Summer in Kansas City used to be a pretty sleepy affair for classical music, theater and dance, but no longer. The Summer Solstice is not even upon us yet, and we’ve already had the Symphony in the Flint Hills, the Simon Carrington Chamber Singers, the MET’s Ragtime, the Starlight’s Catch Me if You Can, and several others things. Here are some highlights of upcoming events from now through Labor Day.

Now-June 23^rd: The Mountaintop (Unicorn Theatre). Walter Coppage plays Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Chioma Anyanwu is a no-nonsense motel maid, in a fascinating two-actor play about King’s last night on earth. Mykel Hill directs. 816-531-7529 or unicorntheatre.org.

Now-June 23^rd: Miss Abigail’s Guide to Dating, Mating and Marriage (American Heartland Theatre). Also: The Bikinis: A New Beach Party Musical (July 12^th-August 25^th). ahtkc.com or 816-842-9999.

Now through June 30^th: Great Big Broadway: The Rise of the BIG Broadway Musical (Quality Hill Playhouse). 816-421-1700 or qualityhillplayhouse.com.

June 18^th-July 7^th: As You Like It (Heart of America Shakespeare Festival), Southmoreland Park. 816-531-7728 or kcshakes.org.

June 20^th-August 25^th: Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story (New Theatre Restaurant). Written by Alan Janes. 913-649-7469 or newtheatre.com.

June 21^st-29^th: 9 to 5: The Musical (Theatre in the Park), music and lyrics by Dolly Parton, Shawnee Mission Park. Also: Peter Pan (July 5^th-13^th), Damn Yankees (July 19^th-27^th) and Hairspray (August 2^nd-10^th). theatreinthepark.org. ***Note: Hairspray also runs July 13th-28th at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City’s White Theatre. 913-327-8054 or  jcckc.org/hairspray.

June 26^th-July 14^th: The Death of Cupid: A Whiskey Musical, by Kyle Hatley (The Living Room Theatre), a “blues/folk retelling of Aristophanes’ Lysistrata about the death of Fate and the birth of human divinity,” according to the company’s website. 816-533-5857 or thelivingroomkc.org.

June 28^th-29^th: Kansas City Dance Festival, debut of a new group founded by KC Ballet dancers Logan Pachciarz and Anthony Krutzkamp. kcdancefestival.com.

July 6^th-7^th: Summerfest: Concert 1, music by Wuorinen, Mozart and others. Also: July 13^th-14^th, Schubert, Zwilich, Reicha, Higdon. July 20^th-21^st: Bolcom, Beethoven, Keesecker, Vaughan Williams, Bach. July 27^th-28^th: Corigliano, Mason Bates, Mendelssohn. 816-235-6222 or summerfestkc.org.

July 9^th-14^th: Flashdance: The Musical (Starlight Theatre). Also: Disney’s The Little Mermaid (July 23^rd-28^th), Footloose: The Musical (August 5^th-11^th) and Miss Saigon (September 7^th-13^th). 816-363-7827 or kcstarlight.com.

July 18^th-28^th: Ninth Annual KC Fringe Festival. kcfringe.org.

July 25^th: Handel’s Water Music and Mozart’s Exsultate, Jubilate (Kansas City Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Bruce Sorrell), Old Mission UMC, featuring soprano Sarah Tannehill, in a new KCCO Summer Mini-Series. Also: Schumann, Dvorak and Mozart, featuring Barbara Bishop in Mozart’s Oboe Concerto (August 24^th, Kauffman Center). 816-960-1324 or kcchamberorchestra.org.

July 26^th-August 3^rd: Heartland Chamber Music Festival (JCCC). With concerts by faculty and students and a residency by the Miami String Quartet, which performs on July 31^st. heartlandmusicacademy.com.

August 4^th: Summer Music at the Cathedrals: Program 1, Andrea Pope, mezzo-soprano; R. Lamar Sims, piano. Also: August 11^th: Kansas City Chamber Winds. August 18^th: William Baker’s Kansas City Summer Singers. August 25^th: A French Organ Festival. 816-474-8260.

August 6^th-25^th: William Inge’s Picnic (Kansas City Actors Theatre). Also: Eugene O’Neill’s Long Day’s Journey Into Night (September 3^rd-15^th). Two American classics, performed by KC’s best. 816-235-6222 or kcactors.org.

August 8^th-25^th: Hello, Dolly! (Musical Theater Heritage), with Deb Bluford and Gary Neal Johnson, Crown Center. 816-842-9999 or mthkc.com.

August 30^th-September 28^th: The Tallest Tree in the Forest (Kansas City Repertory Theatre). Playwright and performer Daniel Beaty stars in his play about the great, controversial Paul Robeson.

To reach Paul Horsley, The Indy’s performing arts editor, send email to phorsley@sbcglobal.net or find him on Facebook (paul.horsley.501) or follow him Twitter (#phorsleycritic).