Starlight Theatre 2010 Season

Little House on the Prairie: The Musical: Jun 22-27
Dreamgirls: July 20-25
Disney's Beauty and the Beast: Aug 10-15
The Producers: Aug 23-29
Rain: A Tribute to the Beatles: Sep 7-12


Opening the 2010 Broadway season at Starlight is the brand-new national tour of Little House on the Prairie, The Musical. The June 22-27 run in Kansas City is one stop on a 25-city tour that began in September and continues through next summer. The touring stage production is based on the stories of the popular Little House on the Prairie book series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Set in the 1880s, the show follows the Ingalls family as they and other homesteaders settle new lands opened by the U.S. government in the Dakota Territory. Little House on the Prairie is packing star power, with Melissa Gilbert (who we embraced as the young “Laura Ingalls” on the TV series for 10 years) starring as “Ma.”

The supreme sounds of 1960s rhythm and blues will ring out as Starlight presents the new national tour of Dreamgirls on July 20-25. With its powerful score and thought-provoking story, Dreamgirls has touched audiences from 1980s Broadway to 21st century Hollywood. The tour’s trio of talented leads features newcomer Moya Angela in the legendary role of Effie, Syesha Mercado as Deena and Adrienne Warren as Lorrell. Launched Nov. 7 at Harlem’s world-famous Apollo Theater, the tour also features the song “Listen,” originally written for the film, as an updated duet between Deena and Effie in the musical’s second act.

Next up is the timeless tale of Disney's Beauty and the Beast on Aug. 10-15. Families will delight in this eye-popping musical spectacle based on Disney's Academy Award-winning animated feature film. Kansas City is one stop on a new national tour that begins in Providence, R.I., in February 2010.

Audiences will howl at the scheming and scamming of Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom as they set out to produce a full-fledged Broadway flop in The Producers on Aug. 23-29. The Producers debuted on Broadway in 2001 and promptly took home a record 12 Tony Awards, including Best Musical. Starlight is producing the hit Mel Brooks' musical and plans to hold auditions early next year in both Kansas City and New York for Equity and non-Equity actors for principal and ensemble roles.

Finally, the Starlight 2010 season finishes on a high note with a tribute to one of modern music's legends. On stage Sept. 7-12, Rain: A Tribute to the Beatles follows the Fab Four from Ed Sullivan to Abbey Road in a multimedia, multidimensional live musical experience. Rain features Beatles’ music and vocals from five distinctly different eras complete with supporting scene and costume changes.

Starlight’s 2010 season ticket renewal campaign got under way in late October with e-mail and direct mail communications to current season subscribers. Advance orders and gift certificates for new season tickets are also available at this time online at www.kcstarlight.com, by calling 816.363.STAR (7827) or visiting the Starlight box office on weekdays at 4600 Starlight Road, Kansas City, MO 64132.

Season ticket packages start at just $50 in the theatre’s Side Terrace seating sections. Single tickets to Starlight’s 2010 shows will go on sale in May.

Starlight Theatre is making one change next season that is intended to satisfy a request heard from a significant number of patrons responding to its annual audience survey. All shows during the 2010 Starlight season will start at 8 p.m. rather than the usual 8:30 p.m.