The applause at the end of Wadsworth’s farewell concert on Sunday night could be heard from the street as the concert’s after-party was being set up. Set up on a blocked off section of Beaufain Street just in front of Memminger Auditorium, the party featured two long champagne bars and a decadent spread of cupcakes from Sugar bakeshop. (My favorite, much like Charlie Wadsworth, were the coconut flavor.)
There were two men that everyone wanted to see after the concert: naturally, Wadsworth, and his just-named successor, Geoff Nuttall. The strange thing was that you couldn’t make a move without seeing the boyish face of Charles Wadsworth peeking out from gentlemen’s pockets or women’s handbags. The “I am a Charles Wadsworth fan” fans were the accessory of the evening. When Wadsworth finally made his way out of the auditorium, the crowd erupted in applause. Fans, friends, and photogs descended on Wadsworth — It was the closet thing to a paparazzi scene that Charleston has witnessed in some time.
The heir to his chamber music throne took slightly longer to make it out to the party, and when he did, one word came to mind: peroxide. The newly platinum Nuttall entered the party and was instantly ushered around the party, accepting congratulations and joking around with fellow party goers. (One must wonder, are Nuttall’s newly-blonde locks an allegory for stepping into the spotlight? Hmm…) When we had a chance to catch up with him, Nuttall was joking that it would be at least another 40 years until the “I am a Geoff Nuttall fan” apparatuses hit the streets — a very good sign that Spoleto has found a talent willing to copy Wadsworth’s staying power. 
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