From Beatles to Bee Gees, Florida Studio Theatre cabaret sings hits of the 1970s

Jay Handelman, Sarasota Herald-Tribune
·3 min read
From left, Eddie Weaver, Brianna Barnes, Michael James Byrne and Jannie Jones star in Florida Studio Theatre’s cabaret production of “The ’70s: More Than a Decade.”
From left, Eddie Weaver, Brianna Barnes, Michael James Byrne and Jannie Jones star in Florida Studio Theatre’s cabaret production of “The ’70s: More Than a Decade.”

Florida Studio Theatre has touched on the music of the 1970s in a number of its cabaret shows, but it is taking a deeper dive into the period that ushered in disco and other sounds with its season-opening production of “The ’70s: More Than a Decade.”

As in previous shows that focused on the hits of the 1950s and 1960s, this new cabaret revue reveals how much music can change over a decade.

“Compared to the ’60s and ’50s, where the music got a little darker as we progressed, you’re kind of starting in that dark world and then it grows out of it,” said Rebecca Hopkins, who is creating the show with her husband, Richard Hopkins, and Sarah Durham.

Arts Newsletter: Sign up to receive the latest news on the Sarasota area arts scene every Monday

2022-23 at FST: Broadway hits and a world premiere coming this season to Florida Studio Theatre

Sean Daniels: Arizona artistic director to lead new play projects at Florida Studio Theatre

The music, arranged by Jim Prosser, ranges from The Who’s “Baba O’Riley” and “Won’t Get Fooled Again” (which were later theme songs for various editions of “CSI”), the Neil Sedaka/Captain and Tennille hit “Love Will Keep Us Together,” “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart,” “Let it Be,” songs by the Bee Gees and Queen and a medley of TV theme songs ranging “All in the Family” to “The Muppet Show.”

The production features Jannie Jones, appearing in her 21st production at the theater, along with returning artists Michael James Byrne (who was in the cast of last season’s “The Wanderers”) and Eddie Weaver, who recently completed the FST Acting Apprenticeship Training Program. They are joined by Brianna Barnes, who is making her FST debut. Catherine Randazzo is directing the production, as she has done with numerous other cabaret shows.

Eddie Weaver, a former FST Acting Apprentice and Michael James Byrne, return to Florida Studio Theatre for the cabaret musical “The ’70s: More Than a Decade.”
Eddie Weaver, a former FST Acting Apprentice and Michael James Byrne, return to Florida Studio Theatre for the cabaret musical “The ’70s: More Than a Decade.”

Rebecca Hopkins said the decade began with the nation still in upheaval over the Vietnam War, which can be heard in several of the first act songs. Changes kept coming with Watergate and the women’s movement.

“There was a shift from the public to personal happenings in the 1970s. The idea was that the best way to change things is to start in my own household. That’s how the 70s became the ‘Me’ decade,” she said. “It went from the outward focus of the 1960s to an inward focus. And that happened in the music as well.”

City Commission decision: Players Centre and Bay Park offer competing plans for Sarasota Municipal Auditorium

Apartments and new theater spaces: FST to expand campus, offer affordable housing for Sarasota arts workers

The decade also marked the introduction of new technology and different kinds of creative jobs, more parents working and leading to a growing number of latchkey kids, the sexual revolution and broken families.

Jannie Jones, left, is in her 21st show at Florida Studio Theatre, and Brianna Barnes makes her Sarasota debut in “The ’70s: More Than a Decade.”
Jannie Jones, left, is in her 21st show at Florida Studio Theatre, and Brianna Barnes makes her Sarasota debut in “The ’70s: More Than a Decade.”

By the mid part of the decade, after American soldiers left Vietnam and the end of Watergate, “there was a sense of hope that things were looking up,” Hopkins said, noting such songs as “I’ll be There” and “Let It Be.”

Even the rousing beat of disco, which got people dancing at a new style of bars and nightclubs, wasn’t as upbeat as the music might suggest.

“Look at the lyrics to ‘Saturday Night Fever,’ Those are some of the darkest lyrics you’ll read,“ she said. “People were really disenchanted with the American dream and were having troubles having ends meet. Inflation skyrocketed, there was an oil embargo and gas lines.”

The disco movement was an escape, Hopkins said. “Yes, there are troubles but we’re still going to go out and have a good time. This is our chance to not think about those problems day to day. That’s kind of where we are now. I’m done thinking about all this negative stuff. I just want to have a good time.”

‘The ’70s: More Than a Decade’

Created by Rebecca Hopkins, Richard Hopkins and Sarah Durham. Directed by Catherine Randazzo. Runs Oct. 5-Feb. 12 in Florida Studio Theatre’s Court Cabaret, 1265 First St., Sarasota. 941-366-9000; floridastudiotheatre.org

Follow Jay Handelman on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Contact him at jay.handelman@heraldtribune.com. And please support local journalism by subscribing to the Herald-Tribune.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Changing sounds of the 1970s on stage in Florida Studio Theatre cabaret