Diversions 11.28.13

Diversions YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2013

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ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT | POETIC LICENSE

BLACK TIE

Dream Makers Ball PAGE 11

by Mallory Gnaegy | A&E Editor

“My first love is words and the way they sound,” Alexis Orgera says. “That’s how I write naturally; I listen to the rhythm of the language.”

Photo by Mallory Gnaegy

Alexis Orgera writes daily. So, when her father’s Alzheimer’s worsened, words became healthy therapy.

ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT COVER STORY CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

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DIVERSIONS

YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2013

// ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT: POETIC LICENSE

by Mallory Gnaegy | A&E Editor (continued from page 1)

Alexis Orgera writes daily. So, when her father’s Alzheimers worsened, her words became healthy therapy.

Alzheimer: “Where are you?”

Auguste D: “Here and everywhere.

Here and now. You don’t mind.”

Photo by Mallory Gnaegy

riter Alexis Orgera suffers from migraines. She calls them ragers. Ragers make her vomit violently for 12 hours.

As a teen, Orgera got ragers once a week; as a 36-year-old adult she gets them as infrequently as twice a year. She did a lot of research on her ragers for her novel “You Don’t Mind: Neurojourney.” The book explores her brain’s foibles paralleled with her father’s, Bo Orgera’s, struggle and eventual death from Alzheimer’s Disease. It was in doing this research that she realized her migraines are stress related.

Go figure, when she quit her job to pursue writing in fall 2011, she got lots of ragers. She was teaching composition and creative writing at her alma mater, New College. It was terrifying to quit — even if her motive of producing literature was worth the uncertainty involved in trying to support herself on words alone.

Her pursuit was to achieve truth.

She says once she delved into the cause of her ragers, she didn’t have as many — despite the fact that she went through a stressful time experiencing the slow death of her father from Alzheimer’s.

Her most recent work, “You Don’t Mind” explores that period

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2013

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// ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT of her life, from the joy of spending time with him to the heartache of losing him to the disease, little by little.

“I make art because it’s an expression of my life experience,” she says.

Orgera is soft-spoken. She sits relaxed in the backroom reading nook of Bookstore1Sarasota, where you can occasionally find her working the front desk. She’s also the coordinator of PoetryLife, Sarasota’s annual celebration of poetry and poetry education. If you’re seeking poetry, Orgera can pull the perfect book for you from the shelves of thousands — she’ll know exactly where it is.

What you probably wouldn’t find out is that her first book of poetry “How Like Foreign Objects” is proudly propped on the front display — unless one of her co-workers tries to hawk it to you and you somehow noticed her name on the front cover. She’s too shy to sell it herself.

Poetry is in Orgera’s nature.

Her second book of poetry “Dust Jacket” comes out in December.

“You Don’t Mind,” which is in the editing process, is her first foray into autobiographical narrative. The work of literature won her this year’s The Arts and Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County’s John Ringling Towers Fund Award.

Orgera moved back to Sarasota when her father got sick nearly a decade ago. Her father was 52 years old, and Orgera was living in California at the time.

“My mom called me saying, ‘Something’s wrong with your dad. He’s sleeping all the time and forgetting really basic things,’” Orgera explains.

A year after that conversation,

Orgera decided she needed to move back home. Orgera didn’t start writing the book until her father got progressively worse.

It follows his final years up until he was admitted into a nursing home. He died in August at age 60.

Some people, referring to that pejorative group of writers who think there are unbreakable rules to writing, would say not to write a book while you’re going through the experience about which you’re writing.

“But I couldn’t not!” Orgera says. “I think I needed to get through the experience, and I didn’t know how to do it without writing.”

She wrote about the afternoons she and her father spent painting together. They’d listen to “Mellow Yellow” by Donovan or “Crimson and Clover” by Tommy James and The Shondells. These are the same songs that Orgera remembers listening to before her dad got sick. Her favorite memories were driving and listening old ’60s songs; he would tell her about the first time he heard them.

She wrote about when they had to stop painting because her father couldn’t hold a paintbrush or hold his attention — he forgot the movements.

“It can be really difficult to read in terms of emotional intensity,” she says of her book.

It’s written in a lyric essay form meant to reflect what’s taking place in her mind as it’s happening. This means it’s not always linear. Some essays are one page long. Others are 20 pages long.

They all connect and speak to each other. She hopes in some ways other people dealing with similar life experiences can feel a

Alexis Orgera’s five tips to writing poetry:

“There’s this photograph of he and I when I was about 7 years old that I use at the beginning of the book,” Orgera says. “There are about 10 sections that meditate on this photograph; it has this beautiful light in it that shines down and we’re both wearing white shirts.”

1. Don’t censor your first draft.

“Let it spill out because that’s where the good meat is.”

2. Think in images rather than explanations. “Language becomes vibrant when you’re using all the senses. It’s the old ‘show don’t tell’ adage.”

“For about six months, he drew this strange ghostly woman,” Orgera says. “He’d do it in pencil, and she always looked exactly the same. I don’t know who she was or who he thought he was seeing.”

3. Listen to the rhythm of language. “It helps to read other poetry. Sometimes, I’ll sit and read my favorite poets before I write to get them in my head again. There are all different types of rhythms of language.

You have to find the ones you really like.”

She is all the expectation packed into that fragile October moment just before a man drives his car off the Brooklyn Bridge—just before the Galileo rises on the back of a space shuttle—before Candlestick shakes and 63 are buried by the Bay—before the stocks crash and burn—before housing gets affordable, then doesn’t, then does. Before she knew her words didn’t make her, deep inside the mechanisms of her brain were cogs and spinning wheels, tricked-out little gadgets of bliss that would whir and grind and whir and ready her. Then November, then December, then a new decade when everything before was now full of after.

— Alexis Orgera, the title “Dust Jacket” to be released December 2013 kinship.

“There could be a sense of comfort,” she says. “Or repulsion.”

The book gets progressively more difficult to read as her father gets progressively worse. She talks about him urinating on the kitchen floor and wiping feces on the bathroom’s light switch.

“It’s ugly,” she says.

But, it’s honest. It honestly portrays the peaceful times they

4. Write down your dreams.

“Literally, when you wake up in the morning record your dreams. I have so many poems that come directly from dreams I had or my brother had. They almost come out as whole poems if you break the lines right.”

spent together, too. It taught her a lot about Alzheimer’s more so than her father. She had to do a lot of research for the book.

In fact, the title comes from Dr. Alzheimer’s documentation of one of his earliest patients dealing with Alzheimer’s. Her essays are sprinkled with research on migraines and Alzheimer’s. She hasn’t had as many ragers since exploring her own brain’s functions.

5. Try not to rhyme. “Rhyming can get sing-songy and that’s not the kind of rhythm you’re looking for. Slant rhyme works really well, but direct rhyme can sound sing-songy.”

But, this process was therapy in more ways that that. She can, and appears ready to talk about her father today without getting emotional.

“I couldn’t help but face it because I was there in the process,” she says of not hiding from grief.

“It forced me to integrate grief into my life as we went.”

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DIVERSIONS

YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2013

// ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT: SPOTLIGHT

by Mallory Gnaegy | A&E Editor

Dancing empowers those with Parkinson’s

Photos by Mallory Gnaegy

“Dance in healing is using the creative process of dance to not only bring healing to me, but bring healing to other participants,” Leymis Bolaños Wilmott says. “My heart is for people, and I believe in the power of dance.” positive. The class not only heals her own wounds, but Wilmott also hopes it brings joy and provides a positive outlet for people dealing with Parkinson’s.

“I think I’m more driven to really encourage the participants to keep moving, to encourage the caregivers to be involved and do something fun,” she says. “Have a good time, move, laugh — they can come here, let loose and enjoy.”

IF YOU GO ‘Voices of Fuzión: Melange’ When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7 and Sunday, Dec. 8 Where: FSU Center for the Performing Arts, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail Cost: Tickets $25 to $28 Info: Call 359-0099, Ext. 101 or visit fuziondance.org

YOUROBSERVER.COM // Hear dance student Peter Joy speak about his participation in Leymis Bo-

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laños Wilmott’s dance program, and see the students rehearse for the upcoming production.

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There was a student who used a walker for mobility. He was one of the early participants in a dance program led by Leymis Bolaños Wilmott, the founder and artistic director of Fuzión Dance Artists.

She started the biweekly dance class, “Let’s Dance Expressive Exercise” at Parkinson Place in September 2012. This particular student was a seasonal visitor, and had taken her dance class for four months before returning up north. Before leaving, he told her something powerful: “He came up to me and told me, ‘I’m really going to miss your class because when I came in, I had a walker, and now, I don’t need it,’” Wilmott says.

On Dec. 7 and 8, Parkinson Place students will dance in Fuzión Dance Artist’s winter program “Voices of Fuzión: Melange.”

Parkinson Place’s mission is to improve the lives of those living with Parkinson’s disease, and it offers many participation programs for its members and their spouses. The staff approached Wilmott about leading a dance class a few years ago, but Wilmott’s mother-in-law Phyllis Wilmott’s own struggles with Parkinson’s were getting worse. Wilmott and her husband, Kavin Wilmott, acted as caregivers, and Leymis Bolaños Wilmott wasn’t yet ready to lead the class.

Her mother-in-law died from complications of Parkinson’s in August 2011, and it wasn’t until a year later that Wilmott was ready.

Wilmott’s students socialize before the class begins, and many of the spouses of those with Parkinson’s disease also attend the class either drinking cups of coffee and chatting with each other, or participating. It’s a support system to both partners. It’s a class where students don’t force smiles and positive energy — it just happens naturally. They have fun with it. They encourage each other.

“She would have loved this program,” Wilmott says of her late mother-in-law.

“She loved to socialize and talk, and she liked to move.”

Phyllis Wilmott attended nearly every Fuzión Dance Artists performance. Toward the end, when she couldn’t even leave the house to go to the doctor, she still made it a point to attend the performances. Wilmott begins to cry when speaking about her mother-in-law’s strength.

Ultimately, she feels like she’s turning the energy from her loss into something

DIVERSIONS

YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2013

5

// ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT: HIGHLIGHTS

Guests mingle at the Philip and Nancy Kotler Glass Collection, which runs through June, at The Ringling.

Glass exhibit opens

by Mallory Gnaegy | A&E Editor

Philip and Nancy Kotler and more than 150 guests attended the opening of the Philip and Nancy Kotler Glass Collection Nov. 18, at The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art. The 22-piece collection, featuring a broad range of colors, shapes, styles and artists, curated by Matthew McLendon, fills the Ulla R. Searing Wing.

The Kotlers have promised an additional 100-plus pieces and museum Executive Director Steven High suggests this is only a sampling of what’s to come.

Philip and Nancy Kotler

Suzanne Cohan, Sherry Siner and Susan Neumer

Steven High and Steve Wilberding

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Photos by Mallory Gnaegy

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DIVERSIONS

YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2013

// ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT: REVIEWS

MUSIC

large instrumental ensemble so, whenever a young solo voice appeared, either the piano or a smaller instrumental group provided the accompanying orchestral parts. And Martins did fine work keeping it all together without ever overpowering the singers.

Chris van Alstyne’s imaginative set was brilliantly lit by Ken Yunker, with resourceful costumes by B.G. FitzGerald and inspired hair and makeup by Audrey Bernardin.

But it was Collins whose creativity won the day with an ingenious staging that gave each character a reason to be a real person and kept the audience enraptured throughout the entire production.

“The Little Sweep,” along with Collins’ visionary prologue, turned Britten’s opera into what could be called his Young People’s Guide to the Opera, a work that inspired those in the audience, as well as those on the stage.

— June LeBell

// ‘The Little Sweep’ The Sarasota Youth Opera brought “The Little Sweep,” a work for and about children

by Benjamin Britten, back this season after having performed it, to great acclaim, a few years ago. It returned for a couple of excellent reasons: First, 2013 is the centenary of Britten’s birth. Second, it’s an interesting piece with some great parts for young voices, and, with the cast of characters changing at the Youth Opera, it was particularly good as a showcase for some of the new young singers who are showing great potential.

Almost as interesting as the 100th birthday celebration of the illustrious composer was the way “The Little Sweep” was presented this time around. Martha Collins, the stage director, and Jesse Martins, the conductor and music director of the Sarasota Youth Opera, collaborated on a prologue to show the audience how an opera comes together. A little like Britten’s own “Let’s Make An Opera!” and a slight take on Mickey (Rooney) and Judy (Garland) putting together a show, this prologue began with the entire cast of kids, dressed in brightly colored T-shirts, milling around the stage, talking about what they and their mentors were planning as a performance.

Written by Collins with musical selections cleverly chosen by Martins, the witty dialogue was interspersed with choral selections, including arrangements of “Shenandoah,” Verdi’s “Lo Spazzacamino,” “Stomp Your Foot” from Copland’s opera, “The Tender Land” and “Goin’ to Boston.” An excerpt from Samuel Barber’s “Souvenirs” was used as traveling music to transport us to colder climates (Boston), where there are chimneys and, with those chimneys, little sweeps.

With that “Souvenir,” the choral risers vanished from the stage and a whole new set — walls, windows, fireplace, massive wardrobe,

Sarasota Youth Opera presents Benjamin Britten's “The Little Sweep.” children’s building blocks and an oversized rocking horse — was constructed right before our eyes, a little like the magical Christmas tree rising on the set of Balanchine’s version of “The Nutcracker.” Like magic, we were transported to 19th century Boston and inside a real-life opera.

Britten’s music isn’t easy, even when he’s writing for children. But musical kids have the ability to adapt their intelligence and ears much better than adults, so melodies and harmonies that could stump many a grownup singer poured easily out of the mouths of these babes.

Monica Gonzalez, the teenager who tackled the intricacies of Rowan, the nursery-maid the day we attended the performance, was particularly striking. In fact, she sang and acted so well, I had to check the program to be sure she was part of the Youth Opera and not an Apprentice Artist. Other youngsters

Photo by Rod Millington

who acquitted themselves well as singing actors that day included Natalie Almeter (Juliette), Katherine Powell (George), Skyler Stahlmann (Sophie), Sophia Masterson (Johnny), Grayson Almeter (Hughie) and Dominique Cecchetti (Tina).

Pablo Gonzalez, who took on the sophisticated part of the Little Sweep, Sam, rolled easily with the vocal range Britten wrote and deftly had us believing he was alternately frightened, brave and victorious.

The three parts given over to adults — Big Bob, the mean old sweep-master; Clem, his chip-off-the-mean-old-block son and assistant; and Miss Baggott, the grumpy, tyrannical housekeeper — were niftily performed by a trio of Sarasota Opera Apprentices: Constandinos Tsourakis, Jesse Malgieri and Samantha Weppelmann.

Britten was clever. He made sure the younger voices were never covered by a

YOUROBSERVER.COM // Read film critic Pam Nadon’s review of “Dallas Buyers Club.”

THEATER // ‘Spamalot’ Florida Studio Theatre is taking audiences back to the dark ages with its current production of “Monty Python’s Spamalot.”

(Let’s just call them “The Middle Ages,” that sounds less depressing.) As fans of the 1975 film “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” know, said epoch was a time of war, famine, pestilence and hilarity. Thanks to the Tony award-winning, 2005 musical adaptation, they can also be seen as a time of war, famine, pestilence, hilarity, song and dance.

Medieval historians note: The musical on the FST stage is a “loving rip-off” of the 1975 film, with uncredited looting from Sir Thomas Mallory’s “Le Morte d’Arthur.” The stage adaptation’s Arthurian authors are Eric Idle (a Monty Python alum) and his faithful musical collaborator, John Du Prez, (with additional material from Neil Innes of Bonzo

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DIVERSIONS

YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2013

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// ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT: REVIEWS

BOOKS // ‘Claire of the Sea Light’ by Edwidge Danticat

Courtesy photo

“Monty Python’s Spamalot” runs through Jan. 11, at Florida Studio Theatre’s Gompertz Theatre. Call 366-9000 for more information. the songs? They’re hilarious. On many levels.

You could call this a musical for people who hate musicals. In fact, let’s do that. This is a musical for people who hate musicals.

“The Song that Goes Like This” throws a pie in Webber’s formulaic face. (As noted, there are pies for Fosse and “Fiddler,” too.)

“Always Look on the Bright Side of Life” (lovingly ripped-off from “Monty Python’s Life of Brian”) is a Bronx cheer for “Tomorrow,” “Keep Your Sunny Side Up” and every other dose of cheap optimism. The final showstopper — “Find Your Grail” — is a fish-slap to everyone’s face. (Everyone in the audience, that is. The last laugh is, in fact, on you.) The original movie ended by cheating you of an ending. (1975 U.K. cops arrest Arthur and Co.) But the musical gives you exactly the ending you want. A warm dose of emotional manipulation, nudge-nudge, wink-wink. I’d call it post-modern, but it’s actually funny, so let’s just call it excellent satire. A satiric slap at a by-the-numbers, feel-good ending, to be sure. But you still feel good.

If you feel like laughing yourself silly between occasional breaths, see this musical.

And, perhaps most importantly, find your grail.

— Marty Fugate

I first read Edwidge Danticat as a first-year New College student in the ’90s in a class called New World, New Stories: Women’s Voices in the Americas. That class is still one of the best I’ve ever taken. In it, we read and discussed Danticat’s first book, “Breath, Eyes, Memory,” a brutal, lyrical, coming-of-age story about the weight of the past on our lives.

Danticat has since become known as a literary master, particularly for the bridge she builds between Haiti and the U.S., guiding her readers on journeys back and forth: homeland and diaspora — and the physical waters in between.

“Claire of the Sea Light” rests firmly in Haiti though there are reminders of those who left to find different lives in Miami and elsewhere.

Peppered with Creole and peopled with wellrounded characters, the novel’s town, Ville Rose, serves as a seaside backdrop for a series of connected stories so expertly and delicately woven that it took me about a third of the novel to figure out what Danticat was doing.

The story is connected and bookended by the book’s title character, Claire Limyè Lanmè Faustin, a child whose mother died birthing her.

The novel opens on Claire’s seventh birthday, the night she disappears. Her father, a fisherman named Nozias, is poised to give her away to the local fabric vendor, Gaëlle (whose tragic story also figures prominently in the book) in his quest to ensure a better life for his daughter.

There is a timeless quality to this novel; we know it’s taking place in the not-too-distant past, but the presence of the ever-enchanting and enchanted sea — fishermen lost, attempted suicides, lighthouse beacons, magical fairytales, and livelihoods built around this sea — gives “Claire” a fabular quality that makes the characters’ lives seem epic against its mass.

In one passage, for instance, Nozias recalls the night he and his dead wife went fishing.

Despite the darkness, his wife jumps into the

water to swim in a pool of bioluminescence (haven’t we all tried that once or twice?). From the sparkling scene, part of Claire’s name is born: Limyè Lanmè, or Sea Light.

And sometimes the sea fills with longing, as when Claire imagines the mother she never knew: “Sometimes when she was lying on her back in the sea … while she was listening to both the world above and beneath the water, she yearned for the warm salty water to be her mother’s body, the waves her mother’s heartbeat, the sunlight the tunnel that guided her out the day her mother died.”

Finally, one of the most intriguing stories in the novel is that of Max Ardin Jr., a young man whose struggle to come to terms with his homosexuality leads him, as well, into the sea.

“Claire of the Sea Light” illuminates how intimately our individual stories are connected to a larger whole, how behind every interaction we have, every handshake, every nod, an ocean of untold stories awaits.

— Alexis Orgera “Claire of the Sea Light” is available at Bookstore1, 1359 Main St., Sarasota. Call 3657900.

Top 10 fiction titles at Bookstore1 this month: 1. “Goldfinch” by Donna Tartt 2. “City of Thieves” by David Benioff 3. “The Obituary Writer” by Ann Hood 4. “Beautiful Ruins” by Jess Walter 5. “Sycamore Row” by John Grisham 6. “Dinner” by Herman Koch 7. “Hologram for the King” by Dave Eggers 8. “The Storyteller” by Jodi Picoult 9. “Shadowfever” by Karen Marie Moning 10. “The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared” by Jonas Jonasson

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Dog Doo-Dah Band fame). Director Bruce Jordan and choreographer Lori Leshner bring their medieval madness to life.

As the original movie mocked the filmed adventures of knights and men in tights (Arthur Robin Hood, Ivanhoe, et al.), so the stage adaptation skewers Broadway musical theater. Andrew Lloyd Webber and Bob Fosse get their share of comic arrows — even “Fiddler on the Roof.” Oy. In case you’ve never seen a late night rerun of “Excalibur,” the story concerns King Arthur’s quest for the Holy Grail with a quartet of dysfunctional knights (Danny Bernardy, Gil Brady, Jake Mills and Bruce Warren) whose key strategy is “Run Away!”

Arthur’s also aided by his longsuffering manservant Patsy (Kevin Loreque) and the Lady of the Lake (Priscilla Fernandez). This “scimitar-lobbing bint” was only referred to in the movie; she gets plenty of stage time in the musical — though, diva that she is, the Lady mourns that it isn’t enough.

On their quest, Arthur and Co. encounter God, a stuffy historian (Jacob Hoffman), an anarchist peasant, the Knights of Ni, French Knights, the Black Knight, a Trojan rabbit, a killer rabbit, Vegas showgirls, and a pining princeling. All of that may sound familiar. But it’s not as familiar as you might think …

As noted, the musical draws much of its mad material from the ripped-off film — but this isn’t a “Rocky Horror” situation where stage and screen versions are interchangeable. Where the movie turned left, the musical will often turn right. New characters emerge. Others are dropped. The musical is its own comic beast and works on its own terms, whether you’ve seen the film or not.

And boy does it work.

The curtain goes up, you start laughing — and then you don’t stop.

And why should you?

The ingredients are all there. Brilliant comic timing and choreography from Jordan and Leshner. Cockeyed comic acting from everyone involved. Clever costumes from Sarah Bertolozzi. Skewed set design from Jim Hunter (a winding path through a forest and a pop-up book medieval castle). As for

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DIVERSIONS

YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2013

// HOME&GARDEN by Robert Plunket | Contributing Writer

THINGS LONGBOAT FOR LESS Longboat Key is famous for its showplace homes and apartments — and the prices that go with them. But look around. You’ll find a variety of homes that are affordably priced yet still retain a generous helping of that famous Longboat panache, where residents and visitors bask in a year-round, resort-style setting of beach, golf, and boating.

Here are three prime examples all priced less than $500,000.

1. LOOKING GOOD

Photos courtesy of Premier Sotheby’s

2. COZY COTTAGE

605 SUTTON PLACE #301 Longboat’s signature look comes with a beautiful water view, and this apartment in Sutton Place has a particularly lovely vista of the bay, a pristine mangrove island, and the mainland off in the distance. Light and bright — it’s a third floor end unit — there are two bedrooms and two baths in 1,148 square feet. The complex, a mixture of villas and mid-rise buildings, was built in 1973 and has been very well maintained. Amenities include two heated pools, boat docks, and deeded beach access just across Gulf of Mexico Drive. The unit comes with one covered parking place. Pets are allowed.

Priced at $299,000. For more information, call Lynne Koy of Coldwell Banker at 941-387-1803.

7164 LONGBOAT DRIVE NORTH

Photos courtesy of Coldwell Banker

At the north end of the Key lies tiny Longboat Village, a classic oldFlorida community of vintage cottages and a neighborhood feel.

The surrounding area — Beer Can Island and Coquina Beach — are famous with the locals for weekend boating and beachgoing. This home, on a corner lot, was built in 1968 and features two bedrooms and two baths. There’s an open plan, Mexican tile floors, and a sunny, enclosed front porch. The Village itself is famous for its year-round vacation vibe and contains several well known restaurants (Mar Vista and Moore’s Stone Crab.) Downtown Sarasota is just 30 minutes away.

Priced at $399,000. For more information, call Cheryl Loeffler of Premier Sotheby’s at 308-6554.

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2013

9

// HOME&GARDEN

Changing the World One Smile at a Time Photos courtesy of Michael Saunders and Co.

3. PERFECT LOCATION

941-927-5411

2109 GULF OF MEXICO DRIVE #1201 A classic bit of Longboat Key living, this two-bedroom unit is located in Sunset Beach, a small, gated beachfront complex close to shopping, golf and tennis. It was built in 1984 but has recently been remodeled, with a new kitchen (granite countertops) and new baths, stone tile flooring, and comes turnkey furnished in a bright, beachy style.

There’s a large master suite and two terraces, both with views of the Gulf, and deeded parking for one car in the under-the-building garage. Located toward the pres-

tigious southern end of the Key, it’s just a few minutes from St. Armands and downtown Sarasota.

Priced at $489,000. For more information, call Hannerle Moore of Michael Saunders and Co. at 387-7300.

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YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2013

// FOOD&COOKING: COLUMN

TIDBITES

by June LeBell Contributing Columnist june@junelebell.com

Eat Here’s fish tacos

EAT HERE OPENS FOR LUNCH A DREAM IS A WISH YOUR HEART MAKES

H

ere’s a tidbite that’s as irresistible as a song. A group of Sarasota restaurants is donating part of what we spend on their food to Make-AWish Foundation of Central of Northern and Central Florida, Sarasota region. Calling it “Dishes for Wishes,” MacAllisters, The Lobster Pot, Madfish Grill, The Table, Ophelia’s on the Bay, The Grasshopper and several other excellent local restaurants have each cooked up clever ways to give money to Make-A-Wish in the next several weeks. For example, Ophelia’s, the beautiful restaurant on the bay near the south tip of Siesta, will host a “Give Back Night” Monday, Dec. 16, donating a portion of the proceeds from that evening’s sales. Madfish has a different idea.

It has come up with a gift card giveback and, for every gift card sold through the holiday season, Madfish will donate $1 to Make-A-Wish. The Lobster Pot in Siesta Village, which has some of this town’s most luscious lobster bisque, by the way, is selling “stars” for $1 throughout the holiday season. MacAllisters Grill on Main Street Lakewood Ranch has devised a signature dish it’s calling “Scotch and Salmon Delight” and,

from every order, the restaurant will donate $2 to Make-A-Wish.

(Maybe they should call this one “Make a Fish.” Or not … ) And The Table, which is about to reinstate its Sunday brunch (see right for more information), will donate a portion of every patron’s brunch check Dec. 8.

Every year, some 27,000 children are diagnosed with a medical condition that makes them eligible for a wish experience. Last year, the Make-A-Wish Foundation granted the wishes of nearly 14,000 kids.

Those wishes have included everything from one child’s desire to “meet a real ballerina” to a trip to Paris. Allen, a 17-year-old with leukemia, said he wanted to design cars, so MakeA-Wish helped him and he presented that car to GM. Four-year-old Lauren, who had cancer, had only one wish: to give back comfort and hope to others, so, with the help of Make-A-Wish, she made and gave away a cozy bunny blanket.

Our local restaurants’ Dishes for Wishes benefits everyone. We eat beautifully, and part of the money we spend goes to make children’s wishes come true. Definitely a winwin situation.

Courtesy photos

THE TABLE IS BRINGING BACK BRUNCH

L

ast year, The Table Creekside initiated one of the best brunches anyplace, anywhere.

We missed it this past summer when the charming restaurant with great views and even greater food decided to forgo brunch and stick with dinners. But now, back by popular demand, is Sunday brunch. Starting Dec. 1, we can sit inside or out, hovering over historic, idyllic, peaceful Phillippi Creek, and enjoy the stuffed French toast panini we drooled over last season and attempt to choose among the six different variations on a theme of eggs Benedict. Or have them all because, this year, Chef Pedro is

introducing an intercontinental buffet that will do amazing things for your waistline. Trust me. Amazing.

For us, the incredible part of Sunday brunch at The Table is the combination of great service, magnificent views and the enormous variety of tempting dishes Chef Pedro manages to invent, all at reasonable prices. They tell us we could eat Sunday brunch at The Table Creekside every Sunday, all season, and never eat the same thing twice. You do need reservations because last year’s brunches gained The Table a reputation among Sarasota’s brunch-offoodies.

You’ve been reading in The Observer about the new rooftop lounge service that recently opened at Eat Here. Where is here? It’s on Main Street, downtown Sarasota. Well, now Eat Here is serving lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. every Monday through Friday, and Sean Murphy, the heart and soul of Eat Here, is giving you a choice of eating inside at traditional or community tables (a great way to make new friends), on the covered deck or in the park patio around the fountain.

Wherever you choose to sit, though, the menu is perfect for lunch. From the double burger to the fish tacos, this is great food — comforting, fun and fabulous. If you’re one of those who likes to eat lightly for lunch but can’t stand wasting food, Eat Here has a clever doggie bag.

The “Keen Wa” (aka quinoa) salad is served in a Mason jar. So, if you can’t finish your portion, just take it home, complete with the reusable jar. Do that often enough, and you’ll have a whole set for your homemade jams and jellies to give as Christmas and New Year’s presents.

ASOLO REPERTORY THEATRE

NOW PLAYING–DEC 29

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KERN

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Asolo Rep invites all families to join us at the theatre on Saturday, Nov. 30. Activities begin at 1pm leading up to the 2pm performance. Families can purchase 4 tickets for $50 (at least 2 members of the group must be 18 or younger). With the purchase of a family pack, purchase additional youth tickets for just $10.

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Black Tie

INSIDE: High Tide at High Noon PAGE 14

YourObserver.com

 Samantha Jennen and Joy Smith

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2013

Erin and Scott Boatwright with Co-Chairs Debbie and Tom Shapiro

Banne Murphy and Tish Scott

DREAM MAKERS BALL: CELEBRATING THE

by Heather Merriman Black Tie Assistant Editor When more than 300 guests arrived for Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota County’s Dream Makers Ball Saturday, Nov. 16, at Hyatt Regency Sarasota, they were led to a wooden door where club kids required them to knock three times before allowing them to enter. After being shuffled through the “underground” entrance and greeted with a flowing tower of champagne, the guests had entered the 2013 Dream

Makers Ball Speakeasy Lounge.

Guests were dripping in pearls and feathers and the casino was bursting with excitement as guests played for keeps and BuzzCatz kept the Roaring ’20s feel going all night with its live swing-style music.

The event, which raised more than $240,000 for scholarships for kids to attend a Boys & Girls Club in Sarasota County, featured many live auction items, including a trip to Menaggio, Italy (that went for $8,000) and two vacations

to Sun Valley (that went for $5,600 each). Guests also went home with a wonderful gift as a thank you — Armel Jewelers provided silver cuff links customized with the BGC logo and T. Georgiano’s provided vintage-style compact mirrors and silver charms.

During the program, Mack Reid presented the 2013 Dream Makers Award, which honored the late Glen Rey and his family for their long-time support. Also in attendance was Whitney Stewart, 2013 Youth of the Year.

 Bill and Regina Shuttleworth

Ingrid Tetreault, Pete Wozniak and Annjolie Tetreault

Mike and Jenny Infanti with Meredith and Shane Rogers

Robyn and Bill Sadlo with Tamara Chapman

Jamie and Julie DiDomenico with Steve and Lisa Pattison

Dr. Tom Cail and Kathy Pendleton with Tom and Kristy Cail

Photos by Heather Merriman

Kim and Nick Griffin

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DIVERSIONS

YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2013

// BLACK TIE: COLUMN

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BLACKTIE&TALES

HOT FLASH Founder and designer of the MILLY collection, Michelle Smith, flew in from New York City Friday, Nov. 15, for Wine, Women and Shoes and a public appearance at The Met following the event.

Smith, a staple in couture fashion, has an impressive background. The designer, who interned with Hermès in Paris, Louis Vuitton, Torrente and Christian Dior Haute Couture, launched her line in 2001. The MILLY Collection is sold at stores worldwide, including Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, Saks and The Met, which brought the designer and collection to town to be a part of the pop-up boutique at the event.

At the event, women were given the ultimate experience — shopping a designer collection with the designer present. Smith provided fashion advice and suggestions for her collection to clients, and BT got to talk with her about this season’s fashions. She pointed out some of her favorite pieces, including the leather detail jumper, which features a French couture, geometric, jacquard pattern with leather details at the armholes and waist. She says one item to add to any outfit in the transition from fall to winter is the lace coat. The black long-sleeve coat, crafted in embroidery tulle will “instantly elevate any outfit,” Smith says. She keeps one in her office for that exact reason — when she has to run to something more formal after a day of working at the office. Smith also says that cocktail coats and fur vests are a must-have this season.

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A reception of beverages and light snacks will be offered immediately following.

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Emily Haynes, Leslie Berg, designer Michelle Smith and Kerry Mahoney

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&S g n o S of ity A Gift Commun he e for th ration for t e pa in Pre ration of th Celeb of Christ Birth

Kick-off festivities … Last week many spring galas kicked off S with sponsor parties to rev up TIDBIT guests. The Asolo Rep gala, “A Night at the Rainbow Room,” which will be held March 1, kicked off Nov. 18. Co-Chairs Chris Cogan, Carol Phillips and Nikki Sedacca spoke about the exciting event, which will again feature Michael Andrew and the Atomic Big Band.

Co-Chair Nikki Taylor was absent after recently welcoming baby girl Ella. Seen mingling at Northern Trust was Mary Lou Winnick, Flora Major and Deb Knowles … Polo Under the Palms, which takes place March 8, kicked off Nov. 21, at The Center for Building Hope, one of the event’s beneficiaries. CoChairs Jamie and Mary Uihlein and James and Christie Uihlein hosted a serene evening, complete with a three-course dinner by Chef Jeremy Hammond-Chambers. And, finally, car enthusiasts and sponsors gathered Nov. 21 at Lamborghini Sarasota for the Sarasota Exotic Car Fest kickoff party.

Gary and Marilee Roberts (left) are co-chairing the “Gatsby” themed events, which will run Feb. 21 to Feb. 23 and benefit United Cerebral Palsy of Southwest Florida. Guests at the party also got to be a part of the unveiling of the Lamborghini Aventador — one of only 100 built ... Moving on up … Charlie Ann Syprett has joined the Sarasota Film Festival as its director of development, for which she will be focusing on new projects and collaborations. This year’s festival will take place April 4 to April 13.

by Black Tie Staff

DIVERSIONS

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2013

13

// BLACK TIE: CAMERA READY ‘HAVANA NIGHTS AND WHITE LIGHTS’ Benefiting Historic Spanish Point Saturday, Nov. 16, at Historic Spanish Point Photos by Heather Merriman

 Co-Chairs Joanne Bloom and Judy Rossmoore Veale

Stephen Ross and Melody Farrell with Darah and Cory Wommert

MIRACLE BALL Benefiting All Children’s Hospital Guild Sarasota/ Manatee Branch Saturday, Nov. 16, at The Francis Photos by Heather Merriman

Adrian Gadd, Scott George and Thomas Guyton

 Dr. Jennifer Mayer, Alex Quarles and Dr. Katherine Keeley

Suzanne and John Anderson

Chris Sancin, Judy Greene and Bert Minot

Tony Napolitano and Pat Hiley

RE-IMAGINE HEALTHCARE

Live Musical performances that Entertain, Engage, and Inspire

OF SARASOTA SARASOTA

Co-Chair Ro Kennedy and Guild President Kay Aidlin

Saturday–December 7 at 7:30 p.m.

Sunday–December 8 at 2:00 & 7:30 p.m.

In the Historic Asolo TheaDeter at The Ringling Museum of Art

Internationally acclaimed Cabaret artist

KT SULLIVAN With Jon Weber, piano “Colored Lights”

Music by...Irving Berlin | Rodgers & Hart | Stephen Sondheim | Cole Porter Betty Comden & Adolph Green and more...

“I’ve never had an experience like it. When something flows like that, how can you be wrong? You can’t!”

Sat/Sun–December 21 & 22–7:30 p.m.

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A feast of holiday music also featuring baritone Todd Donovan, singer Maria Wirries, pianist Alan Corey, dancers from the Carreno Dance Festival, Le Voci di Venizia Singers ( Sat ) and Gloria Musicae Singers ( Sun)

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2013

// BLACK TIE: CAMERA READY

Jana Mills, Angelie Marquez, Jennifer Roberts, Pamela Freire and Lauren DePaola 127452

‘BLACK & WHITE GAYLA’

The Suncoast’s Premier Indoor Fine Art & Craft Show Co-Chairs Ron Carter and Jimmy Neal with Andrew Arena

Benefiting Community AIDS Network Emergency Relief Fund Monday, Nov. 18, at Michael’s On East

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Adults: $9 • Seniors: $8 Students: $5 Weekend Pass: $12 Cash at the door only Children under 10 Free

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Lauren Rickson and Tara Daly

TICKETS AVAILABLE ONLINE NOW www.firstsarasota.org

* Family Day - Saturday, December 7th - 3pm Complimentary childcare is provided for children (4months to 4 yrs) for this performance only! * Reservations required for childcare Call 941-365-2846 Family Pizza Party & Parade immediately after performance

Benefiting Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida | Monday, Nov. 18, at Sarasota Yacht Club

Co-Chair Pauline Joerger, Barbara Zdravecky, Chairwoman Cornelia Matson and Co-Chairs Allison Scanlan and Anita Holec

Kyla Weiner and Dr. Allison Silver Schwartz

2013 Performances December 6 7:00PM December 7 3:00PM December 8 3:00PM December 8 6:00PM December 11 7:00PM December 13 7:00PM December 14 3:00PM December 14 6:00PM December 15 6:00PM *Matinee Performances

BUY TICKETS IN PERSON

Monday - Friday 9am-Noon Ticket Office on First Floor (directly across from the Sanctuary) Closed November 27, 28 & 29 (Thanksgiving) Call our Ticket Center at 1-888-684-5272

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Friday Saturday* Sunday* Sunday Wednesday Friday Saturday* Saturday Sunday

HIGH TIDE AT HIGH NOON

Laura Proctor, Christine Jennings and Marlene Woodson-Howard

Photos by Heather Merriman

Susan Buck and Carolyn Johnson

DIVERSIONS

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2013

15 We’re Celebrating Our 25th Anniversary!

// BLACK TIE: CAMERA READY

With rebate offers that are the highest ever offered on our most premium and popular products! our expansive showroom for all your Custom $100 rebateVisit $100 rebate $100 rebate $100 rebate ® ® Window Treatments as well as 1 Luminette® Privacy on 4 Duette® Architella®Hunter onDouglas 2 Pirouette on 2 Silhouette Honeycomb Shades Window Shadings Sheer or Modern Drapery Window Shadings Custom Draperies and Bedding.

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First Place Reader’s Choice 20 Years in a23Row! First Place Reader’s Choice 18 Years in a Row! Come in and browse our showroom and Hunter Douglas Gallery for a huge selection of blinds,

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ILLUMINATION GALA ‘MOONLIGHT AND MARTINIS’ Benefiting The Gan at Temple Sinai Preschool Saturday, Nov. 16, at Temple Sinai

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Jared and Cassandra Winters

Anthony and Lucretia Tuffile

TEEN COURT OF SARASOTA SILVER ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION Benefiting Teen Court of Sarasota | Saturday, Nov. 16, at Michael’s On East

Reader Appreciation $5 Off EACH TICKET

Fay Rice and Peter Martin

Luna and Scott Westheimer

With promo code: OMG13 Available at the Box Office or by phone

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Dana McMillian and Clever English

Johnny Yong with Sheriff Tom Knight

16

DIVERSIONS

YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2013

// BLACK TIE: CAMERA READY

Jeff and Julie Riddell, Mike and Stephany Dreher, Deborah and Walton Beacham and Nancy and Howard McNally

Photos by Heather Merriman

Co-Chair Helene Glaser, Joe McKenna and CoChair Terrie Linford

SARASOTA ORCHESTRA’S 65TH ANNIVERSARY DIAMOND AND SAPPHIRE ‘JEWEL’BILEE CELEBRATION Benefiting Sarasota Orchestra | Sunday, Nov. 17, at Michael’s On East

Anne Essner, Chris Currie and Carol Bowen

Beatrice Friedman and Anne Folsom Smith

Dottie Westerberg, Mary Lou Thomas and Joan Biller

Judy and John Feldman with Mariene Issacs

SPARCCle

by the Bay to benefit Safe Place and Rape Crisis Center

A Feast of Carols MONDAY, DECEMBER 2 • 7 PM First United Methodist Church, Sarasota Celebrate the holiday season with Gloria Musicae and A Feast of Carols from around the world, featuring guest artists Ann Hobson Pilot, harp, Ann Stephenson-Moe, organ, Rex Willis, guitar and the State College of Florida Chamber Choir under the direction of Melodie Dickerson.

Sunday, December 8, 2013 at the Sarasota Yacht Club 1100 John Ringling Boulevard, Sarasota, Florida

What sweeter music can we bring than a carol, for to sing the birth of this our heavenly King?

Awake the voice! Awake the string!

6:00 pm Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres 7:00 pm Dinner and dancing featuring Soul Sensations Black Tie | Open Bar $250 per person

Robert Herrick, from A Christmas Carol, Sung to the King in the Presence at White-Hall, ca. 1620.

Joseph Holt, Artistic Director

J.S. Bach – Cantata Gloria in excelsis Deo Benjamin Britten – Ceremony of Carols Conrad Susa – Carols and Lullabies: Christmas in the Southwest James Grant – Cold Enough for Christmas Maria Wirries, soloist – World Premiere

Tickets: GENERAL ADMISSION $35 – 941-953-3368 or at GloriaMusicae.org • Student tickets $15 at the door the day of the concert

For more information contact Barb Lewis, (941) 365-0208 ext. 124 or blewis@sparcc.net. Register online www.sparcc.net.

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Safe Place and Rape Crisis Center’s mission is to stop domestic and sexual violence in our communities.

GloriaMusicae.org