- December 5, 2025
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‘A Band Called Honalee’
7:30 p.m. at FST’s Goldstein Cabaret, 1239 Palm Ave.
$39 and up
Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.
The subtitle to Florida Studio Theatre’s last cabaret show of the season is “A Tribute to Peter, Paul Mary… and Friends,” but any self-respecting folk rock fan can spot the play on words in the name “A Band Called Honalee.” ICYMI, it refers to the mythical land made famous by the children’s song “Puff the Magic Dragon.” The incarnation of the Band Called Honalee appearing in Sarasota includes Brian Ott, a veteran of FST’s “59th Street Bridge,” who has been touring with the group since 2019. Also on stage are Michael Grieve, Geoffrey Neuman and Sigrid Wise. Runs through Oct. 26.
‘Big Sexy: The Fats Waller Revue’
7:30 p.m. at Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe. 1012 N. Orange Ave.
$52; students under 25 and active military $22
Visit WestcoastBlackTheatreTroupe.org.
Don’t let this summer cabaret show pass you by. “Big Sexy: The Fats Waller Revue” is not part of Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe’s subscription series, but it’s got a lot of bang for the buck. The show tells how the life of Thomas Wright “Fats” Waller inspired WBTT leading man Leon S. Pitts II. With no less than 30 songs, "Big Sexy" brings back the days of rent parties and speakeasies in Harlem and brings the eternal mating dance to life with the cat-and-mouse antics of Pitts and diva Ariel Blue. Through Sept. 7.
‘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.
‘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. Runs through Sept. 7.
‘Don’t Touch That Dial’
7:30 p.m. at Venice Theatre’s Pinkerton Theatre, 140 Tampa Avenue W, Venice
$40
Visit VeniceTheatre.org.
By popular demand Venice Theatre revives its tribute to TV theme songs, Roger Bean’s “Don’t Touch That Dial,” which uses a gameshow-within-a-gameshow format. If you’re the kind of person who remembers the opening song to “Hawaii Five-O,” this one’s for you. Runs through Sept. 14.
‘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, the exhibition features 70 breathtaking works of birds in a variety of locales, including the wild, the studio and the museum. The show is curated by William Ewing and Danaé Panchaud, the same team that brought "Flora Imaginaria" to Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in 2022. The photos are displayed in the galleries of the Museum of Botany & the Arts and outside throughout the gardens, where some appear right at home in Selby's tropical paradise overlooking Sarasota Bay. Runs through Sept. 14.
Monday Night Jazz at the Cabaret
7:30 p.m. at FST's Court Cabaret, 1265. First St.
$39 and up
Visit JazzClubSarasota.org.
The sounds of Brazil will waft through the Court Cabaret as local drummer Thomas Carabasi leads a group of accomplished musicians in intrepreting the music of Jobim's homeland as well as American straight ahead jazz classics. Carabasi's travels have taken him to the land of bossa nova to learn about its music and culture. He will be joined by Patrick Bettison on harmonica, John O’Leary on piano, Alejandro Arenas on bass and Allison Nash on vocals. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for dinner and beverage service.
Fogartyville Songwriter Series
7 p.m. at Fogartyville, 525 Kumquat Court
$!0, $8 members, $5 students
Visit WSLR.org.
Taylor Opie hosts a series that gives music fans the chance to hear singers playing in the round, sharing stories and describing their artistic process. This week's featured artists are Briana Lutzi and Jamie Tremps.
‘Art Deco: The Golden Age of Illustration’
10 a.m. at the Sarasota Art Museum campus of Ringling College, 1001 S. Tamiami Trail
Free for museum members; $20
Visit SarasotaArtMuseum.org.
The Sarasota Art Museum celebrates the 100th anniversary of the exposition that kicked off the Art Deco movement. More than 100 eye-catching posters from the Crouse Collection as well as industrial furniture, home furnishings and other objects loaned by the Wilsonian-Florida International University are on display. Prohibition may have existed in the U.S. from 1920-1933, but in Europe Americans were living cheaply thanks to a favorable exchange rate, and toasting the Jazz Age with alcoholic concoctions of all kinds. Don't miss the A.M. Cassandre triptych of posters for the aperitif Dubonnet. Through March 29, 2026.
Mike Paramore
7 p.m. at McCurdy’s Comedy Theatre, 1923 Ringling Blvd.
Tickets $26
Visit McCurdysComedy.com.
No one will ever call comedian Mike Paramore a loser. Winning is his thing. He’s the winner of Laughing Devil Festival in NYC, the Laugh Fest's Best in the Midwest competition and Best of the Fest Big Pine Comedy Festival. He’s been featured on AXTV's Live at Gotham in NYC, and is a featured comedian on FOX's hit show "Laughs.” Runs through Sept. 14.
