The Play's the Thing.

The Boro's a nice little town. Sure, we've got problems- every place does; but we've also got a lot of cool things for such a little place. Mostly, we've got people willing to take chances to have fun and help the community to be a better place. Last night, Lady Di and I attended opening night of a play: "The Importance of Bein' Earnest", an adaptation of Oscar Wilde's play of a very similar title by Ted Swindley, set in antebellum Charleston and Colleton County.

Jack Montgomery, played by Michael Weaver of Hilton Head Island, leads a duel life as Jack in the Country, and Earnest when he's in Charleston. While visiting his buddy, Calhoun Callaway (played to goofy effect by the hirsute Vaughan Spearman) in Charleston, he falls for and proposes to Virginia Lee Stonewall (nicely played by Christine Grefe, who lives in my old stomping grounds of Ridgeland, and is a juvenile prosecutor in her day job). Virginia Lee's mother, Octavia, played by Ruth Lucas, insists that any man betrothed to her daughter have a decent Southern pedigree before she'll give her approval. While Calhoun is gadding about at Jack's place in the Country- something Calhoun calls "Beauregarding"- he assumes the same alias Jack does: Earnest. Calhoun/Earnest meets, falls for, and proposes marriage to Clementine Coatsworth (played with youthful exuberance by Julia Crabb), Jack/Earnest's impetuous young ward. Clementine's tutor, the proper Livinia Primrose (played by Patty McBride), tries to keep Clementine focused, but has to fight her simmering desire for the Reverend "Pinky" Pinckney (played with fine comic timing by Walterboro attorney John Bryan). Confusion and hilarity ensue- as they must- over the aliases and identities of the principals, but all ultimately ends well.


It takes a lot of folks to put together a play, and I'm lucky to count several of my friends among the folks that made this happen. The costumes looked great, thanks to Gilda Barnwell, who was in charge of costumes, and Bonita Cheney, who is the Historian for the Lowcountry Community Players. The show ended at 10 p.m., which is past my bedtime, so I had to scurry home, but I did manage to get a pic of Reverend Pinckney and Lavinia. Kudos to everyone; it was a lot of fun.