In the late 19th century, a new and exciting type of entertainment venue was created in Belgium called the “Spiegeltent,” meaning “mirror tent” in Dutch.
A Spiegeltent is an opulent European traveling dancehall with a wooden floor, mirrored columns, stained glass windows and a velvet roof. Inside its large-but-intimate confines, all manner of artists could perform, from circus acts to burlesque and cabaret performers to orchestras and bands. It’s meant to be both an elegant and kaleidoscopic event where the audience members can experience all manner of performances in a unique but comfortable setting.
Last year, Charleston’s Gaillard Center revived the tradition with its own Spiegeltent event featuring a wide array of performers including Cracked Nuts, a team of daring acrobats and aerialists, the Gritty Glitter burlesque show and star actor and singer Sandra Bernhard.
Lissa Frenkel, the CEO of the Gaillard Center, said she is excited to present this unique experience to Charleston once again this year from Nov. 18 through Dec. 23.
“It feels like a secret bohemian space,” Frenkel said of the Spiegeltent, “so it’s a very intimate, beautiful place in which to experience art because you’re so close to the artist, and you’re able to really interact with them on a very small scale level.”
This year, performers include international cabaret star Meow Meow, blues vocalist and storyteller Kyshona, the multi-band revue the Rockabillaque Swingin’ Holiday Spectacular (with the Hi-Jivers and the Screamin’ Rebel Angels) and more. There’s also an eye-popping burlesque show packed with aerial feats and powerful vocals called “Cabaret Royale,” presented by Underbelly, the biggest producers of Spiegeltent shows in the U.K.
Frankel said the feel of the Spiegeltent event is entirely different from typical Gaillard Center performances.
“For us, it’s this wonderful contrast to our larger and more formal-feeling performance that, of course, is spectacular in its own right,” she said. “But it’s 1,800 seats, and it is a much more formal experience.”
A homegrown finale
Charlton Singleton, two-time Grammy Award-winning vocalist and trumpeter in Lowcountry Gullah band Ranky Tanky, will present the finale event, Homegrown & Nationally Known, which spotlights artists from Charleston and the South who are gaining traction nationally.
“It’s just a way of introducing some of the musicians that we have in the Lowcountry, and in the state of South Carolina in general, to some people that probably don’t know just how nationally known they are,” Singleton said. “For example, this particular year, we have Kanika Moore and Patrick Davis, and they travel all over the world performing. They are beloved all over the United States, and they are beloved in the industry by many people because of their talents.”
Moore has performed with Widespread Panic and the popular New York prog-funk band TAUK, while Davis has made a name for himself as a rootsy country rocker who’s worked with Darius Rucker and Edwin McCain, among others.
Singleton plans to make the finale event more than just a concert. In keeping with the intimacy theme of Spiegeltent, he will present an opportunity to get to know the artists.
“I’ll come out and do a few songs,” Singleton said, “and then I’ll invite my guests out. They’ll do a few songs. We’ll have a little short interview session, so we can talk about where they’re from, how they started, some of the highlights of their careers and some of the people that they’ve worked with.”
Singleton also teased a possible night-ending jam.
“As of right now, we do not have anything planned for everyone to get together at the very end,” he said. “However, with these two artists and the performances that I’ve done with them in the past, that’s something that could easily happen.”
Singleton wants to bring in more artists, many of whom have expressed interest in performing, for future editions of the concert.
“I think the Gaillard is synonymous with quality and with formality,” Frankel said. “I think we wanted to break down that second piece. While everything we do is really high quality, we’d love for folks to think about us as a space for conversation and celebration and adventurous work as well.
“That’s something that, as a brand, the institution has been working on, is making sure that across all generations, people see themselves in the Gaillard. And we think that Spiegeltent is really an attractive way to signal that.”
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