watch Where the Wild Things Are. This acclaimed adaptation of Sendak’s beloved classic is an intimate, guided interactive play experience. June 14-Aug. 7, Madagascar: A Musical Adventure takes the stage. The new musical adventure for all ages (yes, even parents) will be one of the first productions of the much-loved madcap journey from New York’s Central Park Zoo to the beaches of Madagascar. Crown Center is home to many fantastic restaurants, but all-time faves for the kids will always be Fritz’s Railroad Restaurant, where trains deliver food to your table, or d’Bronx, the New York-style delicatessen and pizzeria.

Kansas City’s outdoor summer theater, Starlight, is bringing six shows to the stage this summer. The season lineup kicks off with a family blockbuster that TIME Magazine named its number one show of 2013: Matilda The Musical. The production launches Starlight’s 66th Broadway season the week before Memorial Day. Next, romance is in the air when The Bridges of Madison County brings the bestselling novel and Oscar-nominated movie to life on Starlight’s Cohen Community Stage. Audiences then will step back in time to Prohibition-era New York City when Bullets over Broadway roars into town with big laughs and colorful characters. The fourth show in Starlight’s season is a family favorite. Disney’s Beauty and the Beast will break the evil spell and reconfirm that love conquers all. Then it’s back to New York City where the contemporary musical If/Then spins a deeply moving story of life paths taken and not taken. And finally, wrapping up the season is 2014’s Tony Award-winner for best musical, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder, a show that promises to leave guests giggling all the way home. Enjoy pre-show dining at the Applause Club.

Kansas City’s free Shakespeare in the Park is a beloved summer tradition. This year on June 14-July 3, the 24th season brings to the stage Twelfth Night; or, What You Will, Shakespeare's hilarious romantic comedy set in romantic Illyria. Concessions are available at the festival, and picnics are welcome.

The Kansas City Repertory Theatre performs on two stages, one on the UMKC campus near the Country Club Plaza and the other in the Kansas City Power & Light District. Both shopping districts are home to dozens of excellent restaurants appealing to any palate. From March 18 to April 10, enjoy The Fantastiks, the longest-running musical in off-Broadway history. This is theater magic in its purest form, with clever props, snappy dialogue, plot twists and the mesmerizing performances of a stunningly talented cast. From April 23 to May 22, watch Origin KC: New Works Festival, showcasing two stories, Fire in Dreamland and Lot’s Wife.

Enjoy the Kansas City Ballet’s performances at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. The 2015/16 season concludes with the spring production Rite of Spring, showing May 5-16. The show features four Kansas City premieres: Petal by Helen Pickett, Diving into the Lilacs by Yuri Possokhov, World Premiere by Viktor Plotnikov and Rite of Spring by Adam Hougland. Los Tules, one of the most authentic and delicious Mexican restaurants in town is across the street. And for upscale dining, you can enjoy brunch or dinner next door at the elegant Webster House.

Little ones will delight in Theatre for Young America’s live plays at Union Station. The upcoming season includes The Life and Times of the Three Little Pigs, showing April 12-May 14, a robust and hilarious musical treatment of the English fairy tale about the three little pigs facing the threat of the big bad wolf. Jack and the Beanstalk, showing June 7-24, is the premier production of a new musical play based on the old English fairy tale set in the Ozark Mountains and featuring folk melodies from the British Isles. Stop in at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory for a treat before or after the show! And visit Science City before or after the show to enjoy hands-on science exhibits or check out the KC Rail Experience to see the largest model train display in the metro.