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THURSDAY, JUNE 15, 2017

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PERFORMANCE OF A LIFETIME When Alice Hafner joined Sailor Circus, she just wanted to learn to unicycle. Now, she and 30 other members head to Washington, D.C., to perform for millions.

NIKI KOTTMANN BLACK TIE REPORTER

W

hen most 8-year-olds put on a helmet, it’s to prepare for a ride on their bike, skateboard or even snow-

Sarasota Music Festival The annual chamber music celebration kicks off with palpable energy. PAGE 10

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board.

Alice Hafner wasn’t one of those kids. Whenever she strapped on her helmet, elbow pads and knee pads in fourth grade, it was before gripping the fence and hopping on her unicycle.

Hafner tried a little bit of everything growing up. Swimming, gymnastics, dance, theater — nothing else gave her the feeling she got when she wobbled back and forth on that singular wheel, inching forward more and more with every try. That’s how her passion for the circus arts began.

“It’s not like riding a bicycle,” she says. “There’s never a moment when it just clicks, you just have to keep getting a little better every day.”

It all started when her grandparents began taking her to Sailor Circus performances. Hafner watched in amazement before deciding she had to learn to ride a unicycle like the kids in the show, so her parents got her on the Sailor Circus waitlist.

SEE PAGE 2

Pen Women

Local chapter of national women’s art group celebrates 60 years. PAGE 4

Photo by Lori Sax

Alice Hafner walks the high wire at a Sailor Circus performance. She and 30 Sailor Circus members will head to Washington, D.C., at the end of the month to perform at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, promoting the circus arts as an art form.

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THURSDAY, JUNE 15, 2017

ON THE ROAD FROM PAGE 1

About three years later, she was old enough to become a member of America’s longest-running youth circus. It took her four or five months, but after practicing for two hours a day, she was finally able to cross the arena.

Now, more than 10 years later, Hafner will bring her unicycle act — along with three other acts — to Washington, D.C., to perform in the Smithsonian Folklife Festival with 30 other Sailor Circus members. The festival is run annually by the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage and “honors contemporary living cultural traditions and celebrates those who practice and sustain them,” according to its website.

It was only recently that the circus arts was added to the list of cultural traditions celebrated at the festival, and the art form’s addition is largely due to the two founders of Sailor Circus’ parent organization, Circus Arts Conservatory.

CIRCUS AS AN ART FORM

Niki Kottmann

All Alice Hafner wanted to do when she began her time at Sailor Circus was learn how to unicycle. Now she’s preparing to perform for millions of people on the National Mall.

In 2012, CAC Co-Founder and Associate Director Dolly Jacobs received the Florida Folk Heritage Award. Jacobs was honored for maintaining her family’s circus legacy and the heritage of the American circus in Florida and beyond, having traveled around

the world as an aerialist in Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.

Folk Heritage Award winners from every state are pooled together by the National Endowment of the Arts to choose the winner of the NEA National Heritage Fellowship, and Jacobs was chosen as the winner in 2015. She made history as the first circus performer to be named an NEA National Heritage Fellow, which, as CAC Managing Director Jennifer Mitchell says, served as the springboard for the circus to be considered an art form.

Mitchell says it was then, in 2015, that the Smithsonian Institution began investigating what makes circus arts interesting for a curatorial program. Researchers were aware of Sarasota’s rich circus history, so to educate themselves, they turned to CAC as a research subject and partner.

Founder and CEO of CAC Pedro Reis says Preston Scott, curator for the festival’s circus arts programming, spent about two years heading the research of CAC and other circus schools around the country. By the end, the Smithsonian Institution concluded the circus is indeed an art form and decided to include it in the programming for the 50th anniversary of its Folklife Festival in 2017.

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the 1920s and continues today,” Mitchell says. “It’s an honor that the Smithsonian wants the rest of the world to know how important circus is.”

Reis was also recognized for his circus heritage and extensive knowledge of the art when the Smithsonian Institution asked him to choose the professional circus performers who will perform in the festival.

“Being invited to participate in the festival is literally a once-ina lifetime opportunity,” Reis says of his organization’s involvement.

“I think we’ll get a tremendous amount of exposure.”

Along with the Sailor Circus students, CAC is sending five professional coaches to the festival to teach various master classes and skill share activities, and 12 performers from around the world will participate in Circus Sarasota shows on the National Mall.

THE ROAD TO D.C.

The 10-day festival attracts more than 1 million attendees and millions of online viewers. It will be the largest audience Sailor Circus members have ever performed for.

Because of the added pressure of being on the national stage, head coach Rodleigh Stevens chose to bring only the most dedicated Sailor Circus performers who are well versed in several disciplines.

The 31 committed performers began intensive training April 18 —just a few days after their final show of the season — for a minimum of 20 hours a week.

Now that school is out, Mitchell says Stevens will “pump up” the amount of training and the intensity to ensure that Sailor Circus puts on the best show possible.

But the students don’t seem to mind.

“It’s the carrot dangled in front of their face,” Mitchell says.

“There’s nothing better for a student than the chance to shine in the limelight,” The festival takes place from June 29 to July 4 and July 6 through 9, and Sailor Circus will be one of seven youth circus groups participating.

Beyond their seven performances under the big top, the students will get the opportunity to learn from other youth circus coaches in workshops, interact with other young performers and participate in daily public demonstrations on the National Mall.

“If you’re on a soccer team locally, you can engage with other teams routinely because there are so many other teams nearby, but that’s not the way it is in Florida for circus,” Mitchell says. “I think that the aspect of being able to engage with other young people who are passionate about what they’re doing is going to be very special to them.”

Hafner is one of the few Sailor Circus members who has participated in another youth circus previously. She spent the summer before her junior year of high school performing with the Wenatchee Youth Circus, a traveling youth circus based in Wenatchee, Washington, with an old-school mentality — the students learn to rig their own equipment and pound stakes into their own tent.

Hafner enjoyed her time learning from another circus school, and she looks forward to doing more of the same at the festival.

“I’m really excited to see what every other circus will be doing,” Hafner says. “There used to be only one set way of doing things, but the circus is changing, and

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THURSDAY, JUNE 15, 2017

3

people are coming up with more exciting ways of doing things.”

THE FINAL SHOW

For Hafner, the festival is the end of an era. She’ll attend the University of Florida to study engineering in the fall, so her final circus performance will be under the big top on the National Mall — the epitome of “going out with a bang.”

“It still hasn’t quite hit me that I’m leaving the program,” she says. “But it’s not going to leave my life.”

Other than her beloved unicycle, Hafner will also perform slack rope, low-wire tightrope and dancing stilts — which she just began learning in early May. Although she doesn’t plan to continue her circus career professionally, Hafner says she would love to continue to take classes, and she’ll be back in the arena right after the festival to volunteer for the Circus Summer Camp program. Sailor Circus is also expanding its alumni programming, so she’s excited to come back on school breaks and reconnect with other graduates.

Looking back, her favorite circus memories are of all the time she spent growing with her fellow performers. Her happiest moments were preparing for shows with her friends by doing each other’s hair and blasting music in the dressing rooms — until they got yelled at.

But it’s been more than just fun.

For Hafner, Sailor Circus has been a means of self improvement.It also taught her to never give up.

“There are many times when I wanted to stop, but I stuck it out,” she says.

She’ll be bringing her unicycle to college.

Photo by Mark Wemple

Circus Arts Conservatory Co-Founders Pedro Reis and Dolly Jacobs are proud to promote the circus as an art form.

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THURSDAY, JUNE 15, 2017

PUTTING PEN TO PAPER The Sarasota Pen Women celebrate 60 years of appreciation for the written, visual and musical arts.

NIKI KOTTMANN BLACK TIE REPORTER

For the past 60 years, a group of women has gathered monthly to quietly provide a space for creative expression.

They’re known as the Sarasota Pen Women, and today, the group has about 40 members who meet to support one another through workshops, host an annual exhibition and provide scholarships to graduating high school seniors.

Lately, the group has been focusing its efforts on the latter.

“Because of the outreach programs, we are changing to make ourselves better known in order to get the donations and the acceptance to be able to carry our awards programs forward,” says President Brenda Spalding.

The Sarasota Pen Women is the local chapter of the National League of American Pen Women, Inc., an organization founded

in 1897 by Marian Longfellow O’Donohue, niece of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Longfellow O’Donohue joined forces with Margaret Sullivan Burke and Anna Sanborne Hamilton nearly 120 years ago to create a space for marginalized women journalists, illustrators and authors.

Today, the NLAPW has 81 branches in 35 states, one of which being the Sarasota chapter that is celebrating its 60th anniversary — yet few Sarasotans have heard of it.

Spalding says that at the recent Sun Circle Arts Festival at Sapphire Shores Park, several passersby stopped at the Sarasota Pen Women booth and confessed to being unfamiliar with the organization. However, as soon as they heard about the group’s awards program that honors local high school seniors with scholarships to help them pursue a career in the arts, several offered donations.

The Sarasota Pen Women includes creative professionals from three artistic categories: the visual arts, letters (writing) and music. Every member is granted entry after proving she has published or sold several original works. Once she’s in, she’s instantly part of a group of supportive artists that meet monthly

Niki Kottmann

Barbara Jendrysik, Sarasota Pen Women President Brenda Spalding and Vice President Polly Curran support local written, visual and musical art through workshops, exhibitions and scholarship fundraisers.

October through April and casually for lunch throughout the summer.

“Quite often, your family gets tired of hearing about your hobby,” Spalding says. “It’s nice to have somebody who you can discuss this with who understands what you’re doing, who understands your terminology, even.”

Every year, members showcase their work in an exhibit at a local gallery. This year’s exhibition runs through June 22 at Ringling College’s Richard and Barbara Basch Gallery and Willis Smith Gallery.

Here, members showcase everything from floral photography to paintings on rice paper.

Other than viewing each other’s work and discussing their shared passions, Awards Program Chairwoman Barbara Jendrysik says planning fundraising efforts for the awards program is the aspect of their organization that members are most proud of.

The program has existed for 30 years, and last year, the women awarded $8,600 in scholarships to 12 graduating seniors in Sarasota and Manatee counties.

“Historically, scholastic aptitude has been recognized over artistic aptitude as a more ‘valuable’ educational asset,” says Jendrysik. “Thus, funding for the arts has always been given a back seat

to science, technology and math achievements. Our awards program serves this need to provide talented students in our community (including males) with awards to further their education in the arts.”

Vice President Polly Curran believes the awards encourage recipients to pursue their passion and succeed in school.

“Giving them this opportunity to express themselves and to let the community see this expression builds on self esteem and sense of purpose,” she says.

“These talents also help them cross over into the scholastic side — math, science, geography.”

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THURSDAY, JUNE 15, 2017

THIS WEEK

ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT

THURSDAY

SINGING DIVAS PART TWO 7:30 p.m. at The Blue Rooster, 1525 Fourth St. $10 Call 388-7539.

ARTIST SHOWCASE 2 4:30 p.m. at Holley Hall, 709 N. Tamiami Trail $27 to $35 Call 953-3434.

Sarasota Music Festival presents its second artist showcase, featuring Franz Schubert’s “Fantasy,” performed by Music Director Jeffery Kahane and faculty artist Robert Levin. The concert also features George Phillip Telemann’s quartet and Ernő Dohnányi’s humorous sextet.

TOMMY SAVITT 7 p.m. at McCurdy’s Comedy Theatre, 1923 Ringling Blvd. $15 to $19 Call 925-3869.

Tommy Savitt has won the Boston Comedy Festival, Seattle Comedy Competition, has appeared on “The Bob and Tom Show,” and more. Performs through Sunday.

DON’T MISS SMITHSONIAN FOLKLIFE FESTIVAL: ON THE ROAD TO WASHINGTON BENEFIT PERFORMANCE The Circus Arts Conservatory prepares to embark on a trip to Washington, D.C. for the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. Help send them off with an exclusive look at what the students will perform to an audience of more than a million people.

IF YOU GO When: 7 p.m. Tuesday Where: Sailor Circus Arena, 2075 Bahia Vista St. Tickets: $10 to $50 Info: Call 355-9335.

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‘BURT AND ME’ 8 p.m. at Florida Studio Theatre, 1241 N. Palm Ave. $39 Call 366-9000.

Separated high school sweethearts and mutual fans of Burt Bacharach, Joe and Lacey reunite years later, and Joe has an elaborate scheme to win her back.

Runs through June 18.

‘NAMING TRUE’ 8 p.m. at Urbanite Theatre, 1487 Second St. $29; $20 under age 40; $5 for students Call 321-1397.

“Naming True” follows Amy, a transgender teen from Seattle who finds herself in a Florida motel room with Nell, a dying woman from the streets of Detroit. Together, they plan to publish Nell’s memoirs. Runs through July 2.

FRIDAY, JUNE 16 UMBRELLA HOUSE TOUR 10 a.m. at The Umbrella House, 1300 Westway Drive $40 Call 364-2199.

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FRIDAY FEST: DOUG DEMING AND THE JEWEL TONES 5 to 9 p.m. at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail Free Call 953-3368.

NICK’S PICK PHYSICAL PLANT, SOMEDAY RIVER AND TRAVELER Known for its musicianship and lush vocal harmonies, Physical Plant takes the stage with Someday River and Traveler for an evening of local rock music.

Doug Deming and the Jewel Tones turn back the clock at Friday Fest with the band’s retro rockabilly stylings.

FESTIVAL CONCERT 2 8 p.m. at Holley Hall, 709 N. Tamiami Trail $27 to $45 Call 953-3434.

Sarasota Music Festival continues with Brahms’ “Piano Quartet No. 2,” Samuel Barber’s “Summer Music” and Mendelssohn’s “String Quintet No. 2.”

SATURDAY 26TH ANNUAL DOWNTOWN VENICE CRAFT FESTIVAL 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in downtown Venice Free Call (561) 746-6615.

Shop for stained glass, photography, orchids and fine crafts from around the country at this annual event. Continues Sunday.

Watch “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl” in Mandeville’s outdoor beer garden, paired with a cold drink and free popcorn.

FST IMPROV 7:30 p.m. at Florida Studio Theatre Bowne’s Lab Theatre, 1241 N. Palm Ave. $15 Call 366-9000.

Florida Studio Theatre’s improv troupe will keep audiences laughing at this weekly event.

IF YOU GO When: 9:30 p.m. Saturday Where: Growler’s Pub, 2831 N. Tamiami Trail Tickets: Free Info: Call 487-7373.

BABYL 8 p.m. at Mr. Beery’s, 2645 Mall Drive Free Call 343-2854.

Babyl, a high-energy, soulful alternative band performs at Mr. Beery’s.

KETTLE OF FISH 8 p.m. at Sarasota Sky, 1927 Ringling Blvd. $5 Call 210-3274.

Kettle of Fish takes the stage at Sarasota Sky.

SUNDAY GARDEN MUSIC SERIES: KAFKASSO 1 p.m. at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, 900 S. Palm Ave. $19; free for members; $10 for member guests and $6 for kids Call 366-5731.

– NICK FRIEDMAN

HD AT THE OPERA HOUSE PRESENTS ‘LA FORZA DEL DESTINO’ BY GIUSEPPE VERDI 1:30 p.m. at the Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Ave. $20 Call 328-1300.

One of Verdi’s most beloved operas, ‘La forza del destino’ features superstar tenor Jonas Kaufmann in the role of Don Alvaro — a nobleman from South America who settles in Seville and falls in love with Leonora, the daughter of a marquis.

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THURSDAY, JUNE 15, 2017

WEDNESDAY SIX-COURSE WINE PAIRING DINNER WITH SPECIAL GUEST CHRIS BENZIGER 6:30 p.m. at Mattison’s FortyOne, 7275 S. Tamiami Trail $85 Call 921-3400.

This six-course wine dinner benefiting Niman Ranch’s Next Gen. Scholarship Fund features chef Paul Mattison and Chris Benziger of Benziger Family Winery.

‘TWENTY THOUSAND LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA’ 7 p.m. at Asolo Repertory Theatre, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail $15 to $54 Call 351-8000.

Get swept away in this multisensory adaptation of Jules Verne’s classic science-fiction story.

Runs through July 1.

BROADWAY IN BLACK 8 p.m. at Westcoast Black Theatre, 1646 10th Way $39.50; $22 for students and active military Call 366-1505.

WBTT salutes Broadway with this world-premiere revue by Nate Jacobs. Runs through July 23

ONLINE Find more information on these events and more at

YourObserver.com.

Guitarist Kafkasso blends rock, Flamenco and Turkish melodies for a unique experience.

ETERNAL OFFERINGS:

Chinese Ritual Bronzes from the Minneapolis Institute of Art

ON VIEW THROUGH SEP 10 Eternal Offerings showcases nearly 100 magnificent Chinese bronze objects that span millennia, revealing the evolution of the use of bronzes in Chinese society.

Organized by the Minneapolis Institute of Art Generous support for the exhibition and related catalogue provided by the Blakemore Foundation, the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the human endeavor, the Bei Shan Tang Foundation, the Henry Luce Foundation, and Christie’s.

RELATED FAMILY DAY JUN 17, 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM Included with Admission / Free for Members Join us for art making and activity stations designed for all ages to enjoy!

Celestial Horse, China, Han dynasty (25-220 CE). Bronze with traces of polychrome, 44 ⅞ × 34 ½ × 14 ½ in. Gift of Ruth and Bruce Dayton, 2002.45. Photo: Minneapolis Institute of Art

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Enjoy a concert under the stars with Irish speed folk band Clover’s Revenge.

MOVIE NIGHT: ‘PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL’ 7:30 p.m. at Mandeville Beer Garden, 428 N. Lemon Ave. Free Call 954-8688.

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CAFÉ IN THE PARK: CLOVER’S REVENGE 7 p.m. at Cafe in the Park, 2010 Adams Lane Free Call 361-3032.

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THURSDAY, JUNE 15, 2017

Infinite Jest ‘Beau Jest’ explores the lighter side of ethnicity and authenticity at The Players Centre for Performing Arts.

MARTY FUGATE CONTRIBUTOR

J

ames Sherman’s “Beau Jest” runs June 15-25 at the Players Centre for Performing Arts.

Sarah Goldman is the hero of our story — a young Chicago schoolteacher. To please her traditional Jewish parents, she’s kept her relationship with a WASP ad man a secret. She’s also invented an imaginary boyfriend — the man of her mother’s dreams, a Jewish doctor.

When her parents insist on meeting him, Sarah hires an actor to play the part. As you might expect, this harebrained scheme goes haywire, and comedy ensues. But, according to director Carole Kleinberg, it’s a comedy with heart.

Courtesy photos

In ‘Beau Jest,’ Sarah Goldman hires an actor to play the part of her Jewish boyfriend in order to hide from her parents that her actual boyfriend is a WASP ad man.

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ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT

What’s your directorial take on the play?

James Sherman’s gentle romantic comedy only works if it’s performed from a platform of truth.

It’s not a door-slamming farce or far-fetched slapstick. “Beau Jest” is a gentle riff on what happens when an adult child tries too hard to please her parents and substitutes their hopes, needs and desires for hers.

Having grown up in a traditional Jewish family and being a Jewish mother myself, I’ve experienced this situation from both sides. Yes, Sarah’s parents dream of a nice Jewish boy for their daughter; but ultimately what they want is to maintain a loving relationship with their child, and they want her to be happy.

In many ways, the members of this 20th-century Jewish family are direct descendants of Tevye’s family in “Fiddler on the Roof.”

Things change! Neighborhoods change; technology changes; people change. Sometimes we have to stop fighting and just accept reality. As Sarah’s brother Joel says, “Get over it!”

How would you describe the play’s tone?

It’s a gentle romantic comedy with delightfully familiar characters who get tangled up in a highly unfamiliar situation. Because the humorous plot revolves around love, truth and change, we know Sarah will live happily ever after. At least we hope so.

IF YOU GO ‘Beau Jest’ When: Runs June 15 through 25 Where: The Players Centre for Performing Arts, 838 N. Tamiami Trail Tickets: $15 Info: Call 365-2494.

WE ARE INSPIRED BY YOUR LIFESTYLE

What attracted you to this play?

Many years ago, I directed the sequel, “Jest a Second.” I thought it would be fun to go back to the beginning of the story. As a Chicago native and lifelong theater person, I also had the opportunity to meet the playwright.

James Sherman is a nice guy — very warm and open; his charm added to the appeal of revisiting Sarah and her family. The play’s setting also attracted me; I once

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THURSDAY, JUNE 15, 2017

lived in the neighborhood where “Beau Jest” takes place. Sarah’s father even talks about opening a business on Armitage and Clybourne, which is just about a mile from where my father had his store.

What’s the secret behind Sherman’s sense of comedy?

When theatrical comedy works, we see our own lives mirrored in the flaws of the characters. We laugh at their foibles and breathe a sigh of relief when (as the Bard famously said) “all’s well that ends well.”

James Sherman has a knack for putting relatable characters into flawlessly constructed comedic plots. Anyone who’s ever stifled their own desires to please a loved one can relate to Sarah’s dilemma. One by one, her surprising solutions to that dilemma only make things worse and the situation funnier.

We laugh as Sarah struggles to extricate herself from an impossible predicament. (Think Lucille Ball in the vat of grapes.)

We laugh even more at Sarah’s growing realization of the mess she’s put herself in. How’s she going to get out? How’s she going to clean this mess up?

Because it’s a comedy, we know she’ll be all right in the end.

Aside from phonetics, do “Beau Jest” and “Beau Geste” have a connection? I’m assuming the French Foreign Legion isn’t involved …

If you think about it, the French Foreign Legion bravely went into battle against unbeatable odds.

Anyone who’s tried to battle a Jewish mother (or any dedicated mother) knows that the odds are stacked against you. Sarah and the French Legionnaires really have a lot in common!

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THURSDAY, JUNE 15, 2017

Music Festival opens with palpable energy EDWARD ALLEY MUSIC CRITIC

Courtesy photo

Jasmine Choi (above) breezed through Jacques Ibert’s difficult “Flute Concerto.”

Jeffrey Kahane (right) set a high bar for the festival in his debut as director.

If last Friday and Saturday’s sold-out concerts at the Sarasota Opera House are any indication, the Sarasota Music Festival has struck the mother lode in its appointment of Jeffrey Kahane as Music Director.

He is a combination of superb musician, outstanding performer and excellent conductor — a veritable trifecta in the music world.

And he speaks well.

Friday night’s concert was an adventurous risk in programming: All six of the Bach Brandenburg Concerti in one evening.

But it worked, and how. Hearing all of these concerti together, one realizes the genius of Bach’s talent, adhering to the Italian concerto grosso style, while using different pairings of solo instruments. Each solo group had its own sound and style, from three oboes to three violins to no violins, to flutes and violins, to flute, oboe and trumpet, and it gave us a grand tour of all these possibilities.

To me, the different sound of each of these groupings was the highlight of hearing all six concerti performed in one program.

Each featured group was a combination of faculty and students.

To list them all by name would alone use up all my space, but highlights included the virtuoso horns in the first, the excellent strings in all six, the Vivaldi-like

solo violin outburst in the fourth, and of course, the famous highwire flights of the piccolo trumpet in the second, ably played by Robert Smith, substituting for Michael Dobrinski. Kahane con-

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minated in the climactic entrance of the brass with trombones in the great C major chords, which open the last movement. I have always been captured by the beautiful structure Beethoven gave this symphony, taking that four-note motif and giving it permutations throughout the movements, providing us with a wonderful example of inspired classic symphonic form.

The Festival Orchestra had only two, maybe three, rehearsals to prepare this concert, yet the results were excellent. What was most exciting to me was the increasing sense of ensemble, nuance and just plain enjoyment they were experiencing as they progressed through the four movements of the Beethoven. It was palpable.

Kahane galvanized his eager and energetic musicians throughout the evening, and their enthusiasm was transmitted to the audience, which responded with warm, enthusiastic and well-deserved ovations.

With this pair of concerts, the 2017 Sarasota Music Festival has indeed created a tough act to follow. Will they do it? It’s probably best to attend the next concerts yourself and learn the answer first hand.

THURSDAY, JUNE 15, 2017

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“A feast for the senses.

This is brilliant theatre.”

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ducted all from the harpsichord, with a brilliant solo himself in “Concerto No. 5.”

Saturday evening’s concert opened with Gabriel Fauré’s languid “Pavanne,” performed with the stately elegance it deserves.

It could easily be paired with the Sicilienne from his “Pelleas and Melisande” suite, for they are so alike in style and mood.

Jasmine Choi, a 2003 festival alumna, was soloist in Jacques Ibert’s feisty “Flute Concerto,” long neglected because of its difficulty, but she breezed through it as though it were a mere piece of fluff — which it certainly isn’t.

Ibert’s Concerto is truly a virtuoso work, with the soloist playing almost nonstop throughout all three movements.

Choi is a cool performer, playing with the near straight tone favored today, executing all the pyrotechnics of the first and third movements with ease, while providing lovely phrasing and sound in the lyrical second movement.

Truly a brilliant performance.

How many times have you heard Beethoven’s “Fifth Symphony?” Probably too many to count, but the performance by the Festival Orchestra, conducted by Kahane, sounded fresher and newer than could be imagined.

Beginning with “the most famous four notes in the world,” as Kahane mentioned in his introductory remarks, the performance sprang forth with a relentless momentum that was sustained throughout. Never rushed, but always insistent, the constant forward motion Kahane generated in this performance created a grand arch, which cul-

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THURSDAY, JUNE 15, 2017

The dream of love gets a Burt Bacharach soundtrack MARTY FUGATE THEATER CRITIC

Larry McKenna’s “Burt & Me” is Florida Studio Theatre’s current summer distraction. You guess it’s a Muppet memory play about Ernie’s volatile relationship with his buddy Burt, but you’d be wrong. The “Burt” in question is Burt Bacharach. If you’re guessing it’s a jukebox musical, you’d be right. But there’s more to it.

McKenna isn’t shoehorning Bacharach’s tunes into a cookedup narrative. His tale is a comingof-age story, and a thinly disguised autobiography.

Joe (Jordan Ahnquist), his pianist protagonist, talks to you directly. Before Bacharach, his childhood piano lessons were torture. After Bacharach, they’re pure bliss. Henceforth, our hero worships at the Church of St. Burt.

This harmonic hagiography stays in the background of a love story — of the boy-gets-girlloses-girl-then-finally-gets-girl variety. McKenna’s rom-com revolves around Joe and Lacey (Jillian Louis) — two high school sweethearts who share a love for Bacharach, basketball and each other. But after they go away to college, their relationship cracks under the strain of separation.

After graduating, Joe cooks up a Bacharach-themed scheme to get Lacey back.

Evidently, that’s not too far from the truth. But McKenna doesn’t aim for realism. Joe’s first-person narrative gives substance to

Photos by Matthew Holler

Savannah Sinclair, Jordan Ahnquist, Michael Marotta, Jillian Louis, Matthew Scott Robertson, Nick Anastasia, and Stacey Harris.

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Jose?” But also surprises, including the title theme to the 1967 “Casino Real,” and the Carpenters’ hit “Close to You.” If these tunes do a better job of storytelling than most, give credit to Hal David’s lyrics. A good lyricist has to be a good psychologist.

And David is great. Thanks to his keen sense of human motivation, the songs carry the narrative without seeming contrived.

Usually.

“Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head” is the one false note — a big production involving raincoats and twirling umbrellas. To me, it doesn’t fit the story. It’s a song about acting happy when you feel unhappy; a song about fighting depression and holding faith that the inexplicable darkness will end. It’s not a happy tune, kids. And it shouldn’t be a group number.

But even Bacharach’s sad songs make you feel good.

Based on the opening night response, the FST audience did.

Heck, I did.

McKenna’s script is well-written. Joe’s story is warm, winning and sincere. But Bacharach’s music is what gets everybody on their feet.

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his character. (Kudos to Ahnquist for a 200-watt performance) But the peripheral characters are stylized. The playwright conveys the 1970s youth scene with popculture shorthand. Joe’s friend Jerry (Nick Anastasia) might be cutting class from an episode of “Welcome Back Kotter.” Lacey’s pal Sally (Stacey Harris) seems to have fled from “Grease.” Joe’s father is ideal; his priest could qualify for sainthood. (Both played by Michael Marotta.)

Winning performances all round.

But, except for Joe, they’re all stock characters. But I think that’s intentional. Nostalgia is a liar, after all. Happy memories always look like sit-coms. Especially the ones involving your teenage heartthrob. Or the music you liked at age 14.

Love and music.

Depending on your perspective, they’re much ado about nothing, or the two most important things in the world.

Director Jason Cannon and choreographer Kathryn Gasper whip up this frothy fantasy to a fare-thee-well, with musical direction by Brian Victor and a four-piece band on stage. (Whose members give Joe a hard time on a make-or-break date with Lacey.) Jeff Dean’s lounge-lizardy set, Sarah Bertolozzi’s “Saturday Night Fever”-ish costumes and Thom Beaulieu’s lush lighting make this hazy dream of teenage romance complete.

And, of course, Bacharach’s tunes form a perfect soundtrack for Joe’s hormonal hilarity. And there’s a lot of them. The usual suspects like “Wishin’ and Hopin’,” “Promises, Promises,” “The Look of Love,” “Walk on By,” “Do You Know the Way to San

THURSDAY, JUNE 15, 2017

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