Florida Studio Theatre closes its Summer Sidekicks Series with the return of crowd favorite actress Kathy Halenda and her one-woman cabaret show Somewhere Over the Rose: The Songs and Stories of Judy Garland and Bette Midler, celebrating the lives of two of the most prominent and forceful female presences in musical stage and film of the 20th century.

For Halenda, a veteran performer with over 200 productions and 18 national tours under her belt (including a year where she “ran away to join the circus” and sang with the Big Apple Circus in New York), this was an opportunity to pay tribute to two of her personal inspirations.

“I love the way they sing,” said Halenda. “They both sing from their heart and they know how to really feel a song. A lot of singers today have no clue how to feel a song. Judy Garland and Bette Midler had the passion and the pain behind their voices and I responded to that all my life.”

Although this is not the first time Somewhere Over the Rose has been performed, it will be the debut run of this version, newly written and constructed by Halenda, blending the formerly separate acts focusing on Midler and Garland into one continuous show.

Combining storytelling and singing, Halenda will perform both hits and lesser-known titles from Garland and Midler, including “Old Devil Moon,” “Johnny One-Note,” “Hurricane” and “Big Noise from Winnetka,” between regaling the audience with anecdotes from their lives.

“I have always had a wonderful time here,” said Halenda, who first came to perform at FST in 1987, when facilities were restricted to only the Keating Theatre and a tractor-trailer parked out back filled with costumes. “Over the years I have watched this thing become a conglomerate. Richard [Hopkins] has an incredible, amazing vision.”

Having performed previously at FST in productions of Sophie Tucker, Red Hot Mamas and Brassy Broads, Halenda is no stranger to Sarasota, a place in which she said she will always enjoy performing.

“The people in this town are so culturally aware and so supportive of the arts that the theater has done very well, and I just love the audience for that,” said Halenda. “It’s really a collaboration between the theater and the audiences and that’s somewhat rare.”

Somewhere Over the Rose: The Songs and Stories of Judy Garland and Bette Midler runs from Aug. 5-31 in Florida Studio Theatre’s Court Cabaret. Tickets are on sale for $32 and can be purchased online at FloridaStudioTheatre.org or by calling 941-366-9000.