The Pitch (Kansas City)

1 day ago | thepitchkc.com | Abby Olcese

Movie-wise, I find there are few things better than going into something relatively cold, with low expectations, followed by the pleasant surprise of having those expectations exceeded. That was how, in 2014, the first John Wick movie hooked me, and hooked so many other people that it turned into a successful multi-film franchise, despite having one of the goofiest trailers in modern memory.

2 days ago | thepitchkc.com | Joe Ellett

Picture a classic laser beam. Now picture a bowl the size of the socket you used for your gravity bongs as a college student. Combine the two and you have what Georgia-based company Hitoki is pioneering: laser beam bongs. Yes, stoner ingenuity is no joke. Pairing two passions of lasers and cannabis together, brothers Joe and Jack Tran created an innovative way to elevate your high. Their line of laser bongs offers an entirely new consumption experience to cannabis users.

2 days ago | thepitchkc.com | Beth Lipoff

If you want to get crafty but don't have a big supply budget or a lot of experience, the Magpie Creative Reuse Collective might be the place for you. The nonprofit specializes in pairing education with redistributing all kinds of materials. "We teach classes that take the material we have available and in the class, people learn one way of upcycling or downcycling. We also teach repair, and we want to do more of that in the future," Magpie Director of Education Keli Campbell says.

4 days ago | thepitchkc.com | Beth Lipoff

For his latest theater turn, Nathan Darrow is taking great joy in a being part of what he calls "a fable of Broadway." Darrow will play inveterate gambler Sky Masterson in Music Theater Heritage's production of Guys and Dolls, running June 5 to 29 at Crown Center. "It's like he's a person who really thinks he has his life organized in way that he's happy with and that he can sustain, and, of course, like in any great drama, that character is going to be tested," Darrow says.

1 week ago | thepitchkc.com | Michael Mackie

Forty years ago this week, Animotion's synth-laced anthem "Obsession" was entrenched in the Billboard Top 40 while its surreal, cinematic music video was in constant rotation on MTV. With its hyper-stylized visuals and addictive hook, "Obsession" didn't just become a Top 10 hit-It helped define the visual and sonic landscape of 1980s pop. We chatted up co-lead singer Bill Wadhams recently to dish on all things '80s and his upcoming visit to KC.