Entertainment

Broadway and off-Broadway touring companies, world renowned dance troupes and some of the most gifted musicians of our time pack the calendars and the houses at Naples’ Philharmonic Center for the Arts and Sugden Community Theatre (Naples); and the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall in Fort Myers. Two top-tier symphony orchestras make their home here on the Gulfshore, and Naples is the winter home of the Miami City Ballet.

The Germain Arena can pack in 7,000 concert-goers. There are dinner theaters, black box theaters, community playhouses and a fledgling opera company that is already getting rave reviews. There are free jazz concerts, old-fashioned band concerts in the parks and jazzy little spots to dance the night away. There’s even a murder-mystery theater train and various re-enactments of the salty characters from Seminole and pioneer days.

The Gulfshore of Florida may seem like a laid back tropical resort region, but when it comes to performing arts, we’re a class act!

MARCO ISLAND

Performing Arts
Marco Island Players, 1055 N. Collier Blvd., Towne Center, (239) 642-7270. A full season of one-act plays and musical revues. Season tickets available.

Live Music/Dancing
The Bombay Club, 695 Bald Eagle Drive, (239) 389-9100. Live music and DJ seven nights a week in season. 18 and up.
Mel’s , 657 S. Collier Blvd., (239) 394-7111. Live music three nights a week.

Comedy
Off the Hook Comedy Club, 599 S. Collier Blvd., (239) 389-6900. Dinner, comedy shows with national touring comedians, music and dancing Thursday through Sunday.

NAPLES

Performing Arts
Classic Chamber Concerts, (239) 434-8505. Performances, guest artists and special concerts, November through April. Performances at Sugden Community Theatre. www.classicchamberconcerts.org.

Gulfshore Playhouse, (239) 566-8394. Naples’ newest professional regional theater group, performing at Sugden Community Theatre and other sites, presents a six-show season consisting of important classics, world premieres, dramas, comedies, recent Broadway and off-Broadway hits, and musicals. www.gulfshoreplayhouse.org.

Naples Players at Sugden Community Theatre, 701 Fifth Ave. S., (239) 263-7990. Community theater troupe presents comedies, dramas and musicals. Educational programs throughout the year. Recently named one of the top 10 community theaters in the country. www.naplesplayers.org.
Norris Community Center at Cambier Park, 755 Eighth Ave. S., (239) 213-3049. Community theater and cultural center hosts shows, art exhibits, lectures, films, a dance school and classes for all ages. Newly remodeled and expanded. Home to the Pelican Players.

Opera Naples, (800) 771-1041. Naples’ only professional regional opera company; performs three operas per season at the Gulf Coast High School auditorium. www.operanaples.com.

Philharmonic Center for the Arts, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd., (239) 597-1111 or (800) 597-1900. Home to the Naples Philharmonic, an 85-piece symphony orchestra; the 110-voice Philharmonic Center Chorale; and the Youth Chorale. Hayes Hall features concerts and Broadway shows. Florida’s west coast home to the Miami City Ballet, the Phil also presents events in two auditoriums, four art galleries and two sculpture gardens. Hosts more than 400 events per year. www.thephil.org.

TheatreZone, 13275 Livingston Road, (239) 451-0215. Professional theatre company. Performances held at the G&L Theatre on The Community School of Naples campus. www.theatrezone.net.

Live Music/Dancing
Aura at the Naples Grande Resort & Club, 475 Seagate Drive, (239) 594-6000. Live jazz 7 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. www.naplesgranderesort.com.
Bellasera Resort & Lounge, 221 U.S. 41 N., (239) 649-7333. Live jazz 6 to 10 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Campiello Ristorante, 1177 Third St. S., (239) 435-1166. Jazz Friday and Saturday nights.
Club NooShi, Noodles Italian Café & Sushi Bar, 1585 Pine Ridge Road, Naples,
(239) 592-0050. Dancing Thursdays from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. Two full bars. VIP and bottle service. Outdoor seating and lounge.

The Bean, 8803 U.S. 41 N., (239) 594-0088. Live music every night in winter,
7 to 10 p.m.

Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club, 851 Gulf Shore Blvd. N., (239) 261-2222. Sunday-night pool parties featuring live entertainment by the Mixed Nuts and Phoenix; entertainment nightly.

Seawitch Restaurant and Lounge, 179 South Bay Drive, off Vanderbilt Beach Road, (239) 566-1514. Live entertainment Wednesday through Saturday in-season, Friday and Saturday off-season.
Silver Spoon Café, 5375 Tamiami Trail N., Waterside Shops. (239) 591-2123. Live music Friday and Saturday early evenings by Cougar until 8 p.m.

Sway, 2059 E. Tamiami Trail, (239) 417-6688. An upscale, high-concept lounge. Open Wednesday through Saturday evenings, offering live entertainment, DJs and VIP bottle service. www.swaynaples.com.

The Club at the Ritz-Carlton, 280 Vanderbilt Beach Road, (239) 598-3300. Jazz and live entertainment Tuesday through Saturday.

Yabba Island Grill, 711 Fifth Ave. S., (239) 262-5787. DJ and dancing Friday and Saturday. www.yabbaislandgrill.com.

Trilogy, 720 Fifth Ave. S., (239) 261-1221. Entertainment Tuesday to Sunday. Live piano, lunch to 6 p.m. After dinner, live music and DJ. www.trilogyofnaples.com.

BONITA SPRINGS

Performing Arts
Stage 88, 27381 Old 41 Road, at the Bonita Springs Community Hall. The city’s first official community theater. www.stage88.com.

CAPE CORAL

Performing Arts
Cape Coral Cultural Park Theatre Company, 528 Cultural Park Blvd., (239) 772-5862. Home of the Cape Coral Community Theatre, Cultural Park Theatre Project and Cape Coral Council for Arts and Humanities. Live performances, art exhibitions and classes.
www.culturalparktheater.org.

FORT MYERS

Performing Arts
Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall, 8099 College Parkway, (239) 481-4849 or (800) 440-7469. Home of the Southwest Florida Symphony Orchestra and Chorus. Variety of touring productions, including Broadway shows, musicals, plays, dance and ballet programs, and pop music concerts. www.bbmannpah.com.

Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre, 1380 Colonial Blvd., (239) 278-4422. Features buffet dining and Broadway’s best musicals. Off-Broadway Palm Theatre, a 90-seat black-box theater featuring musical revues. Theater-themed gift shop located in the lobby; Playbill Bar offers pre- or post-dinner cocktails. www.broadwaypalm.com.

FGCU Arts Complex Black Box Theatre, 10501 FGCU Blvd. S., (239) 590-7268. Florida Gulf Coast University’s undergraduate theater department presents a wide variety of historic and modern plays. Advance tickets recommended. www.fgcu.edu/cas/blackbox.
Florida Repertory Theatre at the Arcade Theatre, historic downtown Fort Myers on Bay Street between Jackson and Hendry streets, (239) 332-4488 or (877) 787-8053. Southwest Florida’s only professional regional theater presents classic works, newer plays and Broadway shows. Group and student discounts available. www.floridarep.org.

Lee County Alliance for the Arts, 10091 McGregor Blvd., (239) 939-2787. Featuring the 12,000-square-foot William R. Frizzell Cultural Centre, the 175-seat indoor Foulds Theatre and its resident Theatre Conspiracy company; the outdoor Margaret Morrow Frizzell amphitheater and the 8,000-square-foot Edwards Professional Building. Live performances, monthly art exhibits, festivals and other events. www.artinlee.org.

Seminole Gulf Railway, Colonial Station, four miles west of I-75 on Colonial Boulevard, (239) 275-8487. Theatrical troupe presents a murder mystery aboard a moving train Wednesday through Sunday nights; guests help solve the crime while enjoying five courses. Reservations required. www.semgulf.com.

Southwest Florida Symphony, 4560 Via Royale, (239) 418-1500. Classical and pops concerts November through April. Also the home of Symphony on Sanibel and a new traveling choral series. www.swflso.com.

Theatre Conspiracy, 10091 McGregor Blvd., (239) 936-3239. Nonprofit theater group performs everything from the classics to cutting-edge works and world premieres. www.theatreconspiracy.org.

Live Music/Dancing
Brick Bar and Sky Bar, 2224 Bay St., (239) 332-7425. Two-level establishment, with the Sky Bar on the roof patio. Live rhythm and blues, rock, jazz and DJ.
Buddha Bar & Grill, 12701 McGregor Blvd., (239) 482-8565. Live entertainment Tuesday through Sunday. 21 and up.

Cin Cin Mediterranean Bar & Grille, 13451 McGregor Blvd., (239) 415-2007. Live music in the Red Room, Wednesday through Sunday. www.cincingrille.com.

City Tavern, 2206 Bay St., (239) 226-1133. Live music Friday and Saturday, 9 p.m. to close.

Dwyers Pub, 13851 S. Cleveland Ave., (239) 425-0782. Irish pub hosts Screaming Orphans (sister act from Ireland), Celtic Stew and traditional Irish folk.

EnVie, 2213 Main St., (239) 337-0909. Sophisticated lounge with bottle service, VIP room.
Fat Cats Drink Shack, 1512 Hendry St., (239) 226-9272. Frozen drinks and happy hour. Pool tables, dartboards and video games. 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. daily.

Groove Street Grill, College Plaza Shopping Center, corner of College Parkway and Winkler Road, (239) 437-2743. www.groovestreet.com.

Indigo Room, 2219 Main St., (239) 332-0014. Open mike, DJ and dancing.
Patio 33, 33 Patio de Leon, downtown, (239) 461-2727. DJ and dancing. Three bars, dance floor and outdoor patio. 21 and up.

Ricochet, 3853 S. Cleveland Ave., in the Kmart Plaza, (239) 277-5700. Ladies’ night Friday; dance party on Saturday.

Spirit of Bacchus, 1406 Hendry St., (239) 689-2675. Live music and spirits downtown.

Comedy
Comedy Asylum, (239) 332-7992. Performs monthly at the Café Cabaret at the Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre, 1380 Colonial Blvd.

Laugh-In Comedy Café, College Plaza Shopping Center, corner of College Parkway and Winkler Road, (239) 479-LAFF. Featuring national touring comedians and a full menu Friday and Saturday at 8 and 10 p.m; 8 p.m. show Friday and Saturday is smoke-free. 21 and up. Thursday night
8 p.m. show $5.

FORT MYERS BEACH

Live Music/Dancing
Channel Mark, 19001 San Carlos Blvd., (239) 463-0117. Happy hour 3 to 7 p.m. Live entertainment.

The Bridge, 708 Fisherman’s Wharf, (239) 765-0050. Live entertainment.

Jimmy B’s, 1130 Estero Blvd., (239) 463-9759. Live music.

Junkanoo Beach Bar, 3040 Estero Blvd., (239) 463-6139. Reggae beach parties.
Valerie’s Lounge & Liquors 17264 San Carlos Blvd., Suite 312. Live music with Modulation. (239) 466-7788.