Keep up with the latest from Starlight including details about Broadway shows, new programs, history, and more.
In case you missed it, last month we announced the 2022 AdventHealth Broadway Series lineup at Starlight, and we couldn’t be more excited! This series will feature a wide selection of shows designed to satisfy the varied tastes of Kansas City theatre-goers. As you consider renewing your Broadway subscription or becoming a new subscriber, keep … Continued
With crowd-pleasing musicals and hit stage favorites, Starlight is excited to announce another fantastic line up of productions coming straight from Broadway to Kansas City in 2022. And, if a few shows look familiar, it’s because Starlight leadership was able to re-book a number of productions that were cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to … Continued
Set your mind to island time, and join us for Escape to Margaritaville, an entertaining jukebox musical that comes to Starlight September 21-26. Margaritaville is a place where people come to get away from it all—and stay to find something they never expected. In Margaritaville, a part-time bartender, part-time singer and full-time charmer thinks he’s got life all figured out until a … Continued
Coming to Starlight this fall from our friends at the St. Louis Muny is On Your Feet!, an energetic musical that tells the inspiring true story of Emilio and Gloria Estefan. Guests will be delighted to experience this sensational show at Starlight September 7-12. Featuring chart-topping hits from Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine, … Continued
You won’t believe it even when you see it! The Illusionists come to Starlight July 20-25 as part of a national tour for some incredible nights under the stars. The Illusionists – Direct from Broadway™ features the mind-bending talents of six of the most impressive and charismatic performers in the world. Audiences of all ages … Continued
Starlight welcomes Godspell to its stage for the very first time Tuesday, June 22 – Sunday, June 27. Produced by Starlight, an all-Kansas City cast will shine in several impactful musical numbers and scenes, ranging from light-hearted and amusing to serious and reflective. Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, this sensational show is the perfect … Continued
Broadway is back this summer at Starlight! This season, fans will get to enjoy the 2021 AdventHealth Broadway Series in a 4-show line up. With the highly anticipated wait now over, this is a season of Broadway you don’t want to miss! “Kansas Citians showed us how supportive they are during the pandemic, and we … Continued
Dear friends of Starlight, Due to the continuation of the COVID-19 pandemic and the announcement that Broadway will be shuttered until at least June of next year, we recently learned that there will be a number of changes to your 2021 AdventHealth Broadway Series. Almost all of the Broadway producers have had to make the … Continued
This year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade may look a little different without the crowds on the streets of New York, but the show will go on. Recently, a number of Broadway shows came together for the first time since March to rehearse and perform pre-taped performances to air during the parade on Thursday, November 26. Tune … Continued
Tony Award winner James Monroe Iglehart revealed the much-anticipated 2020 Tony Award Nominations via YouTube on Thursday, October 15. Jagged Little Pill, the rock musical inspired by the Alanis Morissette album of the same name, earned the most nominations with 15. Moulin Rouge! was a close second with 14, and Tina: The Tina Turner Musical … Continued
While the coronavirus pandemic prevented audiences from enjoying evenings under the stars in 2020, Starlight is excited to look ahead to 2021. Starlight rebooked a number of shows previously scheduled to play in 2020 for the following summer and added two new sensational Broadway hits for the upcoming season. In chronological order, the 2021 AdventHealth … Continued
In case you missed it—Hamilton, the Tony Award-winning blockbuster hit musical, premieres on Disney+ Friday, July 3. There’s no better way to celebrate the Fourth of July than throwing a Hamilton-themed watch party (only for those who live in your immediate household, of course)! We’ve scoured Pinterest for the perfect recipes and décor ideas to … Continued
A Message From Rich Baker, Starlight's President & CEO After making every effort to proceed with our previously announced production of Godspell, we are sad to announce its cancellation. We explored many options, but simply could not find a financially responsible way of staging this show – especially with the added expense of COVID-19 precautionary … Continued
A Message From Rich Baker, Starlight's President & CEO Dear Starlight friends and family, While I am confident that the Starlight experience we love will endure and nights under the stars will return, I have unfortunate news to share regarding the remaining touring shows in our 2020 AdventHealth Broadway Series. The producers of both Escape to Margaritaville and My … Continued
Try before you buy! The SpongeBob Musical plays under the stars as part of the 2020 Advent Health Broadway Series but before it takes the stage at Starlight, Nickelodeon will broadcast The SpongeBob Musical: Live On Stage! December 7 at 7 p.m. on Nickelodeon, TeenNick and Nicktoons. Based on the beloved Nickelodeon series, The SpongeBob Musical originally premiered on Broadway in … Continued
Starlight is pleased to announce a fantastic line up of Broadway crowd-pleasers, iconic jukebox musicals and hit stage favorites coming to our historic theatre under the stars as part of the 2020 AdventHealth Broadway Series. With a selection of fantastic productions hitting the road this season, Starlight booked a summer to encompass six week-long Broadway … Continued
On this week's episode of Talkin' With Taylor, Taylor talks with Carolee Carmello, who plays the title role in the national Broadway tour of Hello, Dolly!, playing under the stars September 25-29. Carmello is a stage veteran who has been seen in 14 Broadway shows, including Parade, Finding Neverland and The Addams Family. Now, she makes her Dolly debut … Continued
Guests attending performances of Hello, Dolly! at Starlight Theatre on Sept. 25-29 can help fight hunger in our community by bringing nonperishable food items to donate at the entry gates. Starlight is proud to partner with Harvesters in support of September’s Hunger Action Month. And, because orange is the signature color of Hunger Action Month, Starlight patrons … Continued
Dolly will be back where she belongs September 25-29 as the final show in the 2019 AdventHealth Broadway Series. This will be Starlight’s fifth staging of the matchmaking musical comedy, and Dolly is still glowing and going strong, as evidenced by the sold-out Broadway crowds and honors bestowed on this 2017 revival. This iconic show … Continued
Proclaimed as “The grandest circus spectacle east of Vegas” by New York Magazine, Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy was the first show of its kind to appear on the Great White Way. Since then, many Cirque-style shows have taken the Broadway stage—but none like this spectacular original. Now, Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy performs on the Starlight stage for one weekend only—September … Continued
On this week's episode of Talkin' With Taylor, Taylor hits the road to talk with Brandon Michael Nase. Nase plays the wisest feline, Old Deuteronomy, in the national tour of CATS.Find out how parenthood prepared him for the role, what's been updated for modern audiences, and what Kansas Citians can expect at CATS. CATS is the iconic Broadway … Continued
The record-breaking musical CATS tells the story of a group of Jellicle cats who come together for one special night per year—at the Jellicle Ball—to choose which of their tribe will be reborn. Based on Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats by T.S. Eliot, the stage musical features more than 25 felines, each with its own personality … Continued
Summer at Starlight is off to a great start with audiences already enjoying numerous Broadway and concert selections under the stars in Swope Park. Next, the crowd-pleasing hit musical A Bronx Tale transports Starlight’s 2019 AdventHealth Broadway Series from the heart of Kansas City to the stoops of the Bronx in the 1960s, July 31-August 4 only. … Continued
On this week's episode of Talkin' With Taylor, Taylor sits down with Sarah Bockel, who plays the title role in the national tour of Beautiful - The Carole King Musical. Find out what's changed in Sarah's life since landing the role, how she prepared to play Carole King, and what it was like to get the … Continued
On this week's episode of Talkin' With Taylor, Taylor sits down with two of Oz’s most iconic characters – The Wizard, played by Eddie Korbich, and The Cowardly Lion, played by Robert Hingula. Find out more about the history of The Wizard of Oz, how these two actors built their performance careers, and what audiences can … Continued
Inspired by the rescue dogs who have starred in numerous productions of The Wizard of Oz, Starlight Theatre will host a “Take Home Toto” pre-show event June 10-16. Starlight is partnering with four leading pet adoption agencies and shelters to introduce Starlight guests to adoptable local dogs. Shelter volunteers and adoptable dogs will be on site … Continued
It’s a big year for the iconic piece of American pop culture, The Wizard of Oz, as the film celebrates its 80th anniversary in 2019. And that’s not the only anniversary that we’re celebrating with this production—The Wizard of Oz is director Philip Wm. McKinley’s 13th show at Starlight—a new record! Needless to say, we’re celebrating in … Continued
If Spotify existed in the Land of Oz, what music would the Scarecrow, Tin Man, Cowardly Lion and Dorothy have played on their trip down the Yellow Brick Road? Listen to their playlist and then see The Wizard of Oz at Starlight Theatre. Dorothy' Home Playlist Scarecrow's Brain Playlist
Beautiful – The Carole King Musical plays under the stars June 25-30, and it’s bound to be a week of fantastic music. You may know Carole King from her solo hits “I Feel the Earth Move” and “It’s Too Late”—but before she made it big as a performing artist, she wrote more than two dozen chart-toppers … Continued
Are you ready to rock? First appearing on Broadway in 2009, Rock of Ages celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2019 with a tour that turns up the volume to ten, including a stop in Kansas City May 31-June 2, before heading back to the Great White Way for a limited engagement this summer. There’s no better way to open the exciting 2019 AdventHealth Broadway Series … Continued