THE DAY THE CIRCUS CAME TO TOWN and More Set For Asolo Repertory Theatre's 2026/27 Season

Asolo Repertory Theatre has announced its 2026/2027 Season — a celebration of 1927, the year John Ringling moved the "Greatest Show on Earth" to Sarasota and, as it happens, a remarkable year in American history. On the Main Stage will be five productions that capture the electricity of that cultural revolution: musicals, comedies, dramas, mysteries and at the heart of it all, a world premiere that could only be created here in Sarasota. Premiering in March 2027, The Day the Circus Came to Town is a new musical inspired by the real-life stories of legends in Sarasota's Circus Community, who astonished, amused, and charmed the nation one train stop at a time. Featuring a cast of actors, acrobats, aerialists and of course, a singing Ringmaster. The Day the Circus Came to Town is a love letter to Sarasota and the artists who call it home.

The Main Stage season also includes Singin' in the Rain, capturing the chaos and comedy of Hollywood's talkie revolution in 1927; August Wilson's Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, set in 1927 at the confluence of traditional Blues and a new music called Jazz; Edna Ferber and George S. Kaufman's The Royal Family, a roaring comedy that had audiences laughing in the aisles when it opened on Broadway in 1927; and Ken Ludwig's Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery, a witty, high-spirited tribute to the world's most celebrated detective whose last collection of short stories was published in 1927.

"A century later, the seeds of wonder John and Mabel Ringling planted here continue to grow," says Producing Artistic Director Peter Rothstein, "and we're still asking the same question that electric year posed: What new dreams might we dare to dream?"

This season also marks a significant expansion of Asolo Rep's programming with the launch of its Second Stage Season, offering a three-show subscription in the intimate Cook Theatre, putting big stories in small spaces. The series includes the beloved holiday classic It's A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play; the world premiere of Jennifer Maisel's sweeping 20th-century drama Provenance; and Bootleg: America Sings 1927, an immersive cabaret celebrating the words and music of a remarkable year in American thought and culture.

Asolo Rep's commitment to the broader community continues with the 2026 Summer Children's Musical, The Wizard of Oz. Created in partnership with the FSU/Asolo Conservatory, the 2026 Asolo Rep on Tour will bring Shakespeare45: Rom-Com and Beanstalk: The Adventures of Jack and the Giant to schools and communities throughout the region.

SINGIN' IN THE RAIN

Screenplay by Betty Comden and Adolph Green
Songs by Arthur Freed and Nacio Herb Brown
Based on the classic Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film by special arrangement with Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures, Inc.
Directed and Choreographed by Josh Rhodes

November 18, 2026 – January 2, 2027
Mertz Theatre

Josh Rhodes, the brilliant mind behind Asolo Rep's productions of Jesus Christ Superstar, Cabaret, and Evita, brings to the stage the greatest movie musical of all time. Set in 1927, this beloved musical comedy is about Hollywood's tumultuous transition from silent films to "talkies." The story follows dashing silent film star Don Lockwood as he falls for an aspiring actress while struggling with his screechy-voiced co-star, Lina Lamont, who stands poised to sabotage both his love and his career. A hilarious send-up of Hollywood's foibles, this beloved musical has it all: sweeping romance, show-stopping choreography, and some of greatest tunes ever written.

August Wilson's MA RAINEY'S BLACK BOTTOM

By August Wilson
Directed by Chuck Smith

January 13 – February 4, 2027
Mertz Theatre

In a dingy Chicago recording studio in 1927, a group of musicians gather to cut a record with Ma Rainey, the Mother of the Blues and the most celebrated Black singer of her time. She commands the room, but outside the studio, she can't even get a taxicab to pick her up. Her trumpet player, Levee, a young, cocky musician rides the heady wave of the Jazz Renaissance sweeping the nation. Levee must fight for acceptance not only with his bandmates, but with the larger world that refuses to hear a new sound. Helmed by Chuck Smith, one of the leading authorities on August Wilson, and told in the way only Wilson can, this canonical play with music threatens to tip into cacophony at any moment.

THE ROYAL FAMILY

By Edna Ferber and George S. Kaufman
Directed by Peter Amster

February 10 – March 4, 2027
Mertz Theatre

Brought to life by beloved Asolo Rep director Peter Amster (Good Night, Oscar and Murder on the Orient Express) and written by two icons of early American theater, Edna Ferber (Showboat) and George S. Kaufman (You Can't Take It with You), The Royal Family premiered on Broadway in 1927. The forerunner to our contemporary obsession with all things celebrity, this period comedy satirizes the lives of a famous theatrical dynasty. Between the family matriarch's razor-sharp wit, her leading-lady daughter, and her matinee idol son, there is more drama off-stage than on. Set in their New York City duplex as the latest generation prepares to take up the family business...or not, The Royal Family is a comedic and heartfelt look at the eccentricities of a family with "greasepaint in their veins.”

THE DAY THE CIRCUS CAME TO TOWN

Created by Peter Rothstein, Carla Noack and David Darrow
Music and Lyrics by David Darrow
Directed by Peter Rothstein

March 21 – April 24, 2027
Mertz Theatre

Asolo Rep commemorates the 100th anniversary of John Ringling moving his Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus to Sarasota with a world premiere docu-musical brought to you by the visionary creator of All is Calm, Peter Rothstein. Inspired by dozens of interviews with legends in Sarasota's Circus Community, The Day the Circus Came to Town is a celebration of the generations of Circus Artists who astonished, amused, and charmed the nation one train stop at a time. Through story and song, you get to peak behind the canvas at the back lot, clown alley, life on the road, and being center ring of the Greatest Show on Earth. Featuring a cast of actors, acrobats, aerialists and of course, a singing Ringmaster accompanied by the Circus Band, this love letter to Sarasota and its first industry will have you feeling like a kid again.

Ken Ludwig's BASKERVILLE: A SHERLOCK HOLMES MYSTERY

Written by Ken Ludwig
Directed by Chari Arespacochaga

May 5 – May 30, 2027
Mertz Theatre

From multi-award-winning playwright Ken Ludwig (Murder on the Orient Express and Lady Molly of Scotland Yard) comes a wildly entertaining, fast-paced adventure featuring everyone's favorite detective tackling his most notorious case. Howls of laughter mingle with the howls in the night as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson race to crack the mystery of The Hound of Baskervilles. Expect a whirlwind of theatrical ingenuity as our intrepid investigators navigate a labyrinth of clues, disguises, and delightfully dubious accents. With five actors seamlessly transforming into more than 40 characters, the production is led by celebrated director Chari Arespacochaga (Primary Trust) and balances side-splitting comedy with stylish suspense, proving that even on the foggy moors, danger and laughter make excellent companions.

IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE: A LIVE RADIO PLAY

By Joe Landry
Directed by Scott Keys

December 2, 2026 – January 3, 2027
Cook Theatre

The beloved American film is reimagined as a 1940s radio-play where you are the live studio audience. Under the direction of Sarasota's own Scott Keys (A Year with Frog and Toad) five actors perform dozens of characters bringing to life the story of George Bailey, a man who has given up his dream to help others in the community. With nowhere else to turn on Christmas Eve, he begins to believe the world would be a better place if he had never existed. Enter guardian angel Clarence, who makes George see all the lives he has touched, and offers a glimpse of what the world would be like without him. A heartwarming and nostalgic play with music that is sure to put you in the holiday spirit.

PROVENANCE

By Jennifer Maisel
Directed by Casey Stangl

February 24 – March 21, 2027
Cook Theatre

Asolo Rep is thrilled to produce the world premiere of Jennifer Maisel's compelling new drama, and winner of the 2025 Jewish Plays Project. Directed by the award-winning Casey Stangl, Provenance is about the epic life of a single painting, a portrait, from the moment of its creation through its theft by the Nazis and all the lives shaped by the consequences of both acts. Built upon a unique theatrical structure that links these intimate stories to the grand arc of history, the play spans a century and crosses continents, from Germany in the early 1900s to New Jersey in 2007. A compelling new play that asks: How can one piece of art tear at the hearts of generations? Can what was lost ever be recovered?

BOOTLEG: AMERICA SINGS 1927

Curated by Cat Brindisi, Terrance Jackson, James Monaghan, and Peter Rothstein
Directed by Peter Rothstein

April 21 – May 16, 2027
Cook Theatre

Step into the Four Fives Club -- a speakeasy, a wild party, a jump back in time. It's 1927 and everything is about to change. Asolo Rep creates an original cabaret celebrating a remarkable year in American history, and an extraordinary year in American literature and popular music. Featuring words by Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, Edna Ferber and Dorothy Parker and songs by Fats Waller, Irving Berlin, Duke Ellington, Jerome Kern, and George and Ira Gershwin. Pull up a chair, sip some moonshine, and listen to tunes such as “Blue Skies,” “Someone to Watch Over Me” and “Can't Help Lovin' that Man of Mine.”

THE WIZARD OF OZ: YOUTH EDITION

By Frank Baum
With Music and Lyrics by Harold Arlen and E. Y. Harburg
Background Music by Herbert Stothart
Dance and Vocal Arrangements by Peter Howard
Orchestration by Larry Wilcox
Adapted by John Kane for the Royal Shakespeare Company
Based upon the Classic Motion Picture owned by Turner Entertainment Co. and distributed in all media by Warner Bros.
Directed and Choreographed by Cat Brindisi

July 8 – August 2, 2027
Cook Theatre

Asolo Rep launches the second season of its Summer Children's Theatre Program with an inventive, whimsical production of The Wizard of Oz, directed by Associate Artistic Director Cat Brindisi. Journey over the rainbow as Dorothy, Toto, and three unforgettable companions follow the Yellow Brick Road in search of a place called home. This one-hour Youth Edition of L. Frank Baum's beloved story features the beloved characters and popular songs from the film, tailored for family audiences.

SHAKESPEARE 45: ROM-COM

Conceived by Terrance Jackson
Directed by Joz Vammer

September - December 2026

Shakespeare45: Rom-Com is a fast-paced, 45-minute celebration of Shakespeare at his most charming -- filled with witty banter, mistaken identities, physical comedy, and a host of unforgettable lovers and fools. Featuring iconic scenes, sonnets, soliloquies, and songs, the show highlights the humor and playful chaos that define Shakespeare's comedies, where romance is only part of the fun. Recommended for grades 7 through adults.

BEANSTALK: THE ADVENTURES OF JACK AND THE GIANT

Written by James Monaghan and Terrance Jackson
Directed by Cat Brindisi

September - December 2026

A castle in the clouds, a terrifying giant menacing the land, and a special young person facing the greatest adventure of their life with nothing but three magic beans and whatever courage they can dig up. Experience the beloved tale of “Jack and the Beanstalk” in this brand-new, thrilling adaptation that asks us all to dream bigger and climb higher. Recommended for students through grade 6 and their families.