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© 2003, Rotary Club of Charleston P.O.
Box 21029 Club
secretary:
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Local
artists offer major new musical APRIL 15 - A two-week run of a world premiere musical is underway in Charleston at the Dock Street Theater. The production, offered by the Charleston Stage Company through April 27, is "Gershwin at Folly." It's based on events in 1934 that brought internationally-acclaimed musician George Gershwin to Folly Beach, where he worked with author DuBose Heyward on Porgy and Bess. "This experience transformed him [Gershwin] and he would write what is considered the greatest opera of the 20th Century," said Julian Wiles, executive director of the Charleston Stage Company who wrote the play for the musical. When Gershwin visited Folly Beach in the summer of 1934, there was no bridge to the island. There was no fresh water supply. And the nearest phone was 10 miles away- quite a shock for a New York City native. "He had no clue what he was in for," Wiles said. While much of the musical is based on Gershwin's experiences, a subplot is the romance of a young couple that met at the beach. It's loosely based on a Miss Folly Beach contest that Gershwin judged in 1934, Wiles said. "Gershwin at Folly," filled with Gershwin's music, tap-dancing and more, is running like a Broadway show in Charleston. There are eight shows per week through April 27. "We have grown a company over the last 25 years that can mount a major new musical," Wiles said. The budget for the production is more than $100,000. The show features 22 actors, singers and dancers on stage. More than 25 people work behind the scenes to make sure everything works properly. There's also a 12-piece orchestra that provides the Gershwin jazz rhythms that drive the production. More:
www.charlestonstage.com
-- Andy Brack |
The Rotary Club of Charleston meets 12:30 p.m. every Tuesday in Holliday Hall adjacent to The Citadel's football stadium on Hagood Street. All Rotarians are invited to visit with us.
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