Folly Beach Property

The play Gershwin at Follyset to run at Sotille Theatre during the month of September has gotten good reviews from local critic Nick Smith. He says of the play, “After low-key shows like Denmark Vesey: Insurrection and Butterflies Are Free, it’s good to see Julian Wiles in his element for the big, bold musical, Gershwin at Folly. Fans of the genre won’t be disappointed with the writer/director’s first show in the Sottile Theatre.”

The production showcases the richness of the history of Charleston as it portrays the birth of the famous play Porgy and Bess. Dubose and Dorothy Heyward meet Gershwin on Folly Beach and the musical is born out of their friendship. The Gullah culture of the 1930s is also a huge part of the friendship as the Gershwin and Heyward are depicted around Charleston and the Lowcountry as the team visits their subject matter, so to speak. As Smith puts it, “Wiles is honest in his hints of race relations in 1930s-era South Carolina. Jackson and Maisy speak their minds yet know their place as they serve Gershwin’s needs. They express concern at his plans to invite ‘coloreds and whites’ to a hootenanny under the same roof. When Gershwin goes crabbing for the first time, the Gullahs receive him with equal parts mirth and amazement.”