The Asolo Repertory Theatre’s latest installment in its foray into young people’s theatre was by far its strongest and most universally appealing. With a simplistic set design comprised primarily a sky-high stack of suitcases, a small smattering of very smart black umbrellas, and symphonic lighting entirely in tune with the performances, director Theresa Heskins took the audience on an epic journey across continents and cultures.

Phileas Fogg (Andrew Pollard), an eccentric…

I’ll never forget my coloring book from my “very young dancer” phase that provided a short synopsis of the most famous ballets with a chance to color a scene. The scene of sweet, beautiful Giselle in her trademark yellow and brown dress captivated me, and yet it took decades until I had the chance to see the full ballet, which closed this year’s tremendous Sarasota Ballet season.

This was my favorite performance by Victoria Hulland, who captured the purity of Giselle’s…

“The Cake,” now playing at Asolo Repetory Theatre, was the show I was most eager to see on the theater’s schedule for this season. Bekah Brunstetter, who is also behind the wildly popular TV show “This is Us,” has written a masterpiece about the ways hearts and minds can be influenced, one person at a time, to create a more hopeful, inclusive world.

I often marvel that “This is Us” became such a sensation during the most divisive political period of my lifetime. People all…

Sarasota Ballet combined two key ingredients to the good life for the March performance - “Poetry and Liberty.” Poetry without liberty is heartbreaking; and liberty without poetry results in an unexamined life – together they proved electric. The company turned in a powerhouse evening with two major ballets, Sir Frederick Ashton’s “Apparitions” and George Balanchine’s “Stars and Stripes” representing the range of human emotions.

“Apparitions” is an unusual ballet that could…