Monster Jam rolls into the Sprint Center this weekend.
Thursday-Saturday, Jan. 16-18, at multiple venues
The Midwest Highland Arts Fund promotes Scottish Highland performing arts every January with its Winter Storm Weekend, which is headquartered at the Country Club Plaza Marriott. Participants will take part in master classes and competitions, and the Pipes and Drums Concert at 7:15 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 18, at Community Christian Church will be open to the public. Tickets to Pipes and Drums Concert at Community Christian Church are $15-$40 through mhaf.org.
Kansas City Symphony, “Beethoven, Brahms and Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto
8 p.m. Friday-Saturday, Jan. 17-18, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 19, at Helzberg Hall
Nancy Zhou, winner of the 2018 Shanghai Isaac Stern International Violin Competition, will join the Kansas City Symphony for Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto. Guest conductor Peter Oundjian also will be on hand for a program that will include Beethoven’s Symphony No. 1 and Brahms’ Variations on a Theme by Haydn. Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. 816-471-0400. Tickets are $25-$88 through kcsymphony.org.
“A New World: Intimate Music from ‘Final Fantasy’”
8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 17, at Folly Theater
The popular Japanese science fiction video game “Final Fantasy” has been around since 1987, with 15 core games and dozens of spinoffs. They have generated a lot of musical accompaniment, and this show is a live orchestra performance featuring music selected from the entire “Final Fantasy” catalog in fresh arrangements for small ensembles. 816-474-4444. Tickets are $40-$75 through follytheater.org.
7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 17; 1 and 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 18; 1 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 19; at Sprint Center
The Monster Jam Triple Threat Series will consist of six racing, freestyle and skill competitions for three types of vehicles (trucks, ATVs and speedsters) over three sessions at the Sprint Center. The monster trucks are the big stars: They are about 10.5 feet tall and weigh 12,000 pounds, with tires that are 66 inches in diameter and 43 inches wide. A Monster Jam engine can generate 1,500 horsepower. 816-949-7100. Tickets are $15-$60 through sprintcenter.com.
7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 17, and 7 and 10 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 18, at Kansas City Improv
When last seen in the national spotlight, Pauly Shore was starring in a 1997 sitcom on Fox called “Pauly.” It lasted only six episodes. Shore had been a popular star, if not a critically acclaimed one, in the early to mid-1990s with movies such as “Encino Man,” “In the Army Now” and “Bio-Dome.” He still nabs occasional roles in movies and on TV, and he tours as a stand-up comic. This past fall, he also appeared in the touring version of “Family Feud Live: Celebrity Edition.” 816-759-5233. Tickets are $25-$55 through improvkc.com.
8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 18, at Polsky Theatre
A native of South Korea, Bomsori Kim, is considered one of today’s most exciting violinists at the age of 30. She has performed around the world and has been a prize winner at the ARD International Music Competition in Munich, the Tchaikovsky International and elsewhere. Kim, performing on her 1774 violin by Joannes Baptista Guadagnini, will be accompanied by pianist Amy Yang for a program including Schumann, Sibelius and Prokofiev. Johnson County Community College. 913-469-4445. Tickets are $17-$35 through jccc.edu/carlsen-center-presents.
Lyric Opera of Kansas City, “…When There Are Nine”
7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 18, at Michael and Ginger Frost Production Arts Building
The Lyric Opera’s Explorations series, which blends classical and popular music, will present a new production called “… When There Are Nine.” The concert looks forward to this year’s 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote. It will feature the world premiere of “And Still We Dream” by composer Laura Karpman and librettist Kelley Rourke consisting of a conversation in song between women’s suffrage leaders Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. 816-471-7344. Tickets are $30 through kcopera.org.
2:05 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 19, at Arrowhead
After their amazing comeback victory over the Houston Texans, the Chiefs will try to take the final step to return to the Super Bowl for the first time in 50 years. They lost at Tennessee 35-32 on Nov. 10 after leading 29-20 in the fourth quarter, but the Chiefs have won seven consecutive games since. The Titans finished the regular season only 9-7 but won at New England and Baltimore to advance to the AFC Championship Game. 816-920-9300. Limited number of tickets went on sale Monday, Jan. 13, through chiefs.com.
MLK Day of Service Celebration
3 p.m. Monday, Jan. 20, at Gem Theater
The centerpiece of the MLK Day of Service Celebration will be a screening of the documentary “It Is Well,” the story of longtime community and political leader Rev. Bennie R. Mitchell Jr., whose son directed the film. The celebration also will celebrate local service efforts, and attendees can tour the American Jazz Museum. 816-474-8463. Tickets are $25 through americanjazzmuseum.org.
7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 21, at Folly Theater
Internationally acclaimed German violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter and pianist Lambert Orkis will celebrate Beethoven’s 250th year with an all-Beethoven recital at this Harriman-Jewell Series event. Mutter and Orkis, her longtime collaborator, will perform some of Beethoven’s most popular music, including the Kreutzer sonata and the Spring sonata. 816-415-5025. Tickets are $37-$92 through hjseries.org.
“The White Rose: We Defied Hitler”
Opens 9:45 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 21, at Coterie Theatre
UMKC Theatre and the Coterie will present “The White Rose: We Defied Hitler,” a play by David Meyers that is targeted to students in sixth through 12th grades. It tells the true story of Sophie Scholl, a German college student who led an act of public resistance against the Nazis during World War II and had to decide whether to save her own life or continue the civil disobedience of the White Rose movement. Runs through Feb. 9. 816-474-6552. Tickets are $12-$15 through thecoterie.org.
“Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”
Opens 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 21, at Muriel Kauffman Theatre
Although the musical based on the 1964 children’s novel by Roald Dahl was largely panned by critics when it premiered on Broadway in 2017, it ran for almost nine months before closing in January 2018. Dahl’s book had been made into movies starring Gene Wilder (“Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory,” 1971) and Johnny Depp (“Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” 2005). Also, 7:30 p.m. Jan. 22-24, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Jan. 25, 1 and 6:30 p.m. Jan. 26. Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. 816-994-7222. Tickets are $62-$114 through broadwayinkc.com.
Opens 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 22, at Unicorn Theatre
This world premiere production, written by Jacqueline Goldfinger and directed by Ian R. Crawford, depicts a dystopian future with a water shortage and violence on the increase. Babies must be certified in utero to ensure they have the purest genetic traits possible, but when two couples conceive and face their own child’s results, things begin to get messy. Runs through Feb. 9. 816-531-7529. Tickets are $34-$44 through unicorntheatre.org.
Classical music and dance
“The Cult of the Soprano,” Jan. 17, 1900 Building. 1900bldg.com
Kansas City Symphony, “Classics Uncorked: In the Spotlight,” Jan. 21, Kauffman Center. kcsymphony.org
“Cabaret Swings!” Jan. 17-Feb. 16, Quality Hill Playhouse. qualityhillplayhouse.com
Mitch Fatel, Jan. 16-18, Comedy Club of Kansas City. thecomedyclubkc.com
HodgeTwins, Jan. 19, Kansas City Improv. improvkc.com
Cory Wong, Jan. 16, Madrid. madridtheatre.com
Paul Oakenfold, Jan. 17, VooDoo. voodookc.com
Gatlin Brothers, Jan. 18, Kauffman Center. kauffmancenter.org
Colter Wall, Jan. 19, Liberty Hall. libertyhall.net
Eboni Fondren, Jan. 19, Polsky Theatre. jccc.edu/carlsen-center-presents
Lyfe Jennings, Jan. 19, VooDoo. voodookc.com
Tedeschi Trucks Band, Jan. 21, Music Hall. ticketmaster.com
Midge Ure, Jan. 22, RecordBar. therecordbar.com
Wale, Jan. 22, Uptown. uptowntheater.com
Mid-America RV Show, Bartle Hall, Jan. 16-19. midamericarvshow.com
Eagle Days, Jan. 18-19, Wyandotte County Lake. kckpl.org
Winnie-the-Pooh Day at the Museum, Jan. 18, National WWI Museum and Memorial. theworldwar.org
Kansas City Mavericks (hockey) vs. Allen, Jan. 18. Silverstein Eye Centers Arena. kcmavericks.com
Whiskey & Moonshine tasting. 3:30-6 p.m. Jan. 18. $15-$45. The Dubliner, 170 E. 14th. eventbrite.com/event/75229871571
Lemon Wine Slushes. 4-8 p.m. Jan. 17, noon-6 p.m. Jan. 18-19. Free. KC Wine Co., 13875 Gardner Road, Olathe. kcwineco.com, 913-484-6251
Kansas City Restaurant Week. Through Jan. 19. Lunch, $15; dinner, $35. Multiple venues. kcrestaurantweek.com
