The Prima Donnettes, TOO DARN HOT and More Set for FST's 2013-2014 Cabaret Season

Florida Studio Theatre presents an exciting 13-14 Cabaret Season starting with THE PRIMA DONNETTES, the inaugural production of a brand new musical revue called POEMS, PRAYERS AND PROMISES and rounding out the season with the musical stories of Cole Porter in TOO DARN HOT.

The Season opens October 16 and plays through June 7 in both the John C. Court Cabaret and Goldstein Cabaret (Downtown Sarasota). A subscription to all three musical revues can be purchased for as little as $35, online at www.floridastudiotheatre.org or by calling the Box Office at (941) 366-9000.

Artistic Director Richard Hopkins states, "This year's cabaret Season provides a gracious spread of style and substance, in other words, variety. We will open with THE PRIMA DONNETTES as a fun loving nod to the strides women have made in the past decades, from silly, sexy girl groups of the 50's to the hard hitting, tell-it-like-it-is styles of the 60s and beyond. Then, we will follow with a form we have perfected called Guitar Theatre, this year featuring the songs of great American songwriters such as John Denver, Simon & Garfunkel, Harry Chapin, and Paul Simon under the title POEMS, PRAYERS AND PROMISES. Finally, we will close the season with the class and style that epitomizes Cabaret as we reinvent the works of the one and only Cole Porter in TOO DARN HOT. The show is 'Too Darn Hot' to handle. The season promises to sing with variety and move with harmony. All of this is set against the backdrop of our turn-of-the-Century Theatres designed in the original Parisian Motif.

The 2013-14 Cabaret Season kicks off in the John C. Court Cabaret with THE PRIMA DONNETTES developed by Richard Hopkins and Jim Prosser. Beginning in the 50s, female singing groups such as The Shirelles, The Vandellas, and The Dixie Cups began to break onto the popular airwaves. By the 60s and 70s female solo artists such as Aretha Franklin, Dusty Springfield and Diana Ross had brought women to the forefront of the American stage. From the era of hula hoops and drive-ins to the fight for equal rights, these women provided the soundtrack for the hopes and dreams of women everywhere. Featuring songs such as: "Mama Said," "One Fine Day" and "Natural Woman."

Opening next in the Goldstein Cabaret is POEMS, PRAYERS AND PROMISES developed by Richard Hopkins and Rebecca Hopkins. In the 60s and 70s a new sound came into mainstream music that changed the scene forever. Led by artists like John Denver, Simon & Garfunkel, Harry Chapin, and Paul Simon, this musical revue celebrates their top hits and the songs that transcended generations. Featuring songs: "Sunshine on my Shoulders," "Fire and Rain," the classic "Take Me Home, Country Roads," and "You've Got a Friend In Me."

Closing out the season in the John C. Court Cabaret is TOO DARN HOT, developed by Richard Hopkins and Jim Prosser. Previously produced by FST in 2003, this year will bring a fresh new spin on the revue. Cole Porter was known for his intelligent style of music and biting wit. Conjuring up images of elegant women dancing with tuxedo-clad men, this musical revue takes you back to the 1930s. Sophisticated, racy, smart and humorous, Porter's songs make you realize you can laugh just a little, even at yourself, and in the next breath be swept away with romance. Featuring "Anything Goes," "I Love Paris," "It's De'Lovely" and "I Get a Kick Out of You."

All three shows of the 13-14 Cabaret Season -THE PRIMA DONNETTES, POEMS, PRAYERS AND PROMISES, and TOO DARN HOT will be presented at FST's John C. Court Cabaret and Goldstein Cabaret. Single tickets range from $18 - $36. A subscription to all three shows range from $35 - $49. Both subscription tickets and single tickets may be purchased from the FST Box Office in person or by calling (941) 366-9000 or now online at www.floridastudiotheatre.org. FST's website is also an excellent source for videos, articles and information about FST's productions.

Known as Sarasota's Contemporary Theatre, Florida Studio Theatre was founded in 1973 by Jon Spelman. Starting out as a small touring company, FST traveled to places such as migrant camps and prisons. The company eventually settled down into a permanent home, acquiring the former Woman's Club building - now renamed the Keating Theatre. In the years that followed, Florida Studio Theatre established itself as a major force in American Theatre, presenting Contemporary Theatre in its four theatre venues: the Keating Theatre, the renovated Gompertz Theatre, the Goldstein Cabaret and the John C. Court Cabaret. Soon to come in January of 2014, FST will open its fifth theatre venue, the Bowne Lab Theatre.

Even with its growth, Florida Studio Theatre remains firmly committed to making the arts accessible and affordable to a broad-based audience. Under Richard Hopkins, Artistic Director and CEO, FST develops theatre that speaks to our living, evolving, and dynamically changing world. As FST grows and expands, it continues to provide audiences with challenging, contemporary drama and innovative programs.

To post a comment, you must register and login.