(Sarasota, FL)— This Winter Cabaret Season brings the soulful sound of rhythm & blues, the iconic songs of the British invasion, and a musical satire created especially for Sarasota to the FST stages. Opening the season is the joyful sound of rhythm & blues in Soul Mates: A Journey to Hitsville .The season continues with the rousing Rock n’ Roll of the British Invasion in Yesterday and finishes out with the satirical sketch comedy of Laughing Matters (vol.5) Lock The Gates. The season opens October 14 and plays through June 11 on FST’s Goldstein and John C. Court Cabaret Stages (Downtown Sarasota). A subscription to all three plays may be purchased for as little as $39, online at Floridastudiotheatre.org or by calling the Box Office at (941) 366-9000.
Beginning on October 14 in the John C. Court Cabaret is Soul Mates: A Journey to Hitsville, by Bill Castellino and Human Nature with David Rudder. It’s the greatest memories and music of the sound that changed America forever. Rhythm & Blues had an irresistible force of social change through generations by groups such as the Temptations, The Jackson 5, The Commodores, and more. Featuring songs such as: “My Girl,” “ABC,” “I’ll Be There,” and “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.”
Audiences may remember past FST productions by Co-Creator and Director, Bill Castellino. His credits include Hula-Hoop Sha Boop and Reflections. Soul Mates: A Journey to Hitsville was previously produced as a workshop at the Venetian Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. Producing Artistic Director Richard Hopkins speaks to the passionate nature of this show. ”One thing that I think is unique to this show is the ability of these actors to embrace and interpret these songs that have become a mainstay in American music. They exude a true love for this music and these artists’ work.”
Next up is the chart topping iconic songs of the British Invasion in Yesterday by Richard Hopkins, Rebecca Hopkins, and Jim Prosser. This show begins in the Goldstein Cabaret on January 6. In the mid-1960s, groups such as The Beatles, The Who, and The Rolling Stones were topping the charts. While trying to replicate the rebellious tone of American Rock ‘N’ Roll, a new sound emerged. By 1964 The Beatles alone had 31 hits on the Top 100. Journey back to a time of peace, love, and everything in between with songs such as “Let It Be,” “Satisfaction,” and “I’m Into Something Good.”
According to Richard Hopkins, “The Beatles took what American rock and rollers were doing, reworked it, and threw it back at us. There was a real cultural revolution happening during that time and this music reflects that. Songs began to move from the typical set up of boy meets girl – boy falls in love with girl, to bigger societal issues. Popular music before this time period did not embody a societal point of view. These songs introduced bigger pictures, bigger ideas.”
Wrapping up the Winter Cabaret Season is the smart, satirical sketch comedy show, Laughing Matters (vol. 5) Lock the Gates. Written by Rebecca Hopkins, Jim Prosser, and Adam Ratner, it opens in the John C. Court Cabaret on February 19. Will Hillary Clinton find herself Trumped? Will Lido Key use pirates to steal Siesta’s sand? Should Mexico become our 51st state? These questions and more will be debated when a new edition of Laughing Matters, a musical Saturday Night Live for Sarasota, returns. Whether you lean left, right, or are still stuck on a roundabout, there will be no clean getaways.
FST Managing Director and Lead writer Rebecca Hopkins stated, “Creating Laughing Matters is always a labor of love, but it is labor. Capturing the world we live in right now, and reflecting it back immediately is a challenge that keeps the writing team working right up to opening. Right now we are projecting where we think we are going to be. It will be interesting to see where we end up. Laughing Matters is also such a collaborative piece. It is like herding cats working with writers spread throughout the country, but their very funny cats.”
This exciting and entertaining Winter Cabaret Season opens October 14 and plays through June 11 on FST’s Goldstein and John C. Court Cabaret Stages (Downtown Sarasota).
A subscription to all three plays may be purchased for as little as $39, online at Floridastudiotheatre.org or by calling the Box Office at (941) 366-9000.
About Florida Studio Theatre
Known as Sarasota’s Contemporary Theatre, Florida Studio Theatre was founded in 1973 by Jon Spelman. Starting out as a small touring company, FST traveled to places such as migrant camps and prisons. The company then acquired the former Woman’s Club building, becoming the first permanent venue. Shortly after Producing Artistic Director Richard Hopkins arrived, the building was purchased and renamed The Keating Theatre. In the years that followed, Florida Studio Theatre established itself as a major force in American Theatre, presenting contemporary theatre in its five theatre venues: the Keating Theatre, the Gompertz Theatre, the Parisian style Goldstein Cabaret and John C. Court Cabaret, and Bowne’s Lab Theatre.
Even with its growth, Florida Studio Theatre remains firmly committed to making the arts accessible and affordable to a broad-based audience. FST develops theatre that speaks to our living, evolving, and dynamically changing world. As FST grows and expands, it continues to provide audiences with challenging, contemporary drama and innovative programs.
