‘Spider-Man,’ circus, Aretha and a ‘Nutcracker’ twist coming in Midwest Trust season

Step right up! Under the Midwest Trust Center’s 2024-25 big top, you’ll find everything from Spider-Man to string quartets, female country crooners to ballet and opera and, yes, a circus.

Stacie McDaniel, executive director of the center, has put together a kaleidoscopic season that truly has something for everyone. That includes music from all over the world — Bollywood, mariachi and malambo. The dance and percussion troupe Malevo, which specializes in this Argentine dance style, performs Sept. 26.

“Malambo is sort of like step dancing or tap, but involves Latin rhythms and has a relationship to tango,” McDaniel said. “The dancers also play percussion instruments, as well as percussion with their feet.”

The season also includes populist spectacle, like “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Live in Concert” Sept. 29. The popcorn film will be accompanied by a live orchestra.

“That’s the sort of programming we’re doing for folks in their late teens and early 20s,” McDaniel said. “We want young people and folks who are into the Marvel Universe, people who love superheroes and comic books, to come out and have a great time.”

Another big show coming to the big top is “The Addams Family” Feb. 21. Based on Charles Addams ghoulish clan, it was a hit when it had its premiere on Broadway in 2010, and has become more popular ever since.

“We’re really excited about it,” McDaniel said. “I think it’s going to have a lot of appeal for all ages, and it’s also representative of the bigger, Broadway-style products that we like to do here.”

Of course, there are lots of options for classical fans, whether they’re into music, ballet or opera. New Dance Partners, an annual collaboration with Kansas City’s dance companies, takes place Sept. 20 and 21. Lyric Opera of Kansas City brings “Maya and the Magic Ring” to the Polsky Theatre March 29 and 30, and the Opus 76 Quartet performs May 10, 2025.

“Another program that I’m really excited about is a collaboration between Imani Winds and Boston Brass on Feb. 23,” McDaniel said. “That will be a great night of classical music, but they’ll also be doing a little bit of jazz. They’re doing a new piece by Arturo Sandoval, so hopefully that will be exciting for our classical music and traditional music listeners.”

For those who’d like a “Nutcracker” with a twist, there’s “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King” Dec. 13 and 15. The Owen/Cox Dance Company shakes up the revered holiday classic like a snow globe with hard-to-describe but delightful music by Brad Cox and clever, demanding and quirky choreography by Jennifer Owen. This will mark the 15th anniversary of the ballet’s first performance in 2009.

“‘Nutcracker and the Mouse King’ is contemporary, exciting and unique, but it’s also just a great way for families to celebrate the holidays,” McDaniel said. “It would be a good introduction for folks who maybe don’t watch contemporary ballet as much. It’s a story that they’re familiar with, but pushing the boundaries of the traditional ‘Nutcracker.’”

A holiday program that promises to be as warming as an Irish coffee is “Christmas in Killarney” on Dec. 14.

“It’s a sort of Broadway-style, narrative musical performance about the meaning of the holiday that follows the people of Killarney, Ireland,” McDaniel said. “It’ll be a good combination of Irish traditional dance and singing combined with traditional Christmas music.”

One thing that makes the Midwest Trust Center stand out is its abundance of concerts intended especially for families with children. And McDaniel says that next season they want to make those concerts more accessible than ever.

“Being located in Johnson county, we know this is a place where a lot people come to raise their families,” she said. “We’re really trying to serve those folks, so we’re doing a new family-tier pricing. Five shows on the series will be at an even more affordable price: $20 for adults, $10 for children.”

One of those family-oriented shows is Omnium Circus.

“It’s a full-on circus, so you can expect to see aerial artists, people on stilts, juggling, that sort of thing,” McDaniel said. “But what I think is really exciting is that they have a lot of differently abled people in the cast, so there are members who are in wheelchairs and who have other disabilities. And the whole program is sensory-friendly, so it’s really designed for people to come out and enjoy regardless of any disabilities that they might have.”

McDaniel has outdone herself, researching and finding some of the most diverse, interesting and, most importantly, entertaining productions to bring to the Midwest Trust Center.

“My programming philosophy is that I hope that every single person in our community, both in Johnson county and the Kansas City region at large, can look at our series and see something that’s reflective of them, their interests, their generation, their culture,” McDaniel said. “I hope they can say, ‘That’s for me. I want to check that out.’ Our goal is to be as welcoming as possible to every corner of the community.”

Midwest Trust Center is at Johnson County Community College, 12345 College Blvd., Overland Park. For more information, 913-469-8500 or jccc.edu/midwest-trust-center.

Coming up:

7 p.m. July 31. Miami String Quartet (Heartland Chamber Music Festival). Yardley Hall.

6 p.m. Sept. 13. “Leonardo! A Wonderful Show About a Terrible Monster.” Yardley Hall

11 a.m. Sept. 14. Kids Jam — Justin Roberts & the Not Ready for Naptime Players. Polsky Theatre.

7:30 p.m. Sept. 20 and 21. New Dance Partners: The Ultimate Collaboration. Yardley Hall.

7:30 p.m. Sept. 26. Malevo. Yardley Hall.

7:30 p.m. Sept. 28. Greg & Dana Newkirk’s “Haunted Objects Live.” Yardley Hall.

7 p.m. Sept. 29. “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Live in Concert.” Yardley Hall.

7 p.m. Oct. 17. “Hotel Elsinore.” Polsky Theatre.

7:30 p.m. Oct. 19. Chicago Blues SuperSession. Polsky Theatre.

7:30 p.m. Oct. 26. Mariachi Herencia de Mexico: “Our Latin Thing.” Yardley Hall.

Time to be determined Nov. 17: Paragon Ragtime Orchestra. Yardley Hall.

6 p.m. Dec. 6 and 7. What If Puppets “Shiver Me Paintbrush: A Pirate’s Adventure in Art.” Polsky Theatre.

7:30 p.m. Dec. 13, 2 p.m. Dec. 15. Owen/Cox Dance Company “The Nutcracker & the Mouse King.” Polsky Theatre.

7:30 p.m. Dec. 14. Christmas in Killarney. Yardley Hall.

11 a.m. Jan. 18. Kids Jam — Funky Mama. Polsky Theatre.

7:30 p.m. Jan. 24. Hiplet Ballerinas. Yardley Hall.

7 p.m. Jan. 26. Time for Three. Polsky Theatre.

7 p.m. Feb. 2. Balaklava Blues. Polsky Theatre.

Times vary Feb. 15 and 16. Winterlude Jazz Festival featuring New Orleans Songbook: A Jazz at Lincoln Center Presents Production. Yardley Hall and Polsky Theatre.

7:30 p.m. Feb. 21. “The Addams Family.” Yardley Hall.

7:30 p.m. Feb. 22. Alisa Amador Trio. Polsky Theatre.

7 p.m. Feb. 23. Imani Winds and Boston Brass. Yardley Hall.

7:30 p.m. March 6. Goitse. Polsky Theatre.

11 a.m. March 8. Kids Jam — Pierce Freelon. Polsky Theatre.

7:30 p.m. March 8. Rhythm India: Bollywood and Beyond. Yardley Hall.

7 p.m. March 9. “Dirty Dancing in Concert.” Yardley Hall.

7:30 p.m. March 14. L.A. Theatre Works: “A Room With a View.” Polsky Theatre.

7 p.m. March 16. “R.E.S.P.E.C.T. — A Celebration of the Music of Aretha Franklin.” Yardley Hall.

7:30 p.m. March 28. Trey McLaughlin & The Sounds of Zamar. Yardley Hall.

2 p.m. March 29 and 30. Lyric Opera of Kansas City, “Maya and the Magic Ring.” Polsky Theatre.

7:30 p.m. March 29. “Trailblazing Women of Country: From Patsy to Loretta to Dolly.” Yardley Hall.

7 p.m. April 11. Omnium Circus. Yardley Hall.

7:30 p.m. April 19. Uptown. Yardley Hall.

2 p.m. April 26. “The Pa’akai We Bring.” Yardley Hall.

7:30 p.m. May 2. “Esk and Silverback Films present “Our Planet Live — A Netflix Documentary Series.” Yardley Hall.

11 a.m. May 3. Kids Jam — Mister G. Polsky Theatre.

2 p.m. May 10. Opus 76 Quartet with David Kim, violin. Polsky Theatre.

7:30 p.m. May 16. The Brother Brothers. Polsky Theatre.

Midwest Trust Center — Les Violins du Roy and Opus 76

Before we get to next season, however, the Midwest Trust Center has two concerts that are imminent. Les Violins du Roy, a really terrific French-Canadian chamber orchestra, will perform May 2 with classical guitarist Miloš. This chart-topping guitarist has won many awards and received critical acclaim. In a review of one of Miloš’ performances, the Daily Telegraph wrote, “The playing is lithe, subtle of timbre and transcendentally beautiful.”

7: 30 p.m. May 2. $12-$55. Yardley Hall. 913-469-8500 or jccc.edu/midwest-trust-center.

And Opus 76 Quartet, Midwest Trust Center’s artists-in-residence, will perform May 5. They’ll be joined by violist Paul Neubauer, a member of the Juilliard faculty. The four masterful musicians will perform quintets by Mozart and Brahms.

2 p.m. May 5. $12-$35. Polsky Theatre. 913-469-8500 or jccc.edu/midwest-trust-center.

Friends of Chamber Music — Chanticleer

The Friends of Chamber Music will conclude its season with the Grammy-winning choral ensemble Chanticleer May 3 at Atonement Lutheran Church. The program, “Music for a Hidden Chapel,” will mark the 400th anniversary of the death of William Byrd. The great English Renaissance composer is noted for writing masterpieces for both the Anglican church and his fellow crypto-Catholics. Works by Byrd’s contemporaries, the three Toms, Thomas Weelkes, Thomas Morley and Thomas Tallis, will also be featured.

7:30 p.m. May 3. Atonement Lutheran Church, 9948 Metcalf Ave., Overland Park $48. 816-766-1096 or chambermusic.org.

Lyric Opera — Journey to Valhalla

For those who want to experience Richard Wagner’s epic Ring Cycle but don’t have 15 hours to spare, the Lyric Opera of Kansas City has the perfect solution: “Journey to Valhalla” May 3 and 5 at the Muriel Kauffman Theatre. Conductor Michael Christie will lead the Kansas City Symphony and a group of specialized singers in this distillation of Wagner’s genius.

Rossini once said that “Wagner has beautiful moments, but awful quarters of an hour.” “Journey to Valhalla,” on the other hand, is all beautiful moments. It includes the Ring’s biggest hits like “The Ride of the Valkyries,” “Magic Fire Music” and “Siegfried’s Rhine Journey.” To make the presentation extra special, illustrations of the Ring by Arthur Rackham, perhaps the greatest illustrator of English children’s literature, will be projected during the performance.

7:30 p.m. May 3, 2 p.m. May 5. Muriel Kauffman Theatre, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. $39-$207. 816-471-4933 or kcopera.org.

‘Operatic Expressions’

Speaking of opera, the Mid-America Performing Arts Alliance will present “Operatic Expressions” May 3 at Pine Ridge Presbyterian Church and May 4 at St. Lawrence Catholic Center in Lawrence. Soprano Lauren Auge, mezzo-soprano Courtney Fletcher, tenor Hugo Vera and baritone Paul Hindemith, accompanied by pianist Tatiana Tessman, will sing arias by Vivaldi, Schubert, Berlioz, Puccini, Richard Strauss and others.

7 p.m. May 3, Pine Ridge Presbyterian Church, 7600 N.W. Barry Road, and May 4, 1631 Crescent Road, Lawrence. Free. mapaa.org.

Leilani Velasco Vaughn and Voces Festivas Cinco de Mayo concert

Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with Voces Festivas, Kansas City’s Hispanic Choir, May 6 at the Guadalupe Centers. Led by Leilani Velasco Vaughn, the group will perform works like “Cielito Lindo,” “La Monja Blanca” and “Mexico Lindo.”

4 p.m. May 6. Guadalupe Centers. 1015 Avenida Cesar E Chavez. Free. guadalupecenters.org.

Kansas City Chamber Orchestra

The Kansas City Chamber Orchestra led by its music director, Bruce Sorrell, will celebrate spring in all of its green glory with “Spring Into Musical Adventure” May 2 at Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral. The program includes works evocative of nature, including “An Irish Melody” by Frank Bridge and the Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 by Bach.

7:30 p.m. May 2. Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral, 415 W. 13th St. 816 960-1324 or https://tinyurl.com/ys2jdteh.

You can reach Patrick Neas at patrickneas@kcartsbeat.com and follow his Facebook page, KC Arts Beat, at www.facebook.com/kcartsbeat.