# Starlight Theatre (Kansas City, Missouri)

Starlight Theatre is a 7,739-seat outdoor theatre in Kansas City, Missouri, United States that presents Broadway shows and concerts. It is one of the two major remaining self-producing outdoor theatres in the U.S. and Starlight's Cohen stagehouse also permits it to present many national Broadway touring shows.

## History

Starlight Theatre’s story dates back to 1925, the year Romania’s Queen Marie paid a visit to Kansas City. To celebrate her arrival, the Kansas City Federation of Music organized a showcase of local talent for the Queen that was also open to the public.
Profits from the showcase were then placed in the city trust and proposals for the location of Kansas City’s outdoor theatre began. One suggested site was where Kansas City Art Institute now stands, but area residents disapproved of building such a large structure in their neighborhood. Another possible location was just north of University of Missouri–Kansas City, although these plans were also shelved because officials feared the theatre would compete with the newly completed Municipal Auditorium.
After 15 years of proposals, the need for a venue to house celebrations commemorating Kansas City’s 100th birthday sped up the process. A committee was quickly chosen, Swope Park was deemed the location, and construction began in December 1949. On June 3rd, 1950, in a facility not yet fully complete, the historical revue, Thrills of a Century, opened at Starlight Theatre in celebration of Kansas City’s 100th birthday. The show played nightly through July 10. Hundreds of local citizens participated in the pageant, and thousands turned out each night. Show highlights included the staging of the Battle of Westport, and the original locomotive that crossed the Hannibal Bridge 81 years before chugging across the stage on specially built rails.
Following the success of Thrills of a Century, the Starlight Theatre Association of Kansas City, Inc., was formed as a 501(c)(3)nonprofit organization. John A. Moore was elected as the association’s first president, and New York veteran Richard Berger was hired as Starlight’s first producing director, a position he would hold through 1971.
Starlight opened its first Broadway season with the performance of The Desert Song on June 25, 1951.
In 1958, Jerry Lewis paid for a stage extension that covered the orchestra pit. In the early 1980s, the stage was permanently extended over the orchestra pit, bringing on stage action closer to the audience. This extension lasted until the building of the 10-story Jeannette and Jerome Cohen Community Stage in 2000.
During the 1960s production of the musical Mr. President, President Harry S. Truman made a guest appearance in the opening night show. An attack of appendicitis forced Truman to leave Starlight by ambulance during the intermission.
Starlight is one of two self-producing outdoor theatres in the U.S.
The addition of the Jeannette and Jerome Cohen Community Stage in 2000 made it one of the largest roadhouses in the country. Starlight began presenting major national tours in 2000 to bring more recent and contemporary Broadway musicals to Kansas City.
Starlight Theatre hosted Great Plains' musicians Melissa Etheridge (from Kansas) in 1994, Sheryl Crow (from southern Missouri) in 2008, 311 from Omaha in 2013, and The Fray from Denver in 2009.
To provide entertainment year-round to current patrons and new audiences, Starlight created a live indoor theatre series called Starlight Indoors that premiered in 2015. Featuring small comedies, musicals, parodies and other unconventional shows, Starlight Indoors is presented inside the heated performance space of Starlight’s Cohen Community Stage House.

## Broadway show history

| 1951 The Desert Song Rio Rita Song of Norway Roberta Rose-Marie The Chocolate Soldier Brigadoon Bitter Sweet Babes in Toyland Naughty Marietta | 1952 The Great Waltz Good News The Vagabond King Where's Charley? The Firefly Carousel Robin Hood East Wind The Red Mill Show Boat | 1953 The Student Prince The Wizard of Oz The Merry Widow Bloomer Girl On Your Toes Up in Central Park The New Moon Kiss Me, Kate Blossom Time Annie Get Your Gun | 1954 Call Me Madam Sweethearts Three Musketeers Girl Crazy Carmen Gentlemen Prefer Blondes Hit The Deck Song of Norway No No Nanette Oklahoma! | 1955 Naughty Marietta Me and Juliet Babes in Toyland Guys and Dolls Bittersweet Finian's Rainbow Cole Porter Festival Brigadoon Wonderful Town South Pacific |
| 1956 Peter Pan Kismet Best Foot Forward The Desert Song Annie Get Your Gun Plain and Fancy The Chocolate Soldier Paint Your Wagon Wish You Were Here The King and I | 1957 Liberace South Pacific High Button Shoes Can-Can By the Beautiful Sea The Pajama Game Panama Hattie Silk Stockings Damn Yankees Show Boat | 1958 The Jerry Lewis Show Fanny Happy Hunting Rosalinda Kiss Me, Kate Tom Sawyer Carousel The Wizard of Oz Guys and Dolls The Most Happy Fella | 1959 Oklahoma! The Firefly Gentlemen Prefer Blondes Tom Sawyer Say, Darling The New Moon The Great Waltz Bells are Ringing Li’l Abner | 1960 Rose-Marie Kismet Annie Get Your Gun The Pajama Game The Student Prince The Merry Widow West Side Story Meet Me in St. Louis The King and I |
| 1961 Destry Rides Again Vagabond King Red Head Cinderella Calamity Jane Can-Can Damn Yankees Take Me Along Flower Drum Song | 1962 The Music Man Blossom Time Carol Burnett Show Mexican Holiday Around the World in 80 Days Fiorello! Brigadoon Bye Bye Birdie | 1963 Show Boat Wildcat Carnival Gypsy The Unsinkable Molly Brown The Wizard of Oz Victor Borge South Pacific | 1964 My Fair Lady Milk and Honey Tom Sawyer Tovarich Mr. President Little Me Porgy and Bess The Sound of Music | 1965 Camelot The Music Man Kiss Me, Kate West Side Story Here's Love 110 in the Shade She Loves Me Oliver! |
| 1966 How to Succeed in Business The Desert Song Bye Bye Birdie Bells are Ringing Flower Drum Song Oklahoma! Guys and Dolls The King and I | 1967 West Side Story Kismet My Fair Lady On a Clear Day You Can See Forever The Unsinkable Molly Brown Funny Girl Superman! The Sound of Music | 1968 Carousel The Pajama Game The Music Man Annie Get Your Gun Call Me Madam Sweet Charity Show Boat South Pacific | 1969 The Nashville Sound State Fair Can-Can Peter Pan George M! Damn Yankees The Merry Widow Mame | 1970 Paul Revere and the Raiders Hello Dolly! Tom Sawyer On a Clear Day You Can See Forever Man of La Mancha How to Succeed in Business Fiddler on the Roof First Edition |
| 1971 Sweet Charity Funny Girl The Unsinkable Molly Brown 70, Girls, 70 Cabaret Carol Channing Show Jim Nabors Show Two by Two | 1972 Tennessee Ernie Ford Show Ed Ames Show Jim Nabors Show Robert Goulet Show From Vienna With Love Roy Clark Show Mexican Holiday Shirley Jones Show | 1973 Roy Clark Show Doc Severinsen Show Pearl Bailey Show Untamed Land Mitzi Gaynor Show Festival U.S.A. Henry Mancini Carol Lawrence Show | 1974 Doc Severinsen Show Connie Stevens Show Shirley Jones-Jack Cassidy Show Abrasevic Jerry Lewis Show Man of La Mancha Dionne Warwick Show Steve Allen-Jayne Meadows | 1975 Peter Marshall Show Roger Miller Carousel Mitzi Gaynor Show Danny Thomas Show Eddie Fisher Henry Mancini Concert The Wizard of Oz |
| 1976 The Student Prince Gone With the Wind Buck Owens Show On the Town Show Boat Isaac Hayes-Dionne Warwicke Fiddler on the Roof Mame The King and I 1776 | 1977 The Merry Widow Bobby Goldsboro-Donna Fargo Concert Finian's Rainbow Shenandoah Hello, Dolly! Anthony Newley with Bernadette Peters Kismet The Sound of Music Sweet Charity Porgy and Bess | 1978 The Music Man Zorba Seven Brides for Seven Brothers Henry Mancini Gypsy Oklahoma! Doc Severinsen Show Man of La Mancha Damn Yankees Chicago | 1979 My Fair Lady Guys and Dolls Brigadoon Blackstone Magic Show A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum Sugar The Desert Song I Do! I Do! Ballroom The Wiz | 1980 Bubbling Brown Sugar Anything Goes South Pacific Gabe Kaplan-Vicki Carr An Evening with Joel Grey and Peter Nero Bye Bye Birdie Al Jolson Tonight 4 Girls 4 Li'l Abner Jack Jones-Melissa Manchester |
| 1981 Grease Oliver! Camelot West Side Story | 1982 The Sound of Music Where's Charley? The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas | 1983 Ain't Misbehavin' Annie Fiddler on the Roof Man of La Mancha They're Playing Our Song | 1984 Cabaret The Wizard of Oz Annie Get Your Gun Jesus Christ Superstar | 1985 The Grateful Dead A Chorus Line Evita The Music Man Hair |
| 1986 West Side Story Peter Pan Sweet Charity Dancin' Gentlemen Prefer Blondes | 1987 Gypsy Cinderella My One and Only 42nd Street Big River | 1988 The Odd Couple The Sound of Music Jesus Christ Superstar Oliver! | 1989 Bye Bye Birdie Annie The King and I Fiddler on the Roof | 1990 Oklahoma! Camelot West Side Story Brigadoon |
| 1991 A Chorus Line My Fair Lady The Wizard of Oz South Pacific | 1992 The Music Man Peter Pan Show Boat Hello Dolly! | 1993 Big River Oliver! 42nd Street Annie Get Your Gun Tommy Tune Tonight 1993-1994 Indoor Series at the Midland Theatre Lost in Yonkers The Who's Tommy Sayonara The Secret Garden | 1994 The Sound of Music Annie Dreamgirls Cats | 1995 Cinderella Will Rogers Follies Man of La Mancha Singin' in the Rain |
| 1996 Little Shop of Horrors Guys & Dolls Phantom of the Opera Evita | 1997 Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat The Music Man Jekyll & Hyde The Wizard of Oz | 1998 Oklahoma! Fiddler on the Roof Peter Pan Crazy For You | 1999 Cirque Ingenieux Grease Annie The King and I | 2000 Miss Saigon West Side Story The Prince and the Pauper Seven Brides for Seven Brothers Fosse |
| 2001 Aida The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas Casper A Chorus Line My Fair Lady | 2002 Some Like It Hot The Wizard of Oz 42nd Street Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat Les Misérables | 2003 The Will Rogers Follies Disney's Beauty & the Beast Thoroughly Modern Millie Starlight Express The Sound of Music | 2004 Cats Annie The King and I Camelot Chicago | 2005 Disney's On the Record Footloose Jesus Christ Superstar Singin' in the Rain Hello, Dolly! |
| 2006 Riverdance Dr. Dolittle Grease Rent Hairspray | 2007 Burn the Floor presents FloorPlay Dirty Rotten Scoundrels Sweet Charity The Wizard of Oz West Side Story | 2008 The Drowsy Chaperone Disney's High School Musical The Music Man Fiddler on the Roof Les Misérables | 2009 Legally Blonde: The Musical Anything Goes Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Chicago Mamma Mia! | 2010 Little House of the Prairie Dreamgirls Disney's Beauty and the Beast The Producers RAIN – A Tribute to The Beatles |
| 2011 The King and I 9 to 5: The Musical Guys and Dolls Cinderella Mamma Mia! Xanadu | 2012 In The Heights The Addams Family Memphis Peter Pan Aida (presented at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts) La Cage Aux Folles | 2013 Monty Python's Spamalot Catch Me If You Can Flashdance the Musical Disney's The Little Mermaid Footloose Miss Saigon | 2014 The Wizard of Oz We Will Rock You - The Musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat The Sound of Music Blue Man Group | 2015 Camelot Annie Pippin Cinderella Mary Poppins Cirque éloize iD Million Dollar Quartet |
| 2016 Once Matilda Bridges of Madison County Bullets Over Broadway Disney's Beauty and the Beast If/Then A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder The Rat Pack Is Back | 2017 Disney's The Little Mermaid Mamma Mia! Jersey Boys An American in Paris Something Rotten! The Bodyguard: The Musical Motown: The Musical Grease Kinky Boots | 2018 On Your Feet! Dirty Dancing The King and I Cinderella Hairspray Love Never Dies The Illusionists Chicago | 2019 Rock of Ages The Wizard of Oz Beautiful: The Carole King Musical Cats A Bronx Tale Cirque Dreams: Jungle Fantasy Hello, Dolly! | 2020 All shows postponed / cancelled due to COVID-19 |
| 2021 Godspell The Illusionists On Your Feet! Escape to Margaritaville | 2022 Oklahoma! Waitress Hairspray Riverdance Blue Man Group Anastasia Sister Act The Prom | 2023 Tootsie Jesus Christ Superstar Legally Blonde: The Musical RAIN – A Tribute to The Beatles 1776 Jagged Little Pill | 2024 The Cher Show STOMP Disney's The Little Mermaid Shrek The Musical Come From Away West Side Story Peter Pan |

## Upcoming Season

* 2025
* Mean Girls
* School of Rock
* Ain't Too Proud
* Disney's Frozen
* Life of Pi

## Indoor Show History

| 2015 50 Shades! The Musical - The Original Parody | 2016 Dixie's Tupperware Party Late Nite Catechism Potted Potter One-Man Star Wars Trilogy | 2016 - 2017 The Secret Comedy of Women: Girls Only Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus, Live! Sister's Christmas Catechism First Date! Disenchanted! | 2018 Forbidden Broadway Dixie's Never Wear a Tube Top While Riding a Mechanical Bull Broadway's Next Hit Musical |
| 2018 - 2019 The Naked Magicians Sister Strikes Again! One Funny Mother Friends! The Musical Parody American Girl Live | 2019 - 2020 Spamilton: An American Parody Dixie's Tupperware Party The Office! A Musical Parody That Golden Girls Show! - A Puppet Parody | 2020 - 2021 Starlight@Home The Hip Hop Nutcracker Dixie's Happy Hour Starhaven Rounders Rhythm of the Dance The Sorcerer's Apprentice Rock of Ages (The All-Star Reunion Concert) | 2022 - 2023 The Crown - Live! a parody by Daniel Clarkson Dixie Longate: Cherry Bombs & Bottle Rockets The Second City Hits Home Forbidden Broadway: The Next Generation |