12 Days of Giving Starlight-Style…
In the spirit of the holiday season, Starlight Theatre is sharing ideas for “12 Days of Giving.” We hope you will enjoy our suggestions for giving your loved ones – or yourself – some special musical-related treats this month!
While we hope to see you in January for our Starlight Indoors series, we also know the holidays and winter months are ideal for spending time at home. Cold, snowy nights provide the perfect justification for warming up with a good book under your favorite blanket! May we suggest that you prepare yourself for Starlight’s upcoming shows? After all, five of the shows in Starlight’s 2016 indoor and summer seasons have ties to some really great reads.
Here are the books we recommend for your winter reading list:
The Bridges of Madison County
One of the bestselling books of the 20th century, with 50 million copies sold worldwide, The Bridges of Madison County tells the story of a married but lonely Italian woman living in 1960s Madison County, Iowa. She engages in an affair with a National Geographic photographer who is visiting Iowa to create a photographic essay of the area’s covered bridges. The book was adapted into a 1995 feature film starring Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep.
The book’s new musical adaption makes its Kansas City premiere at Starlight on June 14-19.
Israel Rank: The Autobiography of a Criminal
Israel Rank: The Autobiography of a Criminal by Roy Horniman is a 1907 black comedy that inspired the Tony Award®-winning Best Musical, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder. Israel Rank has loving parents, a comfortable home, and the charm, brains, looks and ambition to get him through life with ease. But he’s not satisfied! Israel is heir to the Gascoyne earldom, a position of power and wealth, and he’s determined to get it. All he has to do is kill everyone ahead of him in line – preferably without getting caught.
See A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder at Starlight on Aug. 9-14.
The Star Wars expanded universe
The Star Wars expanded universe encompasses all of the officially licensed material of the Star Wars saga, outside of the seven films and two television series. Some notable books in the universe include the X-wing series, the Jedi Academy trilogy and the Young Jedi Knights series. The expanded universe offers books and comic books for diehard Jedis to continue their journeys through a galaxy far, far away.
Jedi Masters, Padawans and friends are invited to see One-Man Star Wars Trilogy presented indoors at Starlight Jan. 26-31.
Matilda (and other Roald Dahl books)
School Library Journal ranks Matilda, published in 1988, among the 30 all-time-best children’s novels. This classic Roald Dahl book tells the story of an exceptional young girl whose parents think she’s just a nuisance. When Matilda is attacked by her school teacher, she suddenly discovers she has a remarkable magic power with which to fight back. And, if you and your kids like Matilda, we’d also recommend you read other Dahl classics including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1964), James and the Giant Peach (1961) and Fantastic Mr. Fox (1970).
Bring the kids to Starlight on May 24-28 to see the magic of Matilda the Musical live on stage!
Harry Potter series
Most know about the magical world of Harry Potter but, if you don’t, this seven-book series by J.K. Rowling chronicles the lives of a young wizard and his friends at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The main story arc concerns Harry’s struggle to kill the Dark wizard, Lord Voldermort, who aims to become immortal, subjugate non-magic people and destroy all who stand in his way. If you can’t read all seven novels by mid-January, don’t despair because….
Potted Potter at Starlight Indoors on Jan. 19-24 conveniently condenses all the adventures into a hilarious 70-minute parody.