By Dottie Ashley

Post and Courier Reviewer

‘Anderson Illusions - A World Beyond Reality,’ a blend of magic, music and audience participation, seemed to be just what the large audience that nearly filled the Footlight Players’ 240 seats, wanted on Sunday afternoon. Families came to savor the talents of Russell Anderson, singer and illusionist, who made a very nervous bunny suddenly appear in an empty cage, and made you laugh at his frequent ad libs in this Piccolo Spoleto production.

Anderson, who lives in Elloree, about 70 miles up the road from Charleston, attracted friends and neighbors and family. At intermission they told of how the show’s star had made their town proud when he started singing as a child.

Although the largely down-home production failed to match the advance publicity promising ‘Las Vegas illusions,’ Anderson did succeed in executing several pretty astonishing magic tricks, especially when he made Allison West, one of his assistants, levitate and then disappear into a puff of smoke.

Inspired by the great master magician Houdini, he also placed another assistant Morgan Fanning, 16, in a box and made her disappear and re-appear. However, it would be best if the young magician cut back on the rope tricks, which were far too complex.

Striking a sort of Christian-oriented Vegas-style tone, Anderson filled the theater with his well-trained singing voice. He jump-started the show with a rendition of Jerry Lee Lewis’ ‘Great Balls of Fire,’ which included audience participation.

Finally, he left the audience with some sound advice: ‘There is magic all around you every day, if only you open your eyes to see it.’

The show will be repeated on Saturday.

By Jeff Johnson

Post and Courier Reviewer

Spoleto festival USA’s Tuesday concert combined the Westminster Choir, the Charleston Symphony Choir and the Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra: all under the direction of Joseph Flummerfelt. The program had been designed around the responses of Mozart, Brahms, and Verdi to spiritual crises.

Mozart’s ‘Coronation Mass’ is an early work written on commission and filled with lots of lovely music and a few moments of theatrical grandeur. Jennifer Zetlan and Mark Thomsen had a charming duet in the ‘Kyrie.’ They were joined by Barbara Rearick and Stephen Morscheck in a very jaunty quartet. In the final ‘Agnus Dei,’ Zetlan sweetly sang an extended solo, which would have graced the score of ‘The Marriage of Figaro.’

The ‘Coronation Mass’ shows Mozart at his most commercial. It is beautiful and not very demanding and the audience loved it.

When Brahms read Fredreich Holderin’s poem, contrasting Haven’s tranquility with the turmoil of human life, he immediately started to set it to music. ‘Song of Destiny’ in three contrasting movements is one of Brahms’ most thrilling works. Flummerfelt’s conducting emphasized the languor of Heaven as well as the clash and clatter of human life.

Verdi wrote the ‘Te Deum,’ the final section of his ‘Four Sacred Piece,’ really thinking it was his final musical statement to his Italian public. The work is a choral cry of intense anguish to God, which finally resolves into uneasy peace.

‘Te Deum’ brought the huge audience at Gaillard Auditorium to their feet, ending the concert on a note of triumph.

Review

By Eliza Ingle

Post and Courier Reviewer

James McLure’s tragicomic play ‘Lone Star’ reminds us again that we can never go back home again. The College of Charleston Theatre Department’s series called Stelle di Domani performed this three-man ensemble in the intimate confines of the black-box theater transformed by a well-designed set by Kyle Coleman depicting the back yard of Angel’s Bar.

Brothers Roy and Ray, portrayed by College of Charleston actors Spencer Jones and Matthew Giedraitis respectively, pontificate in beer-swilling banter about war, women and days of yore.

Much of the action, of which not much transpires, revolves around Roy who wholeheartedly loves his country, his wife and his 1959 pink Thunderbird. He just is unsure where it all fits in after Vietnam. Jones’ acting is solid and at its best in his more explosive moments.

Ray’s simple-minded brother, Roy, is on much of the time and as he states ‘a Babe Ruth is the one thing I know,’ but we learn he also got to know Roy’s wife quite well when he was away as a soldier.

The third character, Cletis, aptly played by Patrick Ruff is a geeky childhood friend of the brothers who passes the blame of Roy’s wrecked car to Ray.

Directed by Sam McCalla, the one-act play is well-paced and the actors maneuver the small space very well. The actors are confident and the production succeeds in showing a mucked life run more amuck in a single night.

Young dancer to play CBT’s ‘Mermaid’

By Bethany E. Larson, Special to The Post and Courier

James Peronto (left) partners Melissa Rauton (right) in "The Little Mermaid"

Melissa Rauton was once a shy Charleston Ballet Theatre dance student who idolized the company members and strove for technical perfection. Saturday, she will dance the lead role of Ariel in ‘The Little Mermaid,’ part of this year’s CBT program for the Piccolo Spoleto Festival.

‘I’ve always looked up to the company, and performing with them is just amazing,’ said Rauton, 17, who began tap and jazz classes at the age of 3 and transitioned into ballet when she was 9. Already trained in three different dance styles and thirsty for more, she relished the opportunity to audition for CBT’s Broadway Dance Project when it launched in 2004.

Designed by CBT dancer Stephen Gabriel at the behest of company Artistic Directors Don and Patricia Cantwell, the Broadway Dance Project provides ambitious, local dance students training in Broadway-style dance.

‘Students audition for Broadway Dance Project at the beginning of each September,’ said Gabriel, who is in his 14th season with CBT, ‘and I choose the dancers I think are most suited for the production. We work on the production for nine months, starting in September and performing in May. The last two years we’ve been in Piccolo Spoleto and it’s been really rewarding.’

Rauton has auditioned and danced with Gabriel’s handpicked children’s company every year since it began.

As a testament to her loyalty and dedication, Gabriel created last season’s Broadway Dance Project production of ‘The Little Mermaid’ with Rauton in mind for the lead role of Ariel.

‘I didn’t even like dance until I started classes at CBT,’ admitted Rauton, who recently received a dance scholarship to attend Point Park University’s Conservatory of Performing Arts, where she will major in dance with a focus in ballet. She added, ‘Seeing as it’s my last year here, I’m so honored to play the lead.’

Outside of Rauton, ‘The Little Mermaid’ cast is made up of five CBT company members and the 27 young dancers, ranging in age from 11-17, enrolled in the Broadway Dance Project.

‘Sometimes,’ said Gabriel, ‘the students are so young that they don’t really know the technique, but they have that in other classes. My real job is to try to teach them to perform.’

Performance is a skill Gabriel knows well. Growing up in Kansas City, Mo., he fell in love with Broadway at a young age and found jobs dancing with shows in Branson, Mo.

‘Everyone used to tell me I should dance in Las Vegas or New York,’ said Gabriel, ‘But I always thought that ballet was more of a challenge, and I like being challenged. However, I do like to choreograph in a lot of different genres — modern, Broadway and ballet. Sometimes it just becomes a fusion of them all.’

The love of a challenge, as well as the overarching love of all dance styles, is something that Gabriel and Rauton share, which is perhaps what makes him the perfect mentor for the young dancer.

But for Rauton, the biggest part of the challenge isn’t learning choreography or remembering technique while also performing, it’s emotionally connecting with her character. The role of Ariel requires a vast emotional range, from exuberant to heartbroken. The dancing comes naturally to Rauton. The acting does not.

Knowing she struggled with emoting and acting, Gabriel cast her in roles with over-the-top personality. For example, she danced the role of the Wicked Witch of the West in the Broadway Dance Project’s ‘Off to Oz,’ which debuted in 2009.

‘I’ve always been more of a shy dancer,’ said Rauton, ‘and Stephen has helped me learn to act and dance at the same time. He kept challenging me year after year. I feel so grateful to him, and honored to have the opportunity to dance with CBT. I definitely think they helped me get better in every aspect.’

Bethany Larson is a Goldring Arts Journalism Program writer. Reach her at blarson@syr.edu.

If you go

What: ‘The Little Mermaid.’

When: June 5 at 1 and 3 p.m.

Where: Charleston Ballet Theatre’s Studio, 477 King St.

How much: Adults $26, Children 6-12, $16.

The Tweet Wall at Gaillard Auditorium

Have you seen our Tweet wall? It will be making appearances around town at special events. It is the brainchild of Sarah Zimmerman, a Goldring Arts Journalism writer who studies design. It is the Twitter feed for all items Spoleto and Piccolo.

Tweet and join the conversation. Use #spoto to appear on the wall. (Hint: It changes every 6 seconds.)

That’s what is happening at noon. I know what Mayor Joe Riley is going to say because he has said it every year, but it’s still inspiring for the arts.

There is always a surprise at the opening at the corner of Broad and Meeting St. But go now and get a good parking spot. And look for the shade. It’s going to be a warm one.

Our Goldring Arts Journalism members will be hanging there, so look for people wearing the orange press passes. And check out our blogs and videos as we cover the festival as it has never been covered before!

You can contact us at Spoletotoday@postandcourier.com or leave comments for us. We’ll be checking for them early and often.

Here’s a comment from a reader this morning:
“We attended Present Laughter last night and it was fabulous. As good as I have seen in NY, Edinburgh and Vegas!”
Linda and Mike Leatherwood

Look on the web or in Sunday’s The Post and Courier for your keeper print section - Spoleto 2010 - the complete calendar for Spoleto Festival USA and Piccolo Spoleto 2010. It tells you day by day what is happening, litsing the times, venues, costs and where to get tickets.  If you forget to pull it out of the paper, you can download it here from postandcourier.com.

We also tell you about the Goldring Arts Journalism Program, a collaborative project with The Post and Courier, that brings 19 graduate student and two professors to Charleston to cover the festivals.

Hint: It’s orange, says Spoleto 2010 and has the much discussed Spoleto poster on the cover.

The Post and Courier’s special section for Spoleto Festival USA and Piccolo Spoleto is rolling on the presses right now. It will be in Sunday’s Post and Courier. Keep it handy, since it is the combined calendar of all events. Or you can follow us daily in The Post and Courier, or on postandcourier.com/news/spoleto for all the news that happens this year.

And yes, we have that poster from Maya Lin on the cover. Any comments about the connection between South Carolina and Rhode Island are greatly appreciated.

The Spoleto Today team is working on our special section - the only combined calendar that has all the listings for Spoleto Festival USA and Piccolo Spoleto. Pick it up in The Post and Courier on Sunday, May 23, or at various locations around town. Look for daily coverage of the festivals starting on May 28.

The City of Charleston is working hard on the Piccolo Spoleto schedule and book. Tickets are now available through piccolospoleto.com.