A roundup of Bradenton-area arts and music news and events
"The Belle of Amherst" is a wonderful one-person play by the great William Luce. It explores the surprisingly rich life and psyche of Emily Dickinson (1830-1886), using in large part her own poetry, journal entries and letters.
The Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training is presenting a free performance of "The Belle of Amherst" at 7 p.m. Monday at the Cook Theatre in the FSU Center for the Performing Arts, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. You don't need tickets or reservations, but you can call 941-351-8000 or check asolorep.org if you have questions.
Third-year conservatory student Lisa Egan Woods plays Dickinson in this production, directed by Jeffrey Todd Parrot.
Even if you're immune to the charm and power of Dickinson's poetry, you're likely to love this beautiful play.
RIAF wrapping up
The Ringling International Arts Festival ends today, but there's still plenty to see. Performances are at 2 and 5 and 8 p.m. at venues around the Ringling campus, so you can catch two shows if you get going early enough. Each show is about an hour long. All the performers and companies in this year's festival come from Southeast Asia, but they represent diverse cultures and artistic styles.
Here's today's schedule:
2 p.m.: Shanks's Mare, Historic Asolo Theater: Phare: The Cambodian Circus, Mertz Theatre at the FSU Center for the Performing Arts; Jen Shyu: "Solo Rites: Seven Breaths," Cook Theatre at the FSU Center for the Performing Arts.
5 p.m.: Orkes Sinten Remen, Historic Asolo Theater; Tao Dance Theatre, Mertz Theatre at the FSU Center for the Performing Arts; Peni Candra Rini, Cook Theatre at the FSU Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets are $30-$35 for each performance. Call 941-358-3180 or go to ringling.org.
Adios, 'Smokin' Joe'
If you saw the first (and so far only) Suncoast Blues Festival in April, you were no doubt blown away by the guitar work of the aptly nicknamed "Smokin'" Joe Kubek, who was one of the festival's headliners. On Oct. 11, Kubek died suddenly. He was 58.
His death -- which was completely unexpected -- has pretty much rocked the blues world.
"He loved the blues," said his long-time musi
cal partner Bnois King, who played with Kubek in Sarasota. "He was always very serious about the music and the presentation of the music. He had a modern style but he really studied those old cats. And he would literally give you the shirt off his back. He was a great friend."
The second annual Suncoast Blues Festival is Feb. 26-27 at the Sarasota Fairgrounds. Among the big names on the lineup are Markey Blue, Anthony Gomes, the Andy T-Nick Nixon Band, Albert Castiglia, Howard and the White Boys, and Brandon Santini. Get details and tickets at suncoastbluesfestival.com.
The Bradenton Blues Festival, is coming up sooner than that, of course. It's slated for Dec. 5 on the Riverwalk. Janiva Magness is the headliner. Information is at bradentonbluesfestival.org.
Okeechobee boogie
Speaking of festivals, there's a major new music event coming to Florida in March. It's not in the immediate area, but it's a three-day festival designed for camping, and the lineup's impressive and varied.
The Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival is slated for March 4-6. Major acts include Mumford & Sons, Kendrick Lamar, Skrillex, Big Grams (Outkast's Big Boi with Phantogram), Grace Potter, Jason Isbell, Miguel and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. Tickets are on sale now. All the details are at okeechobeefest.com.
'Silence' is golden
Fans of Jobsite Theater, the theater company in residence at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts in Tampa, always look forward to this time of year. Jobsite takes a lot of joy in its Halloween-season shows. Sometimes they're bloody and scary, sometimes they're creepy and funny.
This year's show, "Silence! The Musical," falls into that latter category.
It's a parody of "The Silence of the Lambs" written by brothers Jon and Al Kaplan, and by all accounts it's very, very funny.
It took an odd route to the stage, starting as an Internet musical with nine songs. That version was so popular that its creators expanded it to a stage version that was a hit at the New York International Fringe Festival in 2005. Time magazine ranked it among the top 10 musicals of the year. Off-Broadway and European productions followed.
It's not for the easily offended. In fact, don't even check the Wikipedia entry if you're averse to extremely foul language.
It runs through Nov. 15 in the Shimberg Playhouse at the Straz Center, 8 p.m. Thursday-Friday, 4 and 8 p.m. Saturday, 4 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $29.50 plus service charge. Call 813-229-7827 or go to strazcenter.org.
Marty Clear, features writer/columnist, can be reached at 941-708-7919. Follow twitter.com/martinclear.
This story was originally published October 16, 2015 at 6:07 PM with the headline "A roundup of Bradenton-area arts and music news and events ."