Sarasota Opera House to Host an Evening with Laura Benanti

The "Sarasota Opera House Presents" summer series just added a third and final program featuring Broadway's Tony-Award winner singer and actress Laura Benanti on September 21, 2018 at 7:30 p.m. at the historic Sarasota Opera House. Ms. Benanti's appearance is presented in association with Carolan Trbovich, Cabaret by the Bay.

In this intimate evening, Tony-Award winning actress Laura Benanti will perform songs from her celebrated career and share humorous anecdotes and experiences she has had both on and off the stage and screen. She received a Tony Award for her role as Gypsy Rose in Gypsy with Patti LuPone and starred in Meteor Shower with Amy Schumer, Keegan-Michael Key, and Jeremy Shamos. Laura also starred in the revival of She Loves Me, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, Into the Woods, Swing!, Nine, The Wedding Singer, and The Sound of Music. Known internationally for her roles on television shows such as The Detour, Supergirl, Nashville, and Nurse Jackie, Laura brings her consummate performance style to its pinnacle in her one-on-one cabaret show.

"I've been a huge fan of Ms. Benanti since I saw her in her Tony-winning performance in Gypsy," said Sarasota Opera Executive Director Richard Russell. "She is an extraordinary performer and we are thrilled to be able to present her at the Sarasota Opera House."

Tickets range from $25 to $65 and will go on sale August 1, 2018 at (941) 328-1300 or online at www.sarasotaopera.org.

Sarasota Opera is entering its 60th Season of bringing world-class opera to Florida's Gulf Coast.

The company was launched in 1960, when a touring chamber opera company came to the historic 320-seat Asolo Theater on the grounds of Sarasota's Ringling Museum of Art and the Asolo Opera Guild was formed to present the season. By 1974 the Asolo Opera was mounting its own productions at the theater. Recognizing the need for a theater more conducive to full-scale opera, the company purchased the former A.B. Edwards Theater which in 1984 (as the Sarasota Opera House) became home to the newly renamed Sarasota Opera. The building underwent a $20 million renovation and rehabilitation in 2007 enhancing audience amenities, while updating the technical facilities including increasing the size of the orchestra pit. The theater, which reopened in March 2008, has been called "one of America's finest venues for opera" by Musical America.

Since 1983, the company has been under the artistic leadership of Victor DeRenzi and administrative leadership of Executive Director Richard Russell since 2012. Sarasota Opera has garnered international attention with its Masterwork Revivals Series, which presents neglected works of artistic merit, as well as the Verdi Cycle, completed in 2016, that made Sarasota Opera the only opera company in the world to present all of Verdi's works. Recognizing the importance of training, Maestro DeRenzi founded the Apprentice and Studio Artist's programs. Sarasota Opera also maintains a commitment to education through its Explorations in Opera performances for local schools and the industry-leading Sarasota Youth Opera program.

Sarasota Opera is sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, the Florida Arts Council, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Programs are supported in part by an award the Tourist Development Tax through the Board of County Commissioners, the Tourist Development Council and the Sarasota County Arts Council. Additional funding is provided by the City of Sarasota and the County of Sarasota.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride / WM Photos

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