Tom Hall

“CATS: The Jellicle Ball” began previews on Broadway March 18 in advance of the show’s April 7th opening. It’s not to be confused with the production of “CATS” that is onstage at Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre through April 4.

Southwest Florida’s outdoor art festival season is entering its final month with the Sarasota Fine Art Show and Naples Downtown Art Fair taking place March 21 and 22.

Early April will mark the 100th anniversary of "Rachel at the Well's" dedication. The Edison Park Neighborhood Association is celebrating the occasion on Sunday, April 12th with a parade that features the Edison Park School Drum Group and the Fort Myers High School Green Wave Marching Band, a recital by the Edison Park School violinists and a re-dedication and toast by Mayor Kevin Anderson.

Sarasota Opera is performing four operas this week: Carlisle Floyd’s “Susannah” on Thursday and Sunday; Giuseppe Verdi’s “Il travotore” on Saturday; Giacomo Puccini’s “La boheme” on Friday; and Franz Lehar’s “The Merry Widow” on Saturday. All performances take place in the historic Sarasota Opera House.

Audrey II arrived at the Florida Rep scene shop in a shipping pod. She was too big to fit in the Rep's normal rehearsal hall. She had to be compressed just to fit through the scene shop's bay doors. She required a flatbed to make the three-block trip to the theater for opening night. And by the time she gets to the final act, she's bigger than the cab of an 18-wheeler. That alone makes "Little Shop of Horrors" must-see theater.

This week, eight shows open, two close, 12 continue their runs and there are two limited engagements at Southwest Florida equity, community and high school theaters, including 'The Apiary' at Urbanite Theatre in Sarasota.

Sarasota Ballet commemorates the 250th anniversary of the United States this weekend with “Stars and Stripes,” a ballet frequently performed at national events, including presidential inaugurations. Also on program is “’Still Life’ at the Penguin Café,” a cautionary tale about our seeming indifference to the survival of our environment.

Composer George Gershwin is best known for “Rhapsody in Blue” and “An American in Paris.” But he also partnered with his brother, Ira, to write the greatest of all American operas, “Porgy & Bess.” Gulfshore Opera is bringing a condensed version of the witty, gritty story of unshakable love to the stage to celebrate America250.

Southwest Florida Theatre transports audiences back to the 1950s with “Sh-Boom! Life Could Be A Dream.” Fans of doo-wop are sure to love this story of a quartet hoping to launch their careers by winning a national radio contest.

For “Titanic the Musical,” Arts Bonita Director Kody C. Jones has assembled a cast of 55 youth and adult actors. This is not an adaptation of the Leonardo DiCaprio-Kate Winslet tragic romance. The characters in this show are based on real passengers from the voyage. The musical examines the rigid social structure in the U.K. and U.S. in 1912 and the disparate treatment of passengers based on class. Winner of five Tony Awards, “Titanic the Musical” tells a grand story about people's bravery, cowardice and the indomitable human spirit.