This Week in A+E: March 3-9

Thursday

Circus Sarasota

7 p.m. at Circus Sarasota Big Top, Nathan Benderson Park
$20-$60
Visit CircusArts.org.

There's still time to let your heart run away with the circus. Ladies and gentlemen and children of all ages will be thrilled by the variety of acts under the big top including a contortionist, a horse and rider act and Sarasota's own clown emeritus Bello Nock. The circus will run through March 6.

'Little Satchmo'
7 p.m. at Fogartyville, 525 Kumquat Court
$10
Visit LittleSatchmoDoc.com.

Sarasota resident Sharon Preston-Folta peels the layers back on an old family secret and reveals that she is the daughter of jazz legend Louis Armstrong. Preston-Folta's book of the same name is now a documentary film that will soon be aired on PBS.

'Disney's Beauty and the Beast'
7:30 p.m. at Jervey Theatre, 140 Tampa Ave. W.
$36 adults, $20 college, $15 youth
Visit VeniceTheatre.org.

Come out and see one of the most beloved Disney classics. "Beauty and the Beast" was nominated for an Academy Award as an animated film, and the Broadway production that followed ran for 13 seasons and was nominated for nine Tony awards. Runs through March 27.

To Have & To Hold
7:30 p.m. at Neel Performing Arts Center, 5840 26th St. W., Bradenton
$15, $5 students and staff
Visit SCF.edu.

Celebrate romance and your significant other with the SCF Bradenton Symphony Orchestra. 

Celtic Woman: Postcards from Ireland
7:30 p.m. at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail
$52-$173
Visit: VanWezel.org.

Celtic Woman bring their shimmering harmonies and their Irish sensibilities to their performance at Van Wezel. The group began in 2005 and has toured the world and introduced many of Ireland's best singers and musicians to a global audience.

Friday

Michael Ross Quartet
2 p.m. at Unitarian Universalist Church, 3975 Fruitville Rd.
$15-$20
Visit: JazzClubSarasota.org.

Jazz at 2 brings bassist Michael Ross and his crack band of talented instrumentalists to the Unitarian Universalist Church. Ross will be backed by Fred Johnson, Liston Gregory III and Josh Platt as they explore the boundaries of their sound and connection.

Pops 2: The Envelope Please
7:30 p.m. at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail
$37-$88
Visit: SarasotaOrchestra.org.

Join conductor Christopher Confessore and a trio of Broadway vocalists as the Sarasota Orchestra plays through some of the most recognizable songs in stage and screen history. Doug LaBrecque and Lisa Vroman, Phantom of the Opera stars, will bring their voices to complement the orchestra, as will Mamie Parris, who has starred in Broadway productions of "Cats" and "School of Rock."

OUR PICK

Mark Morris Dance Group

The acclaimed dance troupe is performing in Sarasota for the first time, and they'll move their way through three expressive numbers choreographed by the group's namesake and founder.

Morris founded the troupe in 1980, and the Sarasota Ballet will perform one of his routines for the first time in April.

The Mark Morris Dance Group will work their way through three dances in their Sarasota debut, all choreographed by Morris.

The first act, "Gloria," is set to music by Vivaldi. The dancers will also perform "Jenn and Spencer" and "Words," the latter of which is backed by music from Felix Mendelssohn.
 

When: 7:30 p.m., March 4 and March 7; 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on March 5 and 6. 

Where: FSU Center for the Performing Arts, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail

Tickets: $35-$105

Info: SarasotaBallet.org.

Building a Play: Martyna Majok
5:30 p.m. at Hermitage Beach, 6630 Manasota Key Rd.
$5, registration required
Visit: HermitageArtistRetreat.org.

Another week, and another Pulitzer Prize-winner is courting the public courtesy of the Hermitage Artist Retreat. Hermitage fellow Paula Vogel was in town last month, and now Hermitage fellow Martyna Majok will speak on Friday. Majok, who won the Pulitzer in 2018 for "Cost of Living," will discuss her craft and her upcoming work centered on the Chernobyl disaster and its resulting aftermath.

‘The Last Five Years’
7:30 p.m. at Venice Theatre, 140 W. Tampa Ave., Venice
$15-$28
Visit VeniceTheatre.org.

Peek in on the trials and tribulations of a marriage in this Drama Desk award-winning play. This play debuted in Chicago in 2001 and then moved Off Broadway the following year, and it's been performed around the world over the last two decades. Runs through Apr. 4

Ariella
8 p.m. at Fogartyville, 525 Kumquat Court
Tickets $18
Visit wslr.org/fogartyville/.

This duo thrives on blues, jazz and soul. Ariella, a singer/songwriter, teams with Nicolaas Kraster to bring infectious grooves and stunning melodies to life. The pair have been playing together since 2009 and have performed internationally.

Saturday

Sarasota Spring Fine Art Festival
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at JD Hamel Park, 199 Bayfront Drive
Free
Visit ParagonArtEvents.com.

It's an outdoor bazaar of original craftsmanship made by artisans from all over America. Shop a little this weekend for painting, sculpting, jewelry, photography, glass, ceramics and much more. The festival will also run the same hours on Sunday.

‘The Pearl Fishers’
7:30 p.m. at Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Ave.
$25-$145
Visit SarasotaOpera.org.

It's the opening night of "The Pearl Fishers," an opera by Georges Bizet with a libretto by Eugène Cormon and Michel Carré. This opera, set in ancient Sri Lanka, tells the story of an intimate friendship threatened by a shared love of the same woman.

"The Pearl Fishers" first opened in 1863 in Paris, and after a brief showing, it was not revived again in Bizet's lifetime.

But it's steadily gained favor over the last dozen decades, and it's been performed by the Sarasota Opera three times previously (in 2000, 2003 and 2013.) 

Andrew Surrena stars as Nadir, and Kyle Oliver plays Zurga, while Hanna Brammer will play Leila, the woman caught in the middle of competing suitors and her own desire for a chaste and religious life.

The Pearl Fishers will run through March 19.

David Russell, Classical Guitarist
7:30 p.m. at Riverview Performing Arts Center, 1 Ram Way
Tickets $45-$49
Visit GuitarSarasota.org.

Scottish-born guitarist David Russell will take the stage as part of Guitar Sarasota's International Concert Series. Russell won a Grammy Award in 2015 as the best instrumental soloist in classical music, and he's toured the world displaying his consummate skill and aplomb.

Sunday

Risus Quartet
4 p.m. at Temple Sinai, 4631 South Lockwood Ridge Road
$40
Visit ArtistSeriesConcerts.org.

This was originally supposed to be a performance by Quartet Amabile, but the Risus Quartet stepped in as a pinch-hitter when Quartet Amabile had to postpone its American tour. Risus Quartet, formed in 2020, won the grand and gold medal prizes at the 2021 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, and their program will include string quartets by Mozart, Beethoven and Debussy.

Sarasota Choir Festival
5 p.m. at Pine Shores Presbyterian Church, 6116 Crestwood Ave.
Free
Visit PineShoresPres.org.

The Sarasota Choir Festival is back after a one-year hiatus. The festival, created in 1995, brings together angelic voices from several churches and communities in Sarasota and Manatee counties. Their goal is to present inspirational music as a gift to the community. 

'Rain: A Tribute to the Beatles'
7 p.m. at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail
$52-$82
Visit VanWezel.org.

You've got to get them into your life.

It's the closest thing available to the world's most famous pop act. 

RAIN, the touring Beatles' tribute show, will play selections from "Abbey Road" and the famous rooftop concert at Apple Records.

You won't see the actual Paul McCartney or Ringo Starr, but you'll be transported to an era when pop giants ruled the world.

Monday

O Som Do Jazz
7:30 p.m. at FST's John C. Court Cabaret, 1265 First St.
$35-$39
Visit JazzClubSarasota.org.

It's samba, bossa nova and jazz night with one of the most distinctive bands from the Tampa Bay area. O Som Do was founded by band leader David Manson and features Brazilian-born vocalist Andrea Moraes Manson.

Tuesday

Cameron Carpenter Organ Concert
7:30 p.m. at Church of the Redeemer, 222 S. Palm Ave.
$40
Visit RedeemerSarasota.org.

Cameron Carpenter, a Grammy-nominated artist for his 2009 album "Revolutionary," will play Bach compositions on the Church of the Redeemer organ. Carpenter, a graduate of Juilliard, will play an arrangement of the Goldberg Variations.

DON'T MISS

Itzhak Perlman in Recital

It isn't often that you get to see the unquestioned master of their instrument in your hometown. Violin virtuoso Itzhak Perlman, who was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015, drops in on Sarasota to share his gifts with the community.

Perlman will play alongside pianist Rohan De Silva in a command performance at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall. Perlman and his wife Toby have already made an outsized impact on the community through the Perlman Music Program Suncoast.

When: 8 p.m. March 8

Where: Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail

Tickets:  $92-$117

Visit: VanWezel.org

Wednesday

Duo Beaux Arts
10:15 a.m. at Selby Library, 1331 First St.
Free
Visit SarasotaMusicArchive.org.

Acclaimed piano duo helmed by spouses Catherine Lan and Tao Lin will perform in Sarasota Wednesday morning and then again in Clearwater Wednesday evening. Duo Beaux Arts has performed all over Europe and the United States.

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

Get ready for voices that seem to come from outside the comedian's body. John DiCrosta has been known to break into off-beat characters and even a little bit of ventriloquism, and there's no telling what kind of hijinks he'll be up to at McCurdy's.