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The best things to do in Sarasota for Oct. 27 to Nov. 3

The opera season makes its long-awaited return, and Sarasota will also play host to several concerts, comedy performances and art shows in the week to come.


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  • | 5:00 a.m. October 25, 2022
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Thursday

Anthony Trionfo, flute
Artist Series Concerts
11 a.m. at Sarasota Yacht Club, 1100 John Ringling Blvd.
$60
Visit ArtistSeriesConcerts.org.

Anthony Trionfo, a graduate of the Colburn School Conservatory of Music in Los Angeles, will join with pianist Albert Cano Smit as you dine on lunch. Trionfo started playing the flute at age 11 and first appeared as a concerto soloist with the Las Vegas Philharmonic at age 14, and he later went on to teach at Juilliard.

‘The Legend of Sleepy Hollow’
6 p.m. at The Sarasota Polo Club, 8201 Polo Club Lane
$12-$22
Visit ThePlayers.org

Make way for the Headless Horseman. You'll meet Ichabod Crane and his special lady friend Katrina in this family-friendly play version of the venerable Washington Irving classic. But you'll have to bring your own seats; there is no seating at the Polo Club and guests are invited to bring lawn chairs and blankets. Runs through Saturday.

Shamarr Allen and the Underdawgs
7:30 p.m. at Fogartyville, 525 Kumquat Court
$18 members, $20 general, $10 students
Visit WSLR.org/Fogartyville.

There's nothing like a brass band from New Orleans. Here comes Shamarr Allen, a trumpeter and lead vocalist of a band that makes music influenced by jazz, hip hop, rock, funk and blues. Allen doesn't just sing and lead the band; he's also a multi-talented instrumentalist who serves as composer and producer.

 

Friday

Jazz @ Two: Eddie Tobin and Friends
2 p.m. at Unitarian Universalist Church, 3975 Fruitville Road
$15-$20
Visit JazzClubSarasota.org.

Eddie Tobin has been playing piano since age 8, and he made his bones in Nashville and by touring around the country. Tobin served as music director, pianist, conductor and arranger for Engelbert Humperdinck for a number of years, and now he plays shows that include jazz, blues, ragtime, calypso and country music songs. 

‘Justified + Ancient’
5:30 p.m. at MARA Art Studio + Gallery, 1421 N. Fifth St.
Free
Visit MaraStudioGallery.com.

Sixteen contemporary artists were paired with 16 ancient artifacts and they used them to re-design and re-imagine them in a new setting. You’ll see a wide and varied collection of antiquities that span the centuries and several different civilizations representing cultures from all over the world. The exhibit has a formal opening reception on Friday but will run through Nov. 17.

Composition to Performance: Music Start to Finish
5:30 p.m. at Hermitage Beach, 6660 Manasota Key Road
$5; registration required
Visit HermitageArtistRetreat.org.

Sure, music can be written down and sent to musicians across the world. But what happens in between the translation of the musical language and the actual performance? You'll hear from two Hermitage Fellows, Nkeiru Okoye and David 'Doc' Wallace, on bridging the gap from the printed page to what you see on stage. 

Florida’s Funniest Comedian
7 p.m. at McCurdy’s Comedy Theatre, 1923 Ringling Blvd.
$25
Visit McCurdysComedy.com.

They've got a tough act to follow. Famed comic provocateur Andrew Dice Clay will be at McCurdy's earlier in the week, and then on Friday, a group of comedians will participate in a statewide contest attempting to find the funniest comedian in Florida. There's 150 applicants, and the competition is occurring in eight cities. You'll see about 15 comedians, and the top three favorites will progress to the November semifinal round at Tampa Improv.

Brenna Markey, Stefano de Peppo and Hanna Brammer star in Cimarosa's
Brenna Markey, Stefano de Peppo and Hanna Brammer star in Cimarosa's "The Secret Marriage" at Sarasota Opera. (Photo by Rod Millington)

‘The Secret Marriage’
7:30 p.m. at Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Ave.
From $25
Visit SarasotaOpera.org.

Sarasota, you're in for a rare treat. The Secret Marriage, written by Domenico Cimarosa and first performed in 1792, has only been performed in the United States five times over the last 20 years, and the Sarasota Opera will bring it to life over the course of five performances. Hijinks ensue as two sisters compete to marry an aristocrat, and the aristocrat has to negotiate his way out of one pairing and into another before your very eyes.

Boofest
6-9 p.m. at Main Street at Lakewood Ranch
Free
Visit ​MyLWR.com.

This event lets children wear their favorite Halloween costumes and trick or treat with various vendors supplying candy and treats. Live entertainment will be featured along with food and dessert trucks and more.

Haunted Nights
7-10 p.m. at Herrmann's Royal Lipizzan Stallions, 32755 Singletary Road, Myakka City
Free admission
Visit HerrmannsRoyalLipizzans.com/events.

Join those at Herrmann's Royal Lipizzan Stallions for a walk through some of Florida’s more infamous hauntings. Walking tours are recommended only for those 13 and up and admission is free, though donations are appreciated. Concession and carnival game prices vary. Walking tours take 15 to 20 minutes over uneven ground. Closed-toed shows and bug spray are recommended. A family-friendly Dead and Breakfast will be offered for younger guests where vampires, witches, pirates and fortune-tellers go for a little rest and relaxation.

 

Saturday

Hunsader Farms Pumpkin Festival
9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Hunsader Farms, 5500 C.R. 675, Bradenton
$15; children under 10 free
Visit HunsaderFarms.com.

The 31st annual Hunsader Farms Pumpkin Festival continues its run with a crafts show, live music and shows, lots of pumpkins, games, hayrides, pony rides, a corn maze, scarecrow displays, food, a petting zoo, the big train ride and more. The event is cash only although some vendors will accept cards.

FST Improv Presents ‘We’re Doomed’
7:30 p.m. at FST's Bowne's Lab, 1265 First St. 
$15
Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.

Quick. Pick a disaster. Any disaster. And the talented folks at Florida Studio Theatre Improv will live it out on stage for you. The audience picks the topic, and then the actors seamlessly begin to sort out their places organically. One thing is for certain: You've seen this movie before. 

 

Sunday

‘Say a Little Prayer’
5 p.m. at Church of the Redeemer, 222 S. Palm Ave.
$35; $5 students
Visit ChoralArtistsSarasota.org.

We all have a lot to be thankful for this storm season. Choral Artists of Sarasota may not have known what Hurricane Ian would bring to the region, but they certainly picked an appropriate way to start their season. The singers will bring you comfort and consolation as they sing prayerful songs from a number of spiritual backgrounds.

 

Tuesday

‘Sense & Sensibility’
7:30 p.m. at FSU Center for the Performing Arts, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail
$35
Visit AsoloRep.org.

It's not exactly what Jane Austen intended. But it may be even more fun. The FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training begins a three-week run of this tongue-in-cheek interpretation of an Austen classic, Sense and Sensibility, with a preview performance on Tuesday evening. The show's official opening won't be until Friday, Nov. 4, and then this vehicle for social satire and romance will barrel through the next few weeks before ending Nov. 20.

 

Wednesday

Professors Talk Music Series: Dr. Gail Berenson, Ohio University
10:30 a.m. at Selby Library, 1331 First St.
Free
Visit SarasotaMusicArchive.org.

Sarasota Music Archive's Professor Talk Music Series continues with Gail Berenson, a professor emerita of piano at Ohio University. Berenson performs as part of Lyric Duo with flautist Alison Brown Sincoff, and she's a past president of Music Teachers National Association, a group that has more than 23,000 members.

Disney Princess — The Concert comes to Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall for one night only. (Courtesy photo)
Disney Princess — The Concert comes to Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall for one night only. (Courtesy photo)

‘Disney Princess: The Concert’
7 p.m. at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail
$42-$232.50
Visit VanWezel.org.

Resistance is futile. You know these songs, even if you checked out of the Disney classic genre decades ago. Four young stars of stage and screen — Christy Altomare, Isabelle McCalla, Anneliese van der Pol and Syndee Winters — will bring a number of Disney hits from your favorite musicals to life and will tell stories from their larger-than-life moments on Broadway and beyond.

Danny Bevins
7 p.m. at McCurdy’s Comedy Theatre, 1923 Ringling Blvd.
$25
Visit McCurdysComedy.com.

Danny Bevins is not going to tell you to return your seat to its upright position. The veteran comedian says on his website that he's been "arrested, fined, fired, beaten up and excommunicated while being called a juvenile delinquent, soldier, flight attendant, patient, husband [and] father," and he'll play seven shows at McCurdy's running through Nov. 6.

The Selby Gardens exhibit Capturing the Perfect Shot will have an after-hours Orchid Evening event tied to it. (Courtesy photo)

Orchid Evening
6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Selby Gardens, 1534 Mound St.
$60 members; $65 non-members
Visit Selby.org.

Get an after-hours view of the newest exhibit at Selby Gardens, Capturing The Perfect Shot, which is a celebration of the tireless work of volunteers in cataloguing the stunning diversity of orchids. The Circus Arts Conservatory will provide a special performance as part of this event, but otherwise, the natural beauty of flora will be on center stage. You'll see multiple displays that mimic the lenses of a camera, and you'll be able to hear from the volunteers who create the images used by botanists in their research.

 

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