After a brief one-day slowdown in premieres, Spoleto is once again unveiling new treats for hungry Spoletians, including Daniel MacIvor’s This is What Happens Next.

Our overview critic Nick Smith caught the show last night. Here’s what he had to say about MacIvor’s thrilling one-man look at his own selfish self:

In This is What Happens Next, Daniel MacIvor first appears as himself, giddy with nervous energy about the night’s potential. His show is inspired by his last “shitty couple of years,” in which he got divorced, moved, lost thousands of dollars, and messed around with coke and booze. The Canadian performer fictionalizes his story through multiple characters — men, women, and even a little boy — in a mesmerizing and unexpectedly funny way…

By examining his own life and mistakes, MacIvor has come up with many themes to explore. A central one: philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer’s idea that giving into your will, that compelling spirit in the lantern, leads to unhappiness. Through all his vignettes, he shows that the ego wants to want. Most people spend their lives desperately trying to do what is right, and end up satisfying their egos anyway. In This is What Happens Next, MacIvor can have it both ways by creating multiple endings. If only real life was so flexible, or simple.

Former CP intern and local standup Myles Hutto caught Molly Prather’s (Bleep), Marry, Kill and came out of it testifying to the female comedienne’s greatness:

Molly Prather is a Jager Bomb in a country club. Shes’ a boilermaker at brunch. She’s a breath of fresh air in a world where too many girls are have pretty faces but no substance. She’s is very easy on the eyes yet hell on the funny bone.

This show is far from the pinnacle of Prather’s career. When watching the show, you get the feeling that she is destined to do much greater things. Her stint in the Piccolo Fringe Festival is a great opportunity to see an emerging voice in comedy do just that — emerge.

Meanwhile, Dan Watson caught the infidelity drama Discretion, while our resident classic musical buff Lindsay Koob took in an installment of the Young Artist Series for some piano wizardry and another gig in the Chamber concert series, featuring Geoff Nuttall.

Of the A+ concert, Koob says:

Perhaps I should call them crowd-arousers, ‘cause I’ve seen very few programs (out of hundreds over the years) that have gotten this kind of rabid response — and one of the selections was even a (shudder!) modern piece! It didn’t hurt that Geoff was in rare form, either, right from the start.

Help keep the City Paper free.

No paywalls.
No newspaper subscription cost.
Free delivery at 800 locations from downtown to North Charleston to Johns Island to Summerville to Mount Pleasant.

Help support independent journalism by donating today.