BESTBets
The Lion King
at the Straz 5th Annual
Suncoast Hospice Ball
???
Tshidi Manye will play Shaman Rafiki in
Disney’s award-winning musical The Lion King
at the Straz Center.
The Lion King opened on Broadway in
1997 and has become the most successful
musical in history. Running two hours
and thirty minutes with one intermission,
it won six Tony Awards in 1998, and the
1998 New York Drama Critics’ Circle
Award for Best Musical. With lyrics by
Tim Rice and music by Elton John, you
can’t see this show too many times. It
will be playing at the Straz Center from
January 20th through February 14th. For
tickets, call (813) 229-STAR (7827).
Stahl and Associates Insurance and Suncoast
Hospice, a member of Empath Health, will be
presenting “Moon Dance Masquerade,” the
15th Annual Suncoast Hospice Ball on Saturday,
February 27th. This glamorous evening at the
Renaissance Vinoy Resort in St. Petersburg will
be an enchanting night of music, dancing, food,
auctions and more. The proceeds from this event
will benefit Empath Health and its members. For
sponsorships or reservations, call the Suncoast
Hospice Foundation at (727) 523-3419.
Art Festival Beth-El
Art works, such as this Hegland Glass piece,
will be at the Art Festival Beth-El.
Temple Beth-El’s 43rd annual fine
art exhibition and sale will be held on
Saturday, January 30th, Sunday, January
31st and Monday, February 1st at the
Temple in St. Petersburg, located at 400
Pasadena Avenue South. The exhibition,
which features over 170 national and
international award-winning artists,
is known for being one of the premier
art shows in the Southeastern United
States. It offers original paintings,
wood works, sculpture, ceramics,
glass, photography and jewelry by
the guest artists, as well as signed,
framed, limited-edition prints from
Syd Entel Galleries in Safety Harbor.
Call (727) 347-6136 for additional
information.
This scene is from Sarasota Opera’s 2015 production of La bohème.
ROD MILLINGTON
2016
Sarasota Opera Season
The 2016 season will close Sarasota Opera’s acclaimed
28-year Verdi Cycle, which has made it the only opera
company in the world to have performed all of Giuseppe
Verdi’s operas. There will be productions of Verdi’s
Aida, Mozart’s Così Fan Tutte, Beethoven’s Fidelio, and
Verdi’s The Battle of Legnano. The season will end in a
week-long Festival with two Verdi-themed concerts, a
retrospective exhibit on the history of their Verdi Cycle
and an international conference with scholars from
around the world. All performances in Sarasota’s elegant
Opera House have English translations projected above
the stage. For tickets or further information, call Sarasota
Opera at (941) 366-8450.
38 TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016