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CHARLESTON -- Spoleto Festival USA, celebrating its 32nd year, is off and running -- or I should say "off and performing." What I have seen so far runs the gamut from sedate to bizarre.
The two-hour American premiere of the Chinese opera "Monkey: Journey to the West" was a visual smorgasbord. The set using film footage, flying harnesses and animation was exquisite. The 60 or more performers easily moved from singing to acrobatic feats. "Monkey" is based on the 400-year-old Chinese literary classic. This opera reminded me of "The Wizard of Oz," but instead of Dorothy and her trio, there was the priest Tripitaka with Monkey, Sandy and Pigsy. Ninety minutes would have made this production more magical to me because it was performed without an intermission.
Rossini's "La Cenerentola" is a comic and musical delight. This opera is the classic Cinderella tale without the pumpkin, glass slipper or fairy godmother -- but I didn't miss any of them. All of the leads were marvelous, and their comic timing was flawless -- this is a rare treat in opera. The set, using animation and live video, flowed effortlessly. Even though the performance was almost three hours with one intermission, I left the Gaillard with a smile and went to my next venue "happily ever after."
The British are coming ... the British are coming -- and did they ever! 1927's production (I know what you are thinking, and I agree -- it's an odd name for a theatre group) of "Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea" blended prerecorded silent film, animation and live performance. This hour long romp tells ten tales -- each clever, distinctive and original. The three woman cast consist of a pianist, a mime and a speaker. Each is perfe
ct in her role. One tale, "Sinking Suburbia," is one of the funniest sketches I have ever seen. Eat your heart out, "Desperate Housewives!"
At Piccolo Spoleto, I saw "Piaf: Love Conquers All." Naomi Emmerson is the producer, writer and star in this one-woman show about the turbulent life of the late French singer Edith Piaf, who was dubbed "the little sparrow." Emmerson's portrayal is believable and has the voice as she recreates 14 of Piaf's songs. The pianist who was on the set for the entire production was excellent. The set was whimsical, which made the stage more inviting. Although I enjoyed this two-hour production, I think it would have been more effective as a 90-minute offering with no intermission. To me, a single character show loses some of its momentum when stopped and started back.
"God's Trombones" is a musical interpretation of James Weldon Johnson's book of tradition Negro sermons. The performance consisted of eight vignettes, beginning with creation and ending with judgment day. Each was interspersed with rousing musical numbers. I think the cast enjoyed performing as much as the audience enjoyed listening.
"This War is Live" is a new, multimedia work by Jeff Messer of North Carolina. This play is built around a documentary filmmaker seeking the truth in Baghdad about the U.S. involvement in the Iraq war. It is edgy, provocative and definitely for adults -- there is strong language and nudity. If you just have time for one or two Piccolo Spoleto offerings, I wouldn't pick this.
I was delighted that I was able to hear musical highlights from "Porgy and Bess." Unfortunately for you, it was for one afternoon only.
"Matt and Ben" is a two woman show playing two men -- Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. It humorously answers the question: "How did they become so famous?" The two actors are superb, and as an aside, I have had the pleasure of working with both of them. Andrea McGinn recently did a benefit with me for the Orangeburg County Fine Arts Center.
"The Tragedian" is a 90-minute, no intermission, tour de force written by and starring Rodney Lee Rogers. Rogers portrays Edwin Booth, the famous actor and older brother of Lincoln's assassin John Wilkes Booth. This fascinating production makes history come alive.
This is all for now -- I am off and running to see more. There is still time for you to enjoy this artistic feast, as the festival runs through June 8. For ticket information, visit www.spoletousa.org or www.piccolospoleto.com.
Orangeburg native Boo Sheppard, retired host of Time-Warner's "Orangeburg Inside Out," lives in Charleston with her husband, Macon.