Do you want to talk about big? Do you want to talk about colossal, gigantic, massive and enormous? Do you … oh, you’d rather I do the talking?
Well, that’s big of you.
In that case, allow me to share some big things going on this weekend. Some are unmistakably great on their face. Some possess an inner immensity.
One way or another, let’s get large, shall we?
The Harlem Globetrotters are quite simply the world’s greatest basketball attraction. Entertaining crowds since 1926, these wizards around the rim are also comics on the court (as well as in the stands). Take the kids – and, of course, the kid in you – to see this one-of-a-kind round ball team’s amazingly skilled players in action, including Handles Franklin, Ant Atkinson, Hi-Lite Bruton, Big Easy Lofton and Moose Weekes, who not only has a killer dunk but a hairdo to die for. I was always partial to the naked pate of once-upon-a-time Globetrotter Fred “Curly” Neal. Saturday, 2 and 7 p.m.; Sprint Center, 1407 Grand Blvd., Kansas City, Mo.; tickets: $25-$137.
The road goes on forever, and there’s no bigger way to experience it than in a full-size, tricked-out recreational vehicle. Whether you’re a veteran RV enthusiast or you’ve never experienced the American Dream on Wheels – why does that feel so good to say? – this annual downtown attraction is your chance to check out hundreds of the latest models and mull the cross-country fantasies they can fuel. Thursday, 2-9 p.m.; Friday, noon-9 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Bartle Hall, 301 W. 13th St., Kansas City, Mo.; tickets: $10, ages 10 and younger free.
3. That’s Entertainment: The MGM Years
Songs from some of Hollywood’s biggest musicals will take audience members back to a time when such stars as Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Debbie Reynolds and Anne Miller serenaded countless fans on the silver screen. Tackling the timeless triumphs of those idols will be Kansas City’s own Lauren Braton, Kathryn Long, Tim Scott and J. Kent Barnhart. Word on the street is that this entertaining revue might also include a little Elvis Presley from Jailhouse Rock – wait, what am I saying? There’s no such thing as a little Elvis. Friday and Saturday, 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, 3 p.m.; Quality Hill Playhouse, 303 W. 10th St., Kansas City, Mo.; tickets: $34.
4. El Monstero
Billed as the “Definitive Pink Floyd Tribute Experience,” the 11-member cast of this St. Louis-based monster show promises to deliver not only exactingly reproduced classic Pink Floyd rock tunes, but also the ultimate spectacle in dedication to their psychedelic heroes – including ultra-wild lighting, pyrotechnics and stage design. One more thing: There will be stilts. Friday, 8:30 p.m.; Uptown Theater, 3700 Broadway, Kansas City, Mo.; tickets: $25-$45.
5. Russian National Ballet Theatre
Foreign relations are a big deal. So make nice to those of the Russian persuasion while being fabulously entertained by a full evening of ballet, when the 50 – count ’em, 50 – dancers of the Russian National Ballet Theatre pay a visit to Kansas City. Led by Elena Radchenko, who used to kick up her heels with Russia’s Boshoi Ballet, the troupe will masterfully perform the tenderly romantic Giselle, first staged in Moscow in 1843. I think that’s called staying power. Sunday, 3:30 p.m.; Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, 1601 Broadway, Kansas City, Mo.; tickets: $50-$80.
Take a guided tour of the 33rd President of the United States’ local abode. My guess is that even though it’s in our own backyard, many of us have yet to take a look inside the historic residence lived in by Harry and Bess Truman. See where “Give ‘em Hell” Harry and his better half spent many years together – and perhaps every now and then even gave each other hell. Well, we can wonder, can’t we? Humble in appearance, like the great man himself, the Truman Home is part of American history. And that’s big. Guided tours daily (except Sundays and Mondays) given by the National Park Service; 9 a.m.-4:45 p.m.; Truman Home, 219 Delaware St., Independence, Mo.; cost
