Downtown sets the stage for Valentine’s cheer… and romance

Roll the highlight reel to generate some heat for a Valentine’s Day week of arts and entertainment in Downtown Kansas City – Monday to Sunday, Feb. 10-16:

The City Market, 20 E. 5th St. This week, explore Kansas City’s original marketplace connecting local businesses and regional growers to the community. City Market merchants are open daily , and Farmers Market vendors are open weekends only from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. through March.

Crown Center, 2405 Grand. This week, Fairy Tale Village brings classic children’s tales come to life, as families enter an enchanted world where kids can interact with characters from their favorite stories and rhymes.  Discover a world of make-believe around every corner. The Village is open daily through May 3. And… the Ice Terrace, KC’s public outdoor skating mecca, is open daily at 10 a.m. through March 8.

Folly Theater, 300 W. 12th St. This week, featuring two enchanted evenings with:

• Enchanted Strings – Fall in love with great music this Valentine’s with a program full of heartwarming works for string orchestra. The Kansas City Chamber Orchestra – all led by renowned Australian conductor Carolyn Watson.- will take the stage at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday.
• Artisto Sham – The Harriman-Jewell Series will feature this musical prodigy in recital for a free Discovery Concert at 7 p.m. Saturday. Now at age 22, Sham began playing the piano at age 3 and entered the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts at 6.

KC Public Library, 14 W, 10th St. This week, presenting What’s Your Pronoun? at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Plaza Branch. Merriam-Webster has thrown its considerable weight behind the use of “they” as a singular, gender-neutral pronoun, expanding its dictionary definition and then proclaiming “they” the 2019 Word of the Year. Traditionalists and other critics argue: miscarriage of meaning! In a discussion of his new book, the University of Illinois’ Dennis Baron examines the issue and lends some valuable historical context.

Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, 1601 Broadway. This week, featuring six romantic – yes, including Pink Floyd – performances, including:

• Swan Lake – The Kansas City Ballet presents the most recognized ballet of all time, Swan Lake makes its highly-anticipated return after breaking box office records in 2016. The most enchanting love story ever seen opens on Valentine’s Friday on the Muriel Kauffman Theatre stage for three performances this week – and nine overall – through Feb. 23.
• The Music of Pink Floyd – Experience the unique sounds of the rock kings as the Kansas City Symphony and a full rock band perform timeless hits by one of the most influential groups of all time at 8 p.m. Friday in Helzberg Hall.
• Valentine’s Weekend with Leslie Odom Jr. – Love is in the air when Leslie Odom, Jr. returns to Kansas City! From his Tony® Award-winning role as Aaron Burr in Broadway’s hottest hit, Hamilton, Odom joins the Kansas City Symphony for evenings filled with extraordinary jazz standards and Broadway favorites.

Knuckleheads, 2715 Rochester. This week, KC’s favorite honky tonk will rock the East Bottoms with 11 rockin’ performances, including Stormcellar in a free, benefit performance with proceeds  going to battle the Australian fires and artists including Millage Gilbert, Danny Cox, DC Bellamy, Ron Teamer and Max Groove beginning at 7 p.m. Thursday; and Jimmy Webb with special guest Jogn Fullbright at 8:30 p.m. on Valentine’s Day Friday.

The Midland, 1228 Main St. This week, Dustin Lynch – a blossoming country star – at 8 p.m. on Valentine’s Day Friday. Special guest Travis Denning will open the performance.

National WWI Museum and Memorial, 2 Memorial Dr. This week, featuring a special exhibition on The Vietnam War. More than 40 years after its conclusion, the War remains one of the most controversial events of the 20th century. How did the conflict begin? Why did it begin? What are the connections between the war and its confounding cousin, World War I? This exhibition – on display through May – explores themes of patriotism, duty and citizenship through a remarkable collection of objects from the New York Historical Society.

Power & Light District, 50 E. 13th St. Coming, Redneck Rumble – The monthly mayhem series presents wrestling-themed games, drinks and the chance to win a trip to Tampa for WrestleMania beginning at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 21 at PBR Big Sky; and the 11th annual Mardis Gras Bar Crawl from 8 – 11 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 22. Enjoy an all-inclusive party package at 14+ bars and entertainment venues! Festivities include live music, crawfish-eating contests, fire jugglers, street performers and more!

Sprint Center, 1407 Grand. Coming, Buckle up for four big nights of rodeo with the WCRA Royal City Roundup on Friday, Feb. 28 AND the return of PBR: Professional Bull Riders on Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 29 and Mar. 1.

The Truman, 601 E. Truman Rd. This week, presenting a wildly eclectic wave of red-hot national acts including Trixie Mattel – winner of season 3 of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars – in a live show at 8 p.m. Tuesday; 90.9 The Bridge presents The New Pornographers with Diane Coffee at 8 p.m. Wednesday; the sold-out appearance of King Princess at 8 p.m. Friday; and the John Tierney Benefit Concert featuring Various Blonde, The Snotrockets, Go Kart, Otis 13 and The Brothers Rex at 7 p.m. Sunday.

Union Station, 30 W. Pershing Rd. This week, Genghis Khan – Bringing the Legend to Life – Discover how legends are made in this world-class exhibition that explores the culture, conquests and heritage of the world’s greatest conqueror . . . the man Time Magazine and The Washington Post named “The Most Important Person of the Last Millennium.” Journey back 800 years, to experience the treasures and stories of Genghis Khan’s 13th-century Mongol Empire, the exhibition is showing seven days a week. Click here to learn more.

LIVE THEATER – This week, featuring performances on eight stages, including:

• Cabaret Swings – In the 1930s, Americans went wild for the swing music craze. That sound is still popular today, and whether it be sweet or hot, tunes such as “It Don’t Mean A Thing,” “Stardust,” “I Got Rhythm,” “It’s Only A Paper Moon,” and “I’ve Got The World On A String” keep people – and the Quality Hill Playhouse – swinging. Performances run through Sunday.
• Come From Away – This New York Times Critic’s Pick takes you into the heart of the remarkable true story of 7,000 stranded passengers and the small town in Newfoundland that welcomed them. Don’t miss this breathtaking new musical written by Tony Award® nominees Irene Sankoff and David Hein, and helmed by 2017’s Tony® Award-winning Best Director, Christopher Ashley. Newsweek cheers, “It takes you to a place you never want to leave!” The KC Broadway Series production opens Tuesday and runs through Sunday at the Music Hall.
• Fool’s Gold – An all new show featuring music from some of the best honky-tonk musicians and vocalists in the Midwest at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday at MTH Theater in Crown Center.
• Forever Plaid – Singing in close harmony and executing charmingly outlandish choreography with overzealous precision, the “Plaids” – the original jukebox band – are a smash, with a program of beloved songs and delightful patter that will keep you laughing when you’re not humming along to some of the great nostalgic pop hits of the 1950s! Performances run through next Sunday, Feb. 23 at MTH Theater in Crown Center.
• Miss Nelson is Missing – Theatre for Young America presents the story of a beloved teacher who goes missing and is replaced by Viola Swamp, a scary substitute teacher who assigns homework from hell and wields her ruler like a sword! The mystery opens at 2 p.m. Saturday and runs through Feb. 29 at City Stage Theatre at Union Station.
• A Raisin in the Sun – According to The New York Times, this is “the play that changed American theater forever.” First produced in 1959, A Raisin in the Sun asks what happens to people whose dreams are constantly deferred. Performances open on Valentine’s Friday and run through Feb. 29 at Just Off Broadway Theatre.
• Sensatia, Cirque Cabaret – Prepare to be transported to an interactive multimedia performance blending spectacular acrobatics, state-of-the-art visuals, live music, perfumery, and creative culinary concepts to arouse each of the five senses. Fusing film, live music, awe-inspiring acrobatics, projection mapping, culinary arts and more, this Quixotic experience promises a truly unique multi-sensory experience. Quixotic’s residency show runs through Saturday in the new Quixotic Theater at Crown Center.
• Titanic – Winner of five Tony Awards in 1997, including Best Musical, “Titanic” tells the true story of the quintessential 20th Century disaster through the eyes the captain, the owner, the designer, the officers and crew members, as well as the passengers from the 1st, 2nd & 3rd class decks of the ill-fated “unsinkable” ship. Performances begin Thursday and run through Feb. 23 at The Arts Asylum.

LIVE MUSIC is on tap most nights at these Downtown clubs and joints: Blue Room Jazz Club, Black Dolphin, The Brick, Gem Theater,  Green Lady Lounge, Hush, The Majestic Jazz Club, Mutual Musicians Foundation, The Phoenix, Prohibition Hall , throughout the Power & Light District, The Record Bar and The Ship.

AND, UNIQUE TREASURES are plentiful via Downtown museums and attractions, including the Airline History Museum, Downtown Airport; American Jazz Museum, 18th & Vine; Arabia Steamboat Museum, River Market; Black Archives of Mid-America, 18th & Vine; Todd Bolender Center for Dance and Creativity, Union Station District; Boulevard Beer Hall, Westside; City Market, River Market; College Basketball Experience, Sprint Center; Garment District Museum, Garment District; Kansas City Public Library, Central Business District; Hallmark Visitors Center, Crown Center; Hy-Vee Arena, West Bottoms; Kansas City Museum, Corinthian Hall; Money Museum, Federal Reserve Bank of KC; National Archives, Union Station District; National WWI Museum and Memorial, Liberty Memorial; Legoland Discovery Center, Crown Center; Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, 18th & Vine; Riverfront Heritage Trail, River Market area; Science City, Union Station; Sea Life Aquarium, Crown Center; 21c Museum Hotel, Historic 9th District; TWA Museum, Downtown Airport; and Union Station, Union Station.

For more of what’s happening in Downtown and Kansas City, check out ArtsKCGo and VisitKC.com