“Leaving on a Jet Plane: A Folk Journey” is the latest show conceived and produced by Aaron Gandy. Executive Director Rebecca Hopkins says it’s a follow-up to a show that enjoyed phenomenal success at Sarasota’s Florida Studio Theatre in 2025.
“Last year they were here with ‘A Band Called Honalee,’ which people loved,” said Hopkins. “They just adored that show. It had an extension on it. Everything was great. This is kind of a sequel to that. It's the same styles of music, but just moving into a broader range of the '70s.”
This cabaret features acoustic favorites from Simon & Garfunkel, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, The Lovin’ Spoonful, Joni Mitchell and Cat Stevens. But castmates Collin Purcell, Brian Ott and Katie Blackwell do more than sing popular songs from a bygone musical era.
“We are taking you on a journey,” Hopkins explained. “The lyrics flow from one song to another to give you an overwhelming story. They have personas that the performers carry, but they're telling stories of why this music means what it means and backstories and trying to take you on an arc for why are we still listening to this so many years later. Why was this song such a hit? Why does it connect to us viscerally in our history?”
And Goldstein Cabaret is the perfect venue for this kind of musical revue.
“It is a turn-of-the-century Parisian cabaret, so the room itself is part of the experience,” Hopkins noted. “It has a very small stage. There are no sets. There's a backdrop archway in there that's beautiful and it's beautifully lit. The sound design is the main thing to make these vocals warm and it's a hundred-seat room.”
“Leaving on a Jet Plane” runs through July 12.
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“Leaving on a Jet Plane: A Folk Journey” kicks off Florida Studio Theatre’s 2026 Summer Season.
It celebrates the spirit of a generation, rediscovering the heart and harmony of the 1960s and proving that folk music wasn’t just a moment: it was a movement.
“It’s a pleasure to have Florida Studio Theatre carry on the legacy of this influential genre,” said creator Aaron Gandy. “FST’s commitment to intimate, high-quality performances is a perfect match for this music, which has always been about connection, community, and shared experience. We’re honored to celebrate these timeless songs with Sarasota audiences.”
A specialist in American musical theatre and popular song, Gandy has produced acclaimed symphonic and theatrical works, including last summer’s hit cabaret “A Band Called Honalee.” He has also conducted Broadway productions of “Disney’s The Lion King,” “Urinetown” and “Dora the Explorer Live! at Radio City Music Hall.”
Collin Purcell is making his FST debut after touring nationally with “A Band Called Honalee” since 2023.
Brian Ott returns to Florida Studio Theatre after previously appearing in "59th Street Bridge" and last summer’s production of “A Band Called Honalee.”
Rounding out the cast is Katie Blackwell, who steps into her first full FST cabaret after appearing in select performances of that same production.
They are joined by a rotating lineup of bass players, led by Geoff Neuman, who also performed at FST last summer in "A Band Called Honalee."
The creative team includes Catherine Randazzo (line producer), Andrew Gray (lighting design), Nicholas Christensen (sound design), and Carissa Ater (sound and lightboard operator).
"Leaving on a Jet Plane: A Folk Journey" is part of FST’s three-show Summer Cabaret series, which also includes “Songbirds of the Seventies,” featuring favorites from iconic singer-songwriters like Joni Mitchell and Carole King, and “Legacy: Motown & More!,” a dynamic tribute spanning the greatest classics from the ‘60s through today.
For tickets, call (941) 366-9000 or visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.
About Rebecca Hopkins
Rebecca Hopkins has been with FST for nearly three decades. During that time, she has played a pivotal role in shaping the theatre’s creative identity and operational strength. She also maintains critical operations of the theatre by overseeing the organization’s administration, marketing, and development efforts.
As the founder of FST Improv and the Sarasota Improv Festival, and lead developer of more than 25 original cabarets, she has helped define some of FST’s most recognizable programming.
“I build about 90% of the cabarets we perform during the fall and winter,” she noted. “But in the summer, we enlist people from around the country to bring shows to us. We do that for two reasons. It inspires us to see what other people are doing, but also it introduces our audiences to different things in different ways.”
Hopkins and FST refer to these outside creators as their “summer sidekicks.”
“This is the 15th year we've been doing it and with certain groups, we have formed longer-term partnerships,” she observed. “Now they build shows knowing they're coming to Florida Studio Theater. So they're speaking specifically to our audience, which is what is so unique about the cabaret. When we build these shows for the cabaret, they're built for our audience and to go in that space. They're built to speak to this Sarasota Bradenton audience here. The music is their music. The humor is very much written for this audience.”
The shows are not concerts. Rather, they’re a unique mix of song and storytelling.
“The performers give you the information behind the music,” Hopkins noted. “Our audience really loves when they can learn something new, but sometimes they teach the performers a thing or two they don't know because a lot of times our audience knows more about these songs than the performers do.”
When Hopkins is constructing a cabaret show, she typically begins with a list of approximately 200 songs.
“From there, I start narrowing it down and narrowing it down because one song has to speak to another song in order to take the audience on a journey,” said Hopkins.
Hopkins said there’s a reason behind the success of the revue she’s written and that Florida Studio Theatre brings to the stage each summer.
“The artists we include were writing music that was reflective of the times they were living in,” she pointed out. “Our audience members lived during those times. They were there. They remember where they were when that song was a hit, how they felt, what the weather was like when they heard that music. There was an emotional attachment.”
It’s more than mere nostalgia.
The connection between music, emotion, and memory is rooted in the brain’s limbic system. It’s referred to in psychological terms as “emotional tagging.” Music that evokes a strong feeling is more likely to be stored as a long-term memory. The hippocampus works with the amygdala to consolidate these emotionally charged memories, explaining why a song can transport a person back to a specific moment.
When a song is associated with a significant life event, it activates both emotion and memory-processing regions simultaneously when heard again. This process can influence how a memory is recalled, with the music’s emotional tone subtly altering the feeling of the remembered event. This integration creates a durable memory trace that can last a lifetime.
“Music memory is the last thing to go,” Hopkins observed. “They studied this over and over, you know, and we see that in the cabaret. Living and working in Sarasota, we definitely are playing to a senior audience. I love our audience, but we do notice from time to time that certain members are struggling. We do see dementia and things like that come into play in the cabaret. It’s the last house they give up.”
About the Goldstein Cabaret
Audiences love catching musical revues within the cozy confines of the Goldstein Cabaret for a variety of reasons.
“It's as corporal as it gets,” said Hopkins. “The relationship between the audience and the performer is visceral. If you like the show, we know it. When you don't, we know that too because we can see you.”
Another feature that distinguishes the cabaret experience is the Goldstein’s food and beverage service.
“We have a full service restaurant inside,” noted Hopkins. “You don't have to eat there. It's off a menu, so you order what you want. About 50% of the audience dines on any given night, but about a hundred percent drink something and we have a full bar. So you can make a whole evening out of it and that's what people love.”
Finally, the Goldstein’s size encourages people to meet and strike up friendships with strangers seated at the next table.
“You're in a room with other people; you start talking to them and then you see this great show,” Hopkins noted. “Maybe you see them at the next show you go to and before you know it, you’ve made new friends.”
About Florida Studio Theatre
Florida Studio Theatre (FST) is Sarasota’s contemporary theatre. Founded in 1973, FST has grown to a village of five theatres located in the heart of downtown Sarasota. Each theatre is small in size and large in impact – providing intimate and engaging settings for high-quality, professional performances.
Today, FST has established itself as a major force in American Theatre. FST is the largest subscription theatre in the state of Florida and among the largest in the country, serving more than 225,000 attendees each year across its diverse programs: Mainstage, Cabaret, Stage III, Children’s Theatre, Improv, The FST School, and New Play Development.
Even with its growth, Florida Studio Theatre remains firmly committed to making the arts accessible and affordable to as many people as possible. Under the leadership of Producing Artistic Director Richard Hopkins, FST develops theatre that speaks to our living, evolving, and dynamically changing world. Hip and historical, entertaining and challenging, it is where everyone is welcome to engage in the art of theatre.
Support for WGCU’s arts & culture reporting comes from the Estate of Myra Janco Daniels, the Charles M. and Joan R. Taylor Foundation, and Naomi Bloom in loving memory of her husband, Ron Wallace.
