< THIS WEEK: The Neil Diamond musical ‘A Beautiful Noise’ shakes up the Van Wezel.
ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT
Film fest takes flight
TICKET
MONICA ROMAN GAGNIER
ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
Come for the celebrities; stay for the films. That’s the vibe at many film festivals. But in Sarasota, it’s the other way around, according to Sarasota Film Festival President and Chairman Mark Famiglio. “The people who come to the Sarasota Film Festival are true cinephiles,” Famiglio says. Sure, they appreciate a celeb sighting or two, but what really draws patrons to the SFF is Q&A’s with directors, actors, writers and others with a stake in the film. There’ll be plenty of these during the 2026 SFF, which takes place April 10-19 at multiple venues downtown.
Based on this year’s surrealist poster of a manatee with a bowler hat ascending over Sarasota Bay, the 2026 SFF is ready to fly high. This year’s lineup includes 47 features, with four world premieres, 17 Florida premieres and 39 short films.
The SFF is celebrating its 28th year, small potatoes compared to the centennials going on at the Sarasota Opera House, Art Center Sarasota and other institutions. But that’s a respectable run in a world where the Sundance Film Festival, the granddaddy of indie festivals, is only 48 years old.
While some are ready to write the obituary of theatrical exhibition, there are still many people who appreciate the chance to “sit in the dark with other people and watch movies,” Famiglio says. Speaking from observation, some SFF patrons get positively giddy about the prospect.
With its passionate audiences, many of whom are veterans of college film societies of the 1970s, its dedicated volunteers, its prime location and perfect weather in April, filmmakers and movie lovers from
all over are eager to attend the Sarasota Film Festival. Each year, more than 50,000 tickets are sold to its screenings.
“We’re a filmmakercentric festival,” explains Famiglio. “They are the stars of the festival.”
As in previous years, you never know who’s going to show up at the SFF. Famiglio says Gene Simmons, co-founder of the rock band Kiss, decided to drop in a few years ago because “he was in the neighborhood.”
Simmons will be back at the SFF this year for the opening night film “Deep Water,” which he produced.
Director Renny Harlin (“Die Hard 2,” “Deep Blue Sea”), will also be in attendance. “Deep Water” follows two pilots (Ben Kingsley and Aaron Eckhart) whose plane goes down in shark-infested waters in the Pacific Ocean.
FILMMAKERS KNOW HOW TO WAIT IN LINE
SFF’s closing night film will be Julian Schnabel’s “In the Hand of Dante,” featuring an all-star cast including Oscar Isaac, Gal Gadot, Al Pacino and Martin Scorsese. The film follows the journey of a handwritten manuscript from a priest to a mob boss to novelist Nick Tosches, who’s asked to prove its authenticity.
Schnabel will attend the April 18 screening, where he will be honored with the Achievement in Directing Award.
The SFF will also hold a retrospective screening of Schnabel’s “Before Night Falls,” about the Cuban poet Reinaldo Arenas who was persecuted for being gay before escaping to the U.S. in 1980.
With lines for TSA screening backing up at some airports (though
not at Sarasota Bradenton International Airport, which uses private contractors), there might be some unexpected no-shows at this year’s festivals.
Famiglio says his SFF team has been booking flights out of the White Plains airport in New York’s Westchester County, where Breeze offers direct service to Sarasota, to avoid delays at major New York airports.
Famiglio says he’s optimistic that Simmons, Harlin, Schnabel and others won’t be deterred by any travel snafus. “Filmmakers are accustomed to dealing with hardships. They’re not immune to waiting. They have to wait for financing, talent and locations to become available,” he says.
If worse comes to worse, a private plane out of Teterboro, New Jersey, might be possible, Famiglio says.
He says the SFF has spent more than usual on travel insurance this year, he says, just in case flights are canceled or someone doesn’t clear security in time for their flight. Such uncertainty might have some people pulling their hair out, but Famiglio seems to thrive on chaos. The SFF is infamous for announcing its
and venues at the 11th hour,
“Charliebird” screens Saturday, April 18, at New College of Florida.
“Normal” unspools Friday, April 17, at New College of Florida.
Courtesy images
“Deep Water” screens Friday, April 10, at New College of Florida.
“The Last One for the Road”
“The Trial of Alec Baldwin”
“Two Pianos”
“Sono Lino”
“Maddie’s Secret”
but Famiglio always seems to pull a rabbit out of a hat.
He’s done it again with one of the strongest lineups in recent years. With its position as Florida’s “Cultural Coast,” films about the arts always play well in Sarasota, and this year’s SFF is full of them.
Highly anticipated is the Florida premiere of Jacob Patrick’s “Sono Lino,” which follows Italian glassmaker Lino Tagliapietra as he prepares for his last hot glassblowing session.
Tagliapietra’s work was on display at Ringling College of Art and Design’s in a show called “The Maestro of Murano” that closed March 28.
Awards propel the film festival circuit, helping movies find audiences at other festivals and generating buzz that can lead to a distribution deal of some sort. The badges also look good on film posters.
The films vying for an award in SFF’s Narrative Feature Competition are Libby Ewing’s “Charliebird,” Lillian Mehrel’s “Honeyjoon,” Kent Jones’ “Late Fame,” Arnaud Desplechin’s “Two Pianos” and “The Scout,” directed by Paula GonzalezNasser.
Competing for the top prize in the Documentary Feature category are Alysa Nahmias’ “Cookie Queens,” Gabriela Osio Vanden and Jack Weisman’s “Nuisance Bear,” Chris Charles Scott’s “A Portrait of a Postman,” J.M. Harper’s “Soul Patrol” and Rory Kennedy’s “The Trial of Alec Baldwin,” about the aftermath of an accidental fatal shooting on the set of a film Baldwin directed.
FINDING THE SARASOTA CONNECTION
Films with local interest and special events include: n “Sidecar Sadie to the Rescue,” directed by Jan Soderquist and Gareth Rockliffe, with a Q&A and a Gulf Coast Humane Society showcase after the film
n “Call It What It Is,” directed by KT Curran, which will include a panel discussion on bullying prevention with students, school staff and community experts n “Fish Fry & Fellowship,” Paul
Ratner’s documentary about an African American church in Palmetto whose screening will be preceded by a real fish fry n “The Healing Mirror,” a documentary directed by Bubba Henson, Cedric Hameed and Megan Howell that profiles Sarasota anti-homeless initiative Second Heart Homes
n “Killjoy + Tether,” two new short films by local filmmakers Michael J. Kinsey and Marquis J. Dawson
As in previous years, there are sidebars of special interest films grouped in such categories as Florida, the Black Experience (co-curated by Paul Toliver and Charles Williams), arts, environment, sports, Judaism, LGBTQ+ and music. Some films are in more than one sidebar.
Like other arts groups, the SFF changes its venues from year to year, depending on availability. Famiglio says Ringling College and New College of Florida have both been generous and “unrelenting” over the years with their support. He notes that since many Ringling grads end up working in film, the college is a natural setting for SFF screenings.
Six student short films will screen under “The Best of Ringling Film.”
Having New College and Ringling College onboard is helpful when SFF adds encore screenings at the end of the festival to accommodate festgoers who got shut out of popular films. These are often added on the fly, so check the website or stop by the box
office at 332 Cocoanut Ave., now open daily from noon to 6 p.m.
The programmer for this year’s SFF is Brian Gordon, who has been involved in the film festival world since 1987 and is the former executive director of the Nashville Film Festival. Now based in New York, Gordon is a screener for such festivals as POV, Sundance and Tribeca.
Gordon may do the heavy lifting for curating the SFF, but Famiglio says he “watches every film.”
So, what are the films that Famiglio is most excited about? On his must-see list are comedian John Early’s directorial debut, “Maddie’s
Secret,” “Charliebird,” “Arthur’s Box,” “I Want Your Sex,” “Late Fame” and “Bunnylvr.”
Despite his film festival cred, Famiglio is at heart a music fan. So it’s no surprise that topping Famiglio’s must-see list is Dan Geller and Dayna Goldfine’s “Everywhere Man: The Lives and Times of Peter Asher.”
It profiles the musician, producer and manager who helped shape artists such as The Beatles, Carole King, James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt.
It’s unlikely that Asher, who is 81 and lives in the U.K., will pop by the SFF screening, but stranger things have happened.
Janet Combs
Rising Star Award winner Rome Flynn poses with Sarasota Film Festival President and Chairman Mark Famiglio in 2025.
Courtesy image
Wilson McCourtney’s “Fighting for Florida”captures the Sunshine State’s natural beauty.
One of the many chapters of Peter Asher’s life was as one half of the rock group Peter and Gordon in the 1960s.
Image courtesy of George Elam/ANL/Shutterstock
La Musica pairs two musical carnivals — one old and one new — for its 40th anniversary
The chamber music ensemble will perform concerts at the Opera House and Mote SEA.
MONICA ROMAN GAGNIER
A+E EDITOR
When Camille Saint-Saëns composed his whimsical “Carnival of the Animals” in 1886 in a small Austrian village where he retreated to lick his wounds after a disappointing tour, cataloging species of flora and fauna was a popular pastime.
Of course, not all amateur naturalists had access to the 14 species honored by Saint-Saëns in his“Carnival,” which wasn’t published and widely performed until 1922. But elephants still roamed Africa and Asia and kangaroos fascinated and frightened visitors to Australia.
A little more than a century later, big game hunters, development and pollution from fossil fuel have threatened the survival of certain species.
According to the independent conservation organization WWF, between 200 and 2,000 extinctions occur every year. The loss of species occurring on Earth today is estimated to be between 1,000 and 10,000 times higher than the natural extinction rate.
In a world with more than 8.3 billion people, what can one individual do to draw attention to this alarming situation? New York-based composer Michael Stephen Brown took action by composing a companion piece to Saint-Saëns’ “Carnival of the Animals” that he calls “Carnival of the Endangered Animals.” Brown’s work contains 14 movements (the same as the original “Carnival”) dedicated to such animals as the orangutan, the buffcheeked gibbon and the cassowary. It will make its world premiere in
Sarasota on April 9-10. Brown will perform with other members of La Musica Chamber Music in two concerts, one at the Sarasota Opera House and the other at Mote Science Education Aquarium.
“Carnival of the Endangered Animals” and the original “Carnival of the Animals” will be played together in a program that is the culmination of La Musica’s 40th anniversary season.
A native of Long Island, Brown decided he wanted to be a pianist at the age of 2 after hearing the music of Raffi, Billy Joel and Mozart that his parents played for him.
His first keyboard was a small Casio. Then he inherited an upright piano from a neighbor in Oceanside, New York.
“I still have this vivid image of a piano being wheeled down the street,” he says.
Brown got regular access to better pianos when he became a star student at the Juilliard School of Music. In an interview, Brown gives his girlfriend, filmmaker Angeline Gragasin, credit for collaborating with AI on the poster for “Carnival of the Endangered Animals,” but he is modest about his own accomplishments.
They include a 2025 MacDowell fellowship in music composition, 2015 Avery Fisher Career Grant, 2018 Emerging Artist Award from Lincoln Center and the 2010 Concert Artists Guild Competition. It was at the MacDowell Colony in Peterborough, New Hampshire, that a poet told him about the cassowary, a bird found in Australia that sometimes kills humans, Brown recalls.
A prolific composer, Brown got the idea for “Carnival for the Endangered Animals” when he was hiking with some friends in Sedona, Arizona. His brainstorm took shape and was officially co-commissioned by several chamber organizations, who will each perform the work. Brown’s “Carnival” will have its New York premiere in 2027 when it will be performed by the Chamber Music Soci-
ety of Lincoln Center.
Although La Musica is a Sarasotabased chamber ensemble managed by Executive Director Joan Sussman, its artists overlap with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center in New York. That’s because La Musica Artistic Director Wu Han also holds that position at the Lincoln Center ensemble along with her husband, cellist David Finckel.
The couple, who tour extensively and own a classical music recording company, are the founding artistic directors of Music@Menlo in the Silicon Valley. They will be stepping down from that role at the end of the 2026 festival after 25 years.
On her own, Taiwan-born Wu is the artistic advisor for Wolf Trap’s Chamber Music at the Barns series near Washington, D.C., and for Palm Beach’s Society of the Four Arts, where Brown’s “Carnival of the Endangered Animals” will travel to after Sarasota.
With her vivacious personality, Wu is a musical sun in a solar system around which many other musicians
rotate. Some younger artists come to her attention through Finckel, to whom she has been married since 1985. He’s a professor of cello at Juilliard School and is currently artistin-residence at Stony Brook University. Brown first met Wu when he was a Juilliard student and auditioned for the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s CMS2 ensemble for up-and-coming chamber players. He was accepted into CMS2, now called the Bowers Program, and has been in Han’s orbit ever since. Says Brown of his mentor-turnedfriend, “She’s a force of nature. She never sleeps. She’s always coming up with new ideas. She inspires us.”
IF YOU GO
LA MUSICA: ‘CARNIVAL OF THE ENDANGERED ANIMALS’
Details: 7:30 p.m. on April 9 at Sarasota Opera House, 61 Pineapple Ave. $70; and 5 p.m. April 10 at Mote SEA, 225 University Town Center Drive. $50. Info: Visit LaMusica. org.
Courtesy images
Michael Stephen Brown’s “Carnival of the Endangered Animals” will make its world premiere in Sarasota.
La Musica will perform the world premiere of Michael Stephen Brown’s “The Carnival of Endangered Animals” at the Sarasota Opera House on April 9 and at Mote SEA on April 10.
THIS WEEK
THURSDAY
Moulton stars in Florida Studio Theatre’s time-travel tale “Birthday Candles,” which runs through May 17 at FST’s Gompertz Theatre.
‘A BEAUTIFUL NOISE’
7 p.m. at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail $56-$156 Visit VanWezel.org.
The family of Neil Diamond tribute performer Mike Sardina trashed the recent movie “Song Sung Blue,” but theatergoers still left the cinema humming such Diamond hits as “Cracklin’ Rosie,” “Sweet Caroline” and “Forever in Blue Jeans.” It’s hard to get biopics right, especially when the performer is as beloved as Neil Diamond. Broadway had better luck
DON’T MISS
ALEXANDER CALDER: THE NATURE OF MOVEMENT
Other than going to church, the beach or out to eat, entertainment options are limited on Easter Sunday. That’s why we’re glad Marie Selby Botanical Gardens is open on Easter, as it is every day of the year except Christmas. In this year’s Jean & Alfred Goldstein Exhibition Series, Selby is showcasing artist Alexander Calder and his abstract moving sculptures dubbed “mobiles.” Calder’s interest in suspension provides a provocative pairing with Selby’s collection of epiphytes, or air plants. Calder was also fascinated by the circus, so his art feels right at home in Sarasota, the longtime winter home of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Runs through May 31.
IF YOU GO
When: 10 a.m. Sunday, April 5
Where: Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, 1534
Mound St.
Tickets: $28
Info: Visit Selby.org.
with “A Beautiful Noise,” named for his 1976 album of the same title. The jukebox musical is presented as a series of therapy sessions in which lyrics to his songs reveal episodes of Diamond’s life. Runs through April 4.
‘EISENHOWER: THIS PIECE OF GROUND’
7:30 p.m. at Florida Studio Theatre’s Bowne’s Lab, 1265 First St. $31-$48
Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.
David Sitler stars as Dwight D. Eisenhower in Richard Hellesen’s play, which premiered earlier this season and is back for an encore. After helping to win World War II as supreme commander of the Allied Forces in Europe, the popular conception is that Eisenhower spent his time in the White House playing golf and presiding over an Ozzie and Harriet America. The reality was more complex. Runs through April 5.
FRIDAY
‘THREE PIANOS’
6 p.m. at FST’s Goldstein Cabaret, 1265 First St. $18-$42
Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.
Under Producing Artistic Director Richard Hopkins, Florida Studio Theatre has grown into a downtown entertainment campus with something for everyone. FST’s winter cabaret show “Three Pianos” is an ode to superstars of the keyboard such as Ray Charles, Elton John and Alicia Keys. These mavericks didn’t tinkle the ivories; they tore up the rulebook. Runs through April 26.
‘BIRTHDAY CANDLES’
8 p.m. at Florida Studio Theatre’s Gompertz Theatre, 1265 First St. $46 Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.
“Birthday Candles” stars Sarasota favorite Rachel Moulton as Ernestine Ashworth, whose 17th birthday celebration does a time warp and moves ahead to her 41st, 70th and 107th birthdays, all with the same cake. This Southeastern premiere
is directed by Kate Alexander. Runs through May 17.
SATURDAY
‘THE PIRATE SHIP AND THE SEA MONSTER’ & OTHER WINNING PLAYS
10 a.m. and noon at FST’s Keating Theatre, 1241 N. Palm Ave. $12 Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.
Don’t let the kids spend weekends glued to digital devices. Bring them out to Florida Studio Theatre for family oriented fare. A 50-minute program of short plays written by grade schoolers from around the world features professional actors bringing heroes of all kinds to life. Runs weekends through April 19.
EMBRACING OUR DIFFERENCES
TOUR
10 a.m. at Bayfront Park, 5 Bayfront Drive Free Visit EmbracingOurDifferences.org.
Embracing Our Differences’ annual exhibition of 50 pieces of billboardsize art from around the world celebrating kindness, inclusion and respect comes to Sarasota’s Bayfront Park. The exhibition features artwork and artists from 125 countries and 48 states. Runs through April 19, with weekly tours each Saturday at 10 a.m.
IN-STUDIO WITH SARASOLO
3 p.m. and 7 p.m. at Sarasota Contemporary Dance Home Studio, 1400 Boulevard of the Arts, Suite 300 $15-$30
Visit SarasotaContemporaryDance. org.
Blake Walton and Ann Morrison’s Sarasolo arts incubator presents “Seeds of Hope: A Hero’s Journey,” a play with music written and performed by Prentiss “Buzz” Herron. Walton serves as mentor for this work, which explores how an individual can get back on their feet again after being knocked down by life. Featuring Josiah Brooks on piano.
MONDAY
ANCIENT ART FROM CYPRUS AND THE MEDITERRANEAN
10 a.m. at The John and Mable Ringling Art Museum, 5401 Bay Shore Road Free with $30 admission; Mondays free Visit Ringling.org.
In 1928, circus magnate John Ringling moved beyond collecting Baroque paintings with a major acquisition of more than 2,000 pieces of Cypriot art at the Anderson Galleries in New York, where the Metropolitan Museum was selling parts of its ancient art collection. For the first time, Ringling’s treasures have a permanent home in Gallery 12 after a decadelong project.
LASTING IMPRESSIONS
4 p.m. at Fischer/Weisenborne Residence, 7459 Cabbage Palm Court
$70 Visit ArtistSeriesConcerts.org.
Artist Series Concerts presents “Lasting Impressions,” a salon-style recital featuring a trio of talented musicians in a program that
OUR PICK
‘CHERRY DOCS’
If you don’t know what “Cherry Docs” are, count yourself lucky. They are the favored footwear of neo Nazi white supremacists. Never afraid to shine light on dark situations, Sarasota Jewish Theatre presents David Gow’s “Cherry Docs,” about a young Jewish lawyer (Michael Raver) assigned to defend a small-time racist (Jim Floyd) charged with murdering an immigrant. Directed by Diane Cepeda, the play explores the painful implications of the court on a man whose father survived the Holocaust. Runs through April 19.
IF YOU GO
When: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 8
Where: The Sarasota Players, 3501 S. Tamiami Trail Tickets: $40
Info: Visit SarasotaJewishTheatre.com.
includes violin and piano sonatas by Enescu and Faure, and Ravel’s duo for violin. Coming together for the concert are Michael Turkell, principal second violin of Sarasota Orchestra, Florida Orchestra assistant principal cello Victor Minke Huls and Lincoln Center Stage Quintet pianist Maria Parrini. The evening includes a postconcert reception.
VIRTUOSOS: ALL SKILL, ALL HEART, NO NET
7:30 p.m. at Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Ave.
$65-$80
Visit LaMusica.org.
Under the leadership of pianist Wu Han, who is co-artistic director of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center along with her husband, cellist David Finckel, Sarasota’s La Musica Chamber Music ensemble is reaching new heights in its 40th anniversary season. Prepare to be dazzled with this program of Mozart, Haydn, Brahms and Mendelsohn featuring Benjamin Beilman on violin, Erin Keefe on violin and viola, Paul Neubauer on viola, Dmitri Atapine on cello, Anthony Manzo on bass, Tara Helen O’Connor on flute and Michael Stephen Brown and Wu Han on pianos.
TUESDAY
JUSTIN GOMLAK — FROM BROADWAY TO THE CLASSROOM
4 p.m. at Arts Advocates Gallery, 3501 S. Tamiami Trail
$5 Visit ArtsAdvocates.org.
Since joining the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall as director of education and community engagement in June 2022, Justin Gomlak has brought the razzle dazzle of Broadway to Sarasota’s beloved Purple Palace. A veteran of nine Broadway shows, Gomlak teaches masterclasses at the Van Wezel tied into touring Broadway shows. He recently was the emcee in “A Very Broadway Christmas” at both the Van Wezel and the Mahaffey Theater in St. Petersburg. Don’t be surprised if Gomlak throws a little soft shoe into his talk or bursts into song.
Janet Combs
Rachel
Rockin’ on heaven’s door
‘A Night with Janis Joplin’ celebrates the singer’s soulful artistry at Florida Studio Theatre.
MARTY FUGATE
THEATER CRITIC
Randy Johnson’s “A Night with Janis Joplin” at Florida Studio Theatre is the closest you’ll get to a Janis Joplin concert without a ticket and a time machine.
That’s not hyperbole. You’ve stepped into Joplin’s final concert on Aug. 12, 1970. Not a farewell concert. Just another night on the road — until it wasn’t. Laura Frye slips into Joplin’s skin on the night of this review. She alternates with Francesca Ferrari as the show’s lead.
The first act draws heavily on Joplin’s powerhouse vocals for Big Brother and the Holding Company.
Sam Andrews’ “Combination of the Two” rattles your bones and raises the roof.
George and Ira Gershwin’s “Summertime” is a fragile echo of African American spirituals and lullabies in the slavery era.
“Down on Me” is a traditional spiritual dipped in a Summer of Love acid bath. The original was about endurance; Joplin’s is about defiance.
Jerry Ragovoy and Bert Berns’ “Piece of My Heart” is a cry of pain. Originally soul, Joplin transformed it to explosive blues-rock. Another heartbreaker.
The second act leans into the Full Tilt Boogie Band era of the “I Got Dem Ol’ Kozmic Blues Again Mama!” and the posthumous “Pearl” albums.
Kris Kristofferson’s “Me and Bobby McGee” was a rambling country road song. Joplin turned it into love’s dead-end road. (It’s got one of the most haunting lines of all time: “Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose ... ”)
Ragovoy’s “I’m Gonna Rock My Way to Heaven” is the penultimate song. It’s gospel-inflected, defiant and ecstatic — a quintessential Joplin tune, though I don’t remember hearing it. Poignantly, that’s because she never sang it. It was on the set list for her recording session for “Pearl” — but Joplin died before the session. If you want to hear it, this is the closest you can get.
The show ends with Joplin, Bob Neuwirth and Michael McClure’s now classic drinking song, “Mercedes Benz.” A mock-gospel plea for consumer goods, it skewers the American conflation of spirituality and shopping. But it’s a loving, sympathetic satire, not a snobby
IF YOU GO
‘A NIGHT WITH JANIS JOPLIN’
When: Through April 12
Where: Florida Studio Theatre’s Keating Theatre, 1241 N. Palm Ave.
Tickets: $25-$59
Info: Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.
sneer.
That’s just a sampling of the show’s songs. The real Joplin sang from the heart; she also shared a piece of her mind in long rap sessions.
In this show, these include her surprising origin story as a collegebound middle-class girl in Port Arthur, Texas, who fell in love with soul and the blues. She also shares her debt to the Black soul and blues legends who came before her.
In an imaginative leap, the playwright puts Chantel (Katie Porter), Aretha Franklin (Jannie Jones), Etta James (Briana Brooks), Odetta (Jasmine Lawrence), Nina Simone (Jones) and Bessie Smith (Lawrence) on stage.
You hear their originals and Joplin’s covers — and it puts Joplin’s raw, honest, fearless music in context. Outstanding work by all four performers — who also appear as Joplin’s back-up singers.
The Full Tilt Boogie Band was Joplin’s final ensemble. Their FST reincarnation is equally outstanding. It consists of drummer Christian Allen, keyboardist Nathaniel Beliveau, bass guitarist Faun Holley and lead guitarist Travis F. Welch. His soaring solo on “Combination of the Two” hits the stratosphere.
Director Ben Liebert frames this show as part concert, part character study. Joplin’s larger-than-life persona comes through. It’s not a put-on; it’s a 200-proof distillation of her true self. Under Liebert’s direction, the real Joplin shines through in Frye’s performance. And what a performance it is.
Frye’s full-tilt characterization burns the stage with Joplin’s redhot passion.
The real singer never did anything halfway. No mask, no act, no filter. With Joplin, what you saw is what you got, and she gave her audiences everything.
Frye channels her unpretentious presence and unapologetic sexuality. Emotion aside, she also conveys Joplin’s often overlooked intelligence.
Though Joplin’s life ended too soon, this show’s no bummer. Johnson’s show keeps its eye on Joplin’s music. Not just her performances, but the artistry behind them. “A Night with Janis Joplin” is a portrait of an artist.
It’s a night you won’t soon forget.
The Arts Advocates
Talkback Tuesday
Justin Gomlak - From Broadway to the Classroom: Building Creative Futures
April 7, 4-6 pm
Arts Advocates Gallery
Justin Gomlak’s journey is a masterclass in artistic evolution. From center stage on Broadway to the heart of arts education, Gomlak has built a career defined by versatility, passion, and purpose.
Exhibit
The Imagination of Art Venti
April 4-May 30, Saturdays only, 2-4 pm Arts Advocates Gallery
Art Venti's "pencil paintings" are magnificent, extremely detailed works created with layers of delicate colored pencil strokes on very large paper, up to 110 inches wide.
Luncheon
Sarasota Orchestra
April 16, 11 am-1 pm
Sarasota Yacht Club
The Sarasota Orchestra has already broken ground for its stateof-the-art 1,800 seat venue on Fruitville Road – the first purposebuilt acoustically sound concert hall in southwest Florida. Learn more from Joseph McKenna, president and chief executive officer of the orchestra.
By William Shakespeare Presented in the Cook Theatre
Photo Credit: Douglas Kirkland
REVIEW
A+E
Fight of the bumblebees
‘The Apiary’ finds sharp satire in a nearfuture bee-pocalypse at Urbanite Theatre.
MARTY FUGATE THEATER CRITIC
IF YOU GO
‘THE APIARY’
When: Through April 19
Where: Urbanite Theatre, 1487 Second St. Tickets: $5-$44 Info: Visit UrbaniteTheatre.com.
Kate Douglas’ “The Apiary” is buzzing at Urbanite Theatre. The play is black comedy — science fiction-style. It’s set in the not-too-distant future — 2048, to be exact. Earth’s ecology is ailing. Many species have been wiped out. And bees are buzzing at the edge of mass extinction.
Wild bee hives don’t exist anymore. No more pollinators — which means no more flowers, no almonds and almost no fruit. The only surviving bees reside in a handful of apiaries in scientific facilities.
“The Apiary” unfolds in one such lab, a basement facility. Bees aren’t thriving in this ersatz, artificial apiary. They’re shriveled and sexless and slowly dying off. Two lab assistants are fighting to save their remaining bees. And they’re also fighting to keep the Kalop Corporation from pulling the plug on their failing project.
Zora (Dekyi Ronge) is a newly hired, overqualified Ph.D. who goes by the book. The plucky Pilar (Christina Mei Chen) looks on the bright side of life.
Their boss, Gwen (Ariel Blue), just wants results. Her corporate overlords don’t see the profit in this do-gooder project. They lean on her; she leans on the lab assistants. It’s not going too well. They live in constant tension with upstairs management.
Then Cece (Terri Weagant), a lab assistant who mysteriously walked off the job, shows up and provides a solution. It’s a gnarly solution. (Spoiling it would violate the critic’s code, so I won’t.)
Let’s just say if this wasn’t a black comedy, it would be body horror. Humor or horror, there is a way to save the bees. It’s unthinkable and unspeakable. But Cece proved it. The hard way. How far will the Kalop scientists go to save the bees?
Highly educated professionals calmly think about Cece’s unthinkable solution. Then they execute it. And go far beyond her initial suggestion. Their surreal, unethical problem-solving is weirdly hilarious. Many directors are tone-deaf to science-fiction. Summer Dawn Wallace isn’t. She stages Douglas’ story with deadpan sincerity. She tells a tangled tale with several
characters. It happens to be set in the future — so what? Wallace is a lucid storyteller. Storytelling’s the point, not the time, place or genre. Douglas’ characters are sharply defined; each speaks with their own voice. The Urbanite actors do them justice. Ronge’s Zora is driven and hyper-focused. She wants to heal the collapsing ecosystem by any means necessary. Her intensity borders on fanaticism. She’ll push ethical boundaries — but she won’t violate the scientific method. That’s where she draws the line.
Mei Chen’s Pilar is the lab’s uneasy conscience. But she’s the first to cross the ethical line when an unethical answer drops in her lap. Blue’s Gwen is under pressure and stressed out. She initially seems like the bad boss archetype, then gradually shows her human side. Weagant’s Cece provides the solution to the bee-pocalypse. The scientific method didn’t reveal it to her. Cece comes from a family of beekeepers, with a long folk tradition of talking to the bees. And that’s how she found out. Weagant’s also great as three other characters caught up in the experiment.
Jeff Weber’s set design is a hoot. He’s created a bland corporate hallway leading up to the actual theater space. (Some theatergoers thought this was permanent.)
Ethan Vail’s lighting and Louis Vetter-Torres’ sound cleverly turn the bees into another character in the play. A single hive-mind, of course. Frank Chavez’s baggy white jumpsuits and lab coats emphasize the fact that the scientists are corporate cogs.
“The Apiary” isn’t just a black comedy. It’s also an allegory about humanity’s relationship to nature. Douglas doesn’t spell it out, but her meaning is clear.
Animals (including bees) aren’t organic machines to be used. Humans aren’t either. In the end, the bees reject Kalop’s unthinkable solution — on ethical grounds. But they offer a more humane solution. The scientists find it out when they take Cece’s advice and talk to the bees. After that, the bees are happy to help — and willing to fight for us. It seems the bees are more human than we are.
DragonBoot Quartet, April 12, 4:00 pm
Juilliard School student quartet presents the WORLD PREMIERE of Sarasota composer Roger Zare’s Gamma for string quartet, and Haydn’s String Quartet Op. 33
Voice of the Cello, April 21, 7:30 pm
Cellist Andres Sanchez-Linares and pianist Ying Li perform music by George Crumb, Robert Schumann, and Beethoven’s Cello Sonata no. 3 in A major, Op. 69
Baroque Treasures, May 10, 4:00 pm
Oboe, harp, strings, and harpsichord come together for Handel, Debussy, and more on Mother’s Day
TIE BLACK
THURSDAY, APRIL 2, 2026
Friday, March 27, at The RitzCarlton, Sarasota | Benefiting Safe Place and Rape Crisis Center
SPARCC RUNWAY
One of the most coveted tickets during a Sarasota season is to the Safe Place and Rape Crisis Center’s annual Runway Fashion Show.
Sold out in less than a week, the March 27 event filled the foyer and ballroom of The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota with 650 guests in attendance. Many came from out of town to attend the event.
With a theme symbolizing how pieces can be reassembled into something new, the “Kaleidoscope” metaphor was a powerful one.
SPARCC’s Treasure Chest is an upscale resale store, and each year, this fashion show features pieces that are donated and curated into a cohesive show modeled by volunteers from the community. Guests are able to browse Treasure Chest wares as well before and after the show.
SPARCC’s mission is to provide a safe haven and promote empowerment, awareness and social change to end domestic and sexual violence in our community.
SPARCC takes the many pieces of its victims-turned-survivors and helps to reassemble them into something new and beautiful. With a heartfelt story told by a survivor during lunch, there was hardly a dry eye in the room.
“I am so grateful for the amazing support from our community regarding a subject that has not always been spoken about, and it proves how hopeful we can be when this many people come together,” said Jessica Hays, SPARCC president and CEO.
Co-chairing the event were Darci Jacob,
Smith and Carolyn Castro.
Vickie
All the way from Fort Lauderdale to attend the SPARCC Runway is Linda Hoyt, who tries on several purses.
SPARCC President and CEO Jessica Hays, Board Chair Patrick Duggan and VP of Philanthropy Mary Ellen Mancini
Terry BrennanDavis is ready for a kaleidoscope of colors during the luncheon.
Co-Chairs Darci Jacob (ninth year), Vickie Smith (fourth year) and Carolyn Castro (first year).
Katherine Pike models a colorful hat.
Gretchen Bauer is not giving up the location of her favorite shopping haunt, but a direction was divulged. She is photographed with friend Kathryn Ross-Nash.
Photos by Janet Combs
Tracey Coakes enjoys shopping at the SPARCC Runway held at The RitzCarlton, Sarasota on March 27.
Wilmer Triana, who always seems to be sporting a smile, pours wine for Rosemary McDermott.
Louise Ginsberg and Malika Apple partake in shopping at the SPARCC Runway.
Faith Adesanya is wearing a black sequined jumpsuit with a skirt.
Balloon artist Jenn Jordan with Tammy Leitsinger and her daughter and survivor, Courtney Leitsinger. This dress is made from more than
loons twisted together.
“I already started shopping,” said Carolyn Betz.
Krystel Beall is radiant in this orange number, complete with matching shoes and bag.
Women & Medicine Educational Luncheon
Tuesday, March 24, at The
View + Vision =
Maison du Lac, a stunning home nestled in Lakewood Ranch Country Club, boasts an unparalleled view and TT Heritage ads the vision. Originally built by Anchor Builders, this home has unique roadside columns with the numbers 6959 and Maison du Lac. They created a teardrop driveway leading to a side 3-car garage and a circular driveway to the main entrance.
In March 2010, this home had gone back to the bank, however, the current owner, TT Heritage, had this home in their sights and bought this magnificent home due to the unique character of Lakewood Ranch Country Club and Westchester Circle. This home has been beautifully cared for and updated since then. Maison du Lac features a large private lot that offers breathtaking views of the surrounding natural beauty and private view over the lake. No houses are visible from the back.
Town hall still manages the HOA for CEVA which means residents pay only $160 per year for HOA fees.
6959’s location is truly exceptional, with close proximity to the Sarasota/Bradenton International Airport, Interstate 75, the beaches, downtown art and culture. Owners of this property have the option to join various social, sports, and Club Houses and 4 golf clubs.
TT Heritage embarked on continuing comprehensive modernization projects initially and then again in 2024, and have continued to this day.
• New roof • New granite and Thermidor appliances • New sinks • Reverse osmosis water treatment
New floors
Soundproofing panels
New bathrooms
Balcony floors
Closet upstairs
New bar
New electrical outlets and
• Maintenance of mature
and addition of
• Re-screening
It is RARE when an owner/developer like TT Heritage owns and continually updates a home. Now we have the BEST home in Lakewood Ranch Country Club, move-inready. It can be yours for $2.8M.
Photos by Lori Sax
Sarasota Memorial Healthcare Foundation President Stacey Corley with panelists Dr. Kelly Hamel, Dr. Sarah Kimball and Dr. Angela Boldo
Carol Brualdi and Cheryl Clark
Sarasota Memorial Hospital Foundation Team Rachael Fisk, Rachel Williamson, President Stacy Corley, Sally Schule, Renee Cseresznye and Ali Valvo
Hillary Dunson, Tina James, Kim Shepard and Dr. Stacie Herrera
Dr. Hannah Cianci and Dr. Taylor Locklear
Lori and Paul Weisman, Cheyanne Clark, Kirk Voelker and Katie Novack
Pam Ramhofer, Patrick McQuillen, Kaitlyn Reeves and Jen Slusser
CHAMPIONS FOR CHILDREN
Drayton Saunders, The MSC Foundation of Michael Saunders & Co.
Phillip Lanham and the staff of the Gulf Coast Community Foundation
Giving Breakfast
Thursday, March 26, at Michael’s On East | Benefiting Safe Children Coalition
Colleen Thayer and NAMI of Sarasota and Manatee
and
CAUSEHOPE
Neuro Challenge Foundation for Parkinson’s annual Cause 4 Hope Gala, Saturday, April 25, at The Ora.
Featuring: Special entertainment by the acclaimed Sarasota Key Chorale and the Off-Key Chorale.
Honoring Sarasota’s acclaimed gala planner and long-time Neuro Challenge supporter Mary Kenealy.
Also: The year’s “you-won’t-believe” and “must-have” auction items.
Tickets are going fast. For information, go to:
NeuroChallenge.org/events/cause4hope.
Mary Kenealy
Ann Walborn, Betsy Johnston, NAMI CEO Colleen Taylor with her Champion for Children Award, Safe Children Coalition President and CEO Brena Slater and Paul Couzelis
Photos by Lori Sax
Honored guest Aiyana Wilson and Wendy Readus Betty Mehardi, honored guest Aiyana Draper and Claudia Sbaschnik
Ian Black, Phillip Lanham, Deb Kabinoff and Barbara Siemer
Drayton Saunders
Brena Slater
