When something touches people, are you one of those people that that something touches? Would you like to be?
Whether you’re all heart or an emotional fortress of solitude, we all need time to be tender. How much you want – or can handle before falling to pieces – is another matter.
So allow me to point you in the right direction. Tenderly.
1. ‘Disney’s Beauty and the Beast’
It’s nice to think that behind even the crustiest exterior there exists a sensitive soul wanting to give and receive love. Hence, the universal appeal of the fairy-tale romance, “Beauty and the Beast.” Disney’s popular Broadway musical version of this tale as old as time is based on its own animated big-screen smash depicting a super-grouchy monstrosity who must find a sincere sweetheart to break the cruel curse that keeps him looking gross. Spoiler warning: He was really a tender fella the whole time. To which the Beast might say: "Fangs a lot!” Well, he might.
Thursday and Friday, 8 p.m.; 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday, 8 p.m. Sunday; Starlight Theatre, 4600 Starlight Road, Kansas City, Mo.; tickets: $16-$96.
2. Kansas City International Theatre Festival
There will be tenderness at the Kansas City International Theatre Festival. And perhaps shock and anguish, too, because, after all, it’s theater. Some characters just do upsetting things. It can’t be helped. But be assured that amidst the festival’s six diverse shows from the U.S., U.K., Canada and France – ranging from clever twists on Hamlet and Shakespeare to all-ages adventure (“The Submarine Show”) and supremely silly sci-fi (“Escape From the Planet of The Day That Time Forgot!”), there will be chances for audiences and actors to connect in gentle and knowing ways. And that’s a tender thought.
Thursday through Sunday, various show times at Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre, 3614 Main St., Kansas City, Mo., and the Theater at Penn Valley Community College, 3200 Broadway, Kansas City, Mo.; tickets: $15-$30 ($150 all-access pass).
3. Kenny Chesney with Miranda Lambert
Sure, country music stars have to know how to kick out the jams, as Kenny Chesney and Miranda Lambert will demonstrate for a ton of fans at Arrowhead Stadium. But the stars will also have to show that they really care in order to please. So also let the lyrics flow that extol love and friends and memories and vulnerability, among other tender things. If a pickup truck is involved at some point, so much the better.
Saturday, 5 p.m.; Arrowhead Stadium, 1 Arrowhead Drive, Kansas City, Mo.
Disney strikes a touching chord again! The story of a no-nonsense yet caring nanny who teaches a family how to really be a family can’t be topped for eye-moistening enjoyment. The hit musical that first delighted Disney movie audiences in 1964 is, like Poppins, “practically perfect in every way.” The only thing I don’t like? That the curtain has to come down at some point. Where’s my spoonful of sugar?
Thursday and Saturday, 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, 2 p.m.; Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City, 5801 W. 115th St., Overland Park, Kan.; tickets: $12-$23.
5. Kansas City's Big Picnic 2016
Tender is the day that offers one and all a fitting pause to picnic with friends, neighbors and total strangers alike. The all-in fun in front of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art includes live performances, art activities, food and lawn games. Sorry, no grills, stakes or tenting – but there will be plenty of free drinking water, which may come in handy for that lively game of badminton you’ll be challenged to by a friend, neighbor or total stranger. Feel the community affection!
Sunday, 4-7 p.m.; Donald J. Hall Sculpture Park, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, 4525 Oak St., Kansas City, Mo.
“I gotta know if your sweet love is gonna save me,” Glenn Frey sang in the Eagles debut single, “Take It Easy,” way back in 1972. It would be one of many special turns of phrase produced by the late, great singer/songwriter. Six months after Frey’s passing, catch a tender tribute concert performed by a talented collective of session musicians from Liberty and the Kansas City area. Go ahead and sing along. You know the words.
Friday and Saturday, 7 p.m.; Corbin Theatre, 15 N. Water St., Liberty, Mo.; tickets: $15.
Brian McTavish is a regular arts and culture contributor for KCUR 89.3. Reach him at brianmctavish@gmail.com.
