Disney's The Lion King

Opening March 14

Broadway’s megahit Elton John-Tim Rice musical about young Simba, his villainous uncle Scar, and the rest of the characters from the Disney movie finally roars into Sarasota, for a long run through March 31 at the Van Wezel. Meet the actor who plays Simba here. 

Noises Off

March 20-April 20

Broadway director and comedic actor Don Stephenson (among his credits, he directed Titanic at Lincoln Center and appeared in A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder) directs Asolo Rep's new production of the Michael Frayn classic farce about theater folk struggling to get through their own farce, titled Nothing On. (Previews are the 20^th and 21^st.)

Buyer & Cellar

March 20-April 14

The Drama Desk Award-winning one-man comedy about a guy who finds work in the basement mini-mall of a superstar (could we be talking about Barbra Streisand here?) comes to Florida Studio Theatre’s Bowne’s Lab Theatre. The New York Times called it “the most talked-about new comedy of the season” when it premiered in 2013. 

Love Sung in the Key of Aretha

March 13-April 28

If you want to catch Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe’s musical tribute to the one and only Queen of Soul, you’d better hurry. We hear limited tickets are still available for this show that includes more than 30 of her beloved hits. 

Pavel Haas Quartet

March 15

Next up for Sarasota Concert Association's Great Performers Series is the Prague-based musical ensemble, hailed by Gramophone as “the world’s most exciting string quartet.” On the program are works by Shostakovich and Beethoven. 

EarShot and Sarasota Orchestra

March 14 and 16

The National Orchestral Composition Discovery Network—better known by the snappy title, EarShot—joins the Sarasota Orchestra for the first time to present new works by four emerging composers: a chamber concert at 5:30 p.m. March 14, and an orchestra concert at 8 p.m. Saturday, both at Holley Hall.