Monkey: Journey to the Grocery Store from Dan Conover on Vimeo.

On Monday I got a chance to ride with a van full of acrobats and singers from the cast of Monkey: Journey to the West to a great Asian grocery just north of I-526 on Rivers Avenue. This weekly grocery run is part of the Chinese cast’s survival strategy: The players have been on the road off-and-on in support of this production since May 2007, and finding food that tastes like home is a big deal.

It’s a lively, young, likable cast from a production that has all the color and excitement of a beloved Chinese classic, but without the super-serious “cultural treasure” tension that followed Peony Pavilion around the world. Here’s hoping you enjoy the video as much as I enjoyed following them around.

Poet Paul Allen will launch his new collection of poetry, “Ground Forces,” at Piccolo’s Sundown Poetry Series, City Gallery at Waterfront Park, Tuesday, June 3, 6:30-7:30 p.m. His presentation will include original songs.

For those of you who haven’t been to this particular Piccolo event, Paul Allen teaches poetry, form and meter, and lyric writing at College of Charleston. His poems have appeared Northwest Review, Southern Poetry Review, Cimarron Review, Southwest Review, Ontario Review, New England Review, Iowa Review, Puerto Del Sol, and The Southern Review, as well as in several anthologies.

He has received the South Carolina Arts Commission’s Individual Artist Fellowship in Poetry twice, the Mary Roberts Rinehart Award (George Mason University), the Vassar Miller Poetry Prize from the University of North Texas Press, the South Carolina Academy of Authors Fellowship, the John Williams Andrews Narrative Poetry Prize from Poet Lore, the Distinguished Research Award from The College of Charleston (2007), and a Pushcart Prize (2008).

Paul says the performance is best for audiences 17 and older: “There are some four letter words. One of the themes of this book show we plant ourselves into other people’s lives, and I wouldn’t want some young couple with children feeling uncomfortable. Life is hard enough without our making others’ lives harder.”

Listen to Paul Allen’s readings and songs.

Piccolo’s 24th Annual Juried Art Exhibition is called “Vanishing Landscapes.”

It opens Thursday May 22nd, 5-7 pm at City Gallery at Waterfront Park, 34 Prioleau St and it’s free.

The theme showcases work of South Carolina artists in two dimensions, three dimensions, and photography related to the state of our planet and its environment. Works confront problems of climate change, disappearing wetlands, air and water quality, the effects on wildlife due to vanishing habitats, etc. The exhibit will also feature the creation of a Tibetan sand mandala and a site specific installation and related documentary called “Ten Trees.” If you love Mother Earth, don’t miss this show.

SPECIAL FESTIVAL HOURS: DAILY 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
City Gallery at Waterfront Park
34 Prioleau St.

SPOLETO: These guys do special drinks from Don D. Lewis on Vimeo.

One of the best consequences of gathering creative people together is they tend to be inspired by each other. Last night I saw evidence of that in an unusual and, I think, quite clever way. I went over to Carolina’s, 10 Exchange St., to try four cocktails. (Not out of character for me, I know, although going with the intention of having four is a bit much!)

Carolina’s director of communications Batt Humphreys tells me that a conversation with Spoleto staffers including Paula Edwards, Kristen Matthews and Scott Sowell about events for the festival leaped forward from the concept of pairing wine with food to the idea of creating specialty drinks just for the festival. The result? Four new drinks, to be served only during the festival and only at Carolina’s and The Boathouse on East Bay.

Here they are:
The Spoletini: A blend of Stoli Blackberry, limoncello, prosecco and a twist.
The Ginger Monkey: A white Cosmopolitan with ginger-infused vodka inspired by Monkey: Journey Into the West.
La Cenerentola: A combination of champagne and pomegranate juice for, you guessed it, the Rossini opera of the same name. (Chin-ah-REN-tola)
Robison Mojito: A peach-and-mint combination inspired by Paula Robison’s new Brazilian-themed musical program.

They run about $6 and are attractively presented. I tried all of them and I think the Ginger Monkey is the best, but I’m a huge fan of ginger. Go check it out with some friends - and a designated driver if you’re trying all four. I did.

Video via Don D. Lewis of Lowcountry Voice.