Favorite Journey Jaunts: New Theatre Restaurant

Journey travel is temporarily cancelled, so join us in this fun review of past trip highlights.

August 21, 2020
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Summer is rolling along, although most of us are a bit stationary — getting out very little compared to this time last year — so we’re staying socially distanced and doing our traveling retrospectively. That’s why we started our blog series highlighting “favorite Journey jaunts,” with tales and photos of our most talked-about excursions of recent years.

For our third installment, we’re taking a slightly different tack, recalling a favorite venue rather than one particular trip. The venue we’re referring to is the New Theatre Restaurant (NTR) in Overland Park, Kansas. We were scheduled to see Church Basement Ladies in March, and some of us have yet to recover, so it seemed fitting to pay them homage. This KC-area dinner theatre has long been a Journey Program fave (we loved it back when we were the FAIR Program) — our travel season was not considered complete without at least one trip to NTR for top-rate entertainment, delectable cuisine, and stellar service in really fun surroundings. The consensus has always been that it’s worth the ride there and back, which is evidenced by how quickly these tours sell out!

 

Show attendees



In fact, the ride there and back has often been an extension of the performance itself — we listened to the Mamma Mia! soundtrack on the way to Mamma Mia!; we listened to the Chicago soundtrack on the way to see Chicago; the Million Dollar Quartet warranted, of course, some Elvis and Carl Perkins... you get the picture. When Buddy! The Buddy Holly Story was the featured performance, oh my goodness — we shook a leg on every leg of the journey! The road games and prizes coincided with the performance du jour, adding to the excitement and providing a great reminder of the occasion for the lucky recipient. Who wouldn’t like an autographed DVD of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, or of the movie version of Chicago?

NTR is nestled rather unassumingly in a shopping center, hiding an impressive interior. Only the rows of buses and long lines at a sculpture-adorned entrance give hint at the fine time that’s in store for its patrons. It has presented a delightfully impressive array of shows over the years, with too many good ones each season to choose from. These Broadway comedies and musicals are performed on a state-of-the-art revolving stage and enhanced only by the finest in local and New York talent, including some television and film favorites such as Hal Linden, Shirley Jones, and Cindy Williams.

 

New theatre



Most of us attend performances at NTR because we love live theatre and it has a reputation as the finest dinner theatre in the Midwest, but the fact that it is indeed a dinner theatre is a big draw. In fact, some just go for the food — seriously. It is five-star cuisine, after all. Whether you opt for a traditional fried chicken, sirloin in demi-glaze, or a light and contemporary Chicken Julia or sautéed Basa with garlic aioli, you’ll find plenty to accompany it, such as honey-glazed carrots, polenta espinaca, creamy roasted garlic mashers, or green beans almondine. And be sure to save room for dessert — for us, it’s a toss-up between heavenly classic crème brulee or their delectable Ex-Mother-In-Law Cake, but there are plenty of choices (did we mention we always wear something with an elastic waist)?

 

Dessert at NTR



So, dinner has finished, plates have been cleared, dessert has been ordered, and we’re sitting back in comfort and LED-lighted splendor to watch an amazing production. Our last visit to NTR was to see Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and it was indeed both amazing and technicolor. What incredible sets and costumes, and the talent, well, we think we’ve already covered that. Let’s just say that our travelers ranged in age from 11 to 91, and everyone was impressed!

 

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat



We hope we have whetted your appetite for sublime entertainment and dining, and that, when we are again able to hit the highway, you are able to join us on our next trip to Overland Park. We’ll save you a seat!

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