INTERVIEWS

The redevelopment of the former Sarasota Square Mall site is gaining momentum, with the first commercial phase now reportedly 88% pre-leased. The project’s initial phase calls for about 90,000 square feet of commercial space, and tenants already announced include Whole Foods, Homesense, Charles Schwab, Cava, Joe & the Juice, Chipotle Mexican Grill and Warby Parker. For South Sarasota, this is more than another shopping-center update. Sarasota Square was once a major retail de

Asolo Rep’s “Marie and Rosetta” brings attention to Sister Rosetta Tharpe, one of the most important and under-credited figures in American music. Tharpe blended gospel power, electric guitar and stage charisma in ways that helped shape the sound of rock ’n’ roll before many of the genre’s famous male stars became household names. The play focuses on Tharpe’s relationship with Marie Knight, another gifted performer, and uses music to tell a story about artistry, ambition, rac

Florida Studio Theatre is leaning into country music, humor and reinvention with “Honky Tonk Angels,” a show built around three women chasing their Nashville dreams. The production runs through June 21 and features a playlist-style structure filled with familiar country songs and crowd-pleasing performances. The appeal is easy to understand. Sarasota audiences often respond well to music-driven theater, especially when the material combines recognizable songs with a clear emo

Asolo Repertory Theatre’s “Fiddler on the Roof” has taken on added meaning through the story of Andrii Padkovskyi, a Ukrainian teen violinist who plays the title role of the fiddler. Padkovskyi and his family escaped the war in Ukraine, and both he and his brother are now part of the Sarasota production. That background gives the musical a powerful contemporary echo. “Fiddler on the Roof” is about family, tradition, faith, displacement and survival. It is set in a Jewish vill