{"id":144519,"date":"2026-02-05T09:15:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-05T09:15:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/144519\/"},"modified":"2026-02-05T09:15:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-05T09:15:09","slug":"weekend-spotlight-lets-hear-it-for-thursday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/144519\/","title":{"rendered":"Weekend spotlight: Let\u2019s hear it for Thursday"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Although there\u2019s a more or less full complement of performances across the bay area this weekend, for some reason \u00a0a preponderance of good things are on the marquee for this very night (Thursday, Feb. 5).<\/p>\n<p>Could this mean the groundhog was wrong? That the spring thaw has begun? Asking for a friend.<\/p>\n<p>Pop singer and actor Matthew Morrison performs tonight at the Murray Theatre, inside the Ruth Eckerd Hall complex. Among other things, Morrison had starring roles in the original Broadway casts of Hairspray, The Light in the Piazza and Finding Neverland. On the TV series Glee, he played music teacher Mr. Shuester. Find tickets for tonight\u2019s show (8 p.m.) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rutheckerdhall.com\/events\/detail\/matthew-morrison\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">at this link<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The Dove Award-winning Christian rock band NeedtoBreathe is onstage tonight at the Seminole Hard Rock Eventer Center. Find tickets <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ticketmaster.com\/event\/0D006322F34C42AA?CAMEFROM=CFC_TAMPA_HARDROCK_WEB_SHRTWEB_NEEDTOBREATHE26&amp;_ga=2.233152286.1098085051.1770233969-1162481335.1727120092\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Tonight at the Mahaffey Theater, The Florida Orchestra\u2019s ever-affable musical director Michael Frances goes Inside Bruckner\u2019s Symphony No. 4, during which he will go in-depth on the piece (part of TFO\u2019s big weekend concert), explaining the composer\u2019s influences and motivations before conducting TFO on a full performance. This 7:30 event is pay-what-you-can. RSVP <a href=\"https:\/\/floridaorchestra.org\/event\/inside-bruckners-symphony-no-4\/?utm_source=wordfly&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=WeeklyEmail2%2F3&amp;utm_content=version_A\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Tonight at Jannus Live: Lettuce, the Massachusetts funk band, making its semi-annual visit to the area. It\u2019s a tour in support of the new album Cook. Find tickets for the 7 p.m. show <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ticketmaster.com\/event\/0D0062E1253C649F\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">at this link<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>As featured in <a href=\"https:\/\/stpetecatalyst.com\/immersive-opera-at-the-museum-of-fine-arts-thursday\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">this Catalyst profile<\/a>: Texas-based composer Nathan Felix takes over the Museum of Modern Art St. Petersburg tonight (6:30-8:30 p.m.) for an immersive operatic experience, performed throughout the galleries.<\/p>\n<p>As featured in <a href=\"https:\/\/stpetecatalyst.com\/kathleen-edwards-is-all-about-st-pete-these-days\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">this Catalyst interview<\/a>: American singer\/songwriter Kathleen Edwards and her band appear tonight at Skipper\u2019s Smokehouse in Tampa. Edwards, whose critically-championed new album was produced by no less than Jason Isbell, has lived in St. Petersburg since 2022.<\/p>\n<p>At freeFall Theatre, the Irish historical musical drama Himself and Nora returns tonight at 7, continues through Sunday, and will be onstage through March 8. Tickets \u2018n\u2019 all can be found <a href=\"https:\/\/ci.ovationtix.com\/34941\/production\/1244283\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">here<\/a>. The show\u2019s stars Katie Davis and Robert Teasdale join us for Friday\u2019s edition of the Arts Alive! podcast.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-112012\" class=\"wp-image-112012\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Scarlet-Letter-2-American-Stage-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\"  \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-112012\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">American Stage\u2019s \u201cThe Scarlet Letter\u201d continues through Feb. 15. Publicity photo.<\/p>\n<p>Friday, Saturday &amp; Sunday<\/p>\n<p>Friday at the Palladium: Hillsborough blues guitarist Damon Fowler and his blues power trio, Desoto Tiger\u2019s Testimony. The band also includes Jason Ricci, harmonica, and Boogie Long on guitar. All three sing. For tickets (and additional details), click <a href=\"https:\/\/mypalladium.org\/events\/desoto-tigers-testimony\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Friday at the New Tampa Performing Arts Center: Greek guitarist Pavlo, who performed not three weeks ago alongside Benise in St. Petersburg. Pavlo Simtikidis is a longtime resident of Tampa. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newtampaartscenter.org\/events\/pavlo-2026\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Tickets<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>As featured in <a href=\"https:\/\/stpetecatalyst.com\/talking-with-grand-funk-railroad-founder-mark-farner\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">this Catalyst interview<\/a>: Grand Funk Railroad\u2019s founding guitarist, songwriter and lead singer Mark Farner brings his \u201cacoustic power trio\u201d to Ferg\u2019s Entertainment Complex Saturday.<\/p>\n<p>Back at the Mahaffey Theater Friday through Sunday is Shen Yun, the national touring show that celebrates the music, dance and pageantry of pre-Communist China. Find showtimes and tickets <a href=\"https:\/\/themahaffey.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">at this link<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Friday and Saturday, at 8 p.m. both days, The Florida Orchestra will be Morsani Hall, at the Straz Center in Tampa. The program includes Beethoven\u2019s Triple Concerto for Violin, Cello &amp; Piano, as well as Symphony No. 4 by Bruckner. Find tickets <a href=\"https:\/\/floridaorchestra.org\/event\/2526-mw7-beethoven-triple-concerto\/?utm_source=wordfly&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=WeeklyEmail2%2F3&amp;utm_content=version_A\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">at this link<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Actor Chazz Palminteri is onstage at the Capitol Theatre Friday with his 1989 one-man drama A Bronx Tale. It is, you might recall, the autobiographical tale of growing up in the Bronx in the 1960s, and attempting to balance working-class values with the gaudy allure of the local crime syndicate. Tickets for the 7:30 p.m. performance are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rutheckerdhall.com\/events\/detail\/chazz-palminteri\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">at this link<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Country music performer Chris Janson is onstage Saturday at Jannus Live. <a href=\"https:\/\/jannuslive.com\/events\/chris-janson\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Tickets<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Clearwater\u2019s Peace Memorial Presbyterian Church continues its chamber music series with a program at 3 p.m. Sunday. Violist Michael Klotz, cellist Scott Klucksdahl and pianist Grigorios Zamparas will perform Brahms Clarinet Trio in A minor, Opus 114, transcribed for violin and Beethoven\u2019s Cello Sonata No. 2 in G minor. A freewill offering will be gratefully accepted. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.peacememorial.org\/concerts\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Click here<\/a> for more information.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s the final weekend for Jobsite Theater\u2019s riotous, fractured fairy tale take on Shakespeare\u2019s The Comedy of Errors in the Jaeb Theatre (Straz Center). For Friday through Sunday showtimes and tickets, head over <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jobsitetheater.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>American Stage\u2019s take on Hawthorne\u2019s The Scarlet Letter picks up Friday through Sunday (it\u2019s onstage through Feb. 15). Tickets and showtimes are at the other end of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.americanstage.org\/shows\/the-scarlet-letter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">this link<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s wagons ho! at Ybor City\u2019s LAB Theater project, as the musical comedy The Trail to Oregon! debuts Friday. Find info, showtimes and tickets at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zeffy.com\/en-US\/ticketing\/the-trail-to-oregon\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">this-here link<\/a>. The show continues through Feb. 22.<\/p>\n<p>The Tampa Repertory Theatre production of Yasmina Reza\u2019s God of Carnage continues Friday through Sunday at Hillsborough Community College Performing Arts Center Studio Theatre. Find showtimes and tickets at <a href=\"https:\/\/tamparep.thundertix.com\/events\/253613\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">this link<\/a>; the show continues through Feb. 15.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/stpetecatalyst.com\/category\/create\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Your Weekend Spotlight<\/a>\u00a0appears every Thursday in the\u00a0Catalyst\u2019s CREATE section.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Please add us to your mailing list \u2013 send all press releases and event info to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/stpetecatalyst.com\/weekend-spotlight-lets-hear-it-for-thursday\/mailto:bill@stpetecatalyst.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">bill@stpetecatalyst.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>You can also submit your events to the\u00a0Catalyst\u00a0calendar, by clicking\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/stpetecatalyst.com\/contribute\/event\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Although there\u2019s a more or less full complement of performances across the bay area this weekend, for some&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":144520,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[202,204,203,199,201,200],"class_list":{"0":"post-144519","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-st-petersburg","8":"tag-st-pete","9":"tag-st-pete-headlines","10":"tag-st-pete-news","11":"tag-st-petersburg","12":"tag-st-petersburg-headlines","13":"tag-st-petersburg-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/144519","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=144519"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/144519\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/144520"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=144519"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=144519"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=144519"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}