Film buffs will be delighted as The Linda Hall Library presents this 1953 version of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. This free morning showing of Shakespeare’s classic has an all-star cast including Marlon Brando as Mark Antony, James Mason as Brutus, John Gielgud as Cassius, Louis Calhern as Julius Caesar, Greer Garson as Calpurnia, and Deborah Kerr as Portia. Directed by the legendary Joseph L. Mankiewicz.
The Bach Aria Soloists ensemble brings a rare glimpse into the private lives of six women composers from the 11th century through modern times. The program “In Her Own Words,” pairs their groundbreaking music through their letters, journals, and published works with the spoken word by the captivating guest actor Cinnamon Schultz Paulette—a powerful celebration of these extraordinary creators. Experience history through the voices of leading women composers.
The British Are Coming! All ESU members and guests are invited to the 39th Annual British Faire sponsored by the Daughters of the British Empire in Kansas. Prepare to be transported across the pond to experience the charm and elegance of a traditional British Faire and Tea. This annual fundraising event benefits retirement communities and local charities.
All ESU members and Friends of ESU are invited to this holiday classic produced by KCRep. This production of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens is a blend of classic storytelling with lively and energetic performances by an all-star cast.
Christmas in America has a much richer and stranger history than the cozy images we know today. This festive ESU Happy Hour explores why early New Englanders outlawed Christmas, how rowdy wassailing gangs once filled the streets, and how German, Dutch, and English traditions eventually blended into the modern Santa. We’ll trace the journey from medieval St. Nicholas and Alpine mischief-makers to Thomas Nast’s German-American illustrations, the Civil War era’s sentimental reinvention of the holiday, and the 20th-century rise of Rudolph, department-store Santas, Coca-Cola branding, and iconic Christmas foods. With a pint in hand, you’ll learn how a mix of immigrant customs, reform movements, and cultural trends brought today’s version of American Christmas into being.
Today, we recognize A Christmas Carol as a morality tale about greed, with Charles Dickens becoming “The Man Who Invented Christmas” by discovering the Christmas spirit. But, in its 1843 context, Dickens’s novella is a deeply political response to the horrors of the Industrial Revolution, the exploitative rise of the British Empire, and the political reaction to the New Poor Law of 1834.