The musical finale for Piccolo Spoleto Festival 2008 was in Hampton park Saturday evening but the big laughs were at Theatre 99 as improv ruled . Upright Citizens Brigade did their 7:30 show and contributed greatly when they provided zany merriment to the 2-hour Grand Finale at 9:30. The group, who has been learning to live on The Edge Of America at Folly Beach, opined that Charlestonians like their city and like to get drunk.

Mary Theresa Archbold, JAZZ HAND, reprised two skits and the stars of the Cody Rivers Show - both of them - joined the gang onstage as the audience relaxed with some cold brews and threw out suggestions.

Running gags kept on running all evening long, popping up unexpectedly, to the delight of the jam-packed room.

The show touched many, many bases and you would have had to have been there to understand the juxtaposition of hollow-boned birds, bearded predators and Girl Scout outings.

More Chucker on Spoleto at Chuckography.

Late one evening, a man was walking back from the store to his home. Moonlight trickled through tree limbs and Spanish moss like a stained glass canopy. The air was warm…and very still. Even the crickets had gone quiet as if they themselves didn’t want to disturb the now deafening silence. Sweat trickled down the back of the man’s neck, and yet he crossed his arms over himself and quickened his pace.

Upon passing the Second Presbyterian Church, the man caught wafts of voices echoing off of stone and brick. He stopped dead in his tracks to listen…

“I’ll take this one, you take that one”

“I’ll take that one, you take this one”

“You take this one, I’ll take…”

The conversation continued. The man amazed, realized that he was listening to God and the Devil in the midst of dividing up the souls that made their final resting place only a few yards away in the church’s graveyard. Worried he had lost his mind, he ran back to the store, made his plight, and convinced the store owner to come back with him to listen.

Read the rest of this entry »

I wrote this after visiting the Charleston Artist Guild Gallery last night for their “Painted Palettes” Silent Auction. The Charleston Artist Guild will also be participating in tonights French Quarter Art Walk (which occur every first Friday of the month) from 5pm to 8pm.

The shuffle of feet
Bring the old ones out of their
Faded lawn Chairs
Eyes twinkling
Behind Dusty Frames.

Colors trumpet so they almost
Spring canvas and wood
Off of walls
On their own accord.

Scratches made on paper
Finalizing a well
Thought out
Decision.

Read the rest of this entry »

Fringe is an exciting part of the annual Spoleto Festival and often provides some pleasant surprises.

JAZZ HAND, Tales Of A One Armed Woman, starring Mary Theresa Archbold and her husband Pat Shay, is a great example.

“Jazz Hands” is the name of a famous dance number from the Bob Fosse musical “All That Jazz.”

Mary Theresa - born without her left hand and forearm - provides many variations of events in her life relating to that missing limb.

Some are awkward, most are funny and ALL are inspiring by a lady who’s getting along with her life.

Here she is pictured, dancing with God, who answered her musical question “Why didn’t You Make All Of Me?”

She announced there are two more performances at the American Theatre. Do yourself a favor. Go see her.

Applaud with BOTH hands.

More Chucker on Spoleto at Chuckography.

The talented stars of the Holy City Homecomin’ Tuesday night at The Footlight Players Theatre Tuesday evening were Gradual Lean and Clay Ross’ Matuto.

They played great and the packed room really felt the magic.

But the behind-the-scenes driving force is Jack McCray.

It was his evening, his day, his week and his 30th year of being Mr. Jazz in Charleston.

This year he led the creation of the Jazz Artists of Charleston. This is his third successful gathering of talent and businesses to make things happen.

I’ve known Jack for years as the hip music writer at The Post and Courier and editor of neighborhood editions of the paper. Jack is my go-to man when I have questions about music: the Blues, Jazz, you name it. The man knows his stuff.

My Day With McCray started in Philadelphia Alley, next to the Footlight Theatre on Queen Street, when we participated in the afternoon interactive rhythmic workshop presented by Clay Ross and members of his group. It was a moving experience. No, I mean it, we REALLY moved around.

Then we climbed the stairs and met in a room over the Theatre and Jack regaled us with a vivid recap of his 30-year musical odyssey in Charleston jazz awareness and growth.

He is a great storyteller and took questions from the rapt audience.

After a break for a bite to eat, I was back for the 7:30 performance of The Homecomin’. Naturally, Jack McCray was the Master of Ceremonies.

A beautiful day in our seaside city with a man who continues to turn his vision into reality.

More Chucker on Spoleto at Chuckography.

Marc Bamuthi Joseph put on an impressive show over two dates at the Emmett Robinson last week. His poetic speech and movement was combined with hip-hop music, conversational “travel diary” monologues, video interviews shot by Eli Jacobs-Fantauzzi and a large moving lighting rig choreographed by James Clotfelter.

Yet for a really intense experience, I went to Bamuthi’s two hour workshop at the Avery Research Center, part of a free “Spoleto at the Avery” program” that ran last week.

At the Emmett Robinson Theatre, Bamuthi shared the stage with all those bells and whistles. In the workshop, there were no such distractions. The performer’s work was a lot more powerful in the intimate classroom environment, and he got to show another side to his work – he mentors teen writers through a “Youth Speaks” literary arts organization.

The workshop was part writing class, part dance-off. Bamuthi began with a demonstration of what he does, switching from hip-hop speech to regular talk about his partner’s pregnancy and a planned natural birth. As he spoke he moved, creating visual images with his physical being, his expressions and his breathing.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Cuban Block Party will be covered “officially” by The Post and Courier’s writers and photographers but I wanted to share MY impressions.

The weather was clear and balmy, the music was TOTALLY Latino and I felt transported.

I had briefly visited Cuba many, many years ago and, suddenly I was back there again.

Huge time and culture warp.

All around Marion Square, bodies were moving and swaying, the bass was pulsing and your feet just started moving, slowly at first and then, you caught the beat.

Oh yeah, people watching was excellent for this non-dancer. I plan to be there again next year.

Or next week, if they’ll stage it again.

More Chucker on Spoleto at Chuckography.

Yes, it is all the world to me

Thar dear old city by the sea!

There I was born, there i would die–

My dust with kindred dust must lie ,

In the dear old city by the sea.

–from Charleston by William Gilmore Simms

Yesterday morning, I went on the Charleston Poetry Walk given by The Poetry Society of South Carolina.

The walk started at Washington Square, were we learned about the life and works of Henry Timrod and Paul Hamilton Hayne. From there, we walked to 10 more locations from Waterfront Park to Tommy Condon’s to listen to Poetry Society members discuss poets with South Carolina connections from Josephine Pickney to Edgar Allen Poe (who was stationed at Ft. Moultrie, and may have gotten some of his inspiration for Annabel Lee from his time here.)

The poems of Elizabeth Verner Hamilton stood out to me the most. I need to read more of her works.

I even got into the act when I was asked to read a Gullah work by Dubose Heyward and managed not to embarrass myself.

It was a wonderful (if somewhat hot) day for exercise and education.

No, this is NOT a story about a restaurant diner who pulled a gun and refused to pay for his meal.

It is the headline I saw several years ago over a story about the eating habits of pandas. This was prompted by a terrific Piccolo Spoleto Fringe show I enjoyed last night at Theatre 99.

It was called “I Eat Pandas” and featured two VERY imaginative - and energetic - young ladies and their off stage piano player.

The hour improv presentation started with a 30-minute skit inspired by the audience suggestion of “laundry.” A large clock on the stage allowed the audience to do a “count down.”

Glennis McMurray (L) (blonde) and Eliza Skinner then did an hiliarious 15-minute reprise of the main characters and, finally, a 5-minute wrap-up of what had become a musical. No, really. Both ladies sang well and the piano/harmonica accompaniment was excellent.

On the keyboard was Jonathan Wagner, a last-minute fill in, and - he said - a member of Second City.

They announced they were doing two more shows at the Meeting Street venue so go check them out. It’s a nice “Fringe” benefit.

More Chucker on Spoleto at Chuckography.

I was invited to, and actually got to attend, a party at 10 p.m. Thursday after the opening night of “The Burial at Thebes” at the Church Street home of Shea and John Kuhn. Gorgeous home, which probably goes without saying: One perk of being with SpoletoToday.com is the chance to go inside some of the beautifully restored houses one usually only sees from the street.

The first guests I see are Yuriy Bekker, concertmaster of the Charleston Symphony Orchestra, and pianist and College of Charleston faculty member Irina Pevzner. Shortly thereafter, we were joined by Charleston Academy of Music founder and director Eun Joo Yun and CAM pianist Susan MacAdoo, and 10-year-old piano student Madeline Kuhn, up late for the big party. Yun’s academy goes beyond the usual requisite piano lessons for children. The school also offers lessons in violin, viola, cello, classical guitar and voice. An accomplished pianist, Yun has attracted instructors from all over the world to help create the next generation of musicians. Bekker and Pevzner are also on the faculty.

I also met Jeffrey Day, who is covering the festival for The State newspaper in Columbia, and John and Gretchen Stoehr. John is the arts editor of Charleston’s City Paper. It’s interesting that there are so many journalists in town and yet our paths seldom seem to intersect. I have yet to meet our own Tim Page. It’s fun to get other professionals’ takes on the performances and the city, but talk inevitably shifts to the state of the media, which is less happy party fare.

It was a crowded affair and I didn’t meet any guests of honor until it was wrapping up. I had just a minute with director Lucy Pitman-Wallace. Nottingham Playhouse has brought the reimagined Greek tragedy of Antigone from England for a run at the College of Charleston Cistern from May 29 to June 2. Rumor has it that Paul Bentall as Creon is phenomenal.