Video:  Meet the cast of "Respect"!
Video: "I am Woman"
The David A. Straz, Jr. Center for the Performing Arts (formerly the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center) presents Respect: A Musical Journey of Women, back by popular demand Aug. 19 - Sept. 26, in the Jaeb Theater.

Creative Loafing said "Respect is terrific ... You couldn't ask for a more entertaining look at American women's history...(4½ )," while The Tampa Tribune proclaimed "Respect" is a must-see for theatergoers who like a musical with something to say."

From "Someone to Watch over Me" to "I Will Survive," Respect is the journey of women told through the music of the Top-40.  It's a show that is a journey from the codependence of "I Will Follow Him" to the anger of "These Boots are Made for Walking," to the cynicism of "What's Love Got to Do with It," and finally to the strength of "Hero." Combining excerpts of 60 songs with women's own stories about finding dreams, lost love, relationship issues, entering the workforce, gaining independence and more, Respect is an exhilarating must-see, must-hear evening of theater.

Vanderbilt University professor Dr. Dorothy Marcic created the show based on her book, "RESPECT: Women and Popular Music." For more than the first half of the last century, the voice of women in Top-40 popular music has been one of neediness and dependency. By the end of the century, things were quite different. Popular music had come far enough that women looked for the hero within themselves, were urged to get on their feet and make it happen and were ready to stand on their own with or without a man. Messages in the music encompassed everything from "I am woman-hear me roar" to "I will survive" and encouraged women to find their own dreams.

Respect: A Musical Journey of Women will play in the Jaeb Theater, Aug.19 - Sept. 26.  Performances are Friday and Saturday evenings at 7:30 p.m., with matinee performances on Saturdays at 2 p.m. and Sundays at 4 p.m. There will be no performances over Labor Day weekend, Sept. 3 - 5. Regularly priced tickets start at $34.50 and may be purchased by calling 813.229.STAR (7827) or 800.955.1045 outside Tampa Bay, in person at the Straz Center Ticket Office or online at www.strazcenter.org. For more information about the David A. Straz, Jr. Center for the Performing Arts and its upcoming events, please visit www.strazcenter.org.