KANSAS CITY, Mo —
When Eric Rosen, Artistic Director of the Kansas City Repertory Theatre, decided to buck tradition in 2009, he was nearly run out of town on a rail.
“When I announced in 2009 that the Rep would depart from its annual tradition of ‘A Christmas Carol’ to do the special world premiere of ‘A Christmas Story, The Musical!’ most of our city thought I had lost my mind,” said Rosen.
“’A Christmas Story’ became the largest hit in Rep history, and then went on to capture the hearts of audiences across the country before landing on Broadway for a recordbreaking run. I never would have dreamed that the Rep’s world premiere would go on to be honored with three Tony nominations, including Best Musical.”
To celebrate those nominations, The Rep will throw it’s first ever Tony Awards Watch Party on Sunday June 9th at 6:30pm at the Spencer Theater, 4949 Cherry, KCMO, on the campus of UMKC.
The festivities are free to the public. Broadcast live from the Radio City Music Hall in New York City, the 67th Annual Tony Awards will be projected on a 20-foot-tall screen at the Spencer Theatre, the Rep’s home base.
In addition to the opportunity to watch the show biz extravaganza on the big screen with an enthusiastic audience, the party will offer Tony trivia, prizes, a cash bar and special appearances by members of the original Kansas City cast.
The Rep’s road to the Tony Awards began in 2009 with the Kansas City world premiere of “A Christmas Story, the Musical!,” which broke all attendance and revenue records for the theatre. After a successful 2010 run in Seattle and a five-city tour the following year, the Rep’s holiday musical hit Broadway in 2012, garnering three Tony nominations for Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score.
Actor John Bolton, who originated the role of Ralphie’s Old Man in the KC Rep production and followed it through the tour and onto Broadway, will perform a number from the show live at the Radio City Music Hall during the awards ceremony.
The Tony Watch Party is free and open to the public, but reservations are requested. Those who plan to attend can be added to the list by calling 816-235-2700.
More information on the Kansas City Repertory Theatre is available at http://www.kcrep.org/
Click here to receive weekly emails full of FOX 4′s entertainment news!
Follow on Twitter: @fox4kc @RussSimmons1
