City Stage at Union Station

Season ticket holder here. We loved KCAT shows!! "Dial M for Murder" is another winner. Just a lovely show! We laughed, we were concerned and so involved in the great story. What a treasure this theatre company is for our community! Love the venue too. Choose your own seats. So nice.

I always end up at this venue at least once during the annual Fringe. It's a large theater with a big stage! The seats are super comfy (kinda like movie theater seats), and there's accessible seating in the front row so you don't have to go up stairs. Depending on the performance, you can even bring in snacks from the movie theater concession stand. I wish that more happened at this theater! There are very few shows here throughout the year. It's located downstairs in Union Station by the movie theater and escape room. Super conveniently located at Union Station with lots of (paid) parking and accessible by the street car!

Located in the lower level of the Union Station, City Stage is a 200 seat theater (10 rows x 20 seats), so not a bad seat in the house. I sat 9th row on the end and had a great view. The seating is comfy and lights and sound were great. I attended "Plume" from local playwright Mike Rice as part of the KC Fringe Festival 2022 on it's opening night. A 5 actor ensemble that was a no holds barred 45 minutes of intense drama featuring adult language and violence - Excellent! Keep the kids at home!Besides annually co-hosting Fringe Festival performances City Stage is also the current home for Theater for Young America and KC Actors Theater.

City Stage is housed within the grand, restored Union Station. A mid-sized theater, it boasts comfortable seating, all with great views, and a large stage. I am encouraged looking at their upcoming season, as there are a variety of musicals coming in, as well as decent options for kids. Encouraging children to see live theater, rather than stare at a TV screen or worse yet, a video game, is A-OK in my book.I saw Evil Dead, The Musical here the other night. The performances were fantastic, especially the young lady who played the little sister. Talk about out of control and throwing herself into the role!!! The theater staff was accommodating and worked hard to get everyone who was on line in there, despite it selling out. All seats are good here (unless you're like me and don't wish to have stage blood splattered on your Chanel...OK JUST KIDDING. I mean, Chanel, I WISH. Instead, I pret a porter'd a leopard print pencil skirt and angora sweater, both so last season H&M, but I carry myself like I wear Chanel, OK? And yes, I still opted to be out of the splatter zone, and that was fine because those seats were snatched up first).There is a bar at the entry, by the way, so you can get nicely (and cheaply) smashed as you wait to be let inside or if you must, duck out during intermission for refills. I suggest that on sold out nights that they have two bartenders, please. **Patrons, please tip your bartender! Even though this is a theater, and not a bar, you must tip. I saw far too many people not tip. If you tip first, you can guarantee a stronger pour and/or a smile.One quibble, not so small. The actors were not mic'd, rather there were three mics hanging from the ceiling. Had this not been a musical, that wouldn't be such a big deal, but being that the live band often overpowered the vocals, I couldn't hear everything and those songs are funny...in other words, those songs need to be heard, City Stage! I would be more than willing to pay twice the modest 15 dollar ticket if it meant that headsets or whatever better sound equipment could be employed. I know that theaters are struggling, but this is so very important. Audiences WILL pay more!Otherwise, the actors, the sets, the production were all up to par and it was an enjoyable experience.Nice touch: the actors come out after the show and greet the audience and even take pictures. This is a must for all those rabid ED fans. Again, props to the Little Sister who hammed it up for photo ops with whomever asked. That girl's got a future ahead-a her in show business, I tell ya!