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Nic Roland and Daniel Harris play Roy and Silo, the two male penguins in “Birds of a Feather.”
By Jeff Donnelly
Summer Theater is a GO
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Local Companies Are Eager to Welcome Back Audiences
Summer is typically a quiet time for live theater, but this year companies around town are excited to catch up with audiences.
Gulfport Community Players
Gulfport Community Players return to the stage of the Catherine Hickman Theater just in time for Pride Month with “Birds of a Feather” by Marc Acito. Remember Roy and Silo, the two male Central Park Zoo chinstrap penguins who adopted an egg and raised a chick together? This very true story was the subject of a 2005 children’s book by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson, “And Tango Makes Three,” that became one of the most banned books in the U.S. Acito’s stage version moves beyond children’s book territory to ruminate on relationships, conformism and the construction of public identity as the penguins and their zoo community grapple with parenthood and celebrity. The show runs June 10 to 20 with socially distanced seating. gulfportcommunityplayers. org
St Petersburg Opera Company
There are plenty of great venues around town, but catching the St. Petersburg Opera Company at the Palladium is always a treat. Beginning June 13, the SPOC performs Leoncavallo’s “Pagliacci,” a tale of fatal jealousies in a traveling troupe of actors based on a real-life story of a middle-aged actor who murdered his actress wife during a performance. Opera composers don’t often write their own libretto, but this case lit a creative spark in Leoncavallo, and his 1892 opera is a perennial audience favorite — short, gritty and boasting one of the great tenor arias of all time (“Vesti la giubba”).
Performances are June 13 and 20 at 2 p.m., and June 15 and 18 at 8 p.m. at the Palladium’s Hough Hall. mypalladium.org/events/st-pete-opera-pagliacci
freeFall Theatre
“The Rose and the Beast” sees the freeFall heading indoors for the first time in a while, with a unique, interactive walk-through performance that lets guests explore Francesca Lia Block’s bestselling novel of the same name. Audiences will step into Block’s retelling of nine classic fairy tales through a series of scenic spaces. Designed by Tom Hansen, Rebekah Lazaridis and Steven K. Mitchell and features an original score by Michael Raabe and Amanda Eland, this medium-blurring adaptation marks the company’s return to air-conditioned comfort. Walk-through appointments on Wednesday through Sunday from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. freefalltheatre.com; 727-498-5205
Summer Reads
Chill with a Book by Some of Our Favorite Florida Authors
By Gabber Staff
As much fun as you’ll have this summer on a boat, in a kayak or floating in the pool, sometimes nothing beats sitting on a couch in a cold room and escaping into a book. In case you don’t have a stack of “books to read” waiting for you, pick up these reads by Gulf Coast authors.
“Grounds for Murder”
St. Petersburg writer Tara Lush introduced this new series in December. She tells us the fictional city has a lot of Gulfport in it. Like this? Read “Cold as Cream” next.
Although he lives a few hours south of us, with the advent of his new Doc Ford’s on the St. Petersburg Pier, we’re making Randy Wayne White an honorary local. The second installment of his YA series, “Sharks Incorporated,” promises to delight just as much as the first. Also, it’s labeled YA, but we loved it every bit as much as his books for grown-ups. Like this? Read “Fins” next.
Mary Kay Andrews may not live along the Gulf Coast anymore, but that doesn’t stop her from visiting and setting her delightful murder/romance stories here. This one takes place at a mom-and-pop hotel in Treasure Island. Like this? Read “Sunset Beach” next.
Take an armchair road trip across Florida with USF St. Petersburg professor Mark Jerome Walters in his quest to find Florida’s most endangered bird. This slim tome is decidedly un-academic, fascinating and fun. Like this? Read Craig Pittman’s “Cat Tale” next.
Former St. Petersburg Times columnist Bill Maxwell published a collection of his best columns, with race as one of the central themes. Like this? Read “Kick Ass” by Carl Hiaasen next.
