"The Underpants" extended again at Sarasota's FST

   "The Underpants" is such a huge hit that Florida Studio Theatre is extending its run for a second time. It's now set to run through Aug. 11.
   Steve Martin took a 100-year-old German play and adapted it into a farce with some hilarious moments and a hint of social commentary. (Don't let that scare you off, though; it's essentially merriment, not message.)

A scene from "The Underpants"

   The story's about a beautiful young married woman who's watching the king pass by in a parade. When she rises up onto her toes to get a better look, her underpants fall to the ground. It causes a minor scandal, and two men become obsessed with her.
   FST is
at 1241 N. Palm Ave. in downtown Sarasota. Tickets are $18-$24. Call 941-366-9000 or go to www.floridastudiotheatre.org.

More of Steve Martin's "Underpants" in Sarasota

   Florida Studio Theatre's staging of the "The Underpants," a farce adapted by Steve Martin from an obscure 100-year-old German play, is such a hit that FST has added more shows. It's now set to run through Aug. 3.

Read more here: http://www.bradenton.com/2013/06/20/4575252/sarasota-hosts-steve-martins-underpants.html#storylink=cpy

   The story has to do with a woman who's watching the king pass by in a parade. She rises up onto her toes to get a better look, and her underpants fall to the ground. Two men who see it happen become obsessed with her.
   It has messages abut feminism and celebrity, but director Bruce Jordan says that at its heart it's meant to be pure comic entertainment.
    Tickets start at $32. Call 941-366-9000 or go to www.floridastudiotheatre.org.

Sarasota's Florida Studio Theatre announces summer season

   Performing arts pickings get a bit slim in the summer, but Florida Studio Theatre is making sure you can sate your appetite for quality stage offerings.
   On Monday, FST announced a three-show summer season that includes a Kander and Ebb revue, a Steve Martin farce and a Miami-based satire.

Steve Martin

   The summer season starts May 29 with "And the World Goes 'Round," a revue based on the songs of Kander and Ebb. Their best-known shows are "Cabaret" and "Chiacgo," so there are plenty of numbers from those two shows, as well as familiar songs from "New York, New York" and other Kander and Ebb works. It runs through June 30.
   Next up is the "The Underpants," Steve Martin's adaptation of the classic hundred-year-old German farce "Die Hose." The story's about a woman who accidentally exposes herself in public, which sets off string of circumstances that, according to reviews from a round the country, are hilarious. June 28-July 28.
   Finally there's "South Beach Babylon," a 2010 comedy by South Florida playwright Michael McKeever, that pokes fun at Miami's people and the lifestyle of Miami. That one runs July 26-Sept. 1.
   Single tickets run $18-$49. A subscription to all three shows  start at $39. Information: 941-366-9000 or wwwfloridastudiotheatre.org.

Top 25 reasons to love 'Planes, Trains and Automobiles'

Thanksgiving has been officially rocking the fourth Thursday of November since the Lincoln administration.

But the holiday didn't achieve its current level of awesomeness until 1987.

That's the year John Hughes' "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" opened the day before Thanksgiving.

A quarter century later, the brilliant bromance ranks as a Turkey Day viewing tradition rivaled only by parades (not really) and football (depending on who's playing).

To celebrate the comedy classic's silver anniversary, here are the Top 25 reasons to watch "Planes, Trains & Automobiles."

Read more.