As snowbirds, we love to support and enjoy local theatre. The Manatee Players are exquisite in…read moretheir sets, execution and hospitality. The venue is very nice. Our first play, The Cemetary Club, was held in the smaller theatre. Only con was the proximity of the chairs to the foward row. My 5'10" friend had her knees jammed into a chair back for most of the show. Our second play, Bright Star, was in the Stone Hall portion of the venue. It was true theatre seating and elevated stage. These volunteers do a wonderful job of entertaining. Highly recommend.

Saw "Newsies" at Manatee Players tonight (Friday). Best opening show since Les Miserable in my…read moreopinion. The cast defies adequate superlatives to communicate their amazing performance. The youthful cast permeates the audience with their energy and enthusiasm. Music is by Alan Menken, lyrics by Jack Feldman and book by Harvey Fierstein and the show is based on Disney's the Newsies. It takes place in the 1890's but the story seems very relevant to today's news. Rick Kerby has outdone himself with this production. His direction of dance numbers leave the audience exhilarated and clapping. Kudos to the entire production team but special note to the set designer Donna Buckalter. In the opening number the set moves like a Rubik's cube into cleaver formations. Each and every member of the cast is perfection. They work together like they have done it for years. Everyone should be mentioned but due to space I will laude the leads Austin Greshem as Jack Kelly, Alexander Zickafoose as Crutchie, Savannah Sinclair (Katherine Plummer) and all the newsies. Javisha Strong as Medda Larkin is literally show stopping in her number "That's Rich". The cast dance numbers are Broadway worthy. Simply breathe taking. The tap number at the opening of the second act had my heart beating faster than it should. The entire show reminded me why I love theater. This show is not to be missed if you are in the area. 5/5 stars.

The signage is horrible. We couldn't find it based on the address. Almost went home without seeing…read morethe performance we paid for. Small directional to direct us into the parking lot would have been helpful. Signage that isn't flush with the building would have helped as well. Having a live parking attendant is another solution. Frustrating when you are with someone who is disabled. That said.... The performance was the best of the season.... "Too fat for China" !!!

This was the smallest venue I've attended but it is setup well, seats are comfortable and the views…read moreare all excellent. All seating is open - first come first serve. Masking was not required and most of the patrons were not masked. Greeted enthusiastically, offered a free glass of white or red wine. The play was thoroughly enjoyable, perhaps a bit slow in the middle, with a cool twist at the end. Support local art!!

Saw LES MIS last night - a performance by super-talented high school actors & younger. It was well…read moreover a ten! The minimalist, effective sets & handling their setups was effective. The youth were superbly talented in their approach to this classic play, in full, glorious voice & touching roles well-played. Very hard to believe these were not professional actors - but then they were! It is brilliant, it shines, it is not to be missed if you can get on standby as the plays are all sold out at this point - but I got in, so tickets can be had... DO NOT MISS IT! Absolutely stunning in presentation, quality & presentation!

I have been volunteering both on and off stage as well as seeing shows at the players and I have…read morealways had a blast. The staff here is amazing and always very kind. Service wise, I have never had a negative experience here and performances are always great, considering that it's a community theatre. I would also recommend volunteering if you can, it really helps the theatre out and it's allot of fun working with and meeting new people every show you do.

We've been attending this Sarasota circus for years at UTC as we are blessed to have the Flying…read moreWallenda's Family here locally. They are amazing! The circus was even better this year because Nick Wallendas sister joined their act today, which is always fantastic, and they built a new Big Top with very comfy seats too! The acts were phenomenal! Very impressive. Must see!

Nik Wallenda's WONDERLAND CIRCUS, is family-friendly, fun, surprising, delightful and unique…read more.. each performer we saw was outstanding at what they did, from the tiny contortionist that "bent" and folded in ways you'd never think possible, to the "silks" flyer/gymnast who performed in ways that were breathtaking and unlike ANY we'd ever seen before...remarkable skills on display by every performer. Nik and his amazing family topped the show with their wire-walking abilities, and inspiring true story of overcoming adversity that lifted everyone's spirits. Our own "hometown superstars..."

The servers are all amazing. They are fast and work as one big team. The menu has many options…read moreand you can mix and match your "required" purchases. Our table had no problems with ordering and receiving drinks. We didn't order food but what we saw looked ok. The place is very nice inside. There is a separate lounge area inside the door that is convenient for waiting or chatting. We went for a concert and look forward to more in the future. The location is walking distance so we didn't need parking but you should have no problem finding a spot.

This place is the best live venue for comedy in Sarasota county. The beer is cold, the drinks are…read morefor the most part well made, the staff is friendly and fun. It's great that they serve throughout the show, too. The food is bar food. Best to have dinner before going to the show and enjoy some basic snacks. House rule requires a 2 item per person minimum. It can be any combination of food, sodas, or alcohol drinks. Extremely reasonable. And the staff is super helpful in guiding you. There is no bad view. The mood is dark, intimate and definitely full of laughs. Bathrooms are spotless and it's great to have it stocked. Definitely worth a visit for a great date night.

This was the last email I sent. I'll leave it at that. It's been 8 days with no response…read more.. Thank you for the detailed explanation, but I have to be honest -- I find this situation unacceptable. Prior to signing up, I made multiple attempts to call and get information, but no one answered the phone. That lack of communication left me with very little guidance, yet I still chose to move forward and register, trusting your studio's reputation. Unfortunately, that trust has only been met with confusion and poor customer service. I wasn't given proper direction from the beginning, and now I'm being told I'm essentially locked into a credit for future classes -- when, based on my experience so far, I have no desire to return unless I choose to. I also want to be transparent that the person representing your studio showed little care or concern during my interactions. That reflects directly on your business, and I'll be sure to share my experience with any parent who may ask for my opinion moving forward. Additionally, I'm not sure why the message keeps being pushed that your summer classes are full or have waitlists and that's why you cannot refund . When you call the recording states your still taking summer students and I actually just went to your website and it still shows summer sign-ups as open and is allowing me to sign up as a new student to all of those classes my daughter was in?!!! With that said, I respectfully decline any credits and do not wish to be locked into your programs. I believe the fair thing would be a full refund, considering the circumstances. Please let me know how you plan to proceed.

We are new to Florida ... a friend who we met referred me to Jump as her daughter has been enjoying…read moreboth the daycare and the dance classes. My daughter has only taken one class here so far but she keeps asking when she has dance again ! The whole staff has been wonderful to work with. I appreciate their help finding the right class for my daughter and feel that it's a great fit for my 5 year old !

We thought this show was connected to the traveling Cirque du Soleil shows which we have seen in…read moreNorthern and southern California. It obviously is not. Those other shows were as good as the permanent shows in Las Vegas. This was a very small venue, with what appeared to be amateur or emerging talent. They weren't bad, but they did not rise to the level of Cirque shows. And it certainly was not for children. We are not prudes, but some of the acts were a bit racy with women being rather provocative. The Alcatraz theme was totally lost. The worst part were the clowns/comedians who were simply not funny and had foul mouths which brought nothing to the act. The flying guy and the acrobats were pretty good, but again, not at the level we expected. We were disappointed, like a lot.

You should disregard the negative reviews about this show. No - it's not part of Cirque du Soleil,…read morenor do they represent it to be. Lol. A 1 star review for having the word "Cirque" in their name and the reviewer being ignorant is not fair. No - it's not a great show for children, nor do they represent it to be. They literally have a massive disclosure on their website homepage stating that the show is RATED R. They don't allow anyone under 13, and anyone 13-17 must be accompanied by an adult. As for any of the other slanderous nonsense reviews about this show - I just say to you - If you're an adult looking for a fun date-night or night out with friends, this is a really good time for 90 mins or so. The performers engage with the entire audience, there's tons of personalized photo opportunities, and the performance is edgy but very fun. You should definitely give it a shot! It's standard concession service inside (popcorn, slushies, soda, etc). No alcohol. I suggest dinner/drinks beforehand.

Please list the movies and times for Burns Court Cinema. Your faithful patrons can easily walk to…read morethe theater. We love the film selections, and the lemonade is delicious.

We are members now, and stopped in for our first film - See How They Run - a takeoff of an Agatha…read moreChristie whodunit. An annual membership for two is $50. The theater is small, running three films, but everything about this is like stepping back twenty years in time. Ok, it's not recliner seating and massive screens with state of the art sound systems. Save those IMAX and cinematic blockbusters for the multiplex theaters. But come here for drama, comedy and documentary films. They also run themed reruns - like Heroes - which run the gamut from A Few Good Men to Stripes. Free membership appreciation films. Meet the filmmaker night. A true community theater. Start with the cost for a weekday afternoon -$6 per seat, a drink and popcorn included! Friendly staff, clean theater seats, a huge selection of treats and snacks priced at half of what the chains now charge. Drinks, including wine, beer and mixed cocktails for sale. A unique popcorn flavor station tops off the list of things that make this theater, and its twin in Lakewood Ranch, a neighborhood gem!