Psychological horror makes its mark at The Players Centre with its production of Misery. The play, written by William Goldman, who also wrote the screenplay for the 1990 hit film of the same name, was initially adapted from Stephen King’s 1987 novel Misery.

The premise is simple: famed romance author Paul Sheldon finds himself bedridden in an isolated cabin after being in a car accident deep in the Colorado mountains. His caretaker, Annie Wilkes, claims to have saved him from the accident. She’s also his biggest fan. As the play progresses, Paul begins to realize that he hasn’t been saved–he’s being held captive.

“The play is very creepy and has a lot of psychological horror to it and a little bit of physical horror as well,” says director Kelly Woodland. "It’s an extremely physical undertaking for the actors. There are just three actors and all three have to be extremely physically fit. The story starts off very static, because Paul was in a car accident and can’t move but it ends up with a lot of action. It’s a very physical, very active story with a lot of violent developments that build throughout the play.”

Such an intense and intimate play requires a cast with great chemistry. Fortunately for Woodland, she couldn’t ask for a better pair of actors to play Paul and Annie. Real-life married couple Allison Guerrero-Heideman and Jeremy Guerrero-Heideman star as the two leads, with Jeremy also working as the fight choreographer for the production. “Because of the nature of this story, the production has been quite the journey,” says Woodland. “I’m very fortunate because I have an extremely proficient fight choreographer in Jeremy, who’s playing the male lead and is married to the woman playing the female lead. Not only do they have the opportunity to work together a lot, but I’ve also collaborated with them before. It allowed me to jump over all of the potential awkwardness between the two actors.”

March 10 at 2pm, Studio 1130, 3501 S. Tamiami Trail, Suite 1130, Sarasota, Box Office: 941.365.2494.

Pictured: Allison Guerrero-Heideman as Annie Wilkes Photo courtesy of The Players Centre.

“When you are in Haiti you listen to all kinds of music whether you want to or not,” says Jean Bélony Murat with a laugh. “Because we are Caribbean people and we listen to music so loudly, sometimes you are listening to music from your neighbor’s house or from the churches or from the Vodou camps. Plus we listen to all kinds of music, from African music to Jamaican music to American music.” For Murat, better known by his stage name BélO, music has shaped his life. One of Haiti’s most beloved contemporary musicians, BélO grew up just north of Port-au-Prince in Pétion-Ville, where music is an integral part of the culture.

However, BélO did not grow up in a musical family. An entirely self-taught artist, BélO started making music at age 11 to try and address the societal issues that he saw around him on a daily basis. “I started making music by the age of 11 because I needed to say something,” says BélO. “I just thought that there were so many things to say in society. Music was the easiest way for me to reach out to my people.” From there, BélO developed his own style of music, known as “Ragganga” a fusion of the genres he listened to growing up from Jazz to Rock to traditional Afro-Haitian rhythms.

This weekend, after winning numerous awards and touring the world, BélO comes to Sarasota to perform at The Ringling’s Historic Asolo Theater. BélO’s performance will continue The Ringling’s Art of Performance season that is dedicated to celebrating artists from Francophone countries. Part of what is special about BélO, is not just his unique style of music, it’s the messages that are found within. BélO’s entire musical identity has been built around addressing the social issues in his home country and calling for change. “With my music, I didn’t want it to be music that people can only dance to. I wanted to say something. In order for people to understand and to act, they have to listen to it,” says BélO. “That’s why I chose to come up with something that some people can just sit down and listen to–you can listen and dance to it in a festival or a theater, but the consciousness about my music made me feel like I had to come up with something different from what we were used to hearing.”

March 8-9, 2024, Historic Asolo Theatre, 5401 Bay Shore Road, Sarasota, 941-370-7399.

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Don’t miss Sarasota Opera's final 2 weeks of its thrilling Winter Opera Festival with performances of Bizet’s Carmen, Donizetti’s Lucia Di Lammermoor, Verdi’s Luisa Miller (which opens this Saturday), and Joseph Haydn’s delightful comedy, Deceit Outwitted (L’infedeltà delusa). This Festival continues with performances at the historic and beautiful Sarasota Opera House (61 N. Pineapple Avenue) through March 24. Get your tickets today! For tickets and information: https://www.sarasotaopera.org/2023-2024-season 

Pictured: Ashley Milanese as Lucia in Lucia Di Lammermoor. Photo by Rod Millington.

On Monday, March 11, Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe will present "An Intimate Evening with Jennifer Holliday," featuring the original Effie from the Broadway smash hit, "Dreamgirls." The evening will include lite bites and beverages from Rosemary and Thyme, an hour presentation – featuring stories about Holliday's extensive career and songs by the fabulous Broadway icon – and then a meet & greet with the artist, with photo opportunities and dessert. From her early days as a girl singing solos with the choir at Pleasant Grove Baptist Church in Houston, Tex. to her years on the Broadway stage and beyond, Holliday’s inimitable voice has riveted the hearts of audiences from around the world. Making her Broadway debut in 1980 at the age of 19 in the revival of "Your Arms Are Too Short To Box With God," she went on to star in the lead role as the iconic Effie “Melody” White in the 1981 smash hit, "Dreamgirls." Holliday immortalized Effie, forever creating a template for delivering gut-wrenching, timeless performances, evidenced in her garnering a Grammy® Award for the performance of the show-stopping torch ballad, “And I am Telling You, I'm Not Going" and a coveted Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her role as Effie. From 1985 to 1992, Holliday had five Top 10 singles on the R&B and dance charts and her star continued to shine brightly, with collaborations and appearances with megastars: Barbra Streisand, Luther Vandross, David Foster, Paul Simon, Michael Jackson, Maurice White and Foreigner. Moviegoers can hear Holliday's voice on soundtracks for films "In The Mood: The Sonny Wisecarver Story" (1987), "I'm Gonna Get You Sucka" (1988), "The Five Heartbeats" (1991), "Amazing Grace" (2006) and "Why Did I Get Married" (2007). In addition to multiple TV appearances, Holliday returned to theatre and appeared in "The Color Purple," "Chicago," "Sing Mahalia Sing: The Mahalia Jackson Story," "Downhearted Blues: The Bessie Smith Story" and "Grease." The powerhouse Broadway diva still performs solo concerts across the country and around the world. She also loves to play golf when time permits. Holliday is a longtime dedicated supporter of the LGBTQ+ community. She also supports the MS Society as well as serves as an advocate for mental health and suicide prevention. The program takes place at 6 p.m. at Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe (1012 N. Orange Ave., Sarasota). Tickets are $200; there are still seats remaining for the event. Visit westcoastblacktheatre.org or call the Box Office at 941-366-1505.

 

Pictured: The original Effie in the Broadway smash hit Dreamgirls, Jennifer Holliday, is the special guest for WBTT's upcoming An Intimate Evening with Jennifer Holliday. Photo courtesy of WBTT.

Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota presents four concerts in April, all featuring duos. Violin Channel “Rising Star” Hina Khuong-Huu and Steinway Artist Rohan De Silva perform a soirée concert on April 1 at the Fischer/Weisenborne residence. Australian classical guitarist Rupert Boyd and his wife, American cellist Laura Metcalf – Boyd Meets Girl – are featured in a luncheon concert on April 4 at Sarasota Yacht Club. Married pianists Catherine Lan and Tan Lin bring Duo Beaux Arts to the Studio for Performing Arts Recital Hall at State College of Florida on April 16. Artist Series Concerts’ international competition winners Shannon Lee, violin, and Ying Li, piano, perform on April 28 and 29 at the Fischer/Weisenborne residence. For tickets and more information, visit ArtistSeriesConcerts.org or call (941) 306-1202. Hina Khuong-Huu, Violin Channel “Rising Star” and first prize winner of the 2023 Elmar Oliveira International Violin Competition, performs around the globe. She has collaborated with artists such as Grammy Award-winner Jennifer Koh and shared a stage with Maxim Vengerov at Carnegie Hall and Buckingham Palace. Khuong-Huu and Steinway Artist Rohan De Silva, whose collaborations with Itzhak Perlman, Pinchas Zukerman, Midori, Joshua Bell and others have been acclaimed worldwide, will present a soirée concert at 4:00 pm on April 1 in the music room of the Fischer/Weisenborne residence in Sarasota. The duo will perform compositions by Saint-Saëns, Frank, Wagner, and Ravel. Single ticket: $60. Australian classical guitarist Rupert Boyd and his wife, American cellist Laura Metcalf, have toured the world as Boyd Meets Girl, sharing their eclectic mix of music from Schubert to Radiohead and Beyoncé. The duo arranges much of their repertoire themselves, drawing inspiration from artists across all genres, and they speak from the stage to create an engaging, conversational concert experience. This luncheon concert on April 4 at Sarasota Yacht Club features, in part, their own arrangements of works by Lennon/McCartney, Debussy, Bach, Shaw, and Price. Single ticket: $68 (includes lunch). Founded in 2008 by the husband-and-wife team of internationally renowned pianists Catherine Lan and Tao Lin, Duo Beaux Arts takes the power of the piano and doubles it. Known for their adrenalized performances, this dynamic duo has performed to critical acclaim across the U.S., Europe, and China. This recital features works for piano “four hands” and two pianos, including Mozart’s Sonata for Two Pianos in D major, K448; Schubert’s Fantasie in f minor for piano four hands, Op 940; and pieces by Vivaldi, Debussy, and Strauss. The pair perform at the Studio for Performing Arts Recital Hall at State College of Florida on April 16 at 7:30 pm. Single ticket: $40. The April concerts conclude at the Fischer/Weisenborne residence with Shannon Lee, violin and Ying Li, piano on April 28 and April 29 at 4:00 p.m. The first place winners of Artist Series Concerts’ 2017 and 2018 international violin and piano competitions join forces for this spectacular soirée program. Lee made her solo debut with the Dallas Symphony at age 12. Since then, she has been a prize winner in the Sendai Competition in Japan, the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Belgium, and the Shanghai Isaac Stern Competition. Li won first place of Young Concert Artists 2021 Susan Wadsworth International Auditions, and recently made her Carnegie Hall and Kennedy Center recital debuts. Single ticket: $60. For tickets and more information, visit ArtistSeriesConcerts.org or call (941) 306-1202. 

Photo courtesy of Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota.

9 S. Tamiami Trail in Sarasota. The event will honor Carolyn Michel and Howard Millman and include SJT’s 2024-2025 season announcement. Tickets range from $90-$225; to make reservations, visit SarasotaJewishTheatre.org. SJT’s first production of the 2023-2024 season, Becky Mode’s “Fully Committed,” sold out its scheduled run and an added performance. Larry Gelbart’s “Better Late," which runs from March 13-21, is sold out. The final production of the season, “The Immigrant” by Mark Harelik which runs from May 1-12, is expected to sell out as well. Carole Kleinberg, SJT’s artistic director, stated, “Carolyn Michel and Howard Millman have not only been the most dedicated advocates for Sarasota Jewish Theatre but for many other arts and health and human service organizations in Sarasota and beyond. We are privileged to benefit from their leadership and support, and eager to honor them during this celebration.” Luncheon attendees will be the first to hear what SJT is planning for its 2024-2025 season. For more information about Sarasota Jewish Theatre, and to make luncheon reservations, visit SarasotaJewishTheatre.org.  

In celebration of Women’s History Month, Arts Advocates is proud to present “The First Lady of the Highwaymen,” a history lecture about the legacy of artist Mary Ann Carroll, on March 27, 2:00-4:30 p.m., in the Arts Advocates Gallery located in the Crossings at Siesta Key mall, 3501 S. Tamiami Trail in Sarasota. The lecture will be presented by Carroll’s daughter, Dr. Wanda Renee Mills. After the lecture, attendees will have the opportunity to meet and mingle with Mills. Registration (free for Arts Advocates members; $20 for non-members) is required at ArtsAdvocates.org. The Florida Highwaymen were a group of 26 African American landscape artists, mostly self-taught from the Fort Pierce, Florida area, active from the mid-1950s into the 1980s. Because of the racial climate at the time, no galleries would accept their work, so they sold their art door to door or from the trunks of their cars along Florida’s eastern coast. The only female Florida Highwaymen painter, Carroll, whose landscapes are noteworthy for their vibrant colors, faced additional social and economic hurdles. The group’s renown grew internationally during the early 2000s, and in 2004 all 26 Florida Highwaymen were inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame. In 2011, Carroll presented a painting to Michelle Obama at the First Lady’s Luncheon in Washington, D.C. Mills travels Florida to speak about her mother's historic legacy and has donated 12 of her mother's artworks to Florida universities. To learn more about or become a member of Arts Advocates, or to register for this event, visit ArtsAdvocates.org. 

Pictured: Artwork by Florida Highwaymen artist Mary Ann Carroll.

The Perlman Music Program Suncoast (PMP Suncoast) presents the Ariel Quartet's new program, “American Dream,” Thursday, April 4, 7 p.m., at The Ora, 578 McIntosh Road, Sarasota. The concert is presented in partnership with The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee. Tickets are $40 and can be purchased at PMPSuncoast.org.  

Pictured: Ariel Quartet. Photo by Marco Borggreve.

The Sarasota Players is proud to announce its 95th Season as Sarasota’s community theatre. The event will be held at their theatre space at The Crossings at Siesta Key (3501 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, FL 34239) on March 18 at 6pm. Staff and supporters of the first performing arts organization in Sarasota will enjoy performances and updates about the theatre, along with seeing the upcoming 2024-25 lineup for the first time! The event will feature light bites and is free to the public. The Players is the perfect place for anyone in the community looking to become involved in the performing arts. From volunteering on the stage, in our costume shop, scenic department, painting or help us organize, there’s a way for everyone to join our family. It’s the perfect environment to learn and grow in. Even if you’ve never been involved with The Players, we encourage you to join us and learn more about what we have to offer.

March 18 at 6pm, 3501 S. Tamiami Trail, Suite 1130, Sarasota. Please park and enter the mall by Connor’s Steak and Seafood.

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