SARASOTA — Earlier this year, Asolo Repertory Theatre announced its 2026-2027 season. The lineup celebrates 1927, the year John Ringling moved the “Greatest Show on Earth” to Sarasota, as well as a remarkable year in American history.
On the main stage, Asolo Rep will present 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 in Sarasota.
The season will feature “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; 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; and — premiering in March 2027 — “The Day the Circus Came to Town,” 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. “The Day the Circus Came to Town” features a cast of actors, acrobats, aerialists and of course, a singing ringmaster. The show is a love letter to Sarasota and the artists who call it home.
“A century later, the seeds of wonder John and Mabel Ringling planted here continue to grow,” said Peter Rothstein, producing artistic director. “And we’re still asking the same question that electric year posed: What new dreams might we dare to dream?”
This season will also mark 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.
Following is a look at Asolo Rep’s planned 2026-2027 Main Stage productions:
“Singin’ in the Rain,” Nov. 18-Jan. 2 — The production will be directed and choreographed by Josh Rhodes. Rhodes 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.
“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” Jan. 13-Feb. 4 — The production will be directed by Chuck Smith. 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,” Feb. 10-March 4 — The production will be directed by Peter Amster. “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.
“The Day the Circus Came to Town,” March 21-April 24 — The production will be directed by Peter Rothstein. 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. 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.
“Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery,” May 5-30 — This production will be directed by Chari Arespacochaga. From multi-award-winning playwright Ken Ludwig 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.
Following is a look at Asolo Rep’s planned 2026-2027 Second Stage productions:
“It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play,” Dec. 2-Jan. 3 — 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, 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. It’s a heartwarming and nostalgic play with music that is sure to put you in the holiday spirit.
“Provenance,” Feb. 24-March 21 — 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.
“Bootleg: America Sings 1927,” April 21-May 16 — 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.”
Since 1958, Asolo Repertory Theatre has been recognized as one of the premier professional theatres in America and one of the largest in the Southeastern United States. Asolo Rep produces up to eight productions each season, including classics, contemporary drama, musicals, and world premieres. A theatre district in and of itself, Asolo Rep is committed to expanding its reach into the community, furthering its collaboration with leading theatre-makers, and cultivating the next generation of artists through its affiliation with the FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training. Asolo Repertory Theatre is at 5555 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. For more information, visit AsoloRep.org or call 941.351.8000