There is still time to follow the Yellow Brick Road in Kansas City. Kansas City Ballet has opened its 2026-2027 season with Septime Webre’s The Wizard of Oz, running October 16-25 at the Muriel Kauffman Theatre in the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, with its final performances this weekend.
Swept away from Kansas, Dorothy and Toto — brought to life here as a puppet — join the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion on their journey to the Emerald City to meet the Wizard and outwit the Wicked Witch. Matthew Pierce’s original score is performed live by the Kansas City Symphony, and each friend gets a sound of his own: folksy country for the Scarecrow, a soulful groove for the Tin Man and disco for the Lion.
It is a big, joyful spectacle. The production packs in 92 roles, eight of them flying, plus 43 puppets — including 24 flying monkeys — 214 props and set pieces, and 100 yards of LED lights woven into the scenery. Dorothy’s ruby slippers sparkle with 288 hand-applied red rhinestones per pair, dancers wear 220 pairs of hand-painted pointe shoes in 23 colors, and the Yellow Brick Road itself dances, played by eight athletic “Yellow Brick Roadies.”
Created jointly by Kansas City Ballet, Colorado Ballet and Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet, the show took more than 120 professionals nearly three years to build. Artistic Director Devon Carney calls the new season a true celebration of dance and storytelling — and this candy-colored opener shows why. Tickets and times are at kcballet.org.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
