Feature: MUSICAL THEATER HERITAGE at MTH At Crown Center

Musical Theater Heritage first drew breath as a radio arts funding vehicle in 1997, but has since blossomed into a much bigger organization with multiple outreaches.

MTH founder George Harter created Musical Theater Heritage so that his already decades old "A Night On The Town" show about musical theater might be syndicated nationally on public radio stations via the WFMT Fine Arts Network .

MTH's public service mission has since expanded to include three theatrical spaces on Level III of Crown Center, 187 live performances each year with the potential for more, the radio program, and a series of annual theater trips to New York City.

This weekend begins a new performance series for MTH. Executive Director George Harter will host and narrate an original musical revue celebrating the musical contributions of American Master Composer Cole Porter. Performances of "George Harter's Original Revue - An Evening With Cole Porter" begins this week and continues through March 13.

Porter was a Midwestern (Indiana) composer of musical theater. He was well known for his unusual sophistication and a certain savoir faire. Despite a serious mid-career equestrian accident which limited his mobility and colored his later work darkly, Porter authored an incredible volume of work for both stage and film.

Cole Porter is remembered for his shows "DuBarry Was A Lady," "Anything Goes," "Can-Can," "Kiss Me Kate," and "Silk Stockings." Song hits include "Night and Day," "Begin The Beguine," "I Get A Kick Out Of You," "I've Got You Under My Skin," "My Heart Belongs To Daddy," and "You're The Top.". Porter worked from the 1930s through the 1950s.

Audiences will hear a wide sampling of the composer's work plus the details about Porter's life from George Harter. Cole Porter lived large and remains fascinating although he left behind little primary source material. He hated interviews. What we know of him is related second hand from people in his life. Music from many of the famous Cole Porter shows is performed by a fine musical cast of seven including Josh Atkins, Lauren Braton, Tyler Eisenreich, Ben Gulley, Elise Poehing, Shon Ruffin, and Licia Watson.

George will author two more similar revues in 2016. One will use The Great War as subject and plus a completely new Christmas Spectacular presentation. Audiences who saw the 2015 Christmas Spectacular appreciated the use of unusual holiday music and of the personal stories related by George and the rest of the cast. The show's freshness set it apart from more typical holiday offerings

The way all this Kansas City based live entertainment came to be within MTH is worth a show in itself about relationships, karma, and unlikely luck. George believes it to be all about the production team assembled.

Beginning back in 1997, George quickly discovered that finding funders for national syndication was not as easy as it first seemed. The funders existed, but they were much more interested in funding local arts products with tangible benefits for local audiences than radio shows for national ones where the benefits might be harder to evaluate.

At about the same time, George formed a friendship with the nationally emerging operatic tenor Nathan Granner. Granner, a Kansas City product, was one of the three "American Tenors." George and Nathan became friends through Nathan's wife who worked with George at radio KXTR. Nathan needed a local contact point while he toured nationally. George took on that role and opened the first office for MTH. Several years passed.

It was 2003 when George and Nathan met up in New York City at a bistro called Caffe Taci. "These opera singers would stop by after their gigs and show off for each other," remembered George. "Nathan, we could do this in Kansas City," he said.

George and Nathan convinced the people at Belger Cartage to loan them their loading dock, rented a piano, a couple of microphones, some lights, and some chairs. And Nathan and George started producing similar shows locally. "We hired six or seven Opera singers and started performances." George announced the show over the radio and more than 200 people showed up. MTH now had a local mission funders could respond to.

Chad Gerlt, Nathan's friend, came on board part-time, and when it became obvious that the three men enjoyed unusual chemistry, Chad became the second full time employee.

The first book show offering was Leonard Bernstein's 1944 Broadway musical "On The Town" performed concert style on the Belger loading dock in front of an audience of 200 sitting on folding chairs. Concert style made sense in 2003. After all, MTH was obstensively a live version of George's radio show. The singers should be close to radio microphones.

A dozen years have passed. George Harter remains founder and Executive Director of Musical Theater Heritage. Chad Gerlt is Chief Operating Officer and Executive Producer. Nathan Granner has gone on to become an internationally renowned operatic tenor. MTH has moved off the loading dock and now lives in a three theater complex on Level III of Crown Center in downtown Kansas City.

One 244 seat theater of the three is reserved for MTH. A second theater is rented out to the Martin City Melodrama Vaudeville troupe. A third space is reserved for special developmental efforts.

For 2016, the book shows will be Irving Berlin's "Annie Get Your Gun," Roger Miller's "Big River," Yorkey and Kitt's rock musical "Next to Normal," and Kander and Ebb's classic "Cabaret." The run of each show has grown from three weeks to four.

Offerings have expanded from a single concert style production in 2003 and the opera shows to what COO Chad Gerlt calls a multi-faceted "miniature Lincoln Center" for the Kansas City area. There is an evolved concert-performance format for the four Broadway shows.

Book shows are not strictly concerts anymore. Director Sarah Crawford joined the organization when they moved to Crown Center. She added limited blocking, light cues, choreography; appropriate costuming, and minimal set pieces. The book shows are short of a full-on production, but leave audiences with an evolved more complete experience.

Audience members seem to like what has evolved. Many comment how they can understand plot twists more fully in this evolved concert format. Musical director is Jeremy Watson and a pit band of varying size depending on the show.

Beginning in 2008, a new, more diverse menu of themed music called "Musical Mondays" took the stage produced by Tim Scott. These popular performances soon sold out. A second night was added and now that too sells out. Musical Mondays and Tuesdays are now performed every other month throughout the year featuring a variety of hosts, music, and themes for each new production.

Also included are in the shows slots for two lottery singers. Young performers apply and are invited to show their talents. The lottery has become a way for young singers to get their foot into the performing door and share their wares with a supportive audience.

Tim Scott has also introduced the new "A Night On The Town" cabaret series. A darkened cabaret setting in the main theater is imagined on what is usually the stage area. A dozen tables with four chairs each are set up to face a single singer and a Jeremy Watson combo for an intimate evening of music with table service. The model for this new offering is New York cabaret "54 Below," downstairs at what used to be the old "Studio 54" nightclub.

There have already been four experiments of this kind. They featured Molly Hammer, Alison Sneegas Borberg, Victor & Penny, Ben Gulley and Clay Elder. There will be a total of five cabaret style productions in 2016.

Coming up and beginning on March 17th will be still another "Night on the Town." This time the featured performer is Heather MacCrae. Heather will be familiar to Kansas City audiences from her participation in "Hair, Retrospective" at Kansas City Repertory Theatre. She was a member of the original Broadway Cast of "Hair" and is daughter to the late Gordon and Sheila MacCrae.

The MTH vision means to present different kinds of performances applicable to a wide range of different audiences. George Hater's original MTH vision and a 2003 chance meeting in a New York Cafe has produced a fascinating non-profit organization. MTH continues the original radio show, adds theater tour availability, produces consistently excellent concert evolved book productions, provides a venue for new locally conceived revues, cabaret shows, and offers some of KC's best performers the consistent paycheck that makes it possible for them to remain in Kansas City. Last year, MTH employed over 300 actors, performers, musicians, and technical staff.

From the varied perspectives of audiences, actors, technicians, and musicians, MTH has turned into a big win. George, Chad, Tim, Jeremy, and Sarah currently entertain ideas for the not currently utilized Theater III that can only add to the variety, and quality of art experiences for Kansas City.

Tickets for MTH productions are available on the MTH website or by calling (816) 221- 6987.

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