TIME Magazine Names KC Rep's VENICE The Year's Best Musical

Time magazine's theatre critic Richard Zoglin has proclaimed Kansas City Repertory Theatre's production of VENICE the best musical of the year.

To Read Zoglin's review of VENICE, click here.

VENICE is a ripped-from-the-headlines story of war, love and the ultimate quest for peace, told through a dynamic mix of musical genres, including hip-hop, R&B and traditional theatre music. Two brothers are in conflict over how to save their city from a terrorist war; one brother seeks peace while the other is mired in treachery and destruction. Given a contemporary setting, Venice brings the theatricality of hip-hop to a large-cast musical.

The VENICE cast of twelve musical theatre performers includes: Uzo Aduba as Anna Monroe (Coram Boy, 365 Plays/365 Days); Clifton Duncan as Markos Monroe (Twelfth Night); Anna Eilinsfeld, ensemble (I Come for Love, In the Bubble); Jay Garcia, ensemble (Altar Boyz, Legally Blonde tour, Avenue Q); J.D. Goldblatt as Theodore Westbrook (Broadway revival Les Miserables); Andrea Kiyo Goss as Willow Turner (Rent); Colin Hanlon as Michael Victor (I Love You Because, How Now, Dow Jones); Javier Muñoz as Venice Monroe (In the Heights); Angela Wildflower Polk as Hailey Daisy (Crowns, Permanent Collection, Bat Boy, the Musical-Unicorn Theatre); Matt Sax as Clown MC (Clay); Brandon Sollenberger, ensemble (Moisés Kaufman's Into the Woods, KC Rep); Jasmin Walker as Emilia Monroe (Avenue Q, 365 Days/365 Plays).

The creative team includes musical director Curtis Moore (Into the Woods at KC Rep, The Bridge Project, The Coast of Utopia, Sam Mendes' The Cherry Orchard), choreography by John Carrafa (Tony Award nominations for Urinetown, Into the Woods) and Tanisha Scott (Sean Paul, Alicia Keys, Beyoncé, Rihanna), set and costume design by Meghan Raham (Clay), lighting design by David Weiner (Steven Cosson's Bus Stop at KC Rep, Equivocation, Reasons to be Pretty), projection design by Jason H. Thompson (assistant design, Jersey Boys) and sound design by Joshua Horvath (Clay).

The Rep's co-producing partner for VENICE is Center Theatre Group of Los Angeles, which commissioned Rosen and Sax in 2007 to write another musical following the success of their critically acclaimed show Clay, which premiered in Los Angeles and had subsequent sold-out runs at Kansas City Rep and in New York, where it kicked off Lincoln Center Theater's new programming initiative LCT3, devoted to producing the work of emerging playwrights, directors and designers.

VENICE closed the Rep's 2009-10 season on May 9.

about kansas city repertory theatre

Now in its 45th year, Kansas City Repertory Theatre is one of the nation's leading professional theatres and a member of the League of Resident Theatres. The Rep produces a full season of plays and events at Spencer Theatre On the UMKC campus, where the Rep is the professional theatre in residence, and at Copaken Stage downtown. Its diverse repertoire includes new works, musicals and classics of literature. The theatre serves approximately 100,000 patrons annually and employs more than 250 professional artists, technicians and administrators. This year, more than 8,500 students from 150 schools in the two-state region will attend special matinee performances, and more than 1,200 students will experience the Rep's classroom programming and workshops.