A Tony-winning actress and singer, an author with an art museum-set memoir, and more in this week’s top arts events in the Sarasota area.
As we kick off March and a fresh lineup of local events, it’ll be a busy week in the Sarasota area arts scene.
Tony Award-winning “Wicked” star Idina Menzel will visit our area this week as the headlining entertainment for this year’s Sarasota Performing Arts Foundation Gala, as will an author whose art museum-set memoir is this year’s Sarasota County One Book One Community selection.
There’ll also be productions debuting at Sarasota Opera and Manatee Performing Arts Center, a Sarasota Orchestra concert showcasing dances from around the world, and an opening reception for four exhibitions at Art Center Sarasota. Here are this week’s highlights. Event details are subject to change.
1. Idina Menzel at Van Wezel
Singer and actress Idina Menzel will return to Van Wezel, serving as the headlining entertainment for this year’s Sarasota Performing Arts Foundation Gala. (Her “Wicked” co-star Kristin Chenoweth was the gala’s headliner in 2024.) Menzel won the Tony for Best Actress in a Musical for “Wicked” and earned nominations for “Rent” and “If/Then.” Menzel has also acted in movies including the “Rent” adaptation, “Uncut Gems” and the “Frozen” films. 8:30 p.m. March 6; Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota; $116-$266; 941-263-6799; vanwezel.org
2. One Book Sarasota with Patrick Bringley
Sarasota County One Book One Community welcomes author Patrick Bringley, whose “All the Beauty in the World” is the 2026 selection. The memoir chronicles Bringley quitting The New Yorker to spend a decade working as a Metropolitan Museum of Art guard, and has since been adapted into a stage show as well. 10:30 a.m. March 6; Shannon Staub Library at Suncoast Technical College North Port, 4445 Career Lane, North Port and 7 p.m. March 6; Selby Library, 1331 First St., Sarasota; sarasotacountylibraries.org/my-library/events/one-book-sarasota
3. ‘Il trovatore’ at Sarasota Opera House
After previous productions in 1993 and 2014, Sarasota Opera will once again present Giuseppe Verdi’s melodrama “Il trovatore.” Set in 15th century Spain, the opera follows Count di Luna as a fiery execution from his childhood sparks a lifetime of vengeance, driving him to hunt the mysterious Azucena and battle for the love of the noblewoman Leonora, who in turn loves the troubadour Manrico. March 7-29; Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Ave., Sarasota; ticket prices vary; 941-328-1300; sarasotaopera.org
4. Sarasota Orchestra ‘Dance the Night Away’
This Sarasota Orchestra Great Escapes program showcases dances from around the world, including waltzes and polkas, tango and even conga. Conducting will be Rei Hotoda, who was recently announced as the next music director of the Las Vegas Philharmonic while continuing in her role as music director of the Fresno Philharmonic, and made her Carnegie Hall debut in 2024 conducting the American Composers Orchestra. March 4-8; Holley Hall, 709 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota; $48 and up; 941-953-3434; sarasotaorchestra.org
5. Opening reception for four Art Center Sarasota exhibitions
Herion Park: “UnBroken” showcases sculptural family portraits composed of textiles, repurposed objects, life-cast anatomical forms and organic materials, highlighting the bond Park and her sisters shared with her mother. Group exhibition “Rooted in Community” honors and highlights artist contributions from Sarasota’s historically Black neighborhoods Newtown and Overtown. Kendra Frorup: “At Home Anywhere” is rooted in personal experience, cultural memory and adaptability. Juried show “Art of the Spectacle” explores the intersection of fashion, circus, and stagecraft. 5-7 p.m. March 5; Art Center Sarasota, 707 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota; 941-365-2032; artcentersarasota.org
6. ‘Bright Star’ at Manatee Performing Arts Center
Manatee Performing Arts Center puts on the Tony-nominated musical by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell, collaborators who also won the Best American Roots Song Grammy for “Love Has Come for You,” the title track to their 2013 album. Set in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains during the early 20th century, “Bright Star” follows Alice Murphy, an editor who encounters a young soldier returning from World War II. March 5-15; Stone Hall at Manatee Performing Arts Center, 502 Third Ave. W., Bradenton; ticket prices vary; 941-748-5875; manateeperformingartscenter.com
7. ‘Flute Through the Ages’ at Selby Gardens
Hermitage Artist will present flutist and Hermitage Fellow Emi Ferguson for a concert at Selby Gardens’ downtown Sarasota campus in the Ruby E. Crosby Alumni Music Series. Earning praise from outlets including the New York Times, which called “her tone silky and tender and her ghostly multiphonics astonishing,” Ferguson brings her signature style to classical flute repertoire that stretches from the Renaissance to today. 7 p.m. March 5; Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, 1534 Mound St., Sarasota; $5 registration fee; hermitageartistretreat.org
8. ArcoStrum at Sarasota Yacht Club
Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota’s Lunch and Listen Series will next feature violin-guitar duo ArcoStrum at Sarasota Yacht Club. Comprising violinist Strauss Shi and guitarist Tengyue Zhang, ArcoStrum were among the winners at the 2023 Concert Artists Guild’s Victor Elmaleh Competition, the first violin-guitar duo to receive the honor in CAG’s more-than-70-year history. 11 a.m. March 5; Sarasota Yacht Club, 1100 John Ringling Boulevard, Sarasota; $75 including lunch; 941-306-1202; artistseriesconcerts.org
9. Wycliffe Gordon and Venice Symphony Big Band
Jazz trombonist Wycliffe Gordon will join the Venice Symphony Big Band for a special performance. A former Florida A&M student, Gordon has performed with artists including Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. Public radio fans might also know his work arranging and orchestrating the theme song to NPR’s program “All Things Considered.” 3:30 p.m. March 7; Venice Performing Arts Center, 1 Indian Ave., Building 5, Venice; $55-$65; 941-207-8822; thevenicesymphony.org
10. ‘Hamilton’ at Cinema on the Bay
Downtown Sarasota park The Bay’s free outdoor movie series Cinema at the Bay will screen “Hamilton,” the 2020 Disney+ filmed production of the Tony-winning hit Broadway musical created by and starring Lin-Manuel Miranda as Alexander Hamilton, not far from where “Hamilton” played Van Wezel in 2024. The film further added to the awards haul of “Hamilton,” nominated for 12 Emmys and winning two including Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded.) 7 p.m. March 5; The Bay, 1055 Boulevard of the Arts, Sarasota; free; 941-203-5316; thebaysarasota.org
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