Much of what occurs in Kansas City in the summer occurs out of doors under its canopy of towering oaks, elms and other impressive trees, but the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, 4525 Oak Street, (816) 751-1278, www.nelson-atkins.org, has chosen this season to mount a major indoor exhibition, "Eternal Egypt: Masterworks of Ancient Art From the British Museum." Featuring 144 pieces of sculpture and other artwork ranging from a thumbsize carving of an aging pharaoh to the 5,300-pound red granite lion dedicated to Amenhotep III by Tutankhamen, the exhibition runs through July 7. Tickets are $9 to $14, and advance purchase is recommended, at (866) 663-4978 or on the Web at www.museumtix.com.
The Kemper Museum, 4420 Warwick Boulevard, (816) 753-5784, www.kemperart.org, is in the forefront of the contemporary art scene. It offers a new exhibition of paintings by Frederick J. Brown, "Portraits in Jazz, Blues and Other Icons," through Sept. 1; from July 12 through Oct. 6, there is the first solo exhibition of the watercolor portraits of Till Freiwald.
Outdoor theater offers some Shakespeare, some Broadway, and some classics with a contemporary twist. The Heart of America Shakespeare Festival, (816) 531-7728, www.kcshakes.org, is alternating between the "Taming of the Shrew" and "A Midsummer Night's Dream" Tuesday to July 21, with no performances on Mondays or the Fourth of July. The free performances, beginning at 8 p.m., are in Southmoreland Park at 47th and Oak Streets.
Gorilla Theatre, which for 13 years has been presenting Kansas City with a mixture of the avant-garde, original works and classic drama, is staging Aristophanes' "Clouds," a lampoon of education, celebrity and politics, in sunrise performances at 7:30 a.m. next Saturday and Sunday in the Wheeler Amphitheatre along the banks of Brush Creek at 48th and Oak Streets. A $10 donation is suggested. Call (816) 471-2737, or visit www.gorillatheatre.org.
For half a century, Starlight Theatre, an equity company, has been presenting Broadway shows under the stars in a theater seating nearly 8,000 people in Swope Park, the city's largest park. This year, the schedule includes "Some Like It Hot," with Tony Curtis, July 9 to 14; "The Wizard of Oz," July 15 to 21, "42nd Street," Aug. 4 to 10, and "Les Misérables," Sept. 17 to 22. Individual tickets, $9 to $70; (800) 776-1730, www.kcstarlight.com.
Kansas City Ragtime Revelry, a nonprofit group dedicated to preserving the legacy, has two popular ragtime pianists scheduled this summer at Community Christian Church, 4601 Main Street. Brian Holland plays on July 13 at 7:30 p.m., and Scott Kirby at 7:30 p.m., Sept. 21. Tickets are $20; (816) 691-8781.
At the Kansas Speedway, an oval track that opened last year, the Winston Cup stock-car race on Sept. 29 is sold out, but tickets costing $10 and $15 are available for July 5 qualifying for races on July 6 and 7. The speedway is at I-70 and I-435 in the western part of the metro area; (913) 328-7223 or on the Web at www.kansasspeedway.com.