Vivian Kane

Kansas City, Los Angeles, San Francisco

Writer at Freelance

Formerly: Senior News Editor @TheMarySue | Senior Pop Culture Editor at @pajiba | she/her

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Articles

“Emma” Is Pure Joy at KC Rep – KC STUDIO

1 week ago | kcstudio.org | Vivian Kane

Amelia Pedlow and the cast of Emma (Don Ipock)The works of Jane Austen are adapted and remounted so often that, while they are frequently enjoyable, they might not often feel fresh. Kate Hamill’s take on Emma, currently onstage at KC Rep, is evidence that it’s still possible for Austen’s work to feel delightfully, dazzlingly new. Hammill’s Emma doesn’t diverge from Austen’s major plot points.
At KC Public Theatre, “for … girls” Doesn’t Pull a Single Punch – KC STUDIO

1 week ago | kcstudio.org | Vivian Kane

The cast of for … girls (Micah Thompson)Kansas City Public Theatre opened its fourth annual TheatreLab FEST this weekend with a big, bold bang. In for … girls, playwright Darren Canady tackles a host of theatrical and societal ills, from problematic shock-value-based reimaginings to the hollowness of the lip-service diversity so many institutions claim to be invested in, to the disrespect and erasure of Black women.
Spinning Tree’s “First Generation” Asks Us To Sit With With the Complexity of Young Refugees’ Experiences – KC STUDIO

1 month ago | kcstudio.org | Vivian Kane

Camille Kamseu in Frist Generation (Brandon Parigo)“When I first got here, I did not think this was America. Because the America that was described to us is not the America I see.”That message is spoken by Patience, a young refugee in the new play First Generation, and echoed by Patience’s community of fellow teen refugees. They’re not expressing disappointment, necessarily, or even criticism, but just the frustrating complexity of having to step into a new reality.
At Arts Asylum, “Exit 16” Is a Time Loop Worth Playing on Repeat – KC STUDIO

1 month ago | kcstudio.org | Vivian Kane

Sadie Shannon, Jerry Tracy, and Erik J Pratt in Exit 16 (Hypothesis: A Theatre Lab/Arts Asylum)One of my favorite genres in all of entertainment is the time loop, when a character or characters are stuck repeating the same day over and over and over for reasons typically unknown to them. I find these stories irresistible. If there’s a time loop to watch, I will be seated for it.
Heart and Hijinks Abound in Whim Theater’s “Alphabet Soup: Theater from Queer Voices” – KC STUDIO

1 month ago | kcstudio.org | Vivian Kane

Megan Reynolds, Meghann Deveroux, and Bowie Henderson in Pride and Precipice (Janetta Leigh)For the ninth year, Whim Productions is back with its annual short play showcase, Alphabet Soup: Theater from Queer Voices. Every year, I am struck by the range of themes, tones, and genres covered in these plays. There are stories of queer pain but also queer joy, queer love, hope, and pleasure. This year, there’s a hefty dose of queer hijinks added to the mix as well. In All the Stars in Cygnus, Zo E.
The White Theatre Presents a Visually Engaging “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” – KC STUDIO

2 months ago | kcstudio.org | Vivian Kane

Maytham Thurman in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (Courtesy of The Lewis and Shirley White Theatre)The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, currently onstage at the White Theatre at the J,is adapted from Mark Haddon’s massively popular 2003 novel of the same name. Both tell the story of Christopher Boone, a 15-year-old autistic boy who, when the play opens, has just found the body of his neighbor’s murdered dog.
The Unicorn’s “fire work” Is a Dark and Dazzling Original Work – KC STUDIO

2 months ago | kcstudio.org | Vivian Kane

Maya Antoinette Riley in fire work (Don Ipock)What if Peter Pan’s Lost Boys existed not on a fantasy island free from responsibility, but under a system of extreme capitalism? That’s not a question I’d ever asked, but a new play currently running at the Unicorn Theatre has given us an answer. Fire work, by Mary Glen Fredrick, is set in a dystopian future/alternate world/dark fable reality that depends on child labor to make its wheels turn.
KCAT Takes a Big Swing With an Off-Site “Doubt: A Parable” – KC STUDIO

2 months ago | kcstudio.org | Vivian Kane

Matt Schwader in Doubt: A Parable (Brian Paulette)John Patrick Shanley’s Doubt: A Parable debuted in 2004, just two years after The Boston Globe first broke the story of the Catholic church’s history of sexual abuse and its cover-up. Now, 20 years later, the play is perhaps less shocking than it once was, as audiences are more familiar with the play and the disturbing history behind it. But it’s still an important, impactful work and a beautiful showcase for strong talent.
MTH’s “Little Women” Will Delight Jo March Fans – KC STUDIO

Feb 26, 2025 | kcstudio.org | Vivian Kane

Molly Dennighoff in Little Women (Cory Weaver)Louisa May Alcott’s 1868 novel Little Women has seen numerous adaptations since its publication, including getting the Broadway musical treatment. Despite debuting 20 years ago in 2005, it’s taken that long for that musical to see its professional premiere in Kansas City. Fortunately, the version currently onstage at Music Theater Heritage was worth the wait.
KC Rep’s “Broke-ology” Is a Heartfelt Depiction of Love and Struggle – KC STUDIO

Feb 23, 2025 | kcstudio.org | Vivian Kane

Robert Coppage III, Melvin Abston, and Raffeal Sears in Broke-ology (Don Ipock)Authenticity is one of those traits that audiences crave, but is so intangible, and so largely subjective, that it’s rare to find art that feels imbued with it. KC Rep has remounted Broke-ology, the 2009 family drama written by late Kansas City, Kansas native Nathan Louis Jackson, and while the play falters a bit in its execution, it radiates authenticity in its depiction of a loving but struggling family.