(originally published in The Independent in 2008)
If you haven’t seen J. Kent Barnhart, you haven’t seen the most amazing combination of not-for-profit accomplished artist and business-savvy entrepreneur. There are, in no uncertain terms, precious few people in this town or any other, who can run a business as efficiently as Kent can. The fact that he can do it while protecting the integrity of his artistry is nothing short of incredible. He is a man of so many talents, that I’m not sure anyone comprehends his complexity until he or she has known Kent for more than a couple of years.
At first glance, Kent is a piano player, singer and director. Graduating from the University of Missouri-Kansas City’s Conservatory (of just music, in those days), the techniques he brings to the ivories are impeccable. But, after a while, one realizes that he is actually doing four or five other things while he’s playing some incredibly fast-paced piece. He’s also singing, he’s watching the sheet music, he’s directing the bass and drums behind him, he’s watching cues for and from singers coming and going from his two stage entrances, and he’s making eye contact with the audience so that Aunt Georgia really thinks she’s being serenaded.
At second glance, during the intermission, the program allows how Kent has hand-picked the songs, created some of the arrangements, auditioned the performers, been at every rehearsal, orchestrated and conducted some fundraising, been to board meetings, glad-handed the press and his fans, and now… has conceived, designed, and sold the idea of a combination theatre, restaurant, and bar – combining both not-for-profit and profit constructs and ideas. (Whew, makes me tired just to write about it!).
So, as the title says, Kent is reinventing his playhouse, his atmosphere, and the opportunity for comfortable dinner and drinks for his customers, all while his concept of the intimate cabaret theatre stays untouched. There is no part of this $5 million, 15,000 square foot total makeover that Kent didn’t approve, himself. And, don’t think for a moment that he didn’t have a big sell-job on his hands when this project first took shape. Kent does not understand nor tolerate the word “can’t.”
Kent’s belief in superb cabaret-style entertainment has brought him from three performances of each production (thirteen years ago), to more than 225 performances each season currently, and 2,750 season subscribers. Nearly 30,000 individuals attend performances at QHP each year. This was “destination entertainment” for downtown long before the Sprint Center was even a blip on someone’s screen. (Many of us remember when parking places were easy to come by, and dinner had to be eaten before the trek downtown!)
So, as his 2008-09 season is about to embark with Rhapsody in Gershwin, Kent is many steps closer to his dream of the ultimate dinner and theatre experience. Patrons will be able to experience a full-service restaurant, new restrooms, a larger lobby, convenient on-site box office (staff and volunteers carry tickets back and forth from theatre to office right now), separate meeting and reception space, an actual rehearsal room, larger dressing rooms, and on-site administrative offices (not blocks away).
When I glance now, I see the guy-from-Raytown-made-good, the man who tried his hand at the New York theatre scene, and the personality at the heart of true cabaret theatre in Kansas City. New York is and was fun, but not the kind of place where one person can continue to educate people about the art of the songbook and see the results, year after year, face after face. Kent hosts a yearly New York theatre trip (which is the only way to see and hear the best of Broadway!) and provides background and commentary along the tour, so he is still connected to the big apple. But Kansas City is where his heart is, and it’s where thousands upon thousands of us have been guided through the best of the best, Cole Porter, Kander and Ebb, George and Ira Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Johnny Mercer… you get the idea.
And just when you think you’ve got him figured out, he pops out a one-liner about a squished pecan roll from Stuckey’s, lovingly transported from the heart of the Ozarks by a rabid fan. One more talent.
In my humble opinion, Kent is single-handedly keeping the American Songbook alive and well in the heart of America. And, while he’s at it, he is providing his services as teacher, mentor, artist, businessman, stand-up comic, director, and inventor. His concepts and expertise allow us the chance to step back in time, revel in talents – both past and present – and support his mission. It’s not a tall order; it means relaxing with 152 friends in an intimate theatre and being entertained by the magic that is J. Kent Barnhart and Quality Hill Playhouse.
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