Escape the heat — and the news — with FST's Summer Cabaret series

It’s an article of faith in the entertainment business that baby boomers want to relive the happy days of their youth with tribute bands and jukebox musicals. For those with more catholic (lower case “c” here, folks), that kind of programming can get redundant, no matter how fresh the material is or how talented the stars.

That’s why it’s a relief to see that Florida Studio Theatre is mixing it up this year for its popular Summer Cabaret Series.

 Can’t get enough Motown? You won’t want to miss “How Sweet It Is,” which runs from May 27 through Aug. 3 at the Goldstein Cabaret.

Did the Bob Dylan biopic, “A Complete Unknown,” get you remembering or yearning for the Greenwich Village folk-rock scene of the early 1960s? FST’s “A Band Called Honalee” pays tribute to groups who burst onto the scene in that era. Some stayed for the next 60 years, like Peter, Paul and Mary, and Dylan himself, who is still performing. "Honalee" runs from Aug. 19 through Oct. 26 at the Goldstein Cabaret.

Ryan Coogler’s current blockbuster “Sinners” defies categorization, but the time-travel vampire film set in a Black juke joint has rekindled interest in musical speakeasy delights like the blues, if not the restrictions of Prohibition.

Songstress Carole J. Bufford is another artist who easily skips eras and genres. Whether she’s singing songs by Ray Charles, whose ditty, “Sinner’s Prayer,” is featured in the film “Sinners,” Frank Sinatra or Patsy Cline, she exudes a retro vibe. What’s more, her cool costumes in “Too Darn Hot,” which runs from June 24 through Sept. 14, evoke everything from flappers of the 1920s to the neo-swing era of the 1990s.

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Under FST Artistic Associate Catharine Randazzo, FST’s Summer Cabaret Series gives you the chance to immerse yourself in an era that you remember fondly or even one that you may not have lived through. There’s a word for the latter — “anemoia,” defined as nostalgia for a past that you didn’t actually experience.

If some previous FST summer cabaret seasons were heavy on doo-wop (always a hit with Sarasota audiences), no one can make that criticism about this year’s lineup. There’s something for everyone. And that’s how Randazzo intends it.

The winning formula is a combination of old and new, she says. In other words, FST patrons like to see familiar faces in a different show. All of the artists featured in FST’s summer musical revues are from out of town, Randazzo says. “These shows are presented by FST, not produced by FST,” she notes.

Video and dialogue help tell the story

All of the summer cabaret shows feature dialogue and video images that form the connective tissue between the songs, helping to tell the story. Having this libretto is what distinguishes a musical revue from what would just be a nightclub appearance or concert.

With “How Sweet It Is,” Luke McMaster has created a show for FST that reminds the audience of how Motown songs weren’t just played by the young Black stars of Berry Gordy’s Detroit-based record label; they were also interpreted by white artists such as the Beatles, Eric Clapton and James Taylor, often years after they topped the charts for Motown.

The backstory came easily to McMaster when he wrote the libretto for “How Sweet It Is” because he had already had a documentary under his belt on Lamont Dozier, one of the three great Motown songwriters who made up Holland-Dozier-Holland, who wrote a string of hits. (The other two were Brian and Eddie Holland.)

According to Randazzo, McMaster’s a master (no pun intended) of “mashing up songs and making his own medleys. Audiences are going to love it.”

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In the music industry, where songwriters get royalties when new versions of their songs are produced, you don’t hear much complaining these days about cultural appropriation when a song that was originally recorded by a Black artist becomes a hit for a white one.

One example of a popular Motown standard that a white artist made his own is “You Can’t Hurry Love,” which Phil Collins took to the top of the charts 16 years after it was a hit for The Supremes in 1966.

Another one is Linda Ronstadt’s 1975 version of “Tracks of My Tears,” first recorded by Smokey Robinson and The Miracles 10 years earlier. With the help of her guitar players Andrew Gold, Dan Dugmore and Danny Kortchmar and drummer David Kemper, Ronstadt infused the mournful ballad with a folk-rock sensibility and a female perspective.

The roots of folk-rock will be showcased in “A Band Called Honalee: A Tribute to Peter, Paul and Mary ... and Friends.” A Band Called Honalee is actually a real group, made up of a roster of vocalists with solo careers who also appear with the band around the country.

Given the recent success of the folk rock-themed “59th Street Bridge” in FST’s regular cabaret season, there’s no doubt that “A Band Called Honalee” will be a crowd pleaser. The death of Peter Yarrow at age 86 earlier this year also is a sad reminder that the days of the original Peter, Paul and Mary have come to an end.

But just to be clear: While “A Band Called Honalee” may borrow some of the elements and songs of Peter, Paul and Mary, it is not a tribute band per se. In a world where artists rightfully protect their intellectual property, a show or band must have the consent of a star or their estate to portray them.

Such legal issues aren’t a problem for Bufford, the creator of “Two Darn Hot,” which forms the centerpiece of the FST Summer Cabaret season. “Carole’s a real original,” Randazzo says. “She is an amazing storyteller who gets facts that are unique. Her connective tissue takes the audience on a journey from song to song.”

With Sting’s “Every Breath You Take,” which Randazzo points out is “really a stalker anthem,” Bufford tells the story of the frontman for The Police visiting Ian Fleming’s mansion. Who knew?

But it’s not just storytelling that makes the Atlanta native’s shtick unique; it’s her voice, her phrasing and her persona. Based on Randazzo’s recommendation, we’re adding “Too Darn Hot” to our summer to-do list. 

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A friendly reminder: Don’t spoil the mood at one of FST’s summer cabaret shows by doomscrolling on your cellphone all during the show. This is especially annoying if you’re sitting at a “four top,” as they say in the restaurant business, and a person who is not your date is the offender. You can’t really tell them to knock it off without seeming rude yourself. 

Some venues such as the Sarasota Opera and the Asolo Repertory Theatre are very strict about cellphone use during their performances, but FST's enforcement is a little looser, particularly in their cabaret shows.

Even if you’re just texting or checking headlines, the bright light from your device is a distraction to fellow audience members and the performer in these intimate spaces.

There’s nothing like learning your 401(K) is down 10% to ruin the upbeat mood of these summer shows, unless you’re experiencing anemoia for the 1920s stock market crash. 

So give yourself a break from the headlines and the texts reminding you to pick up milk on the way home. They’ll still be there when you get out to the parking garage or whenever you decide to emerge from the after glow of a musical getaway.