This Week in A+E: May 5-11

Thursday

T.J. Miller
7 p.m. and 9:15 p.m. at McCurdy’s Comedy Theater, 1923 Ringling Blvd.
$40
Visit McCurdysComedy.com

This is a funny man with a familiar face and voice. You may recognize T.J. Miller from his co-starring role in the "Deadpool" film franchise, and you'll know his voice if you've seen the first two animated "How to Train Your Dragon" films. Miller's comedy tour is called "The Philosophy Circus," and he'll be aiming to make you think deep and laugh hard.

Ying Li
4 p.m. at Church of the Palms, 3224 Bee Ridge Road
$40
Visit ArtistSeriesConcerts.org

Ying Li, 23 years old, was the First Prize winner at the 2021 Young Concert Artists Susan Wadsworth International Auditions, and she'll be supported by a capable group of musicians including Daniel Jordan, concertmaster of the Sarasota Orchestra. Li will play selections from Dvorak, Mozart and Stravinsky in her afternoon performance. 

‘The Psychic’
7:30 p.m. at The Island Players Theater, 10009 Gulf Drive, Anna Maria
$25
Visit IslandPlayers.org.

This play, directed by James Thaggard, is centered around a struggling writer who hands a sign in his window offering discounted Psychic Readings. The writer soon finds himself well over his head in this comedy, which runs through May 15.

Don't Miss: 'Knoxville'
7:30 p.m. at FSU Center for the Performing Arts, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail
$36-$108
Visit: AsoloRep.org

There's a small window for you to see Knoxville, birthed here at the Asolo Repertory Theatre and quite likely on its way to do bigger things in the world at large.

The musical, based on James Agee's "A Death in the Family," will run through May 11 at the FSU Center for the Performing Arts, and then its creative team will try to figure out what's next for it.

Jason Danieley stars as the author James Agee, who looks back on his childhood and writes about the death of his father.

When: 7:30 p.m. on May 5; runs through May 11
Where: FSU Center for the Performing Arts, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail
Tickets: $36-$108
Info: AsoloRep.org

Friday

Choral Splendor in 40 Parts 
7:30 p.m. at St. Boniface Episcopal Church, 5615 Midnight Pass Road,
$30-$40
Visit KeyChorale.org.

It's billed as a concert 450 years in the making, but you can see it on back-to-back evenings. The Chamber Voices will welcome special guest Les Canard Chantants to take on music of the Renaissance. The spectacular voices will work through "Spem in Alium" by Thomas Tallis, and they will also tackle Alexander Striggio's "Mass in 40 Parts." Key Chorale will take its act to First Presbyterian Church to play the same show on Saturday, but that show will start at 4:00 p.m. instead of 7:30.

In-Studio Performance Series featuring Marsi Burns
7 p.m. at SCD Home Studio, 1400 Blvd of the Arts
$10-$20
Visit SarasotaContemporaryDance.org.

Marsi Burns and Dancing in the Moment, an improvisational group, will be the featured guests for Sarasota Contemporary Dance. Dancing in the Moment is a diverse group made up of dancers from their 20's to their 70's, and in this performance, it will be taking cues from each other and the audience. There will be an encore performance on Saturday evening at 7 p.m.

Songs from the Screen & Stage with Linda Eder
7:30 p.m. at Venice Performing Arts Center, 1 Indian Ave., Venice
$38-$58
Visit VeniceSymphony.org.

This show, which was originally supposed to take place in 2020, will feature Broadway star Linda Eder running through classic tunes you'll know from their placement in famous plays and movies. Eder was nominated for a Drama Desk award for her work in "Jekyll & Hyde." If you can't get out to see her Friday evening, you can also see her perform Saturday at 3:30 p.m.

Outdoor Pops: Iconic Songs of the ’70s
8 p.m. at Ed Smith Stadium, 2700 12th St.
$15-$48
Visit SarasotaOrchestra.org.

Do you like the orchestra indoors? How about trying it in a different setting? The Sarasota Orchestra returns to Ed Smith Stadium for its Outdoor Pops show, bringing the fantastic skill and artistry of their musicians. Have a hot dog and listen in as Nashville-based duo Swearingen and Kelli provide the vocals for many of the best-loved songs of the '70s.

'A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum'
8 p.m. at Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Ave.
$20
Visit BookerVPA.com.

Celebrate the students of the Booker High School Visual and Performing Arts program as they perform a Stephen Sondheim classic. And if you don't have a chance to see it Friday night, there will be an encore performance Saturday night.

'Carry Me'
3 p.m. at Keating Theatre, 1241 N. Palm Ave.
$10
Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org

Come live the story of four 19th-century women who are trying to end slavery before the Civil War. This play — presented as part of the Richard and Betty Burdick Play Reading Festival — is still being developed, and you can hear it before it is fully realized. 

Our Pick: 'Black + White'

It's a Rorschach Test for art lovers. Nine artists will combine to have their monochromatic works on display at Mara Art Studio + Gallery, and you can come see sculpture and painting at the opening on Friday evening. The artists include Grace Howl, Jack Shapiro, Jana Millstone, Ralph Berger, Lisa DiFranza, Craig Palmer, Dan Wilkerson, Sam Wuerfel and MARA Torres, and the exhibit will run through May.

When: 5:30 p.m. May 6
Where: Mara Art Studio + Gallery, 1421 Fifth St.
Tickets: Free
Info: MaraStudioGallery.com

Sounding the Deep
6:30 p.m. at Hermitage Beach, 6660 Manasota Key Road
$5, registration required
Visit: HermitageArtistRetreat.org

Hermitage Fellows Jessica Huang and Scott Lee present early readings of their work in a beautiful setting. Huang, a playwright whose work explores the ways the future might be impacted by climate change, will share selections from her latest writing. And Lee, a contemporary classical composer, will play selections from his latest album, "Through the Mangrove Tunnels."

Saturday

Seeing Stars
6:30-9:30 p.m. at Robinson Preserve, 10299 Ninth Ave. NW, Bradenton
Free; Advance Registration Required
Visit: BishopScience.org

Have you ever seen the Big Dipper? The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature is celebrating Astronomy Day with a program designed for students in third grade through 12th grade but open to star-watchers of all ages. A number of telescopes will be set up and trained on the cosmos, and weather permitting, you'll have a chance to peek up close at the Moon and at constellations.

Sunday

Vieness Piano Duo
3 p.m. at State College of Florida Recital Hall, 5840 26th St. West, Bradenton
$40
Visit ArtistSeriesConcerts.org.

Eva Schaumkell and Vijay Venkatesh are formidable in their own right or playing together as a duo. The pair formed their duo act in 2017 at the University of Southern California, and they've toured extensively both in America and abroad.

Hard Heart Burlesque
8 p.m. at McCurdy’s Comedy Theatre, 1923 Ringling Blvd.
$37
Visit McCurdysComedy.com.

Burlesque is back at McCurdy's after a brief absence. Hard Heart Burlesque is looking to pick up right where the Black Diamond Burlesque left off in stoking your intrigue and leaving you wanting more. It's a feast for the senses and it pushes the boundaries, and it welcomes performers who have graced stages all across America.

Monday

Chiara Izzi
7:30 p.m. at FST’s John C. Court Cabaret, 1265 First St.
$35-$39
Visit JazzClubSarasota.org.

Dinner starts at 6:30, but Chiara Izzi will begin performing an hour later. Izzi, based in New York but born in Italy, has built her reputation from the ground up one performance at a time, and she'll be supported by guitarist Perry Smith.

Tomorrow’s Voices Today
7:30 p.m. at Riverview Performing Arts Center, 1 Ram Way
$10
Visit: KeyChorale.org

It's an inter-generational choral festival featuring voices ranging in age from high school students to senior citizens. The choirs from Booker High School, Sarasota High School and Riverview High School will perform separately and in conjunction with Key Chorale.

Wednesday

‘Eureka Day’
8 p.m. at FSU Center for the Performing Arts, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail
$28
Visit AsoloRep.org.

Topical humor with a fictional backdrop. Eureka Day, written by Jonathan Spector and directed by Bianca LaVerne Jones, centers on an epidemic pervading through a school and the ways the community reacts to it. Runs through June 4.