Party on

For continued party coverage,
visit Ida Becker's Charleston magazine
Fete Set blog: CLICK.

Alas, Spoleto 2006, I miss you already.

We had fun, didn't we?
We made memories, didn't we?

I had planned to pen a rather witty "Ode to Spoleto Gone Bye-Bye," but the most clever twist I can muster errs on the side of cheek and not prose. And I've reverted to basic first grade rhymes because I dare say my brain has finally melted. Holy moly, it is hot.

Well, this is the last good-bye. Time to draw the final curtain on the Spoleto Scene blog. Move over, Marjory Wentworth!

Spoleto came to town and life was so fun, so free-
We tripped the light fantastic, didn't we?

On this Spoleto Blog, we reveled in our fabulosity:
Spoleto Scenesters are nary too flashy, too trendy, nor too hairy-- you see.

The stars twinkled as we skipped down historic streets,
with parties to grace and people to meet.

And now my sparkling existence is bereft of joy in the wake of thee (melodrama is good, yes?)

I mope through Bob Ellis looking at shoes;
Jimmy Choo is but a mild salve for my cries and boohoos.

Bright Festival: come back anytime, come back to play...
Oh, how I wish it were Spoleto every single day.

To the 5,000+ (as of last Sunday) unique visitors to this site since the dawn of the Spoleto Festival USA 2006 some 25 days ago: thank you. You are all much too fabulous.

Till next year... Ciao!

The end is near/don't cry, my dear

The final Spoleto Scene blog entry needs your input.

What moment made it for you?

Please email me a brief (could be as simple as one word) quip regarding your favorite Spoleto or Piccolo Spoleto-related experience. I'll be posting answers as the final Spoleto Scene blog installment. Make sure to include your name and profession.

Things to consider:

What was most visually arresting?
What will you long remember?
What made you laugh?
What made you think?
What surprised you?
What tasted good?

All the best,
Ida



Releasing the white balloon in Tristan & Yseult.

--Stephanie Barna,
editor of the Charleston City Paper



Learning that GEISH-A was a Geish-o.

--Larry James,
distribution coordinator for Charleston magazine



Finally exhaling as the Flying Wallendas made it across the tightrope at Circus Flora!

--Jesse E. Hendrix,
communications manager for the Gibbes Museum of Art



Oh, those Spoleto summer nights! Wine, music, friends, and fireworks at Middleton Plantation.

--Jeffrey Rhodes,
Lacoste trendsetter



It was a delicious and varied feast for the eyes, ears and palette! I wanted more, but couldn't do it!

--Lynn Hanlin,
Carriage Properties



The soft jangling of the bell adornment, the hot vibrant colors, the soothing voice and ancient heartbeat of SACRED SPACE instantly transported me to India... it was a total sensory sensation... quite amazing.

--Casey Murphey,
Daniel Ravanel



Once I was fully engaged in Tristan and Yseult by the camp and fun, there were two bare moments of pointed sentiment describing loneliness, each beautifully conveyed by the actor. The two characters, although having been together for a brief moment, were not ever to know how the other felt, making their feelings even more painful to know. Many described this production as "fun," but those clear illustrations of longing are what stayed with me.

I loved that restaurants were all in with us in getting to eat but keeping on time for performances. From Mellow Mushroom with the kids to Charleston Grill with clients, the staff were invested in getting us to our show.

--Chris Nobles,
media director for the Charleston Area Convention and Visitors Bureau



What was most visually arresting?
Bill T Jones Dance... no, I was not the one who booed!

What will you long remember?
The energy and excitement of opening day

What made you laugh?
Ida's Blog...many times...always enjoyable. {ahhh, thanks!}

What made you think?
Nothing, except, where am I getting my next drink?

What surprised you?
The fact that the two weeks flew by, and I feel like I missed so much!

What tasted good?
Cabaret Kiki!!!

--Kristen Lane,
Lane and Smythe



Most memorable Spoleto performance:
Tristan & Yseult

Most memorable Piccolo performance:
College of Charleston's Trust

Most memorable celebrity sighting:
Sitting in front of actress Jane Alexander at Tristan & Yseult and meeting the cast from Tristan & Yseult at the Bedon's Alley party

Most memorable party:
Bedon's Alley with 56 Society Street running a very strong second

Best local encounter:
Seeing Denise Barto at the 56 Society St. party and realizing she was out of the hospital and doing fine

Best coverage:
Ida's Blog - It had the very best photos and captions...and it's a must read for all Spoleto lovers

Best Ending:
Winning the picnic basket contest (five years in a row) and seeing an amazing fireworks display at Middleton Place... PRICELESS!

--Alice Whitt



Most visually arresting:
The set for and performance of ASzURe & ARTISTS' LASCILO PERDERE: A Journey of Letting Go.

What will you long remember?
The 1:00 Chamber Music performance on June 3 featured a "bonus" of contemporary Blue Grass that was incredible!

What made you laugh?
Friends old and new made me laugh! So did some fanciful sculptures at the Piccolo Spoleto Festival's Craft Show and Mike Daisey in MONOPOLY? and INVINCIBLE SUMMER, but laughter with friends trumps everything else.

What made you think?
Both of Mike Daisey's pieces continue to make me think.

What surprised you?
s surprised by my less than enthusiastic reaction to the Bill T. Jones piece.

What tasted good?
Mimosas and crepes with friends on the morning of the festivals' second day were quite tasty!

--Michael Haga,
College of Charleston School of the Arts



I would have to say the Festival Finale was my favorite, yet bittersweet, Spoleto experience. It was the first chance we had to sit down and relax, not planning the next interview, performance or television appearance. Middleton Place was a gorgeous setting to look back on the success of the Festival and the best way to bid it farewell!

--Meredith Siemens,
public relations manager for Spoleto Festival USA

Out with a bang!

{Folks, I'm posting in waves as I juggle deadlines. I hope to have everything posted by later tonight.}

The Regal Catering "Geepsie" Camp

Nigel Redden chats up
the highlights of this year's festival

The Spoleto development staff finally rests;
Scott Sowell looks like he was born to
recline on a picnic blanket

Kenton Morrison and Claire Slover
put the final touches on their Morccan-themed picnic

Allison, Graham, and Annie Stone
with Ted and Sue Soderlund

Barry Waldrep, Jeffrey Rhodes, Merrill Benfield,
Gray Snead, and Lori Wyatt

Lori and Gray keep John Paul Huguley on a short leash

One last time: where is John Paul Huguley?

Waterguns to beat the heat-- what fun!

Petey's shirt says it all

Wassup, party people!

A wee Spoleto patron-in-training

Emmanuel Villaume

A gold-rimmed chalice to accompany
the bone china used at this picnic;
that's some high falutin' picnicin'

Quite the impressive spread

Quite the trappings

Hats and fans were de rigeur as
the temperature soared on Sunday

Tres chic

Rachel Prioleau with daughter Isabel

Televison anchor Carolyn Murray (far right) with her family

Bottoms up!

The Fierce Picnic Competition Recap

As the judges approached, I briefed THE picnic team (Sue me, I'm partial to these cheeky folks who put together a spectacular spread year after year) with key facts from my mental dossier: congratulate Post and Courier overview critic Joshua Rosenblum on a job well done; tell Warren Pepper you are happy he has returned to the local news; bow down to television anchor Carolyn Murray because her spinning class can kill grown men. Sycophantastic efforts aside, it was the impeccably-executed theme of Dick Cheney's Hunt Club and the roasted quail that earned Fran Taggart and her team the Golden Fork for the fifth year running.

The Regal Catering "Geepsie" camp also put forth great effort, but, in the end, there was too much shake and not enough homemade coconut cake.

Team Taggart

David Whitt

David blows smoke, cigar that is, in the direction of the judges

Joshua Rosenblum and Warren Pepper
sample Team Taggart's homemade ribs as
part of their official judging responsibilities

Cast iron skillets added a special touch
to their food presentation

Post and Courier Spoleto Editor Stephanie Harvin
was quite the good-natured judge

Five-time Spoleto finale picnic champion Fran Taggart
celebrates as the winners are announced from the stage

As the sun began to set, golden-colored light
danced across the sky...

... and the majesty of the heavens descended
upon Middleton Plantation

Yikes.

Click HERE to view the final seconds of the Spoleto Symphony and the first explosions of fireworks.

Spoleto Finale Fanfare

A complete round-up with loads of photographs
will be posted this afternoon. In the meantime, Click!

Piccolo Spoleto Finale

Boom! Boom! Click!

one degree of separation

Gabe Kellermeyer and Jeffrey Rhodes

Duck...

Scott Sowell, Ryan Roberts, and Jeffrey

Duck...

Kyle Stock, Julia Santen, Patrick Sharbaugh, and Scott

Goose!

Eva Magyar and Patrick

Duck...

Annie Stone, Sue Soderlund, Eva,
Graham Stone, and Ted Soderlund

Duck...

Nigel Redden with Sue and Ted

Goose!

Caviar mousse!

Even blogs are a mere one degree of separation. I spotted Ernie the Guitar Man on both of these local blogs.

The Friday night Spoleto party in honor of Tristan & Yseult was hosted by BMW and Pratt-Thomas Gumb at the home of Leslie Turner.

Liz Sullivan and Leslie Turner

Giles King and Katy Carmichael

Peter and Nathalie Naylor with Kim Quattlebaum