New York Premiere

Kansas City Choir Boy

January 8-12, and 14-17, 2015 at HERE's Dorothy B. Williams Theatre

Kansas City Choir Boy is a theatricalized concept album about love altered by unexpected fate. A mystery told through flashbacks, the show tells the story of two lovers in small town America who separate when one goes in search of destiny and then disappears. Borrowing themes from ancient myth, the show features songs by acclaimed composer/lyricist Todd Almond performed by rock icon Courtney Love and Mr. Almond. They are joined by a chorus of sirens, and musicians from Contemporaneous Ensemble. Directed by Kevin Newbury, Kansas City Choir Boy is a love song for the computer age and a product of the 24-hour news cycle that feeds on the stories of the anonymous “missing.”

“[Ms. Love’s] eyes have a transfixing quality and she moves with a slinky sexual tread. Her voice, never the most supple or rangy of instruments, retains the singular sound that made her an electrifying front woman for the band Hole: a single sustained noted can seem to simultaneously contain a plea, a wound and a threat.”

– Charles Isherwood, The New York Times

“Unsurprisingly awesome.”

– Will Hermes, Rolling Stone

“Kansas City Choir Boy is a loose, irresistible gem, and Courtney Love is gruffly flawless in it.”

– Joe Lynch, Billboard

Music and Lyrics
Todd Almond
Director
Kevin Newbury
Performers
Todd Almond, Courtney Love, and musicians from Contemporaneous
Musical Direction
David Bloom
Choreography
Sam Pinkleton
Set Design
Vita Tzykun and Clark Parkan
Lighting Design
DM Wood
Video & Projection Design
Darrel Maloney
Sound Design
Brandon Wolcott
Costume Design
Paul Carey
Show run time
60 minutes