Arts + Entertainment 4.13.23

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ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT

BACK TO THE FUTURE

Back in the erstwhile romantic days, a suitor might say, “We could make beautiful music together” with a straight face. Well, that’s exactly what percussionist George Nickson and violinist Samantha Bennett are doing.

The husband and wife, who met through friends at the New England Conservancy when they were both studying there, founded ensembleNewSRQ eight years ago. The rest, as they say, is history.

On Monday, April 17, their “baby,” which has grown to encompass 40 musicians on stage, will perform at the Sarasota Opera House for the first time.

The show is called “1976” because two of the pieces that will be played that night — HK Gruber’s “Frankenstein” and Louis Andriessen’s iconic “De Staat”— were both composed in that bicentennial year.

“We’re excited about this occasion. We’ll be playing on a bigger stage both physically and metaphorically,” Bennett said in a joint telephone interview from the couple’s home in Dallas, where Nickson is principal percussionist in the Dal-

Concert ‘1976’ kicks off new era for Samantha Bennett and George Nickson’s ‘baby.’

las Symphony Orchestra and a faculty member at Southern Methodist University.

When many people hear the term “new music,” they often think of dissonant, atonal works by Philip Glass or other avant garde composers. Nickson doesn’t have a problem with that sound, but he stresses “1976” will be accessible to a wide variety of music fans.

“The April program is going to be fun and crazy,” he says. “This program is inspired by minimalism, jazz and rock ’n’ roll. The first half is like a cabaret. The second half is like a rock concert.”

Lest anyone think “new” music means works released in the past year, the standard definition for popular music — in the orchestra and chamber music world — is much broader.

On its website, the group Zeitgeist Music defines the genre as “an extension of the classical music tradition.” According to Zeitgeist, new music “represents the cutting and creative edge of classical music. In addition, new music can incorporate elements of many different musical genres, including classical, jazz,

rock, world music and others.”

In their telephone interview, Bennett and Nickson said they had been planning for a big event such as “1976” well before this year, but then COVID struck. Like many other artists, they were able to continue reaching audiences through livestreamed performances but had to postpone a blow-out event until the pandemic receded.

It’s common for musicians to juggle multiple roles and appear as guests with different groups and at festivals, but Bennett and Nickson have set the bar high in terms of their wide-ranging collaborations.

“Scheduling is our biggest problem, with all the organizations that we’re involved with,” Bennett says.

WINDING JOURNEY

Nickson was two years ahead of Bennett at NEC, and he moved to Sarasota first to become principal percussionist of the Sarasota Orchestra from 2012 to 2019. Bennett joined the Sarasota Orchestra in 2016 and was principal second violin until recently.

Although they moved to Dallas so Nickson could join the Dallas Symphony in 2019 as well as the faculty of SMU, where he is adjunct assistant professor of percussion, the couple maintains a house in Sarasota. They are in town frequently for their roles as co-creative directors and musicians at ensembleNewSRQ.

When Bennett and Nickson cofounded ensembleNewSRQ eight years ago, it was just the two of them, and their budget was missing something: money. Today, their budget is $150,000, and they are getting ready to hire an executive who can take some of administrative weight off their shoulders.

Finding musicians in Sarasota who wanted to branch out and experiment with new music was the easy part of forming ensembleNewSRQ, thanks to the pool of talented performers at the Sarasota Orchestra and the music department at New College. Since he

has been in Dallas, Nickson also has found talent by teaching at SMU.

Mike Truesdell, currently assistant professor of percussion at Ithaca College, in Ithaca, N.Y., has been an important piece of the ensembleNewSRQ puzzle from nearly the beginning. Truesdell is the group’s chansonnier, a term that MerriamWebster defines as “a writer or singer of chansons; especially a cabaret singer.”

Other key artists include musicians with jobs at the Sarasota Orchestra: Marcelina Suchocka, principal percussionist; Barat Chandra, principal clarinet; Betsy Hudson Traba, principal flutist; violinist Jennifer Best Takeda, assistant concertmaster; and Natalie Helm, principal cello, in addition to composers Andriessen and Missy Mazzoli.

Prominent guest artists at ensembleNewSRQ are Conor Hannick, director of the Solo Piano Program at Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, Calif., and vocalist Lucy Fitz Gibbon, who appears in musical venues around the world with her husband and collaborative partner, pianist Ryan McCullough.

Like Truesdell, Hannick and Fitz Gibbon have been part of the nonprofit music group since its inception. (This is the group’s seventh season.)

From the start, Sarasota audiences were receptive to ensembleNewSRQ’s mission, Bennett and Nickson say. Formally they define that mission as “to manifest the creativity of the current generation and inspire audiences to participate in musical culture in a profound way, through high-level curated concert experiences that sustain and transform the relevance of contemporary classical music.”

However, according to Nickson and Bennett, but there was still work to be done filling the seats. “When we started, it was a subset of concertgoers that was interested in the new stuff,” Nickson says. “What we’ve tried to do is to tap into new audience members.”

One way to reach Sarasota arts patrons was to branch out into dance. Toward that end, the group has collaborated with Sarasota Contemporary Dance.

Even though they are not ready to make a formal announcement, Ben-

nett and Nickson are excited about hiring someone who will help develop audiences and attract funding.

“Administratively we need to take some big steps,” Nickson says. “We would love to see audience development grow.” Also on the wish list is building audiences through expanded recording and touring.

Finding musicians and expanding audiences are two sides of the triangle for ensembleNewSRQ. The third is identifying new music to perform. That involves a lot of traveling and brainstorming with fellow musicians. However, three stops are always on this tour, according to Bennett and Nickson: Tanglewood’s Festival of Contemporary Music in Massachusetts, the Spoleto Festival in Charleston, S.C., and the Lucerne Festival in Switzerland.

COWORKING DURING COVID

During COVID, a lot of couples moved work activities to their home by telecommuting and participating in Zoom meetings, but not all of them were running a “mom-andpop” musical venture.

Navigating the boundaries between professional and personal activities while working from home

IF YOU GO

‘1976’

When: April 17. Before the 7:30 p.m. performance at 7:30, enSRQ will host a pre-concert reception that starts at 5:30 in the Selby Lounge with its corporate sponsor Northern Trust.

Where: Sarasota Opera House, 61, N. Pineapple Ave.

Tickets: $25. Cost for both the reception and the musical performance is $100 for nonmembers; $75 for members.

Info: Visit ENSRQ.org.

can be a challenge, but it does have its saving graces, says Bennett. “You never know when inspiration is going to strike,” she says. “I could be doing laundry when I discover the season opener.”

Nickson says, “I basically have three full-time jobs. It’s nice to go all in on projects and then pivot. It keeps things fresh, keeps things from getting stale.”

In terms of the division of labor, Nickson executes the nuts and bolts of making things happen, Bennett says. “He’s really focused and always pushing forward. I’m a little more creative and detail-oriented. We come to a great place in the middle,” she says.

Handling the operational elements of ensembleNewSRQ comes naturally to Nickson. “Percussionists have to be problem solvers,” he says. “Sometimes we have to create new instruments. We have to keep an eye on logistics.”

With so many balls (batons?) in the air, sometimes life can be overwhelming. When the music gets too loud, Bennett and Nickson like to take a break with long-distance bicycle rides of 60 or 70 miles.

Q+A WITH CÉLINE ROSENTHAL

The facts of life

Coming-of-age comedy ‘Incident at Our Lady of Perpetual Help’ explores giving the birds and the bees talk — and when that conversation goes awry.

“Those who don’t remember the past are doomed to repeat it,” the adage goes. Those who do can either spoof it or wax nostalgic. Playwright

Katie Forgette’s “Incident at Our Lady of Perpetual Help” does both on the Asolo Repertory Theatre stage.

Forgette’s play sets the Wayback Machine to 1973 and zeroes in on the O’Sheas, a working-class Irish Catholic family. Their (literally) parochial community makes up for material shortcomings with a slavish devotion to respectability.

When 19-year-old Linda, at her mother’s urging, explains the facts of life to Becky, her 13-year-old sister, the family’s reputation seems destined to implode.

Linda uses frank language in her explanation, which Becky secretly records. After the judgmental parish priest gets his hands on the tape, he threatens to make an example of the O’Sheas in his next sermon.

Forgette’s play offers a soulful lesson. In the following conversation, director Céline Rosenthal shares why it applies to people of all faiths — or no faith at all.

What attracted you to this play?

It was just so funny — and it’s not the kind of laugh you get from a setup punch-line joke. The comedy flows from the situation and the characters.

Becky is a 13-year-old on the precipice of puberty, and Linda is her 19-year-old sister on the other side of puberty. Their mother tasks Linda (the play’s narrator and central character) with helping her sister navigate that transformation

... and the results are just hilarious. Based on the script, Linda has to give Becky “the talk.” Right. And there’s nothing more wonderful, awkward and revelatory than the moment a woman learns about periods and sex. And Katie’s play deals with that moment in women’s lives in a funny, tender way that I hadn’t seen in any other works for stage or screen.

You respond with a deep belly laugh because you recognize that moment on a cellular level. It’s such a funny play because we all get so embarrassed about our bodies — men and women alike.

How so? Linda starts out as an adult writer trying to remember an important moment in her young life in 1973.

When she first digs into the memory, it’s very much in the perspective of her 19-year-old self. What’s really beautiful is that, by the end of the play, Linda can apply her adult perspective to those moments. She realizes that at the time she didn’t grasp that her parents were three-dimensional human beings with thoughts, feelings and dreams.

Her parents were people?

Who knew? I think we all come to that shocking revelation. I also love that Linda admits she’s an unreliable narrator. She actually says, “This is what’s called a ‘memory play.’ Which means that a lot of it is false.”

Based on the script, Linda actually talks to the audience. How does that affect your staging? We get to break the fourth wall, and that’s so much fun. In a naturalistic

play, the audience is a fly on the wall. But in Katie’s concept, Linda’s the storyteller, and the play flows from her memory and imagination. Are you trying to re-create the look and feel of 1973, or is this Linda’s imagination?

It’s deliciously nostalgic and retro, and I think we capture the era. Dee Sullivan and Riw Rakkulchon did outstanding work on the costumes and scenic design. But our attention to period detail goes very deep. If you look really close on the set, you’ll see my mother’s graduation photo from grammar school.

Where does “Incident” take place?

According to Katie’s script, it’s a city like “Cleveland or Seattle or Boston or Cincinnati ...”

So, the play’s setting could be anywhere. At the same time, it’s very specific to Irish Catholic culture in 1973.

Do you think it still has universal relevance?

Absolutely! You can still relate to Katie’s play, whether you’re Jewish or Buddhist or atheist. At one point Linda says she’s just shown you “Catholic guilt. Also known as Jewish guilt, Methodist guilt, Baptist guilt, Lutheran guilt and atheist guilt.” I think that any community that deals with a central authority figure can relate to the family’s experience with the parish priest.

IF YOU GO

‘INCIDENT

When: Through April 22.

Where: FSU Center for the Performing Arts, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail.

Tickets: $29-$95.

Info: Visit AsoloRep.org.

“Incident” is an excellent time machine. Has the cast had any surprises in their time travels?

Well, some actors were children in the 1970s — they loved sharing their memories with younger actors. We take digital technology for granted now, but none of it existed in 1973. Kids born after the 1980s grew up with cellphones. They have instant answers on Google and instant access to all their friends — and can’t imagine a world without that. There’s a beautiful line in the play about the 1970s: “For the most part, you lived your life in person.”

What were some of your favorite surprises directing this show?

Getting a chance to work with young talent! We have a local actor in the show — Willa Carpenter. She’s a 13-year-old playing a 13-year-old who’s learning about the birds and the bees. Working with Willa and seeing the world of Katie’s play through her eyes has been so much fun.

THIS WEEK

THURSDAY GREAT ESCAPES:

‘SOUNDS OF SPRING’

7:30 p.m. at Holley Hall, 709 N. Tamiami Trail

$45-$108

Visit SarasotaOrchestra.org.

Sarasota Orchestra’s spring program includes sunny selections from musicals such as “Mary Poppins,” “Oklahoma!” and “South Pacific.” Also on the bill, Tchaikovsky’s “Waltz of the Flowers” and the “Spring” movement of Piazzolla’s “Four Seasons of Buenos Aires.” Continues at 5:30 p.m. Friday and 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

‘CHICKEN & BISCUITS’

1:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at FSU Center for the Performing Arts, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail $33 and up Visit AsoloRep.org.

Presented by the Asolo Repertory Theatre, this play introduces the Jenkins family as they celebrate their recently deceased father and grandfather. When a secret is revealed, the comedy leads audiences through all the hilarious drama and antics that only family can inspire from one another. This is the last night of the show.

‘PARALYZED’

7:30 p.m. at Florida Studio Theatre’s Bowne’s Lab Theatre, 1265 First St. $18-$39 Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org

In this world premiere, the lives of two strangers — Leigh and Lee — with little in common besides their names come together after the

DON’T MISS

WORLD CIRCUS DAY

When: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on April 15

Where: The Ringling, 5401 Bay Shore Road

Tickets: Free Info: Ringling.org/events/world-circus-day.

It’s better under the big top! The Ringling celebrates World Circus Day with a host of activities and free admission to the Circus Museum and the Bayfront Gardens. (The Museum of Art and Ca’ d’Zan are not included in the offer.) Buster Bailey archival film footage will screen from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. At 10:30 a.m., family art making starts in the Education Building and lasts until 3 p.m. A juggling party gets underway at 11 a.m. in the Bayfront Gardens.

SATURDAY

discovery of a mysterious suicide note. Runs through April 23.

FRIDAY

‘JAZZ AT TWO: TOM CARABASI’

2 p.m. at Unitarian Universalist Church of Sarasota, 7935 Fruitville Road $15-$20

Visit JazzClubSarasota.org.

Tom Carabasi and friends play samba sounds from Brazil, selections from the American Songbook and jazz favorites.

‘INCIDENT AT OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL HELP’

8 p.m. at FSU Center for the Performing Arts, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail $33 and up

Visit AsoloRep.org.

Travel back to 1973 with the Asolo Repertory Theatre to see how the O’Shea family does damage control when their prized respectability is threatened. Runs through April 22.

LA MUSICA FESTIVAL: ‘FRIENDSHIPS’

4:15 p.m. at Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Ave. $62 Visit LaMusicaFestival.org.

As a fitting tribute to La Musica’s co-founder and longtime Associate Artistic Director Derek Han, Wu Han has designed a program that explores the deep musical friendships between composers Johannes Brahms, Antonin Dvorak and Harry Burleigh.

FST IMPROV PRESENTS

‘COMEDY ROULETTE’

7:30 p.m. at Florida Studio Theatre’s Bowne’s Lab Theatre, 1265 First St. $15 Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.

It’s a good bet that FST’s team of four experienced improvisers will spin the wheel on a fast-paced show featuring a mashup of short form, long form and musical improv. Runs through May 27.

‘VISIT JOE WHITEFEATHER (AND BRING THE FAMILY!)’

8 p.m. at Florida Studio Theatre’s Gompertz Theatre, 1265 First St. $25-$39 Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org

Faced with a decline in tourism during the 1970s, a small Pennsylvania town decides to rename itself in honor of a dead Native American war hero who never even visited Beaver Gap while he was alive. Runs through May 21.

SUNDAY

‘MEET THE WILLIAMS’

3 p.m. at Northminster Presbyterian Church, 3131 61st St. $5 Visit SuncoastConcertBand.org.

OUR PICK ROB ICKES AND TREY HENSLEY

After an earlier show was canceled due to a family emergency, the duo of Rob Ickes and Trey Hensley will weave together blues, bluegrass, country, rock and other string styles to form a musical quilt that defies genre boundaries. Ickes co-founded the bluegrass group Blue Highway and has been a sought-after Nashville session player and live performing musician for decades. Hensley has been called “Nashville’s hottest young player” by Acoustic Guitar magazine and has received kudos for his soulful baritone vocals.

IF YOU GO

When: 7 p.m. on April 16

Where: Fogartyville, 515 Kumquat Court

Tickets: $27; members $22; students $13.50 Info: WSLR.org/fogartyville.

Now in its 90th year, the Suncoast Concert Band is made up of retirees, and musicians who enjoy daytime rehearsals.

HARD HEART BURLESQUE

8 p.m. at McCurdy’s Comedy Theatre, 1923 Ringling Blvd.

$37

Visit McCurdysComedy.com.

Florida burlesque favorites

Miss Marina Elaine and Karma

Kandlewick put on a delectable show featuring showgirls, vocalists and some vaudevillian surprises.

‘MEAN GIRLS’

7:30 p.m. at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail $47-$122 Visit VanWezel.org.

“Mean Girls” follows African transplant Cady Heron’s transition to suburban Illinois, where she is hazed by a trio of “frenemies.” The creative team behind the musical includes book writer Tina Fey (“30

Rock”), composer Jeff Richmond (“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”), lyricist Nell Benjamin (“Legally Blonde”) and director Casey Nicholaw (“The Book of Mormon”). Runs through April 16.

MONDAY

JOHN RUTTER’S

‘THE MAGNIFICAT’

7 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church of Sarasota, 2050 Oak St. $35; students free Visit MusicaSacraSarasota.org.

Conducted by Dr. Robert E. Parrish, “The Magnificat” by John Rutter is a musical setting of the biblical canticle “Magnificat,” completed in 1990. The performance includes elements with a Latin American flavor.

GUITAR SARASOTA

COMMUNITY SHOWCASE

7:30 p.m. at St. Paul Lutheran Church, 2256 Bahia Vista St. Free Visit GuitarSarasota.org.

Guitar Sarasota provides opportunities for local youth, retirees and classical guitar students of all ages to perform for an audience.

‘1976’ ensembleNEWSRQ

7:30 p.m. at Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Ave. $25

Visit ENSRQ.org.

Founded by percussionist George Nickson and violinist Samantha Bennett, ensembleNEWSRQ features 40 musicians performing a double bill of contemporary classics composed in 1976 — HK Gruber’s “Frankenstein” and Louis Andriessen’s “De Staat.”

TUESDAY

‘WE ALL FALL DOWN’

1:30 p.m. at The Players Centre, 3501 S. Tamiami Trail Suite 1130 $36 Visit ThePlayers.org.

Sarasota Jewish Center presents a new play by Lila Rose Kaplan

directed by Jeffery Kin. Linda, the matriarch of the decidedly secular Stein family of Westchester County, decides to hold the first Stein family Seder ever, but where is David with the brisket? Runs through April 23.

‘LOVE’S LABOUR LOST’

8 p.m. at The Ringling Museum of Art’s Bayfront Gardens $35 Visit AsoloRep.org/conservatory.

FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training presents a rap-infused version of the early Shakespeare comedy about four young men, one of them a king, who try to swear off women. Runs through April 23.

‘HAZING’ DOCUMENTARY

7 p.m. at Fogartyville, 515 Kumquat Court

Free Visit WSLR.org/fogartyville.

Filmmaker Byron Hurt embarks on a personal journey to understand the underground rituals of hazing, revealing the abuse college students will engage in to be accepted by their peers. A one-hour reception with Hurt starts at 6 p.m.

‘CATS’

7:30 p.m. at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail $42-$97

Visit VanWezel.org.

Andrew Lloyd Weber’s long-running smash hit musical of Broadway and London’s West End has been delighting audiences since 1981. This rendition is sure to revive a “Memory” or two.

WEDNESDAY

‘BIG SEXY: THE FATS WALLER REVUE’

7:30 p.m. at Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe, 1012 N. Orange Ave. Runs through May 28 $20-$50

Visit WestcoastBlackTheatre.org.

Nate Jacobs’ original tribute features Fats Waller’s signature songs, including “Ain’t Misbehavin’,”

“Honeysuckle Rose,” “Your Feet’s Too Big,” “The Joint is Jumpin’” and many more. Runs through May 28.

Ever Onward Season 27

May

May

pm

First Presbyterian Church Brothers Paul and Steven Laraia are world class violists - Paul is with the Grammy Award-winning Catalyst String Quartet and Steven is with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, having begun his career as principal violist with the Sarasota Orchestra. This program features music by composers who played the viola, including a quintet by Mozart for which they will be joined by Sarasota Orchestra colleagues.

EATING WITH EMMA It’s a ‘brewtiful’ day for baseball

EMMA JOLLY CONTRIBUTOR

From the moment I exited my mother’s womb I was a Chicago Cubs fan.

My first words were, “Hey Chicago, whaddaya say?” and my parents both pinched my cheeks and proudly responded, “The Cubs are gonna win today!”

Family reunions started taking place at Wrigley Field before I knew what beer was, I partied in Wrigleyville with my cousins before IPA beers became mainstream and I watched the Cubs win the World Series in 2016 against my nowhusband’s home team as we sipped on stouts and cried for two different reasons.

Whether you attend games to eat, visit the concession stand or because you’re a lifelong fan, there is something about choosing your game day cap, slapping on some sunscreen, heading to your first game or turning the game on at home, cracking open a beer, and saying, “It’s a ‘brewtiful’ day for a baseball game.”

Our community is full of local breweries, with more entering the area by the fleets to feed us their fermented adult beverages. This made narrowing down the choices more difficult than understanding the new rules of baseball — like how the pitch clock will cut into my beer-consuming time. Without further ado, here are three breweries that have knocked it out of the park for me lately.

BIG TOP BREWING CO.

975 Cattlemen Road, Sarasota, 941-371-2939; 2507 Lakewood Ranch Blvd., Bradenton, 941-7082966; BigTopBrewing.com

Most Valuable Player: Hawaiian Lion Porter ($7 draft, $12 6-pack). I know porters are primarily purchased in the winter months, but when you add 150 pounds of fresh coconut to local Java Dog Coffee and make it into an alluring and appetizing alcoholic beverage, I could sip that stuff 365 days a year. This rich, smooth and memorable beer has seen my fridge (and my belly) monthly for the past seven years — not to mention the lion design pops so proudly on the Publix shelves.

Grand Slam: Spring Kolsch ($6 draft, $14 6-pack). I drank Kolsch while living in Cologne, Germany, in 2011, where the beverage originates. Kolsch, in its light-bodied beer profile, reminds me of spring weather, being near or on the water and watching the sun fade away into the night. Big Top’s additive of peach flavors in their Spring Kolsch, 4.8% ABV, puts me in a pleasant mood and provides my palate with nostalgia that I didn’t know I missed so dearly. When you are in need of a beer that won’t bloat your belly but will get your boozy dance moves going, turn to the peach product from Big Top.

Fly the “W” Flag: Hazy Sky Wire NEIPA ($7 draft, $14 6-pack).Winning Best Juicy & Hazy Pale Ale in the state of Florida at the Best Florida Beer Brewer’s Ball, this grapefruit, pine and tropical fruit infused New England IPA is bright, beautiful and bold. NEIPAs, as shown in this Sarasota sampling, have a full flavorful body with fruit flavors at a lower bitter level than other IPAs. With obvious correlations to our circus community, Big Top’s creativity behind names and designs make me proud to support Sarasota (and now Lakewood Ranch!) brewmeisters like these.

Pre-Season Batter Up: I’m counting the days until Pumpkin Stiltskin Ale is on draft again. This pumpkin ale is spooky spectacular, devilishly deliciously and hauntingly worth the hype. Local pumpkin beer has never hit the mark for me, but Big Top’s version suspended any further speculation. With flavors of baked pumpkin and vanilla, cinnamon, honey and brown sugar — I wish this 8.9% ABV concoction could be featured continuously throughout the year. Hey hey, whaddaya say, Big Top?

Extra Base Hit: Nosh on K.D. Blue’s Gastropub on Wheels at the Big Top Sarasota location or join them for a food truck rally every second Saturday of the month. To soak up the pints of beer you can’t stop ordering, try the fried ravioli ($11.95). It will surely save your liver and treat your tastebuds to something super savory. Rotating food trucks are featured at the Lakewood Ranch location.

GOOD LIQUID BREWING CO.

1570 Lakefront Drive, Sarasota; 941-238-6466; GoodLiquidBrewingCompany.com

Most Valuable Player: Orange Wheat (4 oz. $3, 16 oz. $6.50, 32 oz. $12.50).As our one-minuteof-spring season fades into summer, drinking heavy beer is not on the agenda for most. Good Liquid knows how to generate libations for the summer season quickly sizzling its way toward us. This Americanstyle wheat, clocking in at 5.5% ABV, has notes of sweet orange peel and zest — a perfect pair for a Floridian fan of beers during the dog days of April.

Grand Slam: Coconut Key Lime Sour (4 oz. $3, 16 oz. $6.50, 32 oz. $12.50).I might stand alone here, but I prefer sour beers to most other brewski offerings — as long as I’m carrying my to-go Tums container in my purse. Sours are brewed to the highest level of acidity possible, but according to this brew-babe, sours are the crisp of the crop. So when Good Liquid released a coconut and key lime sour, then won a silver medal in the Best Florida Beer Sour category, I packed up my antiacids. In a flash, I found myself in line at the Waterside-based bar eager and excited for the enchanting extracts of Floridian flavors in a fermented fashion.

Fly the “W” Flag: Milk Stout (4 oz. $3.50, 16 oz .$7, 32 oz. $17.50).I am cocoa-nuts for this. I like my stouts like I like my coffee: chocolaty, milky and sugary — and that is exactly how Good Liquid creates its American milk stout, 6% ABV. While this offering is only available for a limited time, the chocoholic

in me had to chime in and chant for this chocolate contribution to the community. For those with a dairy allergy, this might not be the brew for you, but with all the other Good Liquid offerings, you won’t be standing sober, I assure you.

Pre-Season Batter Up: A dear friend of mine would have lived at Good Liquid after having this apricot hefeweizen if she hadn’t moved away. I’ve never seen someone have a heart for hefeweizen like her — whether it was a day on the boat or a bonfire night, her hefeweizen appreciation rang true all year through. This German-style white beer is blended with a luscious apricot puree that pairs perfectly with plopping down on a pleasant rocking chair placed on the restaurant’s porch. I’ll save you a seat for your return to Lakewood Ranch, Meghan.

Extra Base Hit: It’s the cast iron meatballs ($15.50) topped with grated grana Padano that make boozing on the dock, in the beer garden under the string lights and inside the restaurant all that more delicious for me. But don’t let the appetizers fool you. There is a full menu with burgers, pizzas, entrees and more — including a brunch menu!

CALUSA BREWING

5701 Derek Ave., Sarasota; 941-9228150; CalusaBrewing.com

Most Valuable Player: Zote. When my brother-in-law, who is a brew master in North Carolina, sat down and sipped Zote for the first time, the words that left his grinning mouth were, “Damn, if that isn’t the juiciest beer I’ve ever had.” Most restaurants and bars in Sarasota carry Calusa’s 7.5% ABV flagship beer as the standard IPA on draft — as they should. Tropical, citrus, and when poured into a glass, it shines like the Florida sunshine. Grand Slam: My husband and I have two part Maine Coon cats and

plan on loving as many four-legged fur babies as our house can hold for years to come. So when Calusa released a beer named after their own brewery-based cats, I instantly needed to try it, meet these two purrfect local celebrities and promise my husband and the staff that I would not put them in my bag and bring them home. Recently tapped at the brewery, the Bones and Domino Double NEIPA is back and will have you feline fine in no time. Fly the “W” Flag: Talk about tart, tasty and totally top-tier beer. The LemonBerry Squeeze Fruit Beer, coming in at 5.% ABV, is currently offered on draft in the taproom or can be purchased in four-packs to go. It gave my sour-loving heart a sweet and sensational feeling that only brew-based guardian angels could relinquish. Twists of strawberry and, as Calusa’s social media posts put it, a “flavorful escape in every sip.”

Pre-Season Batter Up: With can releases happening on Saturdays at the brewery, these brewing geniuses will probably release another new can to the mix before this column is even published. For example, Taylor Pogue, the marketing director for Calusa Brewing, gave me a sneak peek of the BA PB Swirl that is out now (but wasn’t at the time of this research). I will tell you before relishing this refreshment that when you bring roasted peanuts and vanilla beans aged in a bourbon barrel for six months into the alcoholic atmosphere, it assures that all dreams can become realities.

Extra Base Hit: Calusa’s food truck schedule is updated weekly on its website and Facebook page. But some of the tasty trucks that I have delightfully dined with include Big Blue Grilled Cheese, The Greeks Food Truck and Il Funky Fusion. The list of food truck offerings, which ranges from burgers to barbecue to everything in between, is pretty impressive indeed.

Mozart Requiem

Passages of life are expressed through the beauty of majestic choral music: Bach’s pastoral setting of the Twentythird Psalm paired with Mozart’s Requiem, a poignant and dramatic contemplation of eternity.

JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH

Du Hirte Israel, höre, Cantata BWV 104 (You shepherd of Israel, listenCantata BWV 104)

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART

Requiem in D Minor, K. 626

Guest Artists Jenny Kim-Godfrey, soprano Krista Laskowski, contralto John Kaneklides, tenor William Socolof, bass ORDER TICKETS

| ChoralArtistsSarasota.org

Whether you’re craving a fruity pale ale or a coffee porter, Big Top Brewing Co., Good Liquid Brewing Co. and Calusa Brewing are the perfect spots to get your brew on.

April Fools Fête

The Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe encouraged dreamers and student performers at its April Fools Fête fundraiser April 3 at Michael’s On East.

The annual event brought hundreds of supporters to the Michael’s On East ballroom to mix, mingle and support the theater company’s many productions and training programs.

WBTT founder Nate Jacobs started the program by leading a musical production made up of Stage of Discovery students, who danced and sang with the help of a band led by Music Director Etienne “EJ” Porter.

Dinner was then served. Guests heard from Jacobs and other WBTT figures before it was time for the mission moment and another performance from WBTT students. The night ended with live music and dancing.

Monday, April 3, at Michael’s On East | Benefiting Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe

Sarasota Opera Gala

Saturday, April 1, at Sarasota Opera House | Benefiting Sarasota Opera

The Sarasota Opera celebrated the end of another season with a lively gala and concert at the opera house on April 1.

Hundreds met for a reception at the Donna Wolf Steigerwaldt Courtyard that marked the beginning of the program. Guests mingled and had light bites while taking a look at silent auction items in the opera house lobby.

The night featured a celebration concert with performances from artists including Aviva Fortunata, Heather Johnson, Fillippo Fontana, Rafael Dávila and Jesse Martins.

Guests then left the opera house to fill an outdoor tent space to enjoy dinner, followed by dancing to the music of the Scott Blum Band.

The 2024 Sarasota Opera gala has been announced for March 24, 2024.

— HARRY SAYER

BLACK TIE & TALES HARRY SAYER

checking out gifts at pop-up shops before hearing from Florida Center CEO Kristie Skoglund, CEO of The Florida Center and John Annis of The Charles and Margery Barancik Foundation to start the program.

The Sorrento Gang of Esplanade — a neighborhood group who support community endeavors — joined developmental therapies specialist Kim Williams and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders awareness and support advocates Bob and Jen Keller in receiving awards for their actions.

Funds raised at the luncheon benefit the nonprofit’s programs for local families.

Courtesy photos

Sepi Ackerman, Hilary Yunis and Molly Biter

Southside School’s First Cook-Off

Southside School Foundation for the Arts’ mixed things up with its first Cooking For The Arts event March 25 at Michael’s On East.

More than 200 guests met at Michael’s for the interactive dinner event, where they split into various tables and tackled four courses of food led by MOE chefs Phil Mancini and Jamil Pineda. Co-chairwomen

Sepi Ackerman, Molly Biter and Hilary Yunis did up the decor with a series of speciality table lighting and large lamps around the event space.

The dinner was followed by a live auction that included going to an Ed Sheeran concert, a wine dinner at Michael’s Wine Cellar and Taylor Swift tickets.

It’s A Jungle Out There

Junior League of Sarasota hosts fundraisers throughout the year, but only one where families mix it up with tigers, peacocks, baby goats and a sloth or two.

Such was the case March 25 at the annual Junior League Jungle Jamboree, a wild excursion that brought Junior League supporters to Big Cat Habitat for an afternoon of fundraising.

There were animals too, of course. Children ran across the space to admire bears, baby goats, birds and to go on pony rides.

Event Chair Alex Chau said the event raised more than $9,000 by the time things were done.

Blue Ties & Butterflies

Wednesday, March 29, at Michael’s On East | Benefiting Child Protection Center

Protection Center celebrated 10 years of its Blue Ties and Butterflies fundraiser with an elegant evening March 29 at Michael’s On East.

Hundreds met at Michael’s On East clad in all variations of dazzling blue — not to mention a few with inspired butterfly designs — for the annual affair benefiting the CPC’s programs for child abuse victims.

Board Chair Tina Granthon joined Co-chairwomen Jen Douglas and Margie Socol in welcoming those tho attended before Executive Director Douglas Staley spoke to the audience.

Guests enjoyed dinner before hearing from keynote speaker Jenni Silver. Michael Klauber led the auction to end the program.