Diversions 2.13.14

Diversions YourObserver.com

A&E

June LeBell rejoins the airwaves in Sarasota.

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2014

FOOD

BLACK TIE

Recipe for Success: Manager Kyle Battie PAGE 14

HOME&GARDEN | HOME OF THE MONTH

Palm Ball ‘This Land is Your Land’ PAGE 15

by Robert Plunket | Contributing Writer

Heather Merriman

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THE HOUSE ON THE HILL Frank and Anne Folsom Smith have created an iconic Sarasota lifestyle in one of the oldest homes in town.

HOME&GARDEN COVER STORY CONTINUED ON PAGE 12

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DIVERSIONS

YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2014

// ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT: TUNE IN

by Mallory Gnaegy | A&E Editor

JUNE LEBELL GOES ON THE AIR June LeBell was the first female announcer on a commercial classical music station in New York City. After 10 years, she is coming back to the airwaves.

O

Mallory Gnaegy

“What I love most is that classical music moves me,” June LeBell says. “It says something different, and it says something different every time I hear a piece … It’s like a best friend who has something to add to my life to enrich it.”

ne man wrote a critical letter to June LeBell after hearing her interview with choreographer and former artistic director of New York City Ballet George Balanchine. The man said she sounded slightly intimidated and star struck. LeBell wrote him back, saying, “When the day comes that I’m not intimidated and star struck by George Balanchine, then I shouldn’t be on the air.” He apologized after that.

In the 30 years LeBell interviewed famous musicians and arts leaders on New York City’s WQXR, only two made her star struck: Balanchine and Walter Cronkite. Though it has been more than 10 years since LeBell, the first female announcer on a commercial classic radio station, has been on the air, she announced at the beginning of February that she’s making a comeback as host of a new Sunday afternoon program on WSMR beginning in October.

LeBell, who is the Observer’s music reviewer and food columnist, says the new show will be like one of her former New York

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2014

3

// ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT programs, “Salute to the Arts.”

She’ll book, host and produce the program and invite performers and musicians from around the world to speak about their talent.

She’ll start the series with Marilyn Horne — her longtime friend, former co-host and world famous mezzo-soprano opera singer.

The two have known each other for more than 30 years. The relationship led them to collaborate on a radio program produced by the Marilyn Horne Foundation. The program, “On Wings of Song,” featured a broadcast of live recitals for an audience.

It may be fitting that Horne is the first guest on LeBell’s new program, but she’s got a lot more great guests in store as well.

“Since I contacted my whole list of email friends and I went on Facebook, I’ve gotten calls from a whole bunch of people who want to be on the program, which is fine by me,” she says.

Although LeBell has a pretty face more suited to broadcast television than radio, she has the perfect radio voice. In fact, voice is where it all started. LeBell first studied voice at The High School of Music and Art (the school “Fame” was based on) and later studied voice at Mannes College of Music and at Hartt College in Connecticut, from where she graduated.

For two years she sold shoes for Pappagallo shoes. The owner, who was a huge supporter and lover of classical music, only hired young, pretty, classically trained singers.

He built a stage in the store and

FAMOUS NAMES June LeBell interviewed five to 10 people a week, 50 weeks a year for 29 years. The following list is a sampling of the famous people she hosted on her show: Chef Julia Child Composer Aaron Copland Conductor Zubin Mehta Met Opera baritone Sherrill Milnes A WQXR Radiothon in 1982. June LeBell is the only female at the table. had a practice room downstairs that the girls had to reserve. The first year, each singer gave a recital in the store, but when The New York Times wouldn’t review the performances because they weren’t in a major concert hall, the owner booked Carnegie Recital Hall. It was exciting, she says.

“I wanted to be a classical singer, and I started realizing I had a good voice and I was a very good musician, but I didn’t have the size voice for a major opera house and I wasn’t going to have a major career,” she says.

LeBell was working at Lincoln Center, first giving tours and later managing visitors’ services, when someone approached her about the WQXR job. The hiring agent told her the station was looking for a minority announcer. Not knowing that they were approaching her to guage

New York City Ballet star Jacques d’Amboise “Today” show film critic Gene Shalit with LeBell in the 1980s.

her own interest (she didn’t realize minority meant woman), she recommended her black friend, who had an almost identical resume, audition for the job. Her friend trained at the station, but ultimately was more interested in performing than hosting a radio program. LeBell then asked the hiring agent if she could host the program — he replied that was what he wanted in the first place.

“I realized I could use everything I had ever learned as a singer on the air,” she says.

She could talk for long periods of time without getting a sore throat; she could pronounce the terminology; she could have her friends on the show; and she could use her musical knowledge.

For the first seven years, she worked as a relief announcer, filling in when people couldn’t host.

In 1980, the station gave her her

first full-time shift. It was the kind of job where she worked 14-hour days, seven days a week. But she loved it — every day was different.

LeBell hosted a variety of programming. “Today in New York” was a three-minute program discussing events happening in New York. There was the hourlong program “Salute to the Arts.”

“Kitchen Classics” took place 30 minutes a day, five times a week and featured recipes from famous musicians who love to cook and eat. She hosted live chamber music concerts and other live broadcast series. She booked guests, programmed the music, hosted and produced the programs without any help aside from the on-air engineers.

LeBell, who says she wasn’t outgoing when she was young, says it was a great job for a shy person because she could ask all

New York Philharmonic concertmaster Glenn Dicterow Daughter of Leonard Bernstein Jamie Bernstein Cabaret pianist/arranger Alex Rybeck Jazz pianist Dick Hyman Violinist Itzhak Perlman Met Opera Music Director James Levine the questions she wouldn’t normally feel comfortable asking if it weren’t her job.

“You could ask questions you could never ask at a cocktail party,” LeBell says.

But it was her love for music and passion for people that ultimately pushed her to venture out of her comfort zone.

“Spiritually, God put us on this Earth to do something, and it wasn’t to be shy,” she says.

FOR THE RECORD June LeBell says she will continue her Musical Conversations series with Sarasota Institute of Lifelong Learning. In some cases, she’ll even use portions of her SILL programs on the WSLR program.

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DIVERSIONS

YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2014

// ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT

CALENDAR A&E EDITOR’S PICKS

THURSDAY, FEB. 13

12th annual Art Exhibit and Sale. South Gate Community Center. 10 a.m. at The Fabulous Arts Boutique. Runs through Saturday.

Free. Visit fabsarasota.com

ART

by Mallory Gnaegy | A&E Editor

BOOKS

MUSIC

FOOD/DRINK

THEATER

Dinner Dance. The Jazz Club of Sarasota. 6:30 p.m. at Bobby Jones Golf Club. Call 366-1552.

Tony Bennett. 8 p.m. at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall. Tickets $81 to $126. Call 953-3368.

SATURDAY, FEB. 15

Inside the Artist Mind of Fay Ku Hermitage Artist Retreat/ The Ringling. 7 p.m. at Historic Asolo Theater. Free to members and same-day ticket holders, $5 others. Call 360-7399.

26th annual Downtown Sarasota Festival of the Arts Downtown Sarasota Alliance 10 a.m. at Main Street Free. Call 746-6615.

Great Escapes Series: ‘Heart to Hart’. Sarasota Orchestra.

7:30 p.m. at Holley Hall. 5:30 p.m.

Friday, 8 p.m. Saturday. Tickets $29 to $49. Call 953-3434.

Luncheon with Charlayne Hunter-Gault. Bookstore1Sarasota. Noon at Florida Studio Theatre. Tickets $25. Call 366-9000.

‘Shrek: The Musical’ Manatee Players 7:30 p.m. at Manatee Performing Arts Center. Runs through March 2.

Tickets $24 to $34. Call 749-1111.

‘Sordid Lives’ 7:30 p.m. at The Players Theatre. Runs through Feb. 23.

Tickets $25 to $30. Call 365-2494.

Irish Rovers. 8 p.m. at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall.

Tickets $30 to $50.

Call 953-3368.

FRIDAY, FEB. 14 Valentine’s Photo

by Rod Millington

HAK SOO KIM

‘Handel and Haydn Rediscovered’ Key Chorale. 2:30 p.m. at First Church.

Tickets $20 to $35. Call 921-4845.

‘The Barber of Seville’ by Gioachino Rossini Sarasota Opera. 8 p.m. at Sarasota Opera House. Runs through March 21 Tickets $19 to $120. Call 328-1300.

Lewis Black 8 p.m. at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall. Tickets $44.50 to $74.50. Call 953-3368.

in “The Barber of Seville,” which opens Feb. 15 and runs through March 21.

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MEDIUM AND SIZE: Watercolor on rice paper and epoxy; 36 inches by 36 inches

ON DISPLAY: In “Field of the Heart” through March 1, at Allyn Gallup Contemporary Art, 1288 N. Palm Ave. INSPIRATION: “When I do the first layer, I look at it and somehow conceive what the next layer of colors will be that will go up against it. There’s an interaction that happens between that layer and the next, and you’re always seeing the colors being added. You keep reacting to what has been done … There’s a place called the Heart Math Institute. They are studying heart waves and the neural cells in hearts. One thing that happens with a heart, entrainment, happens initially with a baby in the womb when the heart becomes entrained to the mother’s (or their

Mary Wilson and Jason Ferrante

UPCOMING PERFORMANCE: Count Almaviva

HOMETOWN: Seoul, Korea

‘THROUGH THE GARDEN’ BY MIKE SOLOMON

Masters of Illusion – Live!

7 p.m. at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall. Tickets $35 to $45.

Call 953-3368.

Clark Wilson accompanying silent film ‘Girl Shy’ Manasota Theatre Organ Society

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2:30 p.m. at Grace Church Tickets $15 to $18. Call 379-6301.

SUNDAY, FEB. 16

E IN TH T

ART

IF YOU COULD BE ANYTHING OTHER THAN A MUSICIAN: A sommelier. I’m

a certified sommelier by the Court of Master Sommeliers and when I am not singing, I work as a sommelier at a fine-dining restaurant in New York City with a two Michelin star rating.

two wave frequencies lock together to make one waveform) … They studied different kinds of entrainment, and when two different people meet, hearts can actually entrain … This idea became kind of an interesting metaphor for the way in which these layers of marks spawned something in me (how I became entrained to them) … When you work as an artist the way I do, a lot of the work is intuitive as to why you decide to add a color, and I’ve been trying to locate ways to understand that.”

Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota 7:30 p.m. at Beatrice Friedman Symphony Center Tickets $35 to $45. Call 306-1202.

‘Belles Sing the Blues’ Belle Canto. 8 p.m. at The Glenridge Performing Arts Center Tickets $20. Call 552-5325.

WHAT’S YOUR LEAST FAVORITE SOUND: A sound of a piece of metal

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WHAT SONG ALWAYS GETS STUCK IN YOUR HEAD: “Always Look on the

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WHAT ELSE: From 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Sarah Combs will perform romantic love songs.

BEST PAIRED WITH: One of the three options on the special menu: Raymond “ R” Chardonnay, L de Lyeth Cabernet or Roederer Estate Champagne

IF YOU COULD SING ANY ROLE WHAT WOULD IT BE?: I loved singing the

Duke of Mantua in “Rigoletto” back in the fall of 2013 at Sarasota Opera.

I would always love singing any Bel Canto parts, as the style of the repertoire fits my personal artistry quite well.

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DIVERSIONS

YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2014

// ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT: SPOTLIGHT

5

by Mallory Gnaegy | A&E Editor

Caroline Williams saddles up for quick-change act

Courtesy

Horse terminology:

High School Dressage — High school meaning the highest level of dressage. Dressage is a horsetraining sport in which the horse appears to dance. The rider is mounted on the horse and leads it in classic moves and steps.

Horses at Liberty — Like dressage, where the horse (or group of horses) appears to dance. The unmounted trainer uses body language and subtle signals to direct the horses.

Mallory Gnaegy

“That’s my life,” Caroline Williams says. “This is it. I get to do my passion and my love and my hobby and my everything.” to the U.S. for what was supposed to be a five-year contract. But, the Williamses never went back and made Venice their winter quarters, along with the rest of the circus performers.

By growing up in the industry, Williams has acquired a lot of equine knowledge. For one, the circus stemmed from equestrian acts trick rider Philip Astley developed in 1768. And, sticking to tradition, this is also why equestrian acts lead the circus performances.

The circus standard of performing in a ring 42 feet in diameter

also comes from equestrian.

But she’s also learned a lot on the job. For one, she’s learned to secure her hair before performances. Once, she was supposed to pop a balloon with her bullwhip. Instead, the whip changed direction and grabbed a portion of her blonde wig. The whip pulled the wig off her head and dangled from the tip of the whip for the whole audience to see.

“This performance, I have secured my hair,” she says with a laugh. “You live and learn and live and learn.”

IF YOU GO Circus Sarasota Winter Performance: Wonderstruck When: Runs through Feb. 23 Where: Under The Big Top, Tuttle Avenue and 12th Street Cost: Tickets are $12.50 to $25.

Info: Call 355-9805 or visit circusarts.org.

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and instruction.

This performance is Williams’ quick-change debut, but she’s been performing (doing high school dressage and horses at liberty, see definitions, right) since she was 2 years old. She is an eighth-generation circus performer who immigrated from Germany with her parents when she was a baby. Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey was starting a second touring unit and hired the Williams family (and their 14 elephants, 18 tigers, 36 horses, ponies and exotic birds) to come

* Visit CarolineWillliamsDressage. com for more information.

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Caroline Williams has bad days like in any profession. But her worst day is a little different than most — it consists of wearing muck boots in the pouring rain. Even then, she still has a smile on her face.

“I’m still there with the horses, so it’s never really that bad,” she says.

She recently discussed her background and Circus Sarasota performance on-site at The Big Top, where many of the performers live for the duration of the circus. She commutes between the circus and her home in Myakka, where she lives with her six horses, son and fiancé.

She begins talking about her act: She enters the ring on horseback.

Williams’ is going for a bad-to-thebone look in a heavy-metal-inspired black outfit with silver studs on her coat and bullwhip in hand.

She’s a commanding first act of Circus Sarasota’s “Wonderstruck,” which runs through Feb. 23.

She’s performing the first quick-change act on a horse ever.

She’ll magically change through four costumes (each change takes 15 to 20 seconds). Each transformation changes the mood of the performance.

The equestrian is petite and pretty, and aside from her horseprinted graphic T-shirt and a little dirt under her nails, she does not look like the type who would spend 24/7 in a barn. It’s more than a full-time job tending to, caring for and training her horses — there’s no vacation. But she likes to take her son to Disney World occasionally. She also gives private horse and rider training

DIVERSIONS

YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2014

// ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT: HIGHLIGHTS

Karen Howard, Caryn Young, Christine Koerwer, Lisa Frechette and Becki Moyer

‘REIMAGINING GEORGIA O’KEEFFE & ALFRED STIEGLITZ’ Friday, Feb. 7, at the IceHouse Runs through Feb. 16.

Elisha Byerly

Photos by Mallory Gnaegy

Robin Kollar

Artist Grace Howl with her letter installation

A J C W E ST COAST F LO R I DA

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DIVERSIONS

YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2014

// ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT: HIGHLIGHTS

7

Selling Sarasota Successfully

‘NOUVEAUX TWO DE’JA-VU’ FEATURING THE WORK OF ROBERT BAXTER AND CRAIG RUBADOUX

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Featuring Soul Crooners, Soul Sensations, and surprise guests Monday, February 24 Wine and light refreshments 7:00 – 10:30 PM $60 OR $100 Reserved seats Fun! Fun! Fun!

TOPiC: The influence of black entertainers on civil rights.

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WBTT THEATRE: 1646 10TH WAY, SARASOTA SPACE IS LIMITED. RSVP TODAY! 941-366-1505 WBTTSRQ.ORG

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YourObserver.com

DIVERSIONS

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2014

// ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT: HIGHLIGHTS

Less invasive just makes more sense.

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DIVERSIONS

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2014

9

// ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT: REVIEWS

Courtesy photo

// ‘Daddy Long Legs’ “Daddy Long Legs” began life in 1912 as Jean Webster’s beloved young-adult novel.

And, boy, does that novel have legs. There have been umpteen adaptations for the stage and screen, including Shirley Temple’s “Curly Top” (1935) and a vehicle for Fred Astaire and Leslie Caron (1955). Composer and lyricist Paul Gordon and scriptwriter John Caird’s musical adaptation is now striding the stage at Florida Studio Theatre; Caird also directs this two-person play.

The plot: A ragtime-era millionaire (who prefers to remain anonymous) pays for a precocious orphan girl’s college education. His only condition? As training for a future writing career, she must write him long letters on a regular basis, expecting no replies. She does — and nicknames him “Daddy Long Legs,” based on a glimpse of his lanky shadow.

Jerusha (Penny McNamee), the orphan in question, blossoms at college.

Jervis Pendleton (Kevin Earley), the millionaire in question, becomes enthralled by the personality revealed in the orphan’s missives.

He arranges to meet her on various occasions but doesn’t reveal that he’s “Daddy.”

Jerusha assumes her benefactor is old and bald. He isn’t. So, they meet; flowering feelings are frustrated; complications ensue. Do they get together in the end? Hey, does Oliver Twist get more gruel?

This sweet story is served up with deft directing, clever staging and winning performances.

In addition to being a fine playwright, Caird wrote the book on directing (“Theatre Craft: a Director’s Practical Companion from A-Z”). He shows a sure hand in this production.

On top of everything else, the play is technically demanding. (It’s a touring production, so much expertise came with the tour.) Set and costume designer David Farley inventively builds Jerusha’s transitory life out of rear-

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THEATER

rangeable trunks and suitcases. Paul Toben’s original lighting design flashes fragments of correspondence on walls and helps move the narrative along. And Corinne Aquilina had her work cut out as musical director.

In this musical, speech and song aren’t neatly cut and dried. Millionaire and orphan share the same stage in Caird and Gordon’s adaptation. The conceit is that they’re in separate cities. They don’t really meet until the end.

Until then, Jerusha vocalizes her letters; Jervis responds. The result: a counterpoint between two overlapping monologues that occasionally harmonize — literally. The characters sing the unrhymed prose of their letters and thoughts — as in “Recitatif.” It’s all extremely clever, though it all tends to sound the same.

No musical number stands out, but the music serves the story, and that’s as it should be.

McNamee and Earley are both great singers. As actors, they nicely inhabit their characters, and put in deeply human performances in what would otherwise feel like so much dramaturgical artifice.

But there are times the heavy machinery clunks. And Webster’s young-adult source material occasionally groans under the weight of the adaptation.

The original was light-hearted, light stuff — an epistolary novel that was not big on plot.

(See for yourself at gutenburg.org.) It’s more about Jerusha’s self-actualization at college; her joie de vivre, expressed in her letters.

These, by agreement, are one-sided. “Daddy Long Legs” is implied, but not revealed until the end.

Take Jerusha’s bubbly words out of her letters and put them in the mouth of a young actress and she just seems chirpy. Put the implied millionaire on stage and he seems feckless. And they’re both so relentlessly good.

Ah well. Not every playwright can be David Mamet or Joe Orton. So, it’s a sentimental play, steeped in love for a more sentimental time. If that’s your cup of tea (and a very sweet cup of tea it is) you’ll love it.

The opening-night audience did.

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“Daddy Long Legs” runs through April 5, at Florida Studio Theatre’s Gompertz Theatre. Call 366-9000 or visit floridastudiotheatre.org for more information.

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YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2014

// ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT: REVIEWS

OPERA // ‘Il Trovatore’

Courtesy photo

Soprano Reyna Carguill, tenor Kirk Dougherty and baritone David Pershall in Sarasota Opera’s “Il Trovatore,” which runs through March 22. to be enveloped in sheer sound.

Sarasota Opera is one of the few important companies in the country that delivers opera the way the composer envisioned it when it was first written. How do we know what Verdi wanted? Victor DeRenzi, the company’s artistic director and conductor, is a Verdi scholar and he’s gone back in time, figuratively speaking, to unearth original concepts, stagings, costumes, scenery and style. If you want to see and hear an opera as the composer intended it at the time he wrote it, Sarasota Opera is the place to be.

As a result, the Sarasota Opera’s opening of “Il Trovatore” was stylistically right on the money. Leading the Sarasota Opera Orchestra, DeRenzi brought clean, controlled and beautifully Verdian sounds from the instrumentalists, offering solid support to the singers while never sagging the tempos or pushing the phrases.

(The fact that we have two orchestras of such excellence in town at the same time never fails to boggle my mind.)

Michael Schweikardt’s scenery was perfectly appropriate for the time; it took us into stony castles and dank dungeons with just the right density and dust. Ken Yunker’s lighting captured the right time of day — mostly nighttime — with enough darkness to be somber and enough light in the right places to illumine the characters. And Howard Tsvi Kaplan’s costumes carried the look and weight of the period.

Even Director Peter Sellars, who set Mozart’s “Cosi fan tutte” in a diner, “Marriage of Figaro” in Trump Tower and “Don Giovanni” in Spanish Harlem, would be hard-pressed to update or renovate “Il Trovatore.” Stage Director Stephanie Sundine stuck to tradition and, in doing so, gave us a taste of true 19th century

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To quote Sarasota Opera’s program notes about Verdi’s “Il Trovatore,” “Argument raged about the opera’s worth.” They say there was a minority “who found the story absurd, the tunes vulgar and the orchestration too noisy.” Now, almost a century and a half later, some of us still find the story absurd but, oh, the music.

The story? That’s another story.

In a nutshell, “Il Trovatore” is a tale of mistaken identity and revenge. Azucena, a gypsy woman whose mother was burned at the stake on order of the Count, kidnaps the Count’s son and, in a frenzy, mistakenly throws her own child into the fire instead of the Count’s.

(This, of course, is something we can all relate to, having had, at one time or another, one of those hissy fits ourselves.) The story proceeds, disjointedly, scene by scene, act by act, unfolding the lives of the Count, who’s in love with Leonora, who’s in love with Manrico, the nowgrown man who thinks he’s Azucena’s son (but really isn’t). Jealousy abounds. Hatred spurs wars. The Count thinks he killed Manrico but Manrico is not dead. Manrico is captured by the Count, who wants to rekill him, for good this time. And Azucena, also imprisoned, is about to follow in her mother’s footsteps to the stake. Leonora makes a deal with the Count.

“Take me but let Manrico go free,” she says.

But, before the Count can claim her, she takes poison and dies. The Count, in another rage, sends Manrico to his death (off stage) and, as the Count triumphantly tells Azucena Manrico is really dead this time, the gypsy turns and breaks the news that Manrico and the Count are really brothers and he just committed fratricide.

This tale is unfolded through some of the most glorious, tune-filled music Verdi gave us, so, for three or so hours, we are able to suspend our sense of reality and allow ourselves

grand opera, while still allowing the singers a modicum of freedom to express their characters without upstaging Verdi’s stunning music.

The men in this cast were, vocally, somewhat superior to the women. Jeffrey Beruan set the tone of the evening with a stalwartly acted, well-sung Ferrando, giving us the background of the past 15 years with bravura singing from the chorus. In fact, the ensemble singing and clanging in the famous “Anvil Chorus” was so overwhelming in sound, I was almost pushing into the back of my seat. David Pershall, making his Sarasota Opera debut as the Count de Luna, was regal and vocally resplendent, vacillating (as Verdi intended) among emotions, from jealousy to love to murder, with the ease of the royal pawn he was fated to be. And, although Kirk Dougherty brought the role of Manrico a smaller voice than usually associated with this difficult part, he also showed a knack for spinning long phrases that almost took our breath away. His “Di quella pira,” while small in sound, was strong in intensity.

Both Reyna Carguill as Leonora and Margaret Mezzacappa as Azucena have wide vibratos, verging on flutters. Mezzacappa was the more believable character because the depth and power of her low tones brought a profundity to Azucena’s music, from her opening, “Stride la vampa,” to her final declamation and coup de grace to the Count. Carguill’s Leonora lacked the vocal nuance and floating tones we’ve come to associate with her character’s avalanche of arias toward the end of the opera but, again, the music — which steeps us in one beautiful melody after another — stole the show. The soprano certainly has all the notes and had no trouble singing them, but she lacked emotional subtlety.

Studio Artists Tania Maria Rodriguez and Thorstein Arbjornsson, and Apprentices Blake Hudson and Jared Esguerra sung smaller roles.

This is an exhausting and exhaustive experience of “Il Trovatore,” but when it comes to grand opera, nothing can beat Sarasota Opera in authentic grandeur.

— June LeBell

DIVERSIONS

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2014

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// ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT: REVIEWS

Unique, live musical events that entertain, engage and inspire.

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Opera favorites from Gianni Schicchi, La Boheme, and La Traviata – American classics by Copland and Foster – and Songs from Broadway’s Sweeney Todd, Candide and West Side Story

FILM // ‘The Monuments Men’

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Audiences have come to expect excellence from George Clooney. In his latest film, “The Monuments Men,” he directs, co-scripts and stars in what should have been an intriguing true story about saving art the Nazis stole during World War II. Instead, it falls flat on many levels.

At the end of the war, Frank Stokes (Clooney) convinces President Roosevelt to commission a group of men to steal back masterpieces Hitler’s henchmen looted. Stokes assembles a small group of middle-aged art aficionados.

Upon arriving in Normandy, the rag-tag connoisseurs fail to convince the war-weary commanding officers that risking lives is worth saving art. The Monuments Men are on their own.

Clooney opted to construct a positive war film by not lingering on the chaos that conflicts create. Instead, it’s all about the mission and the dedication of these gallant “art soldiers.” To his credit, he does dwell on the ruthless and destructive nature of the Nazi mentality. Not only was Hitler eager to unconscionably murder millions, he also ordered the annihilation

Courtesy photo

of all artwork he could not possess. His enormous hatred for all that was precious is made abundantly clear in the film.

Clooney assembles an amazing cast that includes Matt Damon, Bill Murray, John Goodman, Jean Dujardin, Hugh Bonneville and Cate Blanchett. But the lack of any real character development is bothersome.

Moreover, some of the dialogue they’re forced to utter is, at times, lame. And what little action takes place in the movie leaves a distinct craving for more.

“The Monuments Men” does soar in its gorgeous cinematography and perfectly pitched patriotic scoring. And Stokes delivers some exquisite and poignant oratories on the nature of art and its necessity to be preserved. A scene in which Matt Damon’s character returns a stolen portrait to an abandoned Jewish residence and hangs it on the wall is so powerful it speaks volumes, wordlessly.

“The Monuments Men” does have its brilliant and humorous moments, but they are too few. It does stand as a tribute to the brave men who risked their lives (two died during the mission) to preserve and protect the achievements of mankind. In all, the Monuments Men saved 5 million pieces of artwork, the greatest collection in the history of the world. And that deserves recognition.

— Pam Nadon

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2014

// HOME&GARDEN : HOME OF THE MONTH

by Robert Plunket | Contributing Writer (continued from page 1)

THE HOUSE ON THE HILL Frank and Anne Folsom Smith have created an iconic Sarasota lifestyle in one of the oldest homes in town.

H A Steinway piano greets visitors by the front door.

The home’s original living room is decorated in a warm, traditional style.

Photos by Heather Merriman

A sculpture by David Windsor suggests the ancient spirits that once lived on the land, considered sacred by the Calusa Indians.

Anne Folsom Smith’s second-floor library houses her collection of mysteries and thrillers.

YOUROBSERVER.COM // Go on a video tour of Frank and Anne Folsom Smith’s house online.

e’s one of Sarasota’s leading architects, whose buildings include the iconic high-rise Plymouth Harbor. She’s one of the town’s leading interior designers, famous for her look of informal glamour and luxury. So, you’d expect their home of 30 years to be something special — and in the case of Frank Smith and Anne Folsom Smith, you’d be right.

It’s one of the oldest houses in town, dating back to 1894. And it has a spectacular location — right on the bay in the Indian Beach neighborhood, with two acres of carefully tended tropical gardens and a green lawn that sweeps down to a view of City Island and New Pass way off in the distance. And, although you would expect great design both inside and out, you might not expect the comfortable but elegant lifestyle it presents — a classic example of the Sarasota way of life.

The Smiths discovered the home back in 1983, when they were recently married and looking for a place of their own. One Sunday afternoon they ventured down a crooked, one-lane road covered by a canopy of giant oaks and discovered the unique piece of property. There was an old house on it, dilapidated and covered in aluminum siding. A man mowing the lawn confirmed that it was indeed for sale; within an

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2014

13

// HOME&GARDEN

The Empire State Building adds an urban touch to the master bath.

Tropical plants and intimate seating areas in the shady “secret garden,” designed by John Wheeler.

hour the Smiths decided to buy it. They had not even been inside, but it didn’t matter. The place was clearly a teardown.

But as the demolition process began, so did second thoughts.

An old plank on which the original builder inscribed the date, 1894, was discovered. Further research in the archives in Manatee County — Sarasota was a part of Manatee County back in those days — revealed the home was part of the almost forgotten Connecticut Colony, a group of Northerners who were Sarasota’s first snowbirds.

But the property’s real history goes back much further. For thousands of years, the Calusa Indians considered Indian Beach sacred. Further research revealed an Indian midden on the land.

“The ancient spirits spoke to us,” Frank says. “They said, ‘Don’t disturb the land.’”

So, the Smiths changed their plans. The result is a home that

honors its past while living in a comfortable and stylish present. *** The Smiths kept the 20-by-30foot two-story farmhouse and, after extensive renovations, it remains the heart of their home.

The original heart pine floors gleam under scattered area rugs; there’s a fireplace in one corner and, over by the stairway, a piano.

“It’s a good place for an old Steinway,” says Frank.

But the Smiths spend most of their time in the family room, which they added during renovations. It’s a large rectangular room, clad in cedar planking, with a fireplace at the north end, set against a wall of windows in a grid pattern — a design element that is used throughout the home. Against another wall is a large triptych by Syd Solomon, an old friend (he died in 2004) who was, perhaps, Sarasota’s most renowned painter during its “artist colony” heyday. The work was featured in the Solo-

An important work by Sarasota painter Syd Solomon adds a jolt of color to the expansive family room. mon retrospective at the Ringling Museum in 1973, and the Smiths bumped the wall out to form an alcove that perfectly framed the painting.

Upstairs, a warren of little rooms was combined to form a large high-ceilinged master bedroom, with another large Solomon painting over the bed.

Frank’s home office, appropriately cluttered with paperwork and books relating to his current architectural projects, is down a short hallway, but Anne has her own space, too. A corner of the master has been reconfigured as a tiny but deluxe library. No bigger than 9 feet square, its walls are lined with the mysteries and thrillers she devours in her spare time. A window seat overlooking the bay provides the perfect spot for reading, and there’s a fireplace for winter afternoons.

The master bath completes the suite, and it is the most glamorous room in the house. The walls and floor are lined with

honed marble and the built-in cabinets reflect the sleek look Anne is known for; they feature the grid format found elsewhere in the home. Pieces of art, small sculptures mostly, decorate the bath’s shelves. The entire home is filled with art, most of it by local artists.

There is a small guest room adjacent to the living room downstairs, but most guests — including three children and nine grandchildren — are accommodated in the three outbuildings tucked away behind the house.

This way, nothing detracts from the house’s most glorious feature, the beautifully tended lawn that slopes down to a tiny private beach. A modernistic swimming pool — which Frank designed — occupies the top of the slope.

Next to it, a woman with her arms outstretched — a sculpture

by David Windsor — seems to echo the spirit of the Calusas.

At the north border of the twoacre property, John Wheeler —

The carefully tended landscaping includes trailing vines and flowering plants.

who designed the landscaping — includes a “secret garden” one can enter through an almosthidden pathway. Here, in deep shade, bamboo and bromeliads offer a hidden refuge, with delicate cast iron chairs for relaxing.

Overhead, an occasional osprey can be seen, flying out to the bay, “looking for his dinner,” as Frank says.

It is hard to imagine a more peaceful home.

“It’s a garden spot in the middle of the city,” Anne says.

But it’s more than that.

It may be the most quintessentially Sarasota home of all. Now marking its 120th anniversary, it looks backward on 2,000 years of local history. And though its origins have been carefully noted and preserved, the way of living it provides is exactly what the town aspires to — beautiful design, informality, family life, local art and the glories of living on the sparkling water of Sarasota Bay.

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2014

// FOOD&COOKING: RECIPE FOR SUCCESS

by Mallory Gnaegy | A&E Editor

ou Do y t the en es frequ al eateri ces c fa o l e e sam the sam o? This see ug t and time yo you ge h eac ure helps e faces feat ow thos ter. to kn little bet a

KYLE SCOTT BATTIE MANAGER AT STATE STREET EATING HOUSE + COCKTAILS, 1533 STATE ST., SARASOTA AGE: 46 TIME WORKED HERE: Five to six nights a week for a year and a half.

WHERE ARE YOU FROM? I was born in Jersey City, N.J., but I’ve also lived in South Beach and New York City.

WHAT BROUGHT YOU HERE? I first came here

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IF YOU HAD TO EAT ONE THING ON STATE STREET’S MENU FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE, WHAT WOULD IT BE AND WHY? The salmon. I eat

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YourObserver.com

Phil and Julie Delaney

Co-Chair Mickey Davis, Honorary Chairwoman Cornelia Matson, Co-Chair Ariane Dart, Co-Chair Janelle Beruff, Co-Chair Margaret Wise and Christine Johnson

by Heather Merriman Black Tie Assistant Editor The Palm Ball, notably one of the most elegant events of the year, lived up to its reputation Feb. 8.

Trumpets sounded at the arrival of each car as it drove up to Bay Preserve, where guests were greeted by the receiving line of co-chairs: Janelle Beruff, Mickey Davis, Ariane Dart, Margaret Wise and Honorary Chairwoman Cornelia Matson.

The 300 guests — “We had to cap it off at 300,” says Matson — were encouraged to dress in “citrus inspired” black tie attire, reflecting the theme of this year’s “This Land is Your Land” event.

“The orange trees, the citrus, it’s a perfect representation of the history of Florida

and the cause that this event is representing,” says Dart.

The grounds were beautifully decorated by Affairs in the Air. The tent was decorated using the idea of orange grove décor, which was conceived by the Palm Ball committee — orange light balloons hung from the ceiling with string lights, orange trees lined the perimeter of the tent and oranges were used as the table centerpieces courtesy of Plant Parents and Albritton’s Nursery.

Guests enjoyed cocktails, with the sounds of Southtown Fever in the background, on the lawn overlooking Little Sarasota Bay and then were led into the tent for dinner catered by Michael’s On East. Following the dinner, the band took stage again and guests

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2014

David and Lisa Arent

Photos by Heather Merriman

danced the night away.

The event featured a paddle raise and live auction, featuring 18k white gold and diamond drop earrings with five carats of lemon citrine, donated by June Simmons Jewelry. So far the event has raised more than $350,000 between sponsorships, ticket sales, the paddle raise and the live auction.

“Our seventh annual Palm Ball was a huge success — the co-chairs and their committee really out did themselves this year,” says Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast President Christine Johnson.

“The theme, ‘This Land is Your Land’ tied our mission beautifully to the evening’s festivities and the guests responded generously.”

Courtney and Chris Edbrook

Kurt Lucas and Renee Phinney

Jennie Famiglio and Margaret March-Kramer with Kimberly and George Manooshian

Chris and Aimee Cogan, Terri and Michael Klauber and Beth and Steve Knopik

BLACK TIE COVER PHOTOS CONTINUED ON PAGE 17

16

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2014

// BLACK TIE: COLUMN

BLACKTIE&TALES

Jay Leno and The Blenders’ Tim Kasper

by Black Tie Staff

There was plenty of fashion excitement to indulge in Feb. 6.

Centro della Moda, a shopping experience hosted by Trébor Style, which will Photos by Heather be in place for a  Grazia and Dr. month at Westfield Guiseppe Rajola Southgate, held a “Meet the Design-  Tatyana Sharoubim, Santa LaBellman er Cocktail and and Belinda Coffrin Runway Show” featuring Rajola jewelry. The fine Desire, Baby Quasar skincare, Italian jewelry trunk show benAnne Touraine scarves and more. efited South Florida Museum.

Booker High School student Dr. Giuseppe Rajola and his Jordan Boyer sang to open the wife, Grazia, made an appearrunway show, which featured corance at the event, which featured als and pearls from the Rajola “pop-up boutiques” of retailers jewelry collection. including Trébor Style jewelry, On the same evening, La Molly’s, Home Resource, Hearts Bella Intimates and Boutique

Courtesy photos

VAN WEZEL FOUNDATION HAS A BIG NIGHT

T

he Van Wezel Foundation gala Feb. 7 was a hit any way you measure it: More than 500 guests at the party, a sold-out performance by Jay Leno and a record-beating auction. It’s not unusual for an auctioneer to sell an item twice, but how many times have you seen five? A Sonoma Valley wine tour sold that many times at $5,500 each. It was a long haul, but Van Wezel Foundation President and CEO Monica Van Buskirk reports auction sales at around $150,000 — shades of the good old days. With an impressive number of $25,000 sponsors, Co-Chairwomen Kathy Martella, Brenda Maraman and Lucille Smith had a big night.

Guests at the pre-performance dinner included Joy Naylor, Robert Day, Margarete VanAntwerpen, Ed Kalin and Maggie Ross, Roger and Ellen DeRose, Dottie Baer Garner and her daughter,

HOT FLASH: FASHION AND PHILANTHROPY

Betsy Garner Wyant, and Van Buskirk’s daughter, Gabrielle Slater, visiting from Los Angeles.

See more photos on page 18 and online at YourObserver.com.

Also having a big night was Leno’s opening act, The Blenders, and its members, Tim Kasper, Ryan Lance, Darren Rust and Allan Rust. Although the rest of the members live in MinneapolisSt. Paul, singer Kasper resides in Sarasota with his wife, Melanie, so this performance was a great homecoming. The group is celebrating its 25th anniversary; it first opened for Leno in 1994 in Las Vegas (with many other joint appearances since then).

“It is very cool to finally be performing at the Van Wezel. I have lived in Sarasota for 11 years, and this is my first time there,” says Kasper. “We are thrilled to be able to work with Jay Leno his first night away from ‘The Tonight Show.’”

 Michelle Stencik, Eileen Levin, Rian Jones, Robby Hayes, Julie Little, Heather O’Neill, Margaret Barnes and Meghan Wicks celebrated its opening on First Street, in downtown Sarasota.

To show support for the community, owner Santa LaBellman teamed up with Tatyana Sharoubim, Jason Coffrin and Belinda Coffrin to host a grandopening party benefiting Child Protection Center.

S TIDBIT

Happy day … Hosted by Erin Duggan, Robyn LaPorta and Tara Poulton, Michelle Bente’s baby shower did not exactly happen as planned. Michelle and husband, Michael’s, twins, Madelynn and Mason, surprised everyone when they arrived more than 14 weeks early (currently receiving excellent care at All Children’s Hospital). Because the shower had already been planned, friends decided to change the theme to celebrate the arrival of the little ones. Also in attendance were Olivia Thomas, Brooke Cherry, Jennifer Simms and grandmothers Estelle Todora and Sharon Bente ... More

CELEBRATING 1 YEAR OF HELPING 255 PEOPLE BOUNCE BACK!

Robyn LaPorta, Michelle Bente, Erin Duggan and Tara Poulton good numbers … No less an expert than Margaret Wise, remarkably a co-chair of the Palm Ball since its inception in 2008, reports, “It was the best one of the Palm Balls, I thought.

Cutting it back to 300 and fixing the parking problem really worked. And they made more on the paddle raise

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than they ever did.”… Standout of the week … Palm Ball Co-Chairwoman Janelle Beruff looked “roar-ing” in a mint green Gucci gown last weekend. It just so happens that Katy Perry also wore the stunner to the 55th annual Grammy Awards … Outing an octo ... Tall, handsome Howard Rooks celebrated his natal anniversary with family Feb. 8 ... Do you have what it takes to be one of the Men Who Cook? … There’s room for a few more brave men to get in on the fun by participating in the fourth annual edition of this casual, creative evening benefiting Asolo Rep. For more info, call Laura Wood at 3519010, Ext. 4712.

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// BLACK TIE COVER PHOTOS

17

(continued from page 15)

Jenn Stutler, Anne Westman, Kendall Pheasant and John Bowman

Katie and Peter Hayes

Pauline Joerger, Krista Toomre, Jill Middleton and Chrissy Hays

Photos by Heather Merriman

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2014

// BLACK TIE: CAMERA READY

Since 2009, Chef Andrea Bozzolo, a native of Piedmont, Italy has provided the highest quality ingredients available, working mostly with local farmers and fisheries. All of our pastas are homemade and cooked el dente.

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VAN WEZEL FOUNDATION GALA FEATURING JAY LENO Benefiting Van Wezel Foundation Friday, Feb. 7, at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall Photos by Heather Merriman

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Jim and Janice Gallogly with Scott Anderson

Valerie Leatherwood and Harry Leopold

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// BLACK TIE

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‘A NEW BEGINNING’ FASHION EVENT

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 Manatee County Commissioner Robin DiSabatino, Sarasota Police Chief Bernadette DiPino and Sarasota County Commissioner Carolyn Mason model in the Selah Freedom fashion show.

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Gayla Price, Linda Driggs and Linda Page

Elizabeth Fisher and her son Leo Fisher with Graci McGillicuddy

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// BLACK TIE: CAMERA READY STAR OF THE OPERA GUILD HONORING SHERRILL MILNES Benefiting Sarasota Opera Guild Wednesday, Feb. 5, at Michael’s On East  Chairwoman Mary Lynn Wheatley, Star of the Opera honoree Sherrill Milnes and Barbara O’Connor Alan Bandler, Roz Goldberg, Richard and Rebecca Bergman and Marty Haberer

MAJOR GIFTS DINNER Benefiting The Jewish Federation of SarasotaManatee | Tuesday, Feb. 4, at the Ann Goldstein Children’s Rainforest Garden  Harriet Bernbaum, Patti Wertheimer and Alice Berkowitz

Alan and Ruth Ades

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Gates Open Polo Match Begins Cocktails & Hors d’Oeuvres Dinner & Dancing

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2014

// BLACK TIE: SOCIAL STUDIES

by Heather Merriman | Black Tie Assistant Editor

SOCIAL STUDIES: CORNELIA MATSON Cornelia Matson, the philanthropist with an elegant southern drawl, opens up about the important milestones in her life and her insatiable passion for home remodeling.

A FRIEND FROM VIRGINIA,

who was marrying a friend of Dick’s from Harvard, introduced us. They arranged for us to go on a blind date, it was the 14th of July, Bastille Day, and then we married the next year. We bought a home on Longboat Key and moved to Sarasota permanently in 1983.

I INTERVIEWED a few places

along the coast for fundraising positions, but it wasn’t like it was in New York, so I thought, “what can I do?” So I opened a country French antique shop — “Peak of Amou-

IN 1993, I sold my shop and we

bought an apartment in Paris — in 1997, we bought a vineyard in France and just sold it this year to Mr. Wong from Hong Kong.

I REALLY LOVE redoing old

houses. We redid a chateau in France and decorated it with all French furniture. We celebrated our 35th anniversary on that property. We flew in our entire family for the event.

I ALWAYS LIKE to have a proj-

ect. I think the thing I’ve spent my most time working with is Planned Parenthood. I founded High Tide at High Noon 17 years ago — it was High Tea at High Noon until last year because it needed a refresher and nobody was wearing hats. I love hats; why don’t people wear hats anymore?

HAVING BEEN A PROFESSIONAL FUNDRAISER, I ap-

preciate the efforts of all the organizations that raise money for the cause. I don’t know why people shy away from it. You’re really asking

Photo by Heather Merriman

someone to invest in something you believe in. When I’m raising money, I’m just asking someone to participate in something that may end up appealing to them, that I believe in. That’s what fundraising really is all about.

WHEN IT COMES TO PHILANTHROPY, I try to balance be-

tween the cultural activities and the human services — I try to do something whether it’s the orchestra or Ringling and the museum as well as those organizations that are directly helping people — and education, of course.

DICK AND I both love cooking

and wine. We are good cooks; we don’t go out as I think most people do. We cook very simple, French style, but simple and good. We like

to entertain and have friends over for a good time and simple dinner. If you like to eat, you can cook what you like to eat.

WE ARE NOW RENOVATING

a new home in North Carolina we bought up in Hound Ears, near Blowing Rock. “Rockwood” is the name of this new house. This is going to be “Cornelia’s last hurrah.” I like big houses. I like having the space, and I go visit the rooms — they don’t have to be occupied, I don’t have to live in all of them, but I like to visit them.

I’VE MOVED into my modern period. I’m selling my French furniture and buying vintage original mid-century modern and restoring it. I’m very sensitive to the architecture of a place, I think it

should be decorated and used in the sense that it was meant to be — everything must be correct. I keep all of the family things though, like that great big mirror in my foyer, which is more than 200 years old. It belonged to my great-great grandparents.

WITH THIS North Carolina house,

I get to go back to gardening. It’s actually more yard work than gardening. I’ve become a tree hugger, and now I’m a boulder hugger and a rock hugger. There are so many rocks on the new property and they are just gorgeous.

I REALLY LOVE everything that I do. And if I live as long as my Aunt Charlotte (who just celebrated her 105th birthday), I have a lot more to do.

Sordid Lives WHEN: 7:30 p.m.. Thursday, Feb. 13 WHERE: The Players Theatre COST: $25 - $30 This Texas-sized outrageous comedy tells the story of unconditional love, acceptance and “coming out” in a Texas family. Featuring bold and eccentric characters, this production will have audiences in stitches.

For a list of local ev ents, or to submit your own, visit ThisWeekI nS

arasota.com/calen da

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I BECAME VERY ACTIVE with Junior League — it was like a fulltime job. I also went into professional fundraising and was a PR account executive. I then became the development director for the YMCA of New York. That was fun, and at that time Mary Rockefeller was on the board. It was during that time that I met Dick [Matson].

iser,” on Main Street. I would go to France and buy pieces for the shop and Dick would come with me because he likes to eat and drink wine, and we would have a wonderful time traveling all over.

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I GREW UP IN MISSISSIPPI,

went to school in Virginia and then I ended up in New York City for 22 years. I knew I wanted to go to New York — I was headed north — that was it. I’ve always loved fashion and the buzz of the city. I raised all of my children in Manhattan, but I also lived in Sicily, Boston and Arizona.

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2014

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