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ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT APRIL 3, 2025

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VIVA La Music a!

The Sarasota chamber music festival nearly ended after its co-founder died of COVID. His longtime friend has given it new life.

Courtesy images

This year’s La Musica Festival will include performances by (clockwise from top left) Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt, viola; Kristin Lee, violin; Dmitri Atapine, cello; and Orion Weiss, piano.

MONICA ROMAN GAGNIER ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

P

ianist Wu Han is a busy woman.

Last week found her in Lawrence, Kansas, near Kansas City, where she was in the middle of a tour that included 13 concerts in 16 days.

In addition to performing around the world, Wu and her husband, cellist David Finckel, serve as the artistic directors of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center in New York and Silicon Valley’s Music@ Menlo. They also run a classical music recording company and teach.

On her own, Wu (she follows the Chinese tradition of using the first name on second reference) 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.

With a schedule like that, it seemed unlikely that Wu would take on the additional role of artistic director of La Musica, a chamber music festival founded in Sarasota in 1984. But not long after her dear friend and La Musica co-founder Derek Han died in 2021 of complications from COVID, Wu accepted the job, which Han held at the time.

IF YOU GO LA MUSICA CHAMBER FESTIVAL

When: April 11-17 Where: the Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Ave. Tickets: $60-$75 Info: Visit LaMusicaFestival.org.

SEE LA MUSICA, PAGE 2

Husband and wife David Finckel and Wu Han will perform at this year’s La Musica Chamber Festival. Wu is the festival’s artistic director.

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ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT | THURSDAY, APRIL 3, 2025

LA MUSICA, FROM PAGE 1

“I told my husband, ‘I can’t imagine Sarasota without La Musica,’” Wu said in a phone interview from Kansas. “I was so busy, but I couldn’t let the virus disrupt or destroy Derek’s legacy. I said yes out of love to my friend Derek.”

Also helping to tip the scales in favor of Sarasota was La Musica’s new executive director, Joan Sussman. She joined the festival in 2021 with help from a recommendation from Wu, who knew Sussman when she worked for the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. “Joan told me, ‘You helped bring me here. Now I need your help,’” Wu said.

Before coming to Sarasota, Sussman held arts positions in New Haven, Connecticut; Charlotte, North Carolina; and at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center in Saratoga Springs, New York, where 250 volunteers have to be managed.

Wu first met Han, a pianist, at the Marlboro Music Festival in 1985. “Everyone thought he was my brother or my husband,” Wu recalls.

“Many people thought we had the same last name. We became friends and stayed that way.”

Han was one of four co-founders of La Musica, which produces a chamber music festival in Sarasota each April. This year, it will be held April 11-17 at the Sarasota Opera House.

The other three co-founders of La Musica were Bruno Giuranna, Judy Sherman and Piero Rivolta in 1985.

How did La Musica come to be in Sarasota? Origin stories vary depend on who’s telling them, but here’s Wu’s version of the tale.

“Derek and Bruno both had houses in Asolo, Italy, right next to each other. They heard about the Historic Asolo Theater inside The Ringling, and they thought it would be cool to visit the theater. After seeing the beautiful theater, they decided to start a festival,” Wu recalls.

Han ended up living in Sarasota for nearly two decades. Giuranna, a celebrated Italian viola player who turns 92 on April 6, no longer travels.

“Bruno loves the restaurant Mediterraneo on Main Street and Captain Brian’s Seafood Market” on North Tamiami Trail, Wu volunteers, noting that love of music, food and family was something Giuranna and Han

THE LINEUP

This year’s program includes three concerts. The first, on April 11, features the works of Beethoven, Martinu and Dvorak played by Wu on piano, Chad Hoopes and Kristin Lee on violin, Aaron Boyd and Milena Pájaro-vande Stadt on viola and Dmitri Atapine and Finckel on cello.

The second concert features Beethoven, Dvorak and Dohnanyi. Taking the stage on April 14 will be Orion Weiss and Wu on piano, Boyd, Hoopes and Lee on violin, Pájaro-van de Stadt on viola, and Atapine and Finckel on cello.

The festival ends April 17, with a program showcasing Barber, Bloch and Faure. Weiss and Wu will play piano. They will be joined by Lee and Boyd on violin, Pájaro-van de Stadt on viola and Atapine on cello.

All three festival concerts are preceded by talks that begin at 6:15 p.m., 45 minutes ahead of the 7 p.m. curtain time.

shared during their friendship.

“Bruno ran kind of an Italian music mafia and he let Derek join,” she added. An American, Han was born in Columbus, Ohio, to Chinese parents.

In addition to the four co-founders, La Musica grew and flourished over the years through the efforts of Sally Faron, who remained involved until her death in 2023, and Fred Derr, who still is on the board.

Originally, La Musica held its annual chamber music festival in the Historic Asolo Theater, built in 1798 inside a Renaissance-era palace in Asolo, Italy.

The jewelbox theater was acquired

by The Ringling in 1949 by Everett “Chick” Austin, the first director of the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art. After being painstakingly reassembled, the theater opened to the public in 1952.

The Historic Asolo Theater was perfect for the chamber music format, originally developed for a small group of musicians to play inside a palace salon. Like opera, classical music was dependent on the support

File image

This year’s La Musica Festival will be held at the Sarasota Opera House.

of royal patrons and rich benefactors.

And like opera, chamber music suffers from the reputation that is only suitable for “grey hairs,” older people or the stuffy members of the upper class who wore wigs of that color back in the day.

Under the artistic direction of Wu and executive director Sussman, La Musica has been jazzing up its image with a new logo and fun marketing hooks. It has also been extending its season, adding concerts in January, February and March in addition to the April festival.

“The first thing we did was change the logo,” Sussman said in an interview. “It’s now bold. Our former artwork was conservative. The first year (after I took over), our tagline was ‘Music to Knock Your Socks Off’ and we gave away socks to our audience.

Then it was beach towels.”

Unlike at some of the Orioles’ spring training games against mediocre teams, free merchandise isn’t the draw at the La Musica Chamber Festival. It’s the chance to see worldclass musicians.

But calling attention to itself is a

necessity for La Musica. During the festival’s nearly 40 years in existence, the Sarasota cultural scene has exploded. Hometown artistic institutions have flourished and expanded.

“When La Musica started, Sarasota’s arts scene wasn’t as vibrant as it is now,” Wu says. “We were one of just a few groups bringing in worldclass musicians.”

While tourists come to Sarasota and snowbirds move here for the arts, there are only so many hours in the day for arts and galas.

La Musica’s original home, the Historic Asolo Theater, only has 286 seats. As the chamber music festival became more popular, it moved to the Sarasota Opera House in 1992.

It has remained there ever since.

But as the founders aged and arts competition intensified, La Musica struggled to fill the opera house’s 1,100 seats in the early part of the 2020s. With Wu and Finckel’s star power and the top-notch musicians they’re bringing in for this year’s festival, attendance shouldn’t be a worry.

Courtesy images

Aaron Boyd, violin

Chad Hoopes, violin

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THURSDAY, APRIL 3, 2025

Will the real Oscar Levant please stand up?

Director Peter Amster celebrates a troubled genius in ‘Good Night, Oscar.’

MARTY FUGATE CONTRIBUTOR

Director Peter Amster

between genius and insanity.’ Levant shot back with, ‘Oh, I erased that line a long time ago.’ He really used humor as a survival mechanism.”

Casting Levant was one of the director’s biggest challenges. Finding a great actor with sharp comedic timing wasn’t enough. The role also demanded concert-level piano skills. Enter Max Roll, Sean Hayes’ understudy in the recent Broadway production of “Good Night, Oscar.”

The playwright recommended him for the part in Amster’s production.

The director recalls, “He was young, tall, British — everything Levant wasn’t. But when I met him, Max launched into an uncanny Levant impression. Doug Wright told me, ‘If you don’t cast him, you’re a fool.’”

Amster’s no fool. Needless to say, Roll got the part. Voice aside, Roll’s expressive body language fit Amster’s conception of the role.

“As a humorist and raconteur, Levant was a beloved character,” the director says. “He had a sad sack persona. His wife, June, once described him as ‘Eeyore in a cheap suit.’ But he also had a sense of verve and energy.

Roll really captures that.”

What’s the key to Levant’s character? According to Roll, there’s more than one. “There is not one single defining key to unlocking Oscar,” he says. “And he wouldn’t have it any other way. One thing that I do think is important is to fully embrace Oscar’s contradictions. He was so

Max Roll in “Good Night, Oscar” Image courtesy of Adrian VanStee

IF YOU GO ‘GOOD NIGHT, OSCAR’ When: April 4-26 Where: FSU Center for the Performing Arts, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail Tickets: $29-$95 Info: Visit AsoloRep.org

many things all at once. That’s what makes it a challenging and brilliant part to play.”

Roll’s portrayal is worlds apart from Hayes’ characterization on Broadway. That production was critically acclaimed. But Amster has a very different take. “On clips I’ve seen of the Broadway production, Oscar was always hunched over, rocking back and forth,” he says. “I thought that was too much. I wanted the audience to connect with him and care about him — not just pity him. Roll achieves that.”

The actor also had the musical chops for this demanding role.

According to Roll, technical proficiency always serves the creation of character.

“Oscar’s relationship to music fuels so much of what drives this play,” Roll says. “That includes the ecstasy and agony of his connection to Gershwin, and his own perceived inadequacy as a composer. Often what you love and what you hate are even closer than the opposite sides of the same coin.”

Music plays a central role in the storytelling, from Levant’s electrifying on-air piano performances to the quiet moments when Gershwin’s melodies haunt him. “Music is both his gift and his torment,” Amster explains. “It’s woven into Oscar’s psyche.”

A touch of madness was another thread. As America would find out.

“Good Night, Oscar” revolves around a pivotal night in 1958.

Levant, fresh out of a psychiatric hospital, was a guest on “The Tonight Show” with Jack Paar.

In his nationally televised appearance, Levant shocked audiences

by openly discussing his struggles with mental illness and addiction.

When Paar asked, “What do you do for exercise?” Levant quipped, “I stumble, and then I fall into a coma.”

“Good Night, Oscar” raises timely questions about fame, mental illness and exploitation. “Levant was one of the first public figures to openly discuss his mental illness on television,” notes Amster. “His wife called his talk show appearances ‘bloodletting.’ It makes you wonder — do we elevate troubled geniuses or do we consume them?”

After theatergoers experience the lost world of “Good Night, Oscar,” Amster hopes they’ll leave with both admiration and curiosity. “For those who remember Levant, it’ll be a nostalgic and bittersweet return,” he says. “For those unfamiliar, I hope it’ll send them to YouTube to watch his old performances. Levant was a remarkable talent — and he’s worth rediscovering.”

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I

n the mid-20th century, Oscar Levant was famed as a multitalented, creative genius. Levant’s eclectic resume include: conductor, composer, actor, author, humorist, raconteur, radio game show panelist, television game show host and concert pianist.

Some will remember Levant as the witty pianist in “An American in Paris” (1951) who performed Gershwin’s Concerto in F in that movie.

Levant’s fame was well deserved. But his struggles with mental illness also played out on national television.

Peter Wright’s “Good Night, Oscar” explores the legacy of this now largely forgotten genius. For director Peter Amster, bringing the character study to the Asolo Repertory Theatre stage is a fitting tribute to Levant’s larger-than-life life.

Amster’s connection to Levant runs deep. “Levant was a family favorite growing up in New York,” he recalls. “He had a dry, droll wit, and he was a genius pianist. At one time, he was the highest-paid concert performer in the U.S., yet he’s a historical footnote today.”

When Amster first read Wright’s script for “Good Night, Oscar,” he instantly knew: “This is mine.”

What grabbed the director?

According to Amster, the script did justice to Levant’s dualities and contradictions.

“The playwright captures both Levant’s comic brilliance and his tragic breakdowns,” he says. “Jack Paar once told him, ‘There’s a fine line

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ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT | THURSDAY, APRIL 3, 2025

THIS WEEK THURSDAY

‘THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST’ 6:30 p.m. at The Historic Asolo Theater, 5401 Bayshore Road $10-$20 Visit Ringling.org.

OUR PICK

The title of this Victorian-era farce

by Oscar Wilde refers to a fictional character (Ernest Worthing) that British bon vivant Algernon Moncrieff creates to charm young Cecily. After watching the screening of the National Theatre live at The Ringling, don’t be surprised if you find yourself quoting bon mots from Cecily’s mother, Lady Bracknell, who famously declares “To lose one (parent) may be regarded as a misfortune, to lose two looks like carelessness.” Runs through April 5.

‘DANCING AT LUGHNASA’ 7:30 p.m. at Asolo Repertory Theatre, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail $35-$95 Visit AsoloRep.org.

Joe Dowling, the former artistic director of both the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis and the Abbey Theatre in Dublin, directs Brian

Courtesy images

The hit musical “Les Misérables” comes to the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall April 8-11.

Friel’s Tony Award-winning play about the five Mundy sisters living in rural Ireland in the 1930s. The play gets its name from the Gaelic word for August, which is the month agrarian folk celebrate after bringing in the crops. Runs through April 19.

‘NO ONE IS FORGOTTEN’ 7:30 p.m. at Urbanite Theatre, 1487 Second St. $5-$44 Visit UrbaniteTheatre.com.

Written by New York playwright Winter Miller and directed by Urbanite Artistic Director Summer Dawn Wallace, “No One is Forgotten” tells the story of two U.S. citizens imprisoned in a cramped, dirty cell in a foreign land as they ponder such existential questions as “Does anyone know we’re here?” and “Will anyone save us?” The tale is based on real-life accounts of American journalists and aid workers imprisoned overseas. Runs through April 27.

‘SHEDDING A SKIN’ 7:30 p.m. at FST’s Bowne’s Lab, 1265 First St. $25-$46 Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.

DON’T MISS TESSA LARK Artist Series Concerts presents violin/fiddle virtuoso Tessa Lark, who moves easily between the worlds of classical and bluegrass music.

Lark dazzled audiences during her recent appearances with the Sarasota Orchestra and at the Sarasota Music Festival. During this concert, the Grammy nominee will play what she calls “Stradgrass,” original works that reflect her classical training and Kentucky roots.

IF YOU GO When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 8 Where: First Congregational United Church of Christ, 1031 S. Euclid Ave. Tickets: $43-$63 Info: Visit ArtistSeriesConcerts.org.

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‘LES MISÉRABLES’ Amaze your friends with the fun fact that the source material for the show — Victor Hugo’s book of the same name — was inspired by the Paris revolt of 1832, well before the French Revolution, as most people assume. Acclaimed as one of the greatest musicals ever made, “Les Miz” includes such standards as “Master of the House,” “One Day More” and “I Dreamed a Dream.” Runs through April 13.

Part of Florida Studio Theatre’s edgy Stage III series, “Shedding a Skin” follows Myah, a young woman whose topsy-turvy life is transformed when she befriends an elderly Jamaican woman. Directed by Nancy Rominger, the award-winning play pays tribute to the power of human connection. Runs through April 25.

‘FIVE GUYS NAMED MOE’ 7:30 p.m. at Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe, 1012 N. Orange Ave. $22-$52 Visit WestcoastBlackTheatre.org.

Written by Clarke Peters, “Five Guys” tells the story of Nomax, who is down on his luck because his girlfriend has left and he’s broke. Suddenly, five guys step out of a 1930s-style radio to give him encouragement. Last presented by

1734 South Tamiami Trail Venice, FL 34293 941.493.7441

Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe in 2011, this musical tribute to R&B pioneer Louis Jordan promises to delight audiences not only with Jordan’s music, but with lively dance numbers. Runs through April 6.

IF YOU GO When: 7:30 Tuesday, April 8 Where: Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail Tickets: $50-$155 Info: Visit VanWezel.org.

‘DIVAS: TIME AFTER TIME’ 8 p.m. at FST’s Court Cabaret, 1265 First St. $37-$39 Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.

New to Sarasota? We’ve got two words for you: Jannie Jones. When Jones is on stage at Florida Studio Theatre, run — don’t walk — to the Court Cabaret. She is one-third of the trio performing in FST’s new cabaret show, “Divas: Time After Time.” The other talented singers are Aja Goes and Dakota MackeyMcGee. First-timers to FST’s cabaret shows leave amazed that there is such talent here in our laid-back beach town. Runs through June 22.

‘JERSEY BOYS’ 8 p.m. at FST’s Gompertz Theatre, 1265 First St. $39-$59 Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.

There are countless imitations, but there is only one “Jersey Boys.”

Winner of both the Tony (Broadway) and Olivier (London’s West End) awards, the musical by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice features music and lyrics by Bob Gaudio and Bob Crewe. The show tells the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, from their humble Garden State beginnings to their induction in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

This isn’t a musical revue; it’s a full-fledged musical directed by Ben Liebert. Runs through May 25.

FRIDAY JAZZ @ 2 WITH THE ISAAC MINGUS QUARTET 2 p.m. at Unitarian Universalists of SRQ, 3975 Fruitville Road $15-$20 Visit JazzClubSarasota.org.

4551 N. Washington Blvd.

Sarasota, FL 34234 941.355.8437

Start the weekend on a jazzy note with the Isaac Mingus Quartet, presented by the Jazz Club of Sarasota. A jazz and classical bassist, Mingus won acclaim for his performances with New York City cabaret vocalist Carole J. Bufford and with a trio led by legendary pianist Dick Hyman. Also a cellist, Mingus performs with the Venice Symphony. His quartet will perform popular jazz standards and music from the Great American Songbook.

SARASOTA FILM FESTIVAL OPENING NIGHT FILM AND PARTY 6 p.m. at The Ora, 578 McIntosh Road $50 (other festival film tickets start at $23) Visit SarasotaFilmFestival.com.

The 27th edition of the Sarasota Film Festival opens with Peter Miller’s documentary “Marcella,” about the iconic Italian chef and author who spent the last part of her life on Longboat Key. The screening will be attended by the director as well as Victor Hazan and Giuliano Hazan, who will participate in a talkback with the audience. The festival runs through April 13 at various locations, including Ringling College of Art and Design, New College and Cinebistro.

‘GOOD NIGHT, OSCAR’ 7:30 p.m. at Asolo Repertory Theatre, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail $35-$95 Visit AsoloRep.org.

Oscar Levant has largely been forgotten by history. The celebrated pianist and raconteur is most famous for his role as Gene Kelly’s

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ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT

‘LOSING MY RELIGION’ BY RENNIE HARRIS PUREMOVEMENT 7:30 p.m. at The Ringling’s Historic Asolo Theater, 5401 Bay Shore Road $30-$40 Visit Ringling.org.

An abstract work created by Rennie Harris, “Losing My Religion” challenges notions of what constitutes street dance and hiphop culture to tell his life story as well as to reflect on the world’s collective dilemmas. Runs through April 5.

MASTERWORKS: GRAND TREASURES 7:30 p.m. at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail $39-$105 Visit SarasotaOrchestra.org.

Directed by Earl Lee, this Masterworks program opens with the premiere of “Horizons,” a commission from American composer Peter Boyer to honor longtime Sarasota Orchestra Artistic Administrator Pat Joslyn. Also on the bill are Beethoven’s Third Piano Concerto with soloist Jon Kimura Parker. It’s followed by audience favorite, Brahms’ Fourth Symphony.

Runs through April 6.

SATURDAY ‘CONSIDERING MATTHEW SHEPARD’ 4 p.m. at First Congregational Church, 1031 S. Euclid Ave. $40 Visit ChoralArtistsSarasota.org Choral Artists of Sarasota presents “Considering Matthew Shepard,” a modern-day cantata that tells the story of a young gay man who was beaten and left to die on a fence in Wyoming in 1998. First presented

by Choral Artists in 2024, the piece was brought back this year with help from the Community Foundation of Sarasota and private sponsors.

COMEDY ROULETTE 8:30 p.m. at FST’s Bowne’s Lab, 1265 First St. $15-$18 Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.

Looking to have fun on a Saturday night without breaking the bank?

Look no further than Florida Studio Theatre. Four experienced improvisers deliver a mix of short form, long form and musical improv in a mashup of styles and techniques.

Weekends through May 30.

Kristin Lee

Orion Weiss

THURSDAY, APRIL 3, 2025

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SUNDAY ‘GEORGE HARRISON: A GARDENER’S LIFE’ 10 a.m. at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens,1534 Mound St. $28 Visit Selby.org.

“George Harrison: A Gardener’s Life” is the ninth installment of the annual Jean and Alfred Goldstein Exhibition Series. Walking around the 15-acre sanctuary on the Sarasota bayfront where gardens and botanical displays have been erected to mirror those in Harrison’s Friar Park estate, you can’t help feeling the late Beatle would approve of this living tribute.

After all, he dedicated his 1980 memoir to “gardeners everywhere.”

Runs through June 29.

‘OH, HENRY’ Suncoast Concert Band 3 p.m. at Northminster Presbyterian Church, 3131 61st St. $5 Visit SuncoastConcertBand.org.

Now in its 92nd season, the Suncoast Concert Band kicks off this program with “Oh, Henry!”

The tribute to composer and band director Henry Fillmore was written

by Lieutenant Colonel Ryan Nowlin, director of the United States Marine Band. Call 941-907-4123 to reserve a ticket.

MONDAY MONDAY NIGHT JAZZ CABARET WITH LA LUCHA 7:30 p.m. at John C. Court Cabaret, 1265 First St. $34-$39 Visit JazzClubSarasota.org.

Jazz Club of Sarasota presents La Lucha, a Tampa Bay trio that consists of three best friends from different parts of the world: Alejandro Arenas (Colombia), John O’Leary (Mexico) and Mark Feinman (U.S.). Doors open at 6:30 for food and beverage service.

WEDNESDAY ‘INTO THE WOODS’ 7:30 p.m. at The Players Centre, 3501 S. Tamiami Trail, Unit 1130 $34 Visit The Players.org.

Fairy tales come to the stage in the Sarasota Players production of “Into the Woods,” the 1986 musical

by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine. Directed by Brian Finnerty, this musical weaves together the plots of “Little Red Riding Hood,” “Jack and the Beanstalk,” “Rapunzel” and other childhood staples into a show that appeals to theatergoers of all ages. Runs through April 20.

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neighbor in “An American in Paris.”

Directed by Peter Amster, Asolo Repertory Theatre’s production of the Broadway hit show focuses on Levant’s appearance on “Tonight Starring Jack Paar,” where he spoke frankly about his mental health issues. Runs through April 26.

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APRIL 25 - 26

SARASOTA OPERA HOUSE

LOOKS LIKE A LINE-UP YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS.

FEATURING SPECIAL GUEST ARTIST

ALINA COJOCARU

PROGRAM SPONSOR

A three-concert festival that fires on all cylinders.

Hear it, see it, feel it. Definitely do not miss it.

APRIL 11 / BEETHOVEN, MARTINŮ, DVOŘÁK

APRIL 14 / BEETHOVEN, DVOŘÁK, DOHNÁNYI APRIL 17 / BARBER, BLOCH, FAURÉ FESTIVAL ARTISTS

Aaron Boyd

Wu Han Dmitri Atapine Aaron Boyd David Finckel

Chad Hoopes Kristin Lee Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt Orion Weiss

All 7:00 p.m. at the Sarasota Opera House For tickets, visit lamusicafestival.org or call (941) 347-9656 (M–F, 9–5).

ACCOMPANIED BY THE SARASOTA ORCHESTRA

George Balanchine’s Serenade Jerome Robbins’ In the Night Sir Frederick Ashton’s A Wedding Bouquet

Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt

2025 Season

Wu Han, Artistic Director

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941.359.0099 | SarasotaBallet.org Macarena Gimenez and Maximiliano Iglesias in Jerome Robbins’ In the Night | Photo by Frank Atura

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ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT | THURSDAY, APRIL 3, 2025

On the trail of things that go bump in the night at The Ringling ‘Conjuring the Spirit World’ explores efforts to contact denizens of unseen realms.

MONICA ROMAN GAGNIER ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

T

he desire to contact loved ones who have left the Earthly plane has been around as long as human life itself. So have the mediums, magicians and hucksters who have presented themselves as conduits to such supernatural communication.

During the mid-19th century, Upstate New York became a hotbed of spiritualism, utopian communities and new religions. It was the birthplace of the Church of the Latter Day Saints as well as the home of the Fox sisters, young and attractive practitioners of seances that employed “table rapping.”

Even today, the region dubbed the “burned-over district” because the mania for spiritualism spread like wildfire, attracts thousands of visitors annually to a hamlet called Lily Dale, not far from Buffalo.

Billed as the “town that talks to the dead,” Lily Dale was first called Cassadaga. It’s technically an assembly where residents must pass an exam proving their powers in order to live there. Some of its original residents and their descendants joined other snowbirds in discovering the warmer climate of Florida, where a new Cassadaga was formed.

Cassadaga was also the monicker given to the wooden cabinets used by the Davenport Brothers of Buffalo, New York, during seances, derived from the French word for “session.”

As one might suspect, not everyone who claims to communicate with folks on “the other side” has been in earnest. Public practitioners are often more akin to entertainers than spiritual advisers. That’s why the exhibition, “Conjuring the Spirit World: Art, Magic and Mediums” has found a perfect home at The Ringling, a legacy of circus magnate John Ringling.

Like carnivals and vaudeville shows, circuses were a form of popular entertainment designed to bring spectacle and wonder to the masses.

So were the public seances by Maggie and Kate Fox of Rochester, New York.

Not all of spiritualism’s fellow travelers were of like minds. The Ring-

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ling’s entertaining and educational exhibit points out that the magician Houdini unmasked charlatans who deceived grief-stricken audiences willing to empty their pockets to hear a message from beyond the grave.

Houdini’s crusade against hucksters brought him into conflict with his friend Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who wrote the Sherlock Holmes detective stories. Unlike the magician, the author believed it was possible to communicate with spirits.

It is difficult to explain the power of such celebrities in the days before radio, TV, Hollywood and the internet. The comparison isn’t perfect, but imagine if magician David Copperfield was arguing with Stephen King about whether aliens exist.

You can consult a Ouija board at The Ringling’s new exhibit, “Conjuring the Spirit World,” which runs through July 13.

A Spirit Clock

WOMEN FIND THEIR VOICE

WITCH HUNTS CONTINUE TODAY

Because not all spirits have good intentions, it’s also appropriate that the new exhibit, “Conjuring the Spirit World” came to The Ringling through a partnership with the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts, the site of witch trials in Colonial America.

The hysteria that characterized Salem in the late 1600s was captured brilliantly in Arthur Miller’s 1953 play “The Crucible,” an allegory for efforts to identify communists during the McCarthy era. More recently, witch hunts have played out on TV talk shows and courtrooms, where parents and child care workers were accused of sexual abuse through “recovered” memories coaxed from children by psychologists.

Some of those accused of communism and child abuse were guilty; others were innocent. But these recent events demonstrate how quickly mania can spread through a classroom, a community or a even a country the way that spiritualism did in the mid-1800s.

One of the more fascinating aspects of The Ringling’s exploration of the magicians and mediums who tried to communicate with the dead is the tools of their trade.

Alongside beautiful posters used to advertise the traveling performers, costumes, paintings and books, the exhibit contains devices, furniture and objects used to contact spirits.

The fledging fields of photography and film produced new instruments in the late 19th century that helped creat optical illusions such as the

the video were all surprised when the word “home” appeared on the chalkboard. “That’s the word I was thinking of,” each of the three exclaimed during a recent visit.

When they tried it again, “love” was the word that appeared on the chalkboard. Once again, that was the same word each of the three viewers had chosen from the flash cards that whizzed by in the video. How does it work? Sorry: No spoilers here.

The Ringling’s exhibit is accompanied by a handsome book with scholarly articles by Ringling curators Jennifer Lemmer Posey and Christopher Jones, among others. Priced at $25, it’s sold in the gift shop.

Along with beautiful pictures, the book discusses the social conditions that helped ferment spiritualism.

In the 19th century, life expectancy was much shorter than today.

Before widespread vaccination and the development of antibiotics, children often died young, leaving behind bereaved parents desperate to contact their offspring. It was a morbid era when survivors employed the new medium of photography and even death masks to preserve images of the dead.

An 1890 poster advertising Miss Baldwin, “A Modern Witch of Endor”

IF YOU GO

‘CONJURING THE SPIRIT WORLD’ When: Through July 13 Where: Ringling Museum of Art, 5401 Bayshore Road Tickets: Free with $28 general admission Info: Visit Ringling.org

appearance of a specter in a photo, on screen and even on the stage.

Some of the medium’s tools exist more than a century later as games for amusement. The seance participants who sat around a Victorian table with their hands touching are the spiritual forebears of kids who play with the modern-day Ouija board, a Hasbro game that traces its roots to the automatic writing of ancient Chinese.

As seen in The Ringling’s exhibit, a heart-shaped planchette moves around the alphabet on the Ouija board to spell out words in answer to question. When I asked the oracle, “Will I die in Florida?” I didn’t get an answer. (“Not soon” would have been nice to hear.)

The Arts Advocates Gallery inside the Crossings at Siesta Key mall is open every Saturday from 2-4 pm featuring the works of Sarasota Colony artists, the Florida Highwaymen, and changing monthly exhibits.

Courtesy images

A Cassadaga Cabinet

For many, creating and streaming TikTok videos has replaced the simpler pastimes of trading ghost stories and playing games at a slumber party.

Those who enjoy videos won’t be disappointed by The Ringling’s exhibit. In one interactive exhibit, a deck of cards with words printed on them is quickly flashed on the screen. Viewers are asked to choose a word and remember it. Later, that same word materializes on a chalkboard at the video station.

A group of three people watching

Celebrating 95 years of community theatre

Into

The Fine Arts Society of Sarasota, Inc.

Peter Rothstein’s Bold Vision for Asolo Rep

the

Luncheon

April 17, 11 am-1 pm Sarasota Yacht Club

In the early days of spiritualism, respectable women weren’t allowed by parents and husbands to take the stage. Along with the suffragist movement, which also got its start in Upstate New York around the same time, spiritualism helped women find their voice.

After their time in the spotlight, the Fox sisters confessed that their seances were hoaxes. It turns out the rapping noises were made by their joints cracking, not by spirits. But then at least one of the sisters flipflopped, perhaps to earn money.

Early in the 20th century, the Fox sisters appeared to be vindicated.

Their careers as mediums allegedly began when they heard rapping sounds in the area where a peddler had disappeared and had presumably been murdered. Years later, a buried box of bones was discovered near the house where the Fox sisters lived earlier in their lives.

But the story didn’t end there.

The bones, which are in a Lily Dale museum, were later identified by a researcher as belonging to a chicken, not a human.

Believers remain undeterred.

Crowds flock to Lily Dale each summer to attend free public sessions with the assembly’s mediums, who use them to attract clients.

Was a man told at one public session that his dead father appreciated the watch that had been secretly dropped in his coffin in cahoots with the medium? No, he was not.

The fact remains that millions of grieving people have been duped by con artists into believing they are talking to the dead. The Ringling’s “Conjuring the Spirit World” explains how and why it happens.

Book by

James Lapine Music & Lyrics by

Stephen Sondheim

Woods

Now in his second year at Asolo Rep, producing artistic director Peter Rothstein will share his vision for Asolo’s future.

Join us and get to know this talented leader of one of the cornerstones of Sarasota’s arts community.

April 10-20

The Crossings at Siesta Key 3501 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, FL 34239

Art Talk: Portraits Then and Now

What happens after happily ever after?

April 29, 4-6 pm Arts Advocates Gallery

Presenter Suzanne Havens is a painter and photographer passionate about studying art and art history. She provides insights from both the artists' and critics' perspectives, offering a fast-paced journey through Western art.

More info:

Register at ArtsAdvocates.org

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ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT

THEATER CRITIC

W

inter Miller’s “No One Is Forgotten” has captured the Urbanite Theatre stage. It’s a psychologically naked play about two prisoners in a pressure-cooker environment. You’re thrown into this crucible without explanation at the opening scene.

You see two female captives — nameless, at first. Barefoot and unclean. They’re in a nondescript prison cell. Who are they? You eventually find out that Beng (Casey Wortmann) is a seasoned reporter while Lali (Dekyi Rongé) is an idealistic aid worker. Where are they? Who’s holding them? The play never answers those questions.

Their captors remain unseen, their location unknown.

Like “Catch-22” and “Reservoir Dogs,” Miller’s play revolves around a missing scene. (It’s not in the play.

This is my inference, but I think it’s a good one.)

When the women were first imprisoned, they made a pact. It goes something like this: “We can’t think like victims. We won’t discuss our captors, geopolitics or the odds of rescue. We’ll keep our minds sharp with word games. We’ll keep our bodies strong with exercise. Whatever we do, we won’t complain. We’ll talk as if everything’s normal and we could go to Starbucks at any time. That’s how we’ll keep it together.”

That’s what Lali and Beng do. The women play Hangman and I Spy. They stretch and do lunges. They talk as if nothing’s happened — dropping pop culture references like breadcrumbs on the road to normal.

Mazda Miata ... Stevie Wonder ... gaucho pants. This survival strategy usually works. Usually.

Cruel captivity grinds them down. At times, they fight. At other times, they lose it. Beng has a panic attack at the very idea of time zones. But her true fear isn’t that abstract. She doesn’t know where she is — and she doesn’t know how long she’s been there.

Director Summer Dawn Wallace refuses to soften the play’s rough edges. Her production is raw, riveting and uncompromising. It’s not always easy to watch — but it’s unforgettable.

Wortmann and Rongé deliver gut-level performances of unflinching intensity. The actors

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hold nothing back. There’s no place to hide — and they don’t try. They strip themselves bare and show you the naked truth.

Tom Hansen’s set is as minimal as it gets — it’s close to no set at all. Just a raw concrete floor and a single barred door with a slot at the bottom for food and water. The only props? A plastic bucket for human waste, bowls for food and containers for liquids.

The theater-in-the-round staging puts theatergoers on all sides, with constant interaction from the actors. It pulls you into the action — and creates a captive audience.

Dee Johnson’s filthy, tattered shifts reflect the captor’s contemptuous indifference for the apparel of their prisoners.

Ethan Vail’s lighting punctuates the action. There are only two settings: The harsh light of a third-degree interrogation and the dimness of oppression.

Lali and Beng don’t have a choice.

They suffer — there’s no denying it.

But they also come together. This is a play about the forces of oppression, brutality and hate. But it’s also about the counterforces of resilience, transcendence and love.

In the end, there’s a ray of hope.

The prison door opens. Light shines in. What’s on the other side of that door? Freedom, perhaps. Or a bullet to the brain. The play doesn’t say.

Miller’s play is a cry from the heart. More and more journalists like Daniel Pearl, aid workers and political prisoners are abducted and even murdered every year.

The world’s response? A collective shrug. They playwright and the Urbanite’s talents refuse to look away.

What would it be like to be stripped of everything, confined in a squalid cell and left with only one other human being to keep you sane?

After seeing “No One is Forgotten,” you’ll know exactly what it would be like.

And you won’t forget it.

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THURSDAY, APRIL 3, 2025

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Urbanite Theatre’s ‘No One is Forgotten’ puts the audience into a pressure-cooker environment.

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Terri Kowalski, Colleen Curran and Bonnie VanOverbeke, who is the SPARCC Auxiliary president.

SPARCC Runway Fashion Show T

he season’s sparkler showcase that 650 guests look forward to annually is the Safe Place and Rape Crisis Center Runway Fashion Show. As in years past, the 2025 tickets sold out in about one week.

On March 28, guests entered The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota and were greeted with champagne. At 10 a.m., the red velvet ropes on gold stanchions were removed.

Guests swarmed the racks and tables, shopping for clothing, shoes, jewelry and accessories curated from the SPARCC Treasure Chest, an upscale resale shop located in downtown Sarasota and run by the SPARCC Auxiliary.

Behind the scenes at the same time, Event Chair Vickie Smith and Fashion Chair Darci Jacob were handling last-minute details. As Smith tended to guests and volunteers, Jacob made sure things were running smoothly with 30 models, 30 stylists and dressers, hair and makeup volunteers, and a security team made up of volunteer husbands.

The Ritz-Carlton ballroom was transformed into a fashion show runway. This year’s show modeled seascape trends, all coming from SPARCC’s Treasure Chest.

President and CEO Jessica Hays shared that the organization

Model Wendy Rossiter and her blowup flamingo rock the SPARCC runway event.

Rosemary Eure from presenting sponsor Lancaster & Eure.

Photos by Janet Combs

The dynamic duo: Event Chair Vickie Smith and Fashion Chair Darci Jacob before 650 guests arrive for the SPARCC luncheon.

Friday, March 28, at The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota | Benefiting Safe Place and Rape Crisis Center

answered 6,105 hotline calls in the 2023-24 year, with each one representing an opportunity to help someone encountering domestic abuse. Rosemary Eure spoke about people making a difference using the “three T’s: time, talent and treasures.”

Proceeds from the luncheon help SPARCC further its mission, “to provide a safe haven and promote empowerment, awareness and social change to end domestic and sexual violence in our communities.”

Suzette Jones shops after lunch with her aunt, Kathy Daniels.

— JANET COMBS

Sharyl Smith and Laura Leeming show off some muscle with their personal trainer and volunteer SPARCC Runway model, Jamie McGraw.

Courtney Marie Shrem walks in beachwear donated to the SPARCC Treasure Chest.

Cici Couchot, Emily Meinke and Kris Ravenscroft volunteer at the annual fashion show

Lori Deitz, Ning Tinsley, Crysal Leuty, Shayna Callaway, Melissa Ferlazzo, Linda Thull, Melissa Smith, Shannon Stafford, Nicole Hartscok, VP of Philanthropy Mary Ellen Mancini and SPARCC President and CEO Jessica Hays

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THURSDAY, APRIL 3, 2025

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Thursday, March 27, at The Ringling Courtyard | Benefiting Ringling Museum

Photos by Lori Sax

The Ringling Executive Director Steven High

Award winners are singers Victor Starsky, Lindsey Polcyn, Alexandra Kzeski, Sara Kennedy, Tessa Fackelmann and Michael Deshield

Salute to the Stars Tuesday, March 25, at Sarasota Yacht Club | Benefiting Sarasota Opera

Xochitl Nopoles and Greg Mallek

Susie and Cliff Walters with Rebecca Donelson

Pat Dodge, Merry Brodherson, Riska Platt Wanago and Lisa Huertas

Kathy Yu, Glenda Dimino, Pam Revels and Marina Schmidt

Louis DeFrancesco and Anne Heim

Artistic Director Victor DeRenzi with Michelle-Marie Heinemann

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ELIZABETH MOORE SARASOTA OPEN

ZABETH MOORE SARASOTA OPEN Presented by Tommy’s Express Car Wash

Presented by Tommy’s Express Car Wash

Photos by Lori Sax

Diana Napoliello, Laura Magnusson, Michael, Joe, Annie, and Devin Sutherland and Gana Gilkey.

The three co-chairs were honored with flowers and the Sutherlands the Legacy Of Hope Award.

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Saturday, March 29, at The Westin Sarasota | Benefiting Neuro Challenge Foundation

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Celebrate! Join the 2024 Champion Party!

Handbell Concert Thanasi Kokkinakis

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Ring Sarasota invites you to celebrate their 15th performance season with a musical journey through the year. This concert will feature a vibrant selection of handbell arrangements with each piece capturing the essence of a different month. Join us as we commemorate this special anniversary!

ART, MAGIC, AND MEDIUMS ON VIEW MAR 15 – JUL 13 TICKETS + INFORMATION

ringling.org

SUNDAY, APRIL 13TH FROM 5:00-7:00 PM AT ST ARMANDS KEY LUTHERAN CHURCH

Conjuring the Spirit World: Art, Magic, and Mediums is generously supported by the Gulf Coast Community Foundation, Bob & Diane Roskamp Endowment Fund, Chao Ringling Museum Endowment, Selby Foundation Ringling Museum Endowment, and Peter & Mary Lou Vogt MuseumGenerated Exhibition Fund.

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NOW PLAYING APR 1 - 27

Photos by Lori Sax

Stephanie Roberts with panelists Meredith Cleveland, Laura McLeroy and Dr. Kristen Walker

WOMEN & MEDICINE Friday, March 28, at The Ora Benefiting Sarasota Memorial Healthcare Foundation Presented on the Elizabethan Stage in the Cook Theatre

Evonne Taylor, Hillary Dunson and Deon Brown

No other play offers us so direct a pathway into the beauty, torment and delight at the deepest core of Shakespeare’s soul. A king mad with jealousy, a faithful wife and friend, an adoring daughter, an angry witch, a couple of homespun clowns, and a very hungry bear combine to offer us a story of redemption, a love letter to country life, and an indictment of repressive authority gone mad. “It is a heretic that makes the fire, not she which burns in it.”

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FAMILY PRACTICE ASSOCIATES Alan Levin and Joan Lerner

Jeffrey and Nikki Sedacca Judith Schwartzbaum

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“In support of improving patient care, this activity has been planned and implemented by Chabad of Sarasota and Sarasota Memorial Health Care System(SMHCS). SMHCS is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.

Sarasota Memorial is an approved provider of Continuing Education for the Florida Board of Nursing and the Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy, and Mental Health Counseling under Provider No. 50-1749

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ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT | THURSDAY, APRIL 3, 2025

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