FST cabaret goes ‘To the Limit’ to explore Southern roots of rock ‘n’ roll

The 1970s offered a wide range of musical styles that dominated Top 40 radio stations, from the Carpenters and Don McLean, to Stevie Wonder, Fleetwood Mac, ABBA, Chicago and Debbie Boone.

Over the years, Florida Studio Theatre has focused on different genres and artists from the era but for it’s latest cabaret production, “Take it to the Limit,” it is exploring the musicians who brought rock ‘n’ roll back to its Southern roots.

Rebecca Hopkins, who created the show with Richard Hopkins and Sarah Durham, said the new production is an outgrowth of last season’s hit “The ‘70s: More Than a Decade.”

“When we were developing ‘The ‘70s,’ we were more focused on the pop songs from that era. However, all this wonderful rock music was just sitting there, unexplored. That music is what we’re diving into with this show.”

That means songs by the Allman Brothers Band, The Eagles, Linda Rondstadt and more, who blended elements of country, soul, R&B and folk into their music, creating a distinctive sound that came to be considered American classic rock.

The song list includes such hits as “Take it Easy,” “Ramblin’ Man,” “Brand New Key,” “When Will I Be Loved,” “Hotel California,” “Lay Down Sally” and “It’s a Heartache.”

“Music in the ‘70s was wild,” Hopkins said. “On one side you had disco and white leisure suits. On the other, you had blue jeans and rock ‘n’ roll. They existed both separately and together.”

Catherine Randazzo, who has staged more than a dozen of FST’s cabaret series productions, returns as director, with musical direction by Spiff Wiegand, who was featured in the FST production of “Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story.”

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Randazzo said each of the artists featured in the show created hits with their own unique style and sound while “they all played a pivotal role in shaping the musical fabric of the era.” The different groups and soloists “combined the storytelling elements of country music with the raw energy of rock ‘n’ roll and added in a little Southern flavor.”

It features a cast of returning FST performers, including Joe Casey, a veteran of seven past productions including “Friends in Low Places,” “Blue Suede Shoes” and “Million Dollar Quartet,” and Sarah Hund, who has been in six, most recently “Once” and as part of the musical group the Blue Eyed Bettys. They are joined by Ken Sandberg, who was featured in “Buddy” and Hannah Taylor who was part of the cast of the theater’s Stevie Wonder tribute “A Place in the Sun.”

“Take it to the Limit” runs Nov. 29-April 7 in the Goldstein Cabaret, 1241 N. Palm Ave., Sarasota. Tickets are $18-$39. 941-366-9000; floridastudiotheatre.org.

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This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Florida Studio Theatre dives into Southern roots of rock in the 1970s