The Players try something different with the pastiche Red Hot Operetta.  By Kay Kipling Apparently Players fans love their operettas (it’s said they frequently request them to be performed), and perhaps that’s true, no matter what adulterated form this brand of musical theater takes.   So Players artistic director Jeffery Kin tried something different with [...]

Two tales of horror in the FSU/Asolo Conservatory’s The Mystery Plays. By Kay Kipling   For FSU/Asolo Conservatory audiences, this time of year has lately provided not only the first opportunity to see most of the second-year MFA students in action onstage, it’s also provided a few Halloween chills. Murder by Poe was the Conservatory’s [...]

By Kay Kipling The Asolo Repertory Theatre and the Sarasota Ballet’s eagerly awaited collaboration on their season opening production of the Tony Award winner Contact is finally here, and for those of us who wondered just how this hybrid would perform, the answer seems to be: pretty well.   After leading off previous seasons with [...]

Two Ray Cooney farces double the trouble at the Golden Apple. By Kay Kipling   When it comes to contemporary, knockabout British farce, Ray Cooney is the man with the reputation for bringing in the crowds and making them laugh. So it’s understandable that the Golden Apple Dinner Theatre would try a one-two punch during [...]

Aszure Barton & Artists and Elevator Repair Service at Sarasota’s Ringling International Arts Festival.   By Kay Kipling   The Ringling International Arts Festival continues through Oct. 11, but I saw my final two shows with a double dance bill featuring Aszure Barton & Artists, presenting the world premiere of Busk, and OtherShore, a company [...]

Day Two of the Ringling International Arts Festival.   By Kay Kipling   Knowing that it wasn’t possible for me to see everything going on at this week’s Ringling International Arts Festival (although many festival goers can probably come pretty close), I had to pick and choose carefully. One event I knew I didn’t want [...]

A classical music concert kicks off the Ringling International Arts Festival. By Kay Kipling The inaugural Ringling International Arts Festival sprang to life last night with a reception in the Ringling Museum courtyard that featured food, music from Booker High’s Jazz Combo and circus performances by the Florida State University Flying High Circus, followed by [...]

 The Ringling College Library Association brings the former president to town. By Kay Kipling   The Ringling College Library Association celebrated the start of its 30th anniversary of bringing Town Hall guest speakers to Sarasota with quite a big catch: Former President Bill Clinton filled the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall Wednesday night, addressing a [...]