Moon Coastal Carolinas

by Jim Morekis

  • Actor Thomas Gibson (Criminal Minds)

  • Author-lyricist DuBose Heyward

  • Author Josephine Humphreys

  • Author Sue Monk Kidd (The Secret Life of Bees)

  • Actress Vanessa Minnillo (attended high school)

  • Actor Will Patton (Remember the Titans)

  • Author Alexandra Ripley

  • Musician Darius Rucker (singer for Hootie & the Blowfish, now a solo country artist)

  • Comedian Andy Dick

  • Comedian Stephen Colbert

  The city’s most unusual players are The Have Nots! (843/853-6687, www.thehavenots.com), with a total ensemble of 35 comedians who typically perform their brand of edgy improv every Friday night at Theatre 99 (280 Meeting St.).

  The players of PURE Theatre (843/723-4444, www.puretheatre.org) perform at the Circular Congregational Church’s Lance Hall (150 Meeting St.). Their shows emphasize compelling, mature drama, beautifully performed. This is where to catch less-glitzy, more-gritty productions like Rabbit Hole, American Buffalo, and Cold Tectonics, a hit at Piccolo Spoleto.

  The Footlight Players (843/722-4487, www.footlightplayers.net) are the oldest continuously active company in town (since 1931). This community-based amateur company performs a mix of crowd-pleasers (The Full Monty) and cutting-edge drama (This War is Live) at their space at 20 Queen Street.

  Music

  The forerunner to the Charleston Symphony Orchestra (CSO, 843/554-6060, www.charlestonsymphony.com) performed for the first time on December 28, 1936, at the Hibernian Hall on Meeting Street. During that first season the CSO accompanied The Recruiting Officer, the inaugural show at the renovated Dock Street Theatre. For seven decades, the CSO continued to provide world-class orchestral music, gaining “Metropolitan” status in the 1970s, when they accompanied the first-ever local performance of Porgy and Bess, which despite its Charleston setting couldn’t be performed locally before then due to segregation laws. Due to financial difficulty, the CSO canceled its 2010-2011 season. They are making quite the comeback of late, however, and I suggest checking the website for upcoming concerts.

  The separate group Chamber Music Charleston (843/763-4941, www.chambermusiccharleston.org), which relies on many core CSO musicians, continues to perform around town, including at Piccolo Spoleto. They play a wide variety of picturesque historic venues, including the Old Exchange (122 E. Bay St.), the Calhoun Mansion (16 Meeting St.), and the Footlight Players Theatre (20 Queen St.). They can also be found at private house concerts, which sell out quickly.

  The excellent music department at the College of Charleston sponsors the annual Charleston Music Fest (www.charlestonmusicfest.com), a series of chamber music concerts at various venues around the beautiful campus, featuring many faculty members of the college as well as visiting guest artists.

  Other college musical offerings include the College of Charleston Concert Choir (www.cofc.edu/music), which performs at various venues, usually churches, around town during the fall; the College of Charleston Opera, which performs at least one full-length production during the school year and often performs at Piccolo Spoleto; and the popular Yuletide Madrigal Singers, who sing in early December at a series of concerts in historic Randolph Hall.

  Dance

  The premier company in town is the 20-year-old Charleston Ballet Theatre (477 King St., 843/723-7334, www.charlestonballet.org). Its 18 full-time dancers perform a great mix of classics, modern pieces, and, of course, a yuletide Nutcracker at the Gaillard Municipal Auditorium. Most performances are at the Sottile Theatre (44 George St., just off King St.) and in the Black Box Theatre at the company’s home office on Upper King Street.

  CINEMA

  The most interesting art house and indie venue in town is currently The Terrace (1956 Maybank Hwy., 843/762-9494, www.terracetheater.com), and not only because they offer beer and wine, which you can enjoy at your seat. Shows before 5pm are $7. It’s west of Charleston on James Island; get there by taking U.S. 17 west from Charleston and go south on Highway 171, then take a right on Maybank Highway (Hwy. 700).

  For a generic but good multiplex experience, go over to Mount Pleasant to the Palmetto Grande (1319 Theater Dr., 843/216-8696).

  FESTIVALS AND EVENTS

  Charleston is a festival-mad city, especially in the spring and early fall. And new festivals are being added every year, further enhancing the hedonistic flavor of this city that has also mastered the art of hospitality. Here’s a look through the calendar at all the key festivals in the area.

  January

  Held on a Sunday in late January at historic Boone Hall Plantation in Mount Pleasant, the Lowcountry Oyster Festival (www.charlestonlowcountry.com, 11am-5pm, $8, food additional) features literal truckloads of the sweet shellfish for your enjoyment. Gates open at 10:30am, and there’s plenty of parking. Oysters are sold by the bucket and served with crackers and cocktail sauce. Bring your own shucking knife or glove, or buy them on-site.

  February

  One of the more unique events in town is the Southeastern Wildlife Exposition (various venues, 843/723-1748, www.sewe.com, $12.50/day, $30 for 3 days, free under age 13). For the last quarter century, the Wildlife Expo has brought together hundreds of artists and exhibitors to showcase just about any kind of naturally themed art you can think of, in over a dozen galleries and venues all over downtown. Kids will enjoy the live animals on hand as well.

  March

  Generally straddling late February and the first days of March, the four-day Charleston Food & Wine Festival (www.charlestonfoodandwine.com, various venues and admission) is a glorious celebration of one of the Holy City’s premier draws: its amazing culinary community. While the emphasis is on Lowcountry gurus like Donald Barickman of Magnolia’s and Robert Carter of the Peninsula Grill, guest chefs from as far away as New York, New Orleans, and Los Angeles routinely come to show off their skills. Oenophiles, especially of domestic wines, will be in heaven as well. Tickets aren’t cheap—an all-event pass is over $500 per person—but then again, this is one of the nation’s great food cities, so you might find it worth every penny.

  Immediately before the Festival of Houses and Gardens is the Charleston International Antiques Show (40 E. Bay St., 843/722-3405, www.historiccharleston.org, admission varies), held at Historic Charleston’s headquarters at the Missroon House on the High Battery. It features over 30 of the nation’s best-regarded dealers and offers lectures and tours.

  Mid-March-April, the perennial favorite Festival of Houses and Gardens (843/722-3405, www.historiccharleston.org, admission varies) is sponsored by the Historic Charleston Foundation and held at the very peak of the spring blooming season for maximum effect. In all, the festival goes into a dozen historic neighborhoods to see about 150 homes. Each day sees a different three-hour tour of a different area, at about $45 per person. This is a fantastic opportunity to peek inside some amazing old privately owned properties that are inaccessible to visitors at all other times. A highlight is a big oyster roast and picnic at Drayton Hall.

  Not to be confused with the above festival, the Garden Club of Charleston House and Garden Tours (843/530-5164, www.thegardenclubofcharleston.com, $35) are held over a weekend in late March. Highlights include the Heyward-Washington House and the private garden of the late great Charleston horticulturalist Emily Whaley.

  One of Charleston’s newest and most fun events, the five-night Charleston Fashion Week (www.fashionweek.charlestonmag.com, admission varies) is sponsored by Charleston magazine and benefits a local women’s charity. Mimicking New York’s Fashion Week events under tenting in Bryant Park, Charleston’s version features runway action under big tents in Marion Square—and, yes, past guests have included former contestants on Project Runway.

  April

  The annual Cooper River Bridge Run (www.bridgerun.com) happens the first Saturday in April (unless that’s Easter weekend, in which case it runs the week before) and features a six-mile jaunt across the massive new Arthur R
avenel Bridge over the Cooper River, the longest cable span in the Western Hemisphere. It’s not for those with a fear of heights, but it’s still one of Charleston’s best-attended events—there are well over 30,000 participants. The whole crazy idea started when Dr. Marcus Newberry of the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston was inspired by an office fitness trail in his native state of Ohio to do something similar in Charleston to promote fitness. Participants can walk the course if they choose, and many do. The start is signaled with the traditional cannon shot. The race still begins in Mount Pleasant and ends downtown, but over the years the course has changed to accommodate growth—not only in the event itself but in the city. Auto traffic, of course, is rerouted starting the night before the race. Each participant in the Bridge Run now must wear a transponder chip; new “Bones in Motion” technology allows you to track a favorite runner’s exact position in real time during the race. The 2006 event had wheelchair participants for the first time. There’s now a Kid’s Run in Hampton Square the Friday before, which also allows strollers.

  The Family Circle Cup (161 Seven Farms Dr., Daniel Island, 843/856-7900, www.familycirclecup.com, admission varies) is a popular Tier 1 women’s tennis tournament. Daniel Island’s Family Circle Tennis Center was built specifically for the event through a partnership between Family Circle magazine and the city of Charleston. (The tennis center is also open to the public and hosts many community events as well.)

  Mount Pleasant is the home of Charleston’s shrimping fleet, and each April sees all the boats parade by the Alhambra Hall and Park for the Blessing of the Fleet (843/884-8517, www.townofmountpleasant.com). Family events and lots and lots of seafood are also on tap.

  May

  Free admission and free parking are not the only draws at the outdoor North Charleston Arts Festival (5000 Coliseum Dr., www.northcharleston.org), but let’s face it, they’re important. Held beside North Charleston’s Performing Arts Center and Convention Center, the festival features music, dance, theater, multicultural performers, and storytellers. There are a lot of kids’ events as well.

  Held over three days at the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church up toward the Neck, the Charleston Greek Festival (30 Race St., 843/577-2063, www.greekorthodoxchs.org, $3) offers a plethora of live entertainment, dancing, Greek wares, and, of course, fantastic Greek cuisine cooked by the congregation. Parking is not a problem, and there’s even a shuttle to the church from the lot.

  One of Charleston’s newest annual events is the Charleston International Film Festival (843/817-1617, www.charlestoniff.com, various venues and prices). Despite being a relative latecomer to the film-festival circuit, the event is pulled off with Charleston’s usual aplomb.

  Indisputably Charleston’s single biggest and most important event, Spoleto Festival USA (843/579-3100, www.spoletousa.org, admission varies) has come a long way since it was a sparkle in the eye of the late Gian Carlo Menotti three decades ago. Though Spoleto long ago broke ties with its founder, his vision remains indelibly stamped on the event from start to finish. There’s plenty of music, to be sure, in genres that include orchestral, opera, jazz, and avant-garde, but you’ll find something in every other performing art, such as dance, drama, and spoken word, in traditions from Western to African to Southeast Asian. For 17 days from Memorial Day weekend through early June, Charleston hops and hums nearly 24 hours a day to the energy of this vibrant, cutting-edge, yet accessible artistic celebration, which dominates everything and every conversation for those three weeks. Events happen in historic venues and churches all over downtown and as far as Middleton Place, which hosts the grand finale under the stars. If you want to come to Charleston during Spoleto—and everyone should, at least once—book your accommodations and your tickets far in advance. Tickets usually go on sale in early January for that summer’s festival.

  As if all the hubbub around Spoleto didn’t give you enough to do, there’s also Piccolo Spoleto (843/724-7305, www.piccolospoleto.com, various venues and admission), literally “little Spoleto,” running concurrently. The intent of Piccolo Spoleto—begun just a couple of years after the larger festival came to town and run by the city’s Office of Cultural Affairs—is to give local and regional performers a time to shine, sharing some of that larger spotlight on the national and international performers at the main event. Of particular interest to visiting families will be Piccolo’s children’s events, a good counter to some of the decidedly more adult fare at Spoleto USA.

  June

  Technically part of Piccolo Spoleto but gathering its own following, the Sweetgrass Cultural Arts Festival (www.sweetgrassfestival.org) is held the first week in June in Mount Pleasant at the Laing Middle School (2213 U.S. 17 N.). The event celebrates the traditional sweetgrass basket-making skills of African Americans in the historic Christ Church Parish area of Mount Pleasant. If you want to buy some sweetgrass baskets made by the world’s foremost experts in the field, this would be the time.

  A Man, a Plan: Spoleto!

  Sadly, Gian Carlo Menotti is no longer with us, having died in 2007 at the age of 95. But the overwhelming success of the composer’s brainchild and labor of love, Spoleto Festival USA, lives on, enriching the cultural and social life of Charleston and serving as the city’s chief calling card to the world at large.

  Menotti began writing music at age seven in his native Italy. As a young man he moved to Philadelphia to study music, where he shared classes—and lifelong connections—with Leonard Bernstein and Samuel Barber. His first full-length opera, The Consul, would garner him the Pulitzer Prize, as would 1955’s The Saint of Bleecker Street. But by far Menotti’s best-known work is the beloved Christmas opera Amahl and the Night Visitors, composed especially for NBC television in 1951. At the height of his fame in 1958, the charismatic and mercurial genius—fluent and witty in five languages—founded the “Festival of Two Worlds” in Spoleto, Italy, specifically as a forum for young American artists in Europe. But it wasn’t until nearly two decades later, in 1977, that Menotti was able to make his long-imagined dream of an American counterpart a reality.

  Attracted to Charleston because of its longstanding support of the arts, its undeniable good taste, and its small size—ensuring that his festival would always be the number-one activity in town while it was going on—Menotti worked closely with the man who was to become the other key part of the equation: Charleston mayor Joe Riley, then in his first term in office. Since then, the city has built on Spoleto’s success by founding its own local version, Piccolo Spoleto—literally, “little Spoleto”—which focuses exclusively on local and regional talent.

  Things haven’t always gone smoothly. Menotti and the stateside festival parted ways in 1993, when he took over the Rome Opera. Making matters more uneasy, the Italian festival—run by Menotti’s longtime partner (and later adopted son) Chip—also became estranged from what was intended to be its soul mate in South Carolina. (Chip was later replaced by the Italian Culture Ministry.) But perhaps this kind of creative tension is what Menotti intended all along. Indeed, each spring brings a Spoleto USA that seems to thrive on the inherent conflict between the festival’s often cutting-edge offerings and the very traditional city that hosts it. Unlike so many of the increasingly generic arts “festivals” across the nation, Spoleto still challenges its audiences, just as Menotti intended it to. Depending on the critic and the audience member, that modern opera debut you see may be groundbreaking or gratuitous. The drama you check out may be exhilarating or tiresome.

  Still, the crowds keep coming, attracted just as much to Charleston’s many charms as to the art itself. Each year, a total of about 500,000 people attend both Spoleto and Piccolo Spoleto. Nearly one-third of the attendees are Charleston residents—the final proof that when it comes to supporting the arts, Charleston puts its money where its mouth is.

  July

  Each year over 30,000 people come to see the Patriots Point Fourth of July Blast (866/831-1720), featuring a hefty barrage of fireworks shot
off the deck of the USS Yorktown moored on the Cooper River in the Patriots Point complex. Food, live entertainment, and kids’ activities are also featured.

  September

  From late September into the first week of October, the city-sponsored MOJA Arts Festival (843/724-7305, www.mojafestival.com, various venues and admission) highlights the cultural contributions of African Americans and people from the Caribbean with dance, visual art, poetry, cuisine, crafts, and music in genres that include gospel, jazz, reggae, and classical. In existence since 1984, MOJA’s name comes from the Swahili word for “one,” and its diverse range of offerings in so many media have made it one of the Southeast’s premier events. Some events are ticketed, while others, such as the kids’ activities and many of the dance and film events, are free.

  For five weeks from the last week of September into October, the Preservation Society of Charleston hosts the much-anticipated Fall Tours of Homes & Gardens (843/722-4630, www.preservationsociety.org, $45). The tour takes you into more than a dozen local residences and is the nearly 90-year-old organization’s biggest fund-raiser. Tickets typically go on sale the previous June, and they tend to sell out very quickly.

  October

  Another great food event in this great food city, the Taste of Charleston (1235 Long Point Rd., 843/577-4030, www.charlestonrestaurantassociation.com, 11am-5pm, $12) is held on a weekend in October at Boone Hall Plantation in Mount Pleasant and sponsored by the Greater Charleston Restaurant Association. Over 50 area chefs and restaurants come together so you can sample their wares, including a wine and food pairing, with proceeds going to charity.