Bill T. Jones to speak in Sarasota; Gallagher’s gags coming to Bradenton

Last year, the Hermitage Artist Retreat Sarasota initiated a new event called the Muse Luncheon. The idea was to feature each year “a well-known American artist as the keynote speaker whose career has served as an inspiration and beacon to others.”

That first luncheon featured Oskar Eustis, the artistic director of the Public Theater in New York.

That’s an impressive start, but the Hermitage has come up with a worthy follow-up to say the least. This year’s speaker will be Bill T. Jones, one of the country’s finest and most innovative and influential performing artists. A director, choreographer and dancer, Jones has more prestigious honors than most of us have socks.

His honors include the Human Rights Campaign’s 2016 Visibility Award, the 2013 National Medal of Arts, a 1994 MacArthur “Genius” Award and Kennedy Center Honors in 2010. He was named a Officier d’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French government in 2010, inducted into the American Academy of Arts & Sciences in 2009 and named an “Irreplaceable Dance Treasure” by the Dance Heritage Coalition in 2000. Along the way, he manged to pick up Tony Awards for Best Choreography in 2007 for “Spring Awakening” and in 2010 for “Fela!” based on music and lyrics by the late Nigerian singer Fela Kuti that Jones co-wrote, directed and choreographed. He’s currently the artistic director of the Bill T. Jones Arnie Zane Company.

He’s a phenomenal human being, and if you can spare $125, you can hear him speak. The Muse Luncheon is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Jan. 16 at Michael’s on East, 1212 S. East Ave., Sarasota.

The Hermitage is a nonprofit artist retreat located in Englewood. It invites accomplished painters, sculptors, writers, playwrights, poets, composers and other artists from all over the world for residencies on its historic campus. Many of these artists are Pulitzer Prize, Tony, Emmy, Grammy and MacArthur “Genius” Award winners. For information about the Hermitage go visit HermitageArtistRetreat.org.

Smash hit

In the 1960s, Leo Anthony Gallagher was a student at Plant High School in Tampa and then at the fledgling University of South Florida. Within a few years, Gallagher, using only his last name, became one of the most popular comedians in the country. He was especially known for prop comedy and smashing large fruits (watermelons in particular). If you sat in the front few rows at his comedy concerts, you covered yourself with plastic sheeting so you didn’t get covered in juice and fruit shrapnel.

Gallagher will be back in the area in a few weeks. Right here in Bradenton, in fact. He’ll be at the Manatee Performing Arts center on Feb. 2 as part of his “The Jokes on You” tour. MPAC has hosted its share of celebrities and dignitaries, but Gallagher may be the most well-known performer to appear there in concert. Tickets are $35-$50. (The $50 seats are mostly in the “splash zone.”) Call 941-748-5875 or go to manateeperformingartscenter.com.

Coming soon to a theater near you

Some other recently announced shows coming up:

• G3 (Joe Satriani, John Petrucci of Dream Theatre and Phil Collen of Def Leppard), Feb. 3, Mahaffey Theater;
• Brian Regan, Feb. 8, Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall;
• Mary J. Blige, Feb. 21, Amalie Arena;
• Gordon Lightfoot, Feb. 22, Van Wezel;
• Jason Mraz, March 17, Mahaffey Theater;
• Yanni, April 29, Van Wezel.

Tickets are on sale for all those show now. Information is available at 727-892-5767 and themahaffey.com for the Mahaffey, 941-953-3368 and vanwezel.org for Van Wezel and 813-301-2500, amaliearena.com for Amalie Arena.

This story was originally published December 15, 2017 at 10:14 AM with the headline "Bill T. Jones to speak in Sarasota; Gallagher’s gags coming to Bradenton."