KC Daily Live on Stage! - September 2026

As Starlight winds down its season, many theaters kick off their 2026-27 seasons with new and returning plays and musicals as football descends on Kansas City with the gorgeous colors of the falling leaves. Take a ride down your favorite boulevard to one of these local theaters:

The following list was graciously compiled by Mark Edelman, the founder and president of Theater League. Mark is a playwright who loves writing about theater.

Now through Sep 13 | Music Theater Heritage in Crown Center

Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s breakout hit and the world’s first and best-loved rock opera tells the somber tale of Jesus’s last days on earth and the band of disciples, followers and enemies who lived to tell the tale, this time to the tune of screeching guitars and rock and roll drums.

September 1-20 | Spencer Theatre at UMKC

On the twenty-fifth anniversary of 911, KC Rep opens its 2026-27 season with the remarkable, true story of nearly 7,000 airline passengers from around the world who were grounded in the small Canadian town of Gander on that terrible day. Amid fear and uncertainty, empathy and resilience prevailed, affirming the principle that hope can arise in the most unexpected places.

September 8-13 | Starlight Theatre

Based on the popular film about charismatic newsboy Jack Kelly and the band of teenage “newsies” he led on a rebellion against mean old publisher Joseph Putlizer—falling in love with the villain’s top reporter in the process—this family-friendly musical features a score by Tony ® Award winning composer Alan Menken and a book by Broadway stalwart Harvey Fierstein.

September 9-13 | City Stage at Union Station

When a mumps outbreak puts the Board of Directors of the Eureka Day School on their heels, forced to reexamine their vaccination policy, almost all hell breaks loose as everyone tries to do the right thing without offending someone else. Is it possible to make a decision about vaccinations that will please everyone? Find out.

Sep 10 - Nov 16 | New Theatre Restaurant

When an abandoned church goes on the market, a circle of friends turns it into a day spa, rediscovering their strength and the joy that comes from laughter in the process. Richard Karn, star of TV’s Home Improvement, holds down the fort (and his testosterone) in this new comedy.

Sep 14- Nov 1 | Coterie Theatre

Just in time for Halloween, the Coterie rolls out this seasonal favorite, staged for sixty creepy minutes in front of the “holding fault” at the nearby Union Cemetery, Kansas City’s oldest. Hold onto to your loved ones—it’s a scary ride.

September 17-26 | Just Off Broadway Theatre

KC Melting Pot Theatre opens its 12th Season with the cornerstone of August Wilson's celebrated American Century Cycle. Set in a Pittsburgh gypsy cab station in the 1970s, the play  follows drivers who built their own transportation business from the ground up, serving a community the official system refused to see. As urban renewal spreads and the city plans threaten to erase the block that has held them together, the drivers confront questions of fatherhood, loyalty, and legacy, each staking a claim to what the future should look like and who gets to build it.

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