DECEMBER 1, 2019

HOLIDAY FAVORITES RETURN TO SARASOTA..................

Kicking off the season is A Motown Christmas.  The Westcoast Theatre troupe revives its hit revue, first performed in 2015 December 4-6 and 18-20 at the Sarasota Opera House.  Featuring all your seasonal favorites along with popular music
from many of Motown's original group of artists.

Nate Jacobs has put together songs by several  Motown favorites as Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, The Supremes, The Jackson Five with Michael Jackson, and adds to it your favorite Christmas Carols.  A huge cast has been assembled for these performances, and along with a full orchestra, makes this a must see for Christmas and Pop Music fans.

Tickets are selling fast at Sarasota Opera House box office 61 N. Pineapple; 941-366-1505; www.westcoastblacktheatre.org.

A must-see this year is The Nutcracker performed by the acclaimed Sarasota Cuban Ballet School.  Joined by the Venice Symphony.  This Tchaikovsky classic is popular throughout the year, but especially this time of year.  Performances are 2 and 7 p.m. December 14, and 2 p.m. December 15 at Venice Performing Arts Center 1 Indian Ave. Venice.  Tickets can be purchased at 941-218-3779 or www.veniceperformingartscenter.com.

One final Blog Christmas recommendation for this week,   Sounds of the Season, the annual Great Escapes program featuring  Christmas and Hanukkah music.  Guest conductor Michelle Merrill leads our Sarasota Orchestra through her renditions of Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker, a Christmas sing-a-long, a melody of Christmas standards and familiar and not so familiar traditional Hanukkah music.  Tickets start at $42 and can be purchased by calling 941-953-3434 or www.SarasotaOrchestra.org.


The weeks between Thanksgiving and New Years brings many new movies to your favorite cinema.  However,  why leave the comforts of your couch when Netflix, Amazon and Disney are streaming their new releases on their services.  For instance, one of the best reviewed movies this year is THE IRISHMAN.  Playing in New York, it is now available on Netflix whenever you want to watch it.

From Director Martin Scorsese and starring Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci in a mob story reminiscent of past gangster movies.  Many familiar Hollywood actors have a cameo in what has been called Scorsese's next Academy Award for director and picture.

The Marriage Story from Noah Bombach and featuring Adam Driver and  Scarlett Johanson begins streaming December 6.  If you can't wait, now streaming is The King with Timothee Chalamet or Laundromat from Steven Soderbergh with Meryl Streep. And the Cine World closing film The Two Popes streams just in time for Christmas December 20.

BOOKERVPA.COM

If you're looking for a different entertainment venue for next weekend, I encourage you to consider UNDER THE STARS December 6-7.   Booker VPA is presenting its annual outdoor concert at Eye of the Tornado inside their campus.  This showcase willfeature  music from contemporary to classics to seasonal performed by talented Booker students.  The musicians range from rock to jazz to contemporary.  The program begins at 7p.m.  Tickets are $15 adults and $5 students.

Plenty of parking at 3201 N. Orange.   See you there.  Hopefully the weather will be as beautiful as this week has been.

Looks Good Enough to Eat

The weekend ACTION  takes place December 6-8 on Siesta Beach for their annual SEAFOOD AND MUSIC FESTIVAL.  This will be the best outdoor last minute Christmas shopping experience before the big day.  Crafts, arts, jewelry and more; by now you know the drill.  Along with all the shopping comes day-long entertainment and some of the best seafood available along the way.  

Festival times are Friday 12-9pm, Saturday 11-9pm and Sunday 11-6.  Parking on the Island is limited, so I suggest arriving early, take Uber or Lyft or grab bus at Westfield/Siesta  Mall.

JIM'S RANT....After so many seasons of awful performances by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, one forgets the good seasons.  I was reminded of the good times this morning when the NFL announced its Hall of Fame semifinalists.  Former Bucs John Lynch, Ronde Barber and Simeon Rice-teammates on the 2002 Championship are among the 25 semifinalists chosen for this prestigious honor. Unless there are drastic changes,  it will be a long time before anything like this happens again.....JIM.....Thanks for reading....see you next week.....

Long Lines at UTC....BLACK FRIDAY