Arts + Entertainment 2.29.24

BLACK TIE INSIDE:

TURNING ‘RUBY’ INTO GOLD

Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe produces its first homegrown musical.

In the 25 years since he founded Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe in Sarasota, Nate Jacobs has won numerous awards and national recognition for producing Black-themed plays and musicals and for creating original musical revues. Now, Jacobs has achieved a new milestone with WBTT’s latest production, “Ruby.”

The musical, about a prosperous Black woman in 1950s Florida who killed a white physician, is a fully realized musical, not a revue like many of WBTT’s popular shows. “It can travel anywhere in the legit theater world after it closes in Sarasota,” Jacobs says. In show biz speak, “legit” doesn’t mean legal or kosher. It means a professionally produced stage play with a script and, in the case of a musical, songs with lyrics. It’s a big deal.

“Ruby” director Jacobs credits WBTT’s evolutionary leap to his brother, Michael Jacobs, with whom he wrote the book for “Ruby” and who wrote the lyrics, and to composer Nehemiah Luckett.

On “Ruby,” Luckett gets credit for “additional music.” But his contribution is immense, Jacobs says, because of his experience with orchestral arrangements.

The music for “Ruby” was written by Nate Jacobs, Brennan Stylez and Antonio Wimberly.

The idea for the show came from one of WBTT’s patrons, who kept emailing Nate Jacobs and former WBTT CEO Christine Jennings. Her idea? A play about a 1950s murder case covered by famed Black author Zora Neale Hurston.

Jacobs couldn’t immediately recall the patron who brought the idea for “Ruby” to his attention, but says he’s grateful for her persistence.

It took some prodding, but when Jacobs finally delved into the details of Ruby McCollum’s murder of Dr. C. Leroy Adams on Aug. 3, 1953, in Live Oak, Florida, he was hooked.

After watching a documentary on the case, Jacobs enlisted the help of his brother, a semi-retired lawyer

who has since moved to Sarasota from the Baltimore-Washington, D.C., area. “Of course,

adapted many successful revues for WBTT, including the holiday spectacle “Joyful! Joyful!,” “Marvin Gaye: Prince of Soul” and “Cotton Club Cabaret.”

Jacobs saw no reason why murder couldn’t be the subject of a musical.

“The story of Ruby McCollum and her husband, Sam, is the stuff of Greek tragedy,” he says. “It’s a rise and fall.”

The rise was when the McCollums moved to Live Oak, buying a mansion and living with the trappings of wealth unusual for a Black family in that time and place. Their lifestyle inspired admiration among Live Oak’s Blacks but also provoked envy and distress among whites, to hear Jacobs tell the story.

The fall came after Ruby McCollum walked into her doctor’s office and shot him to death in broad daylight. In the wake of the shooting, it came to light that the McCollums were involved in illegal liquor sales and gambling.

According to Jacobs, there was plenty of schadenfreude in Live Oak after Ruby’s arrest and the revelation of the family’s shady sources of income. “The whites were happy to see Ruby and her husband go down,” Jacobs says.

Meanwhile, the town’s Blacks were SEE

IF YOU GO

‘RUBY’

When: Through April 7

Where: Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe, 1012 N. Orange Ave.

Tickets: $20-$50

Info: Visit WestcoastBlackTheatre.org.

devastated at the downfall of their heroes. “I remember talking to an actual person who lived in Live Oak at the time,” Jacobs says. “She told me, ‘We were heartbroken because they were our hope. I was inspired that somebody who looks like me could actually live life on that scale.’”

Compounding the tragedy of the McCollum family was the untimely death of Sam McCollum. After his wife was arrested, he took their children and fled Live Oak to get out of harm’s way. But he soon succumbed to a heart attack, Jacobs says.

Ruby was the bookkeeper of the McCollums’ business operations and, according to Jacobs, kept a record book that mysteriously disappeared. Presumably it listed the names of white, well-heeled customers.

When the Ku Klux Klan came for Ruby at the local jail, she wasn’t there, Jacobs says. She later ended up in a state insane asylum in Chattahoochee and was eventually released. “The mystery is: How did a Black woman do a crime of this sort and live to tell about it?” asks Jacobs.

To this day, there are still a lot of unknowns.

Did Ruby’s husband know she was involved in a sexual relationship with Adams, who was the father of one of her children? Was the relationship consensual?

Jacobs says it’s likely Ruby was pressured into having sex with her doctor. “Back then in the South, white powerful men did what they wanted,” he says. “It was almost like an extension of slavery. But something in the mix stirred Ruby to become so angry that she felt like the only way out of whatever she was caught in was to kill this man.”

When writing the book for the musical “Ruby” with his brother, Jacobs says he drew on his own experience of how he was looked down upon by some people in Sarasota after he decided to form WBTT.

“Some people thought I was rising above my station,” he says, when he decided to found a theater and direct after a career as an actor and teacher

in Sarasota. At one point in the early days of WBTT, Jacobs says he was so discouraged that he considered quitting and moving away. When he met playwright August Wilson in the early 2000s at the Black Theatre Festival in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Jacobs says he told Wilson that he was thinking of leaving Sarasota. Wilson, the late author of 10 plays, including “Fences” and “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” told him to stay put. Interviewing Jacobs under a framed 2021 New York Times article about the success of WBTT and reading about Jacobs’ many accolades, including the Larry Leon Hamlin Producer Award at the 2015 National Black Theatre Festival, it’s hard to imagine those dark days. Today, audiences flock to WBTT’s campus, which officially opened in 2020, giving it a permanent home after years in temporary, rented spaces.

With Blacks making up less than

5% of Sarasota County’s population, Jacobs has chosen a seemingly unlikely location for a theater with people of color performing shows about Black lives. Jacobs sees a parallel between WBTT audiences and the white patrons of Harlem’s famed Cotton Club in the 1920s.

Despite the support of Sarasota’s theatergoers, donors and influential champions such as Howard Millman, the retired producing artistic director of Asolo Repertory Theatre who serves on WBTT’s board of trustees, WBTT was knocked flat by COVID just like all other theater companies.

The pandemic and its aftermath caused “Ruby” to be postponed two times. In the process, one story line was cut from the musical.

“We originally had two stories,” Jacobs says. The first was a fictional tale of a white sheriff’s wife who was ready for change. The second was the mainly factual story of Hurston.

In the final version of “Ruby,” Hurston is the narrator. She also sings.

As fate would have it, the articles Hurston wrote for the Pittsburgh Courier were in an archive of Black newspapers that Jacobs had in his possession.

As a result, he and his brother were able to work with original source material.

Even though new songs were written, the running time for “Ruby” was cut from three to two hours, making it easier on audiences and improving the chances that “Ruby” will be produced elsewhere.

The cast is also different. It now includes Catara Brae (Ruby McCollum), Maurice Alpharicio (Sam McCollum), Larry Alexander (Dr. Adams) and Ashley Elizabeth Crowe (Zora Neale Hurston).

For his part, Jacobs is pleased with the new “Ruby.” “The third time is definitely the charm,” he exults. Or, as Shakespeare once wrote, “All’s well that ends well.”

Express yourself with the best espresso martinis

These caffeine-fueled cocktails give you the perfect mix of jolt and joy.

CONTRIBUTOR

When my sister introduced me to the espresso martini a few years back, it scared me just as the Red Bull and vodka combo had in the early 2010s. Mix an upper with a downer: What’s the worst that could happen?

Well, there were two outcomes: a prolonged anxiety attack or a night next to the porcelain god. (Sorry, Mom.)

However, the sophisticated caffeinated buzz of an espresso martini hits differently. Exhausted from decision-making? Espresso yourself. Finished a grueling week and want to celebrate getting through it? Fresh espresso and a bit of booze is the duo you desire. Need a reason to feel chic and ever-soslightly inebriated? Pour me an espresso martini, please.

Topped with full-bodied foam, the trendy cocktail is becoming the favorite flavorsome adult beverage ready to tickle you with its tricks and treat you to a well-earned tipsy time.

Here are three tasty local versions of the espresso martini that I guarantee will give you the perfect juxtaposition of jolt and joy you are seeking.

SAGE RESTAURANT

1216 First St., Sarasota; 941-4455660; SageSRQ.com

My parents talked about the historic Sarasota Times building every time we came into town from Longboat Key. Reminiscing about booze-filled nights at the building’s previous incarnation, a tapas restaurant, they let us know how much they were

looking forward to taking us there when a new place opened and we were of legal drinking age. That time came when Sage opened in 2019. We splurged on an extravagant and delicious family dinner where Mom, Dad, my sister, my husband and I all debated, “To espresso martini, or to not espresso martini, that is the question.” Three out of the five in our party opted in; the other two don’t drink coffee, so we politely excused their decision.

Espresso Yourself: Bar Manager

Cliseria Padilla-Flores shared that New Orleans-style coffee inspired this cocktail ($16), made with 1.5 ounces of vanilla bean-infused vodka, a half-ounce of Borghetti espresso liqueur, a half-ounce of Hoodoo chicory liqueur and one shot of fresh espresso. “The chicory adds richness, earthiness and nuttiness that play well with the vanilla bean

and espresso and make for a wellbalanced cocktail,” Padilla-Flores said.

Where You Bean All My Life: Pair the espresso martini with the flourless chocolate cake ($15), served with coffee toffee sauce, spiced walnuts and house-made ice cream.

SPEAKS CLAM BAR

8764 E. State Road 70, Lakewood Ranch, 941-232-7646; 29 N. Boulevard of Presidents, Sarasota, 941232-7633; SpeaksClamBar.com

My late dad loved spending the day on the beach, under the umbrella that stood far from other patrons. He would occasionally pull out his phone to check email or the stock market. But he would mostly rest his eyes in between dips in the Gulf of Mexico and wait for the perfect time to head to Speaks and order his late-in-life

love, the espresso martini. Dad fell in love instantly with what could be described as the coffee addicts’ perfect bar pour. This longtime Jack Daniel’s-only connoisseur would beg anyone in our family to join him in this decadent and booze-filled caffeine ride at the Prohibition-style bar. Cheers to you, Dad! May you be sipping all the espresso martinis you want.

Espresso Yourself:  Speaks adds gold rum to stand apart from the rest of the martinis in town. Eric Holmes, the sommelier and bar manager at Speaks, shared with me that Speaks uses Don Q Reserva 7-year rum with equal parts Madagascar 360 vanilla vodka, Kahlua and chilled espresso to concoct this cocktail. Then, shaken and double-strained, it’s poured into a coupe glass topped with freshly made Italian sweet cream.

Where You Bean All My Life: I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again: Dessert shots are a perfect pairing to any meal (or cocktail). For $4, choose from tiramisu (made with ladyfingers dipped in coffee, among other ingredients), Oreo cheesecake or chocolate peanut butter.

BRINE SEAFOOD AND RAW BAR

2250 Gulf Gate Drive, Sarasota; 941-952-3039; BrineSarasota.com

Growing up in Connecticut, my fellow Nutmeggers and I were raised to be proud of the seafood at local eateries. Eight years ago, when I moved to Florida, this New Englander at heart had a tough time believing that fresh seafood dishes were not as fresh as most Gulf Coast places said they were — Brine being a notable exception. The seafood classics curated here are sourced from, as Brine describes it, “the most reputable watermen in the United States.” So it was no shock to me that this sensational seafood restaurant takes just as much pride in its cocktails as it does in its amazing appetizers and mouthwatering main courses.

Espresso Yourself:  You might not see the words “Espresso Martini” on the bar menu, but don’t fret — the spin Brine serves is stupendous. The Almond Joy martini ($15) is made with Stoli vanilla, chocolate and coconut liqueur, amaretto, coconut cream, espresso and finished with a chocolate and toasted coconut rim.

Where You Bean All My Life: Don’t skip Brine’s brunch, offered Sundays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. While its espresso martinis aren’t bottomless, its mimosas and bloody marys are. Snack on the oysters Rockefeller ($16), order the crab benedict ($23) or feast on the French toast, with the chef’s daily preparation ($15).

THIS WEEK

THURSDAY

CIRCUS SARASOTA 2024

7 p.m. at the Big Top at Nathan Benderson Park, 5851 Nathan Benderson Circle $30-$80

Visit CircusArts.org.

Now in its 26th season, Circus Sarasota returns to Nathan Benderson Park with a brand new big top and a fresh lineup of thrilling performers. Ringmaster Joseph Bauer Jr., a 15thgeneration circus family member, presides over the action. Runs through March 10.

STRINGS CON BRIO

7 p.m. at Pine View School, 1 Python Path, Osprey $24; students $12

Visit StringsConBrio.org.

Strings Con Brio presents a musical experience featuring ChuckO, an all-American clown, and his duo partner, Noriko. The performance also features guest cellists DaVid Pineda-Huezo and Anne Suda playing Vivaldi’s Double Cello Concerto.

‘THE LEHMAN TRILOGY’

7 p.m. at FST’s Gompertz Theatre, 1265 First St. $39-$59

Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.

Stefano Massini’s three-act play follows the Lehman family’s rise and fall over 163 years in America. The Tony Award winner, adapted by Ben Power, is making its Sunshine State premiere in a production running three hours and 20 minutes. Runs through March 24.

‘THE FLIP SIDE’

7 p.m. at FST’s Court Cabaret, 1265 First St. $37-$42

Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.

With songs like “The Ballad of Sigmund Freud” and “Killed by a Coconut,” the latest cabaret creation of the prodigious team of Richard and Rebecca Hopkins tips its musical hat to comic songwriters. The show features arrangements by Jim Prosser. Runs through June 16.

THE SILVER FOXES PRESENT BROADWAY BY THE SEA

7:30 p.m. at Venice Theatre’s Raymond Center, 140 Tampa Ave. W., Venice $15-$26

Visit VeniceTheatre.org.

Join young-at-heart retirees the Silver Foxes for an evening of acting, singing and dancing as the group presents “Broadway by the Sea.” The group is now in its 31st year. Runs through March 3.

‘TAKE IT TO THE LIMIT’

7:30 p.m. at FST’s Goldstein Cabaret, 1239 N. Palm Ave. $18-$39

Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.

The prolific team of Rebecca Hop-

kins, Richard Hopkins and Sarah Durham come together for a new musical revue featuring the artists and songs of the 1970s folk rock era. Arrangements by Jim Prosser. Runs through April 24.

‘MISERY’

7:30 p.m. at The Players Centre, 3501 S. Tamiami Trail, Suite 1130 $30/Students $13 Visit ThePlayers.org.

Directed by Kelly Woodland, “Misery” is based on the Stephen King novel about a best-selling romance novelist who is imprisoned in the home of his No. 1 fan. Runs through March 10.

‘CELEBRATING CHOPIN’

7:30 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church, 2050 Oak St. $39, students $5 Visit ChamberOrchestraSarasota. org.

Conducted by Robert Vodnoy, the Chamber Orchestra of Sarasota presents piano soloist Matthew Graybil performing Chopin’s Piano "Concerto No. 2 in F Minor" and other works.

CELTIC WOMAN: 20TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR

7:30 p.m. at Van Wezel Performing

Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail $55-$170

Visit VanWezel.org.

The Celtic Woman 20th Anniversary Tour brings its unique mix of traditional and contemporary Irish music to Sarasota on the heels of its recording “Postcards from Ireland.”

‘THE GLASS MENAGERIE’

7:30 p.m. at Manatee Performing Arts Center, 502 Third Ave. W., Bradenton $27

Visit ManateePerformingArtsCenter. com.

Can a “gentleman caller” redeem a down-on-its-luck family’s fortunes?

The question asked by the classic Tennessee Williams play still resonates today. Runs through March 10.

‘MISS JULIE’

8 p.m. at Jane B. Cook Theatre, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail $24-$32

Visit AsoloRep.org.

FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training performs Swedish playwright August Strindberg’s classic “Miss Julie,” which explores the forbidden love affair between a nobleman’s daughter and a servant.

FRIDAY

LYNNE KOPLITZ

6:30 and 8:50 p.m. at McCurdy’s Comedy Theatre, 1923 Ringling Blvd. $28 Visit McCurdysComedy.com.

Sarasota native Lynn Koplitz has hosted her own Netflix special, “Hormonal Beast,” and has appeared on “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson,” “Tough Crowd” with Colin Quinn and Jenny McCarthy’s comedy special “Dirty, Sexy, Funny.” Runs through March 3.

AZARA BALLET: ‘LOVE BETWEEN LINES’

7 p.m. at SCT Neel Performing Arts Center, 5840 26th St. W., Bradenton $35

Visit AzaraBallet.org.

Join Azara Ballet, Sarasota’s newest dance company, founded by Kate Flowers and Martin Roosare, as it closes its inaugural season with “Love Between Lines,” which features four original short works celebrating the theme of cultural freedom. Runs through March 2.

‘CLYDE’S’

7:30 p.m. at Jane B. Cook Theatre, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail $24-$32

Visit AsoloRep.org.

Lynn Nottage’s “Clyde’s” comes to Asolo Rep in this student production by FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training. The tempting tale takes place in a kitchen filled with ex-convicts on a quest to create the perfect sandwich. Runs through March 9.

JAZZ @ TWO — SCOTTY WRIGHT AND FRIENDS

2 p.m. at Unitarian Universalist Church of Sarasota, 3975 Fruitville Road $15-$20

Visit JazzClubSarasota.org.

Jazz Club of Sarasota presents vocalist Scotty Wright, Pablo Arencibia on piano, Mark Neuenschwander on bass and Stephen Bucholtz for a program of favorites, ranging from blues to bossa nova to ballads.

THE MARVELOUS WONDERETTES: DREAM ON

7:30 p.m. at Venice Theatre’s Pinkerton Theatre, 140 Tampa Ave. W., Venice $37

Visit VeniceTheatre.org.

Join four lifelong friends as they sing and gossip at their high school reunion. Among the songs the Marvelous Wonderettes perform are the girl-group hits of the 1960s and 1970s “Band of Gold,” "You’re No Good” and “I Will Survive. Runs through March 17.

DON’T MISS

‘INTIMATE APPAREL’

Written by two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and Hermitage Fellow Lynn Nottage, “Intimate Apparel” tells the story of an early 20th-century Black seamstress longing for love. Her correspondence leads to a marriage proposal from a foreign stranger while she pines for a Jewish shop owner who’s bound to another.

IF YOU GO

When: Through April 18

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

Trail Tickets: $29-$75

Info: Visit AsoloRep.org.

SATURDAY

‘CARMEN’ 7:30 p.m. at Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Ave.

$32 -$155 Visit SarasotaOpera.org.

Georges Bizet’s tale of a seductive gypsy is considered one of the most accessible operas, thanks to its unforgettable tunes. Don’t be surprised if you hum along as you watch Carmen (Chelsea Laggan) conquer Corporal Don José (Victor Starsky) and then cast him aside for the dashing bullfighter Escamillo (Andrew Manea). Runs through March 22.

‘BORN WITH TEETH’

8 p.m. at FSU Center for the Performing Arts, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail $29-$75 Visit AsoloRep.org.

A tale of rival playwrights Shakespeare and Marlowe, “Born with

Teeth” offers an alternative to the conventional wisdom with plenty of court intrigue thrown in for good measure. Runs through March 29.

FST IMPROV PRESENTS ‘LIFE’S A BEACH’

8:30 p.m. at FST’s Bowne’s Lab, 1265 First St. $15

Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.

Whether you’re a snowbird or a Suncoast longtimer, you’ll get a kick out of FST Improv’s show poking fun at the rituals of life in Sarasota. Runs Saturdays through March 23.

SUNDAY

SARASOTA CHOIR FESTIVAL

4 p.m. at Pine Shores Presbyterian Church, 6135 Beechwood Ave. Free Visit PineShoresPres.org.

Founded in March 1995, the Sarasota Choir Festival was inspired by an annual choir festival in Ocean Grove, New Jersey. The Florida rendition brings together singers from numerous churches in Sarasota and Manatee counties directed by founder Jane Hunder and Rick Holdsworth.

HANNAH COPE AND MARCELINA

SUCHOCKA

4 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church, 2050 Oak St.

$40

Visit ArtistSeriesConcerts.org.

Artist Series Concerts presents Hannah Cope on harp and Marcelina Suchocka on percussion with a creative program of standards and reimagined classics. Cope, former principal with the Sarasota Orchestra, is now principal harpist of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. Suchocka is principal with the Sarasota Orchestra.

ROTTERDAM PHILHARMONIC WITH PIANIST DANIIL TRIFONOV

7:30 p.m. at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail $35-$135 Visit SCASarasota.org.

Sarasota Concert Association presents the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Lahav Shani, performing a program that includes excerpts from Prokofiev’s “Romeo and Juliet.” Grammy Awardwinning pianist Daniil Trifonov joins the orchestra for Prokofiev’s dazzling Piano Concerto No. 2.

MONDAY

‘STAYIN’ ALIVE’

7:30 p.m. at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail $25-$60 Visit VanWezel.org.

OUR PICK ‘A NIGHT IN NOVEMBER’

Written by Marie Jones, “A Night in November” follows a man whose life is changed by a soccer match between the Catholic Republic of Ireland and Protestant-dominated Northern Ireland.

IF YOU GO

When: Runs through March 15

Where: FST’s Bowne’s Lab, 1265 First St.

Tickets: $29-$46

Info: Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org

Bee Gees fans won’t want to miss this spectacular tribute to the Australian-British superstars who became the kings of disco in the 1970s.

TUESDAY

THE RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS

7:30 p.m. at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail $40-$80

Visit VanWezel.org.

You’re sure to get “that lovin’ feeling” back or at least remember what it felt like during this concert by original Righteous Brothers member Bill Medley and his musical partner Bucky Heard, who replaces the late Bobby Hatfield.

WEDNESDAY

GREAT ESCAPES 5: LUCK OF THE IRISH

4 p.m. at Holley Hall, 709 N. Tamiami Trail $47 and up

Visit SarasotaOrchestra.org.

It’s not too early to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, as the Sarasota Orchestra performs Leroy Anderson’s “Irish Suite” including “The Wearing of the Green,” Percy Grainger’s “Irish Tune from County Derry" and many more favorites. Runs through March 10.

THE MIDTOWN MEN

7:30 p.m. at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail $40-$80

Visit VanWezel.org.

The 10th anniversary tour of the Midtown Men reunites stars from the original Broadway cast of “Jersey Boys.” The Midtown Men has performed more than 850 concerts around the world and has appeared with 35 major symphonies.

The Mort Skirboll Jewish Film Festival gets a new venue

Dinner and a movie? How about a boxed meal and a film festival screening instead?

The 2024 Mort Skirboll Jewish Film Festival takes place March 3-7 at The Ora, the new space on the campus of the Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee, the event’s sponsor.

Making this year’s festival even more appetizing is the opportunity to order a meal in advance from Michael’s On East, The Ora’s exclusive caterer. That’s definitely an upgrade from popcorn, soda and Raisinets.

Films will screen at 3 and 7 p.m. so a boxed meal is a good option for festival patrons who don’t want to leave campus between the two screenings, notes Carol Dierksen, event coordinator of the Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee.

But despite the new meal option, the films are still the star of the show. “From music to comedy to sports, we’ve got something for everybody,” says Dierksen.

The Mort Skirboll festival will screen 17 films and is expected to attract a total of 1,500 patrons. It kicks off with “The Rhapsody,” on Sunday, March 3.

Directed by David Hoffert, the documentary tells the story of Polish composer Leo Spellman, a Holocaust survivor who returns at the age of 98 to the town where he nearly perished. The film features Spellman’s musical masterpiece, which went missing for nearly 50 years.

The closing night film is the sports-themed “Israel Swings for Gold,” which screens on Thursday, March 7, and is followed by dessert and coffee.

The documentary follows Israel’s baseball team, which competed in the Olympics for the first time in 2021. It features recordings by the participants, many of whom were new Israeli citizens, because no media were permitted in Tokyo’s Olympic Village.

Tickets for “Israel Swings” are $36. All other films cost $15. A festival pass can be purchased for $236. It doesn’t include meals.

Those looking for light-hearted fare will find it with “Our Story,” a musical starring Lee Biran as a hard-driving agent and Eliana Tidha as a timid singer-songwriter, and “Matchmaking,” a 2022 hit film in Israel about navigating the shoals of dating in an ultra-conservative society. Both screen Monday, March 4.

IF YOU GO THE MORT SKIRBOLL JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL

When: March 3-7 at The Ora, 578 McIntosh Road

Tickets: $15 for each film; passes $236. Info: Visit JFedSrq.org.

Among the most anticipated screenings is the March 4 showing of “Irena’s Vow,” about a Polish nurse who was able to hide several Jews in the basement of the home where she worked despite it being the residence of a Nazi officer. “It’s an amazing film,” Dierksen says.

The Jewish Film Festival was renamed in honor of Mort Skirboll, an avid fan of the festival who died in 2020 of COVID.  Skirboll, a mental health advocate and nonprofit patron, died about a month after the 2020 Jewish Film Festival opened and closed on March 9. After opening night, the decision was made to stop in-person screenings because of the risks posed by COVID.

The festival was held entirely online in 2021 and was hybrid last year, with in-person screenings at the Regal 11 movie theater on Main Street. This year, the festival will be entirely in person.

Courtesy image

“The Rhapsody” opens the 2024 Mort Skirboll Jewish Film Festival on Sunday, March 3.

Babs Reingold uses art to explore what lies beneath the surface

Her solo show, ‘Under My Skin,’ is on view at Spaaces gallery on Princeton Street.

Here’s an astrology joke for you:

Q: How can you tell if someone’s a Scorpio?

A: When you ask their birthday, they tell you it’s a secret.

The joke notwithstanding, artist Babs Reingold reveals that she was born on Nov. 20. That means her birth sign is Scorpio. (We’ll ignore the fact that Reingold’s birthday is on the cusp of Sagittarius.)

A solo show called “Under My Skin” seems right for an artist born under the sign of Scorpio. Those born under this sign are known for going beneath the surface of things.

Just look at the name of Reingold’s mixed-media show at Marianne Chapel’s Spaaces gallery: “Under My Skin.”

“There’s a lot that bothers me, that gets under my skin,” Reingold says during a walkthrough of her mixedmedia show.

For her interview, Reingold comes dressed in a stylish black ensemble over a plain white T-shirt accessorized with striking silver jewelry. If a casting director put out a call for a female artist of a certain age to be seen walking the streets of New York City’s SoHo or Chelsea neighborhoods, Reingold would get the part.

PUBLISHING :

Don’t ask her to smile when you take her portrait. “I’m not much for smiling,” Reingold says.

AD

When you’re an artist, you’re used to having complete control over what’s in the frame or in the studio. And the need to control one’s environment is a perfectly reasonable response to a childhood where one had little or no say about what was happening in their life.

For Reingold, art became a means of survival. “I was always making things. Even when we lived in crummy apartments, I was always decorating,” she recalls.

In school, Reingold’s artistic talent was recognized and encouraged by a teacher. After high school, she earned a BFA from the Cleveland Institute of Art and an MFA from the State University of New York at Buffalo. Today, she is based in St. Petersburg, but has had solo and group shows in galleries and museums from New York to Los Angeles and overseas.

In another life, Reingold’s paintings of women bodybuilders won awards. These days, everything used in her painstakingly constructed work is natural, salvaged or made from scratch.

Those sepia tones that look like different shades of brown paint? Those tints were achieved by immersing materials in dye made from tea.

Reingold got the rusted effect on the industrial-looking frames that surround some of her works by dipping the frames in water and leaving them out in the sun to rust.

Some of Reingold’s pieces at Spaaces have flaps that can be lifted

IF YOU GO

‘Under My Skin’

When: Through March 16. Open 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday and Saturday and by appointment.

Where: Spaaces, 2051 Princeton St. Info: Visit Spaaces.art or call 941-374-3492.

up to reveal something underneath.

Two of the works in “Under My Skin” include silk ladders stuffed with human hair. The ladders in “Luna Window: No. 12” and “Luna Window: No. 16” symbolize the desire to escape, but the windows in the pieces are broken and too small to crawl through.

What do we need to escape from?

Failing parents or bullying classmates with no tolerance for anyone who is different from the crowd because of their race, religion or the way they dress.

Even after you grow up and get away from poor caretakers and cruel classmates, there’s still the world to deal with. Reingold’s art reminds you that Earth and its inhabitants are in peril due to climate change.

Even if scientists weren’t warning that the Anthropocene Era is drawing to a close because our way of life is overheating the planet, we humans would still experience the inevitable process of aging. For some people, that means losing their hair.

When Reingold began losing hers (she’s still got plenty to spare), she started saving it and using it in her art. When it wasn’t sufficient for her art needs she began collecting shorn hair from beauty salons.

Human hair has some useful qualities, Reingold notes. “It’s been used to clean up oil spills,” she says. Who knew?

On her website, Reingold explains that her sculptures, drawings and installations focus on the environment, poverty and beauty. In case you miss the point, the titles of her recent shows, like “Lost Trees” and “The Last Tree,” tell the story.

The brochure for her Spaaces solo show states that Reingold’s “multimedia work draws upon personal experience and is the impetus for investigation into the inextricable links of greed as it affects the environment, and its aftermath, poverty.”

Reingold was particularly affected by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, when poor people who didn’t have the financial means to evacuate or didn’t realize the danger posed by the storm died.

The tragedy prompted Reingold to create a series of installations made of stained silk organza, rust, tea, hair and animal skins called “Hung Out to Dry.” She chose the title because that’s literally what happened to the 1,833 victims of Katrina, Reingold says.

It’s things like people needlessly dying in a hurricane because they are poor that get under Reingold’s skin.

‘Lucia di Lammermoor’ rises to the occasion

Donizetti’s tale of star-crossed lovers features multifaceted roles, beautiful bel canto-era music.

Sarasota Opera launched another new blockbuster production Feb. 24 with the opening night of Gaetano Donizetti’s “Lucia di Lammermoor.” Donizetti’s tragic tale of star-crossed lovers amid family feuds and jealousy is the vehicle for some of the most beautiful music of the bel canto era, and the Sarasota Opera cast met the considerable demands of their multifaceted roles with considerable skill.

The show belongs to Lucia, the young woman in love with her brother’s mortal enemy, yet betrayed and manipulated to satisfy her brother’s ambitions for her to marry another.

It’s an iconic role that demands considerable technical prowess and dramatic intensity, both of which were generously displayed by Ashley Milanese in her company debut.

With a light agility, Milanese easily sings rapid runs, leaps and fanciful ornamentation emphasizing Lucia’s innocence in love while sharing a story in the garden, “Regnava nel silenzio” (Silence reigned over), with her lady, Alisa (Alianis Lozada).

When her lover, Edgardo of Ravenswood, arrives, Milanese and tenor Christopher Oglesby blend well together with lyric beauty and depth in “Verranno a te sull’aure” (They will come to you on the breeze). The singers match each other in both lyric beauty and emotional intensity.

And then there is the famous

“Mad

Scene,” a

coloratura’s

tour de force in the third act. Having killed the husband forced upon her, Lucia descends into delusions of her one true love. The scene spans a series of arias beginning with “Il dolce suono” (The sweet sound) and accompanied by an otherworldly flute solo.

Milanese had the audience hanging on her every note, unable to look away, as she leapt from one extreme to another. Could she have been more deranged? Perhaps, but for a bloody tragedy, the music is overwhelmingly beautiful.

From the moment we meet the antagonist brother, Enrico Ashton (Jean Carlos Rodriguez), we are struck with his callous disregard as he plots with his guard, Normanno (Jeremy Brauner). Later, when he challenges and meets with Edgardo after Lucia’s death, we might see some nuances of regret, yet Rodriguez leaned more into his anger.

Bass-baritone Young Bok Kim brought his familiar gravitas and sonority to the role of Raimondo, the family chaplain. He urges Lucia to relent to her brother and then later brings news of murder in the bridal chamber. We feel his regret about his role in this tragedy in “Al ben de’ tuoi qual vittima” (As a victim to your welfare). Kim masterfully conveys a complexity of emotions in the depth of his voice.

Edgardo’s final scene, “Tombe degli avi miei” (Tomb of my ancestors), focuses the tragedy with a blend of great musical beauty, all the more so with Oglesby’s smooth voice and ach-

IF YOU GO

‘LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR’

When: Through March 23

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

Tickets: $32-$155

Info: Visit SarasotaOpera.org.

ing pathos.

So many other elements helped make this production a success, including tenor Nicholas Huff as Lucia’s unlucky bridegroom, Arturo Bucklaw, and the strong

Sarasota Opera chorus.

The second act sextet, “Chi mi frena in tal momento” (What restrains me at this moment), with the complex emotions of Enrico, Lucia, Edgardo, Arturo, Raimondo and Alisa, interwoven in complex counterpoint and harmonies, is a notably memorable narrative climax.

One cannot forget the importance of the orchestra tucked out of sight, with the exception of conductor Jesse Martin’s baton barely visible from the back of the house. The standouts in Donizetti’s score are significant solo

spotlights for harp, flute oboe and horns. Bravo tutti!

With the excellent scene design of Teven Kemp, costume design of Howard Tvsi Kaplan and lighting design of Ken Yunker, Stage Director Mark Freiman has the materials to work with the outstanding cast to create a superb production.

No doubt this cast will dial up the intensity during the production’s run through March 23. But from the start, this “Lucia di Lammermoor” has everything it needs to be another hit of the season.

COOKING FOR WISHES

A

Feb. 22 at Michael’s On East |

Benefiting Make-A-Wish Southern Florida

he magic of Circus Arts Conservatory’s Sailor Circus was tapped into by the Southern Florida chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation for the 14th annual colorful and creative interactive dinner titled Cooking for Wishes. ed by Co-chairs Terri Klauber, Renee Phinney and Lauren Dixon, their vision of this epic evening was “The Wizard of Oz.” Tickets quickly sold out, and 400 guests enjoyed a cocktail hour, performers and a dinner created by Michael’s On East. Many dressed as characters from the hit movie released in 1939.

At an interactive dinner, guests helped prepare the meal with the direction of Head Chef Jamil Pineda. Three courses included East Avenue Bouillabaisse, Yellow Brick Road Garden

Pasta and Red Slippers

Flat Iron Steak. All recipes are paired with wine from Klauber’s personal wine collection. The Wicked Witch Chocolate Torte was as deliciously evil as its name

A live auction was held, and all monies raised through this event and others are dedicated to changing the lives of children between the ages of 3 and 17 who are facing life-threatening medical battles.

e-A-Wish Southern Florida serves children and families in 22 Florida counties in Southeast and Southwest Florida, the Tampa Bay and Suncoast and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

More than 14,000 wishes have been granted since it was founded in Plantation, Florida, in 1983.

— JANET COMBS

March

Hannah

Marcelina Suchocka, percussion

March 3 • 4:00 pm

First Presbyterian Church An innovative program featuring solos from the standard repertoire of each instrument and beloved classics reimagined for marimba and harp duet.

Duo Chinoiserie

March 7 • 11:00 am performance followed by lunch

Sarasota Yacht Club

Surround yourself with the entrancing sounds of this unique project initiated by Chinese guzheng performer Jing Xia and classical guitarist Bin Hu. Their blending of ancient Chinese zither and classical guitar has been described as “sonic alchemy.”

Organized by Suncoast Charities for Children, the 26th annual Thunder by the Bay held its kickoff party Feb. 16 at the Sarasota Fairgrounds. Thousands of people flocked to the event to celebrate music, motorcycles, and of course, children. More than 300 people attended the VIP party, which included Sonny’s BBQ, drinks and gaming tables. KJB warmed up the crowd with dead-ringer covers, and the crowd went wild for the headliner, Jacksonville’s Molly Hatchet.

Suncoast Charities for Children provides financial support to six local nonprofit agencies serving people with special needs. It has raised over $2.6 million for charity.

Delivering More Than a Meal

Meals on Wheels of Sarasota depends on its volunteers, not only to help package and deliver hot meals to its homebound clients, but for so much more.

“The energy the volunteers bring to our organization every day is inspiring,” says executive director Rhonda Leiberick.

Each weekday morning, up to 50 volunteers arrive at the small facility, and within a couple of hours, 700 meals are being distributed throughout northern Sarasota. “They find relief knowing the driver is coming with their meal,” Leiberick says. “It brings them peace of mind.”

Anyone from age 16 and up can join Meals on Wheels in assembling and preparing food. Drivers must be at least 18. Besides bringing sustenance, they also provide social interaction that some of their clients wouldn’t have otherwise.

Meals on Wheels of Sarasota takes care of our most vulnerable neighbors.

In some cases, volunteers have even helped their clients get emergency medical attention.

“The volunteers really do create bonds with their clients,” says Leiberick. Drivers usually keep the same route for years. One woman has driven her route with Meals on Wheels of Sarasota for 30 years!

Gratitude is the healthiest of all human emotions. With our services our clients have even more gratitude to express; 97% of our clients say receiving our meals keeps them independent in their home.

Meals on Wheels clients pay a monthly cost for delivery, and the program is not incomebased, contrary to popular belief. Clients qualify for delivery if they are elderly, homebound or unable to make their own meals due to a medical condition.

However, clients whose income is below a certain threshold can pay a reduced cost and take advantage of the Meals on Wheels Pet Love program, which delivers cat and dog food monthly.

Volunteer • Donate

Gala

Feb. 24 at The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota | Benefiting Asolo Repertory Theatre

To celebrate its 65th anniversary, Asolo Repertory Theatre pulled out all the stops at its annual gala.

Following the cocktail reception, guests were welcomed to a ballroom decorated in hues of blue, which was in line with the event’s “We Got Rhythm” theme. A seated dinner and paddle raise followed, and the evening continued with live music and dancing.

Founded in 1959, Asolo Rep produces world-class theater in Sarasota and also hosts Florida State University’s MFA acting program through its Conservatory for Actor Training. —OBSERVER

With a mission “to provide daily nutritious meals, social interaction and wellness checks for the homebound and elderly in our community,”

Meals on Wheels of Sarasota takes care of our most vulnerable neighbors.

If you are interested in volunteering or joining a committee, Leiberick invites you to take a tour of the Meals on Wheels of Sarasota facility. Call her at 941-220-6036 or email her at r.leiberick@ mowsrq.org.

mealsonwheelsofsarasota.org

(941) 366-6693

421 N. Lime Avenue

Sarasota, FL 34237

Sign Up for Meals

Catholic Charities Ball

Feb. 17 at Michael’s On East Benefiting Diocese of Venice

T17 at Michael’s On East. Hundreds of guests attended the sold-out event, which raised funds to serve the community.

Following a cocktail hour that included hors d’oeuvres and bagpipe playing by Kevin Wiegand, guests were presented with a salad of fresh burrata with sliced prosciutto di parma on a bed of arugula.

Michael’s Chateau de Boeuf was the main course, and guests were treated to a tiramisu dessert.

Ball Committee Chair Bridget Spiess gave a warm welcome and asked guests to remember two “H” words: hope and help. Robyn Lista sang the national anthem, Michael Klauber served as emcee and auctioneer, and the invocation was given by the Rev. Frank J. Dewane, bishop of the Diocese of Venice.

— JANET COMBS

THE PINDARI

THE PINDARI

THE PINDARI

THE PINDARI

Add sophisticated clean lines, shimmering accents, and Mid-Century influence to a comfortable relaxed Modern Farmhouse style, and you have the Pindari. The newest model from John Cannon Homes does not disappoint! Typical of Modern Farmhouse, its calm peaceful living spaces evoke memories of a simpler time by layering a restrained muted color palette on contrasting black and white. Various wood tones, subtle textures, and an occasional pastoral landscape bring visual depth and interest. But don’t take our word for it, come see for yourself!

Add sophisticated clean lines, shimmering accents, and Mid-Century influence to a comfortable relaxed Modern Farmhouse style, and you have the Pindari. The newest model from John Cannon Homes does not disappoint! Typical of Modern Farmhouse, its calm peaceful living spaces evoke memories of a simpler time by layering a restrained muted color palette on contrasting black and white. Various wood tones, subtle textures, and an occasional pastoral landscape bring visual depth and interest. But don’t take our word for it, come see for yourself!

Add sophisticated clean lines, shimmering accents, and Mid-Century influence to a comfortable relaxed Modern Farmhouse style, and you have the Pindari. The newest model from John Cannon Homes does not disappoint! Typical of Modern Farmhouse, its calm peaceful living spaces evoke memories of a simpler time by layering a restrained muted color palette on contrasting black and white. Various wood tones, subtle textures, and an occasional pastoral landscape bring visual depth and interest. But don’t take our word for it, come see for yourself!

Add sophisticated clean lines, shimmering accents, and Mid-Century influence to a comfortable relaxed Modern Farmhouse style, and you have the Pindari. The newest model from John Cannon Homes does not disappoint! Typical of Modern Farmhouse, its calm peaceful living spaces evoke memories of a simpler time by layering a restrained muted color palette on contrasting black and white. Various wood tones, subtle textures, and an occasional pastoral landscape bring visual depth and interest. But don’t take our word for it, come see for yourself!

NEW MODEL

NEW MODEL

NEW MODEL

Opening March 9

Opening March 9

Opening March 9

NEW MODEL

Opening March 9