Well today’s announcement of Spoleto’s 2016 season didn’t hold many surprises for some of us — I got the catalogue in the mail almost a week ago and have had ample time to peruse it. Click here to see the…
Tag: Spoleto
“A Streetcar Named Desire” — a review of the Scottish Ballet’s riveting production
The Scottish Ballet‘s production of A Streetcar Named Desire begins with Blanche, wearing a white wedding dress, desperately reaching for a single bulb dangling overhead. She’s a fragile moth (a potent symbol here in the American South), but we know…
Gravity & Other Myths brings thrilling acrobatics to Spoleto 2014 — a review
I would love to know the subset of human beings who can: A) solve a Rubik’s cube in a couple of minutes, AND B) do the last few moves behind their backs, AND C) accomplish those tasks while standing on…
Hubbard Street Dance Chicago at Spoleto USA 2014 — a review
First things first: if you ever go to some sort of cultural programming at the College of Charleston’s TD Arena, buy your tickets early and get as close to the stage as possible. A friend and I had a pretty…
Spoleto releases 2014 schedule
Spoleto USA in Charleston has released the festival’s 2014 lineup. It’s the usual but impressive mix of theatre, music, dance, opera, and other impressive performances. Spoleto 2014 runs from May 23rd to June 8th in a variety of venues —…
Spoleto review: Le Grand C by Compagnie XY
After a disappointing first show on Saturday afternoon, my friend Adrienne and I walked a few blocks through town to the Memminger Auditorium for Compagnie XY’s Le Grand C. It was an auspicious Spoleto debut for the French troupe Compagnie…
Compagnie Käfig at Spoleto: engaging, kinetic performance in a terrible venue
A friend and I attended the Spoleto USA performance by Compagnie Käfig on Saturday afternoon. The good-natured show was peppered with moments bordering on brilliance, as the 11 male dancers muscled and spun their way through the two long dances…
A quirky photo tour of Charleston
We didn’t go to the point of the island at all, but we did explore some interesting streets that I’d never seen in addition to some very familiar ones.
“Traces” by Les 7 Doigts de la Main (7 Fingers): a review from Spoleto
The premise is a pretty simple one: the half dozen performers occasionally share snippets from their own lives into a mic that drops from the high ceiling, and then they launch into routines that require incredible acrobatic skills, or delicate dance skills, or a bit of musicianship and singing, or just require a keen sense of drama and timing.
A review of Husk, a fabulous Charleston restaurant with farm-to-table menu
Charleston’s Husk Restaurant was chosen in 2011 by Bon Appetit as the nation’s #1 new restaurant.
Charleston’s Spoleto USA 2012 lineup includes Noel Coward’s “Hay Fever,” k.d. lang, Mavis Staples, Rebirth Brass Band, Alvin Ailey, much more
Spoleto USA in Charleston now has its 2012 program live on its website. Or go here for a digital, downloadable brochure. It’s a great lineup I think — probably a little more interesting to me than last year. (I only…
Spoleto review: Kneehigh Theatre’s “The Red Shoes”
There’s theatre, and then there’s Cornwall-based Kneehigh Theatre‘s The Red Shoes, which I was lucky enough to see at Spoleto yesterday. Based on the macabre story by Hans Christian Andersen, Kneehigh’s giddy performance was by turns absurd and inspiring, nerve-rattling…
Spoleto review: “13 Most Beautiful: Songs for Andy Warhol’s Screen Tests” by Dean and Britta
“13 Most Beautiful: Songs for Andy Warhol’s Screen Tests” by Dean and Britta has certainly been reviewed before, including in Charleston during its Spoleto run here and by the New York Times in 2009 here. Even though I had heard…
With the festival underway, remembering some personal Spoleto highlights
I think the first Spoleto USA show that I saw was the opera Wozzeck by Alan Berg in 1997, a spare and stark production — a bit too spare and stark for me, especially after a big, rich dinner with…