Charleston City Paper

Keep it simple, please

Jeffrey Day — Sat, 25 May 2013 18:57:00 -0400

Something I forgot to mention earlier with all the talk of death — there’s a lot of spring and rebirth on stage at the festival as well. And weather-wise this may be the most beautiful opening weekend I’ve experienced. more…

Hot Ticket: Jared Grimes, Le Grand C, Piccolo Fringe

Elizabeth Pandolfi — Sat, 25 May 2013 17:09:00 -0400

The buzz from the Spoleto box office today is that Jared Grimes and Le Grand C have extremely limited availability (must be due to our A and A- ratings we gave them - you can read our review of Grimes here, and our review of Le Grand C here). If you want to see these shows, you better hop on that phone now. more…

Video: Gregory Porter sound check

Erica Jackson Curran — Sat, 25 May 2013 12:56:00 -0400

Gregory Porter won over our critic at his Cistern concert last night. Joy Vandervort-Cobb wrote, "Although Porter has the capacity to riff and scat and holler with the best of them, he is a straight-ahead jazz singer, emotionally and rhythmically connected to the tunes he sings, even as he demonstrates he has the capacity to make the music leap forth." more…

Le Grand C is simple but stunning

Erica Jackson Curran — Sat, 25 May 2013 12:20:00 -0400

A Towering Success

A theme emerges, but you might not want to know what it is

Jeffrey Day — Sat, 25 May 2013 11:24:00 -0400

The Spoleto Festival is supposed to be about something life-affirming; at least that’s what someone says at the opening ceremonies.
I’ve generally thought of that as just a generalization handily trotted out. Yeah, yeah, of course the arts are life-affirming, except for completely nihilistic works. more…

Matsukaze is a wonderfully creepy triumph

Lindsay Koob — Sat, 25 May 2013 11:07:00 -0400

If you have a thing for ghost stories (never mind its Noh origins), or even if you don't, do not pass up this miraculous production.

Though enthusiastic and spirited, Compagnie Kafig is unsatisfying overall

Celeste Pottier — Sat, 25 May 2013 10:51:00 -0400

Though the dancers have potential, overall, Compagnie Kafig doesn't quite hold together yet.

Gregory Porter's perfect pipes cool down a balmy Charleston night

Joy Vandervort-Cobb — Sat, 25 May 2013 10:32:00 -0400

When Gregory Porter took center stage at the Cistern at the College of Charleston Friday night to open the Wells Fargo Jazz Series for Spoleto 2013, his signature hood-like hat encased his head, allowing only his face to show. My immediate thought was, "Hmm, did he think it was going to be cold?"

Jared Grimes' captivating history of tap, from Broadway to today

Elizabeth Pandolfi — Sat, 25 May 2013 10:13:00 -0400

It only took tap dancer Jared Grimes about five minutes before he had last night's 7 p.m. audience hooting and hollering at a volume usually reserved for the grand finale, not the opening number.

Tristan Sturrock takes an exquisite tumble in Mayday Mayday

Susan Cohen — Sat, 25 May 2013 08:18:00 -0400

What really pushes Mayday Mayday to the level of brilliance is the direction and stage designs of Katy Carmichael, Sturrock's long-time girlfriend. At one point, when Sturrock turns a gurney/mirror hybrid into a hospital bed, with his head strapped down to the pillow, the audience gave the unexpected transformation a round applause.

Spoleto Festival USA kicks off with Brazilian hip-hop

Sam Spence — Fri, 24 May 2013 17:33:00 -0400

It's official! Welcome to the 37th annual Spoleto Festival USA! more…

Remembering the past, looking to the future, and finding the Spoleto sweet spot

Jeffrey Day — Fri, 24 May 2013 17:30:00 -0400

Departures were very much a part of the first few hours of the 37th Spoleto Festival.

At opening ceremonies foremost in the remembrance was Ted Stern, the founding chairman of the festival board, who died in January at 100 and to whom the 2013 festival is dedicated. more…

Follow Spoleto, Piccolo, and Fringe with CP's free Spoleto app

Sam Spence — Fri, 24 May 2013 17:06:00 -0400

It's a common dilemma, you're standing at intermission during your favorite Spoleto opera and you can't wait to plan your next show but don't have a City Paper Spoleto guide handy. No fear, the City Paper Spoleto mobile app is here to help. more…

Video: Preview the puppets of A Midsummer Night's Dream

Susan Cohen — Fri, 24 May 2013 15:41:00 -0400

We bet Shakespeare never would have guessed that one day that his fantastical play about love and fairies would be performed by puppets. South Africa's Handspring Puppet Company has adapted A Midsummer Night's Dream over the last few years, and we can't wait to see their War Horse-esque adaptation of the classic story. more…

Compagnie XY gets the South of Broad treatment

Angela Hanyak — Fri, 24 May 2013 13:42:00 -0400

When we heard that Spoleto SCENE was hosting their Le Grand C after-party at a South of Broad mansion, we expected a fancy affair. But like the French acrobatic show, which is a more bare-bones spectacle than the commercialized Cirque du Soleil, the party was a laid-back affair where old friends mingled with new. more…

Video: Behind the scenes with Le Grand C

Erica Jackson Curran — Fri, 24 May 2013 13:05:00 -0400

Yesterday, City Paper photographer Jonathan Boncek stopped in to the Memminger Auditorium to check out the members of Compagnie XY as they prepared for their show Le Grand C, which officially opens tonight after two preview performances. You can read our interview with the acrobats here, but if you want to see them in person, you'd better go ahead and buy your tickets. more…

Stalk your favorite festival artists on Twitter

Erica Jackson Curran — Fri, 24 May 2013 12:49:00 -0400

One of our favorite parts of Spoleto is spotting performers around town, whether it's orchestra members lugging around their heavy instruments in black-tie attire or the star of the festival's big opera eating lunch at Basil. To keep tabs on our visitors, we've created a little Twitter list you can follow. more…

Hot Ticket: Spoleto sell-outs

Elizabeth Pandolfi — Fri, 24 May 2013 12:35:00 -0400

With opening night just a few hours away, you can bet the Spoleto box office phones are ringing off the hook (we know — we've tried calling a couple of times already). And while you'd think that would mean that your chances of getting tickets to some of the most buzzed-about productions are slim to none, it turns out that the outlook isn't as bleak as you'd think. more…

P&C parent company planning development at Meeting and Columbus

Paul Bowers — Fri, 24 May 2013 12:18:00 -0400

Evening Post Publishing Company, the Charleston-based parent company of the Post and Courier, announced this week that it had selected a pair of developers for a 2.8-acre mixed-use project being planned at the northwest corner of Meeting and Columbus streets. The company chose Charleston-based Greystar Real Estate Partners and Charlotte-based Lincoln Harris to develop Phase 1 of a project it is calling Courier Square. more…

Nikki Haley appoints member of white power organization to campaign

Chris Haire — Fri, 24 May 2013 12:08:00 -0400

The Post and Courier just dropped a doozy of a story: Gov. Nikki Haley has appointed an alleged member of a white supremacist organization to her campaign. The man in question: Roan Garcia-Quintana. more…

Hey Eric Holder ...

Chris Haire — Fri, 24 May 2013 10:23:00 -0400

Is it possible to sign a search warrant for your own ass, because it would be really nice if you did that, you know? And can you get Roger Ailes to do it? more…

JAC kicks off jazz series, runs until June 7

Tom Pernecker — Fri, 24 May 2013 09:32:00 -0400

Last night Kevin Hackler and company kicked off the 6th annual Jazz Artists of Charleston (JAC) Jazz Series, which runs until Fri. June 7, or more or less until the end of Spoleto. more…

Order your Whole Foods Memorial Day Bundle day now!

Laura Cannon — Fri, 24 May 2013 09:05:00 -0400

This year, take it easy on Memorial Day when you take advantage of Whole Foods' bundle deal, below. Place your order soon, while supplies last! more…

Video: Le Villi/Mese Mariano dress rehearsal

Erica Jackson Curran — Fri, 24 May 2013 04:47:00 -0400

One of Spoleto's grand operas this year is a double bill featuring Puccini's Le Villi and Umberto Giordano's Mese Mariano. Le Villi, Puccini's first, rarely seen opera, is about a young man who abandons his lover and is then tormented by her spirit after she dies. more…

CJO stages an outstanding reimagining of Porgy & Bess

Brooks Brunson — Thu, 23 May 2013 16:00:00 -0400

Last Saturday, Charleston Jazz Orchestra premiered a completely fresh production of Ira and George Gershwin's classic American folk opera, Porgy and Bess. After the success of the 2012 Broadway revival of the piece, Charleston Jazz Orchestra wanted to bring the work back to its Charleston roots. What they came up with was something completely different from what anyone could've expected: a concert and a concert alone. And that meant no actors and no sets.