Kansas City Choir Boy
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.”
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
[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.