Oh Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz: A Night With Janis Joplin in KCMO

Direct from Broadway, A Night With Janis Joplin, a show inspired by one of rock ‘n’ roll’s greatest legends comes to Kansas City’s Kauffman Center in March.

Like a comet that burns far too brightly to last, Janis Joplin exploded onto the music scene in 1967 and, almost overnight, became the queen of rock & roll. The unmistakable voice, filled with raw emotion and tinged with Southern Comfort, made her a must-see headliner from Monterey to Woodstock.

The show is fueled by such unforgettable songs as Me and Bobby McGee, Piece of My Heart, Mercedes Benz, Cry Baby and Summertime. It features a remarkable cast and a breakout performance by Mary Bridget Davies. Written and directed by Randy Johnson, A Night With Janis Joplin is a musical journey celebrating Janis and her biggest musical influences—icons like Aretha Franklin, Etta James, Odetta, Nina Simone and Bessie Smith, who inspired one of rock & roll’s greatest legends.

Janis Joplin’s voice, “high, husky, earthy, explosive - remains among the most distinctive and galvanizing in pop history,” according to ANightWithJanisJoplin.com, the show’s website. “But Janis Joplin didn’t merely possess a great instrument; she threw herself into every syllable, testifying from the very core of her being. She claimed the blues, soul, gospel and rock with unquestionable authority and verve, fearlessly inhabiting psychedelic guitar jams, back-porch roots and everything in between. Her volcanic performances left audiences stunned and speechless, while her sexual magnetism, world-wise demeanor and flamboyant style shattered every stereotype about female artists—and essentially invented the ‘rock mama’ paradigm.”

“Joplin was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995 and posthumously given a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005. But such honors only made official what rock fans already knew: that she was among the greatest, most powerful singers the form had ever known—and that she’d opened the door for countless artists across the musical spectrum.”

Performances are at Muriel Kauffman Theatre, March 22 – 27. Tickets range from $30 to $85, and can be purchased online at www.KauffmanCenter.org, or at the Center’s Box Office.

The Gayly- 3/15/2016 @ 11:08 AM CST