- December 5, 2025
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Summer Circus Spectacular
11 a.m. and 2 p.m. at The Ringling’s Historic Asolo Theater, 5401 Bay Shore Road
$20 adult, $15 child
Visit CircusArts.org.
It's last call for Circus Arts Conservatory’s annual Summer Circus Spectacular at The Ringling’s Historic Asolo Theater, a jewelbox venue. This thrilling, 60-minute circus of fresh new acts is perfect for people of all ages with short attention spans. There’s room for walkers, strollers, wheelchairs, you name it — but please arrive early so ushers can store them. Make it a circus day by adding a ticket to The Ringling’s famed Circus Museum for just $5 on the day of the show. Runs through Aug. 9.
‘Too Darn Hot: Songs for a Summer Night’
7:30 p.m. at FST’s Court Cabaret, 1265 First St.
$39 and up
Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.
Songstress Carole J. Bufford easily skips eras and genres in this showcase of stories and songs featuring the months June, July, August and September. Whether she’s singing songs made famous by Janis Joplin or Randy Newman, she leaves the audience with something they never knew before. What’s more, her cool costumes evoke everything from flappers of the 1920s to the neo-swing era of the 1990s. Runs through Sept. 14.
‘Dorothy’s Dictionary’
8 p.m. at FST’s Keating Theatre, 1241 N. Palm Ave.
$42 and up
Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.
Alice M. Gatling stars as Dorothy, who introduces a troubled teen played by Ethan Jack Haberfield to the healing power of books. Directed by Kate Alexander, the tale explores memory, identity and how relationships can transform our lives. Runs through Aug. 10.
Classic Movies at the Opera House: ‘Chinatown’
7 p.m. at Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Ave.
$12
Visit SarasotaOpera.org.
With mass media fragmented into a million different TikToks, podcasts and Substacks, it’s hard to find a universal cultural reference these days. But if you’ve ever wondered where the catchphrase “Forget it, Jake. It’s just Chinatown,” comes from, here’s your chance. Along the way, you’ll learn about heat, thanks to sizzling chemistry between Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway in a glamorous neo noir set in Los Angeles before the advent of air conditioning. Robert Towne won an Oscar for his screenplay, brilliantly directed by Roman Polanski.
Movie in the Park: 'Shrek'
7 p.m. at Waterside Park, 7301 Island Cove Terrace, Lakewood Ranch
Free
Visit LakewoodRanch.com.
The family-friendly free movie night runs the second Friday of each month at Waterside Park. This month's feature in the free movie series is "Shrek." The movie begins at sunset. The first 450 people in attendance will receive a free Sno Cone from Kona Ice. Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis, so bring a blanket or lawn chairs. Concessions will be available from We B' Poppin Popcorn and Kettle Corn. Inflatables for the kids are available.
‘Cabaret’
7:30 p.m. at Sarasota Players, 3501 S. Tamiami Trail, Suite 1130
$35; student $15
Visit The Players.org.
Beat the summer doldrums with “Cabaret,” Kander and Ebb’s sexy, scintillating musical set in Weimar Germany. There’s lots of naughty fun and games to be had at the Kit Cat Club, but the men in uniform have a sinister agenda stashed up their Nazi sleeves. Director Brian Finnerty brings the tale of Sally Bowles and her fellow performers to a round stage.
‘Don’t Dress for Dinner’
8 p.m. at FST’s Gompertz Theatre, 1265 First St.
$42 and up
Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.
Even the best laid plans for adultery can go awry, especially when a jealous wife sees an opportunity for a little hanky-panky of her own with her husband’s best friend. Written by Marc Camoletti (“Boeing-Boeing”) and Robin Howdon, “Don’t Dress for Dinner” is a high-speed farce sure to shake anyone out of their summer torpor. Directed by Nancy Rominger. Runs through Aug. 24.
Cars & Coffee
8-10 a.m. in the West District at UTC, 295 N. Cattlemen Road, Sarasota
Free
Visit SarasotaCarsAndCoffee.com.
Join automotive enthusiasts in the West District at UTC, by Ford’s Garage, for a show of exotic, sports and classic cars. All makes and models are welcome. A suggested donation is $10 per car.
'The High Life: Contemporary Photography and the Birds'
10 a.m. at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, 1534 Mound St.
$28; $23 online
Visit Selby.org.
Organized by the Foundation for the Exhibition of Photography and curated by photography experts William Ewing and Danaé Panchaud, the exhibition will feature some 70 works of birds by more than 50 photographers from around the world. The works will be presented in the galleries of the Museum of Botany & the Arts and outside throughout the gardens. Runs through Sept. 14.
Patti Smith: A Book of Days
10 a.m. at Selby Gardens Historic Spanish Point, 401 N. Tamiami Trail, Osprey
Included with $20 admission
Visit Selby.org.
Selby Gardens collaborates with poet and musician Patti Smith, its artist-in-residence, on an outdoor exhibition of large prints taken from her newly published bestseller, “A Book of Days.” By displaying her photographs outdoors, Selby brings them into conversation with nature. Runs through Aug. 31.
HD at the Opera House: Handel’s ‘Theodora’
1:30 p.m. at Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Ave.
$20
Visit SarasotaOpera.org.
The Royal Opera gives Handel’s opera a modern-day makeover in this production starring Julia Bullock, Joyce DiDonato and Jakub Jozf Orlinski. Directed by Katie Mitchell, “Theodora” retains the original English libretto by Thomas Morell as it follows religious a fundamentalist’s plan to destroy the Roman embassy. The feminist interpretation features scenes of sexual violence, so it’s not recommended for the faint of heart. Opera buffs will delight in the depth and beauty of its ensembles, duets and arias.
‘Newish Jewish Plays’
7:30 p.m. at Sarasota Jewish Theatre, 3501 S. Tamiami Trail Unit 1130
$20
Visit SarasotaJewishTheatre.com.
The third of three readings of “Newish Jewish Plays,” Gary Morgenstein’s “A Black and White Cookie” tells the story of a conservative black newsstand owner in New York City facing a huge rent hike. A longtime customer who is a Jewish Communist persuades him to fight back, and an unlikely friendship is forged. Directed by Diane Cepeda.
'Lillian Blades: Through the Veil’
10 a.m. at the Sarasota Art Museum campus of Ringling College,1001 S. Tamiami Trail
Free for museum members; $20
Visit SarasotaArtMuseum.org.
Award-winning artist Lillian Blades invites visitors to get lost in her first solo museum exhibition, at Sarasota Art Museum. Her installation of “veils” combine handcrafted and found objects to create a mesmerizing display. Blades attributes her use of dazzling color to her childhood in The Bahamas and her process of creating large-scale assemblages to her late mother, an accomplished seamstress. Runs through Oct. 26.
Jazz Happy Hour
6 p.m. at Selby Library, 1331 First St.
Free with registration
Visit SarasotaMusicArchive.org.
Join Kevin Çelebi and his fellow musicians in the band Harmonic Sanity for Sarasota Music Archive's Jazz Happy Hour, as they skillfully blend jazz, funk and R&B. Joining Çelebi, who plays trumpet and flugelhorn, will be Aaron West on alto sax, Bob Miner on tenor sax, Greg Nielsen on trombone, Stretch Bruyn on piano and keyboards, Todd Jefferis on bass and Michael Washington on drums. Somewhere, Chuck Mangione is smiling.
Sights + Sounds: Suncoast Swing Band
6:30 p.m. at 7500 Island Cove Terrace, Lakewood Ranch
Free
Visit LakewoodRanch.com.
Enjoy big band classic music as the Suncoast Swing Band takes center stage. The 18-piece band will be play music from the 1940s through the 1980s, including hits from Glenn Miller, Frank Sinatra, Michael Bublé, and Patsy Cline.
