'Quills' doesn't hold back in its effort to put on a great show

While Spoleto has shied away from nudity on stage and much that can be considered controversial in recent years, Piccolo Spoleto dives in with both feet in the College of Charleston's production of "Quills."

Part of the Department of Theatre's Stelle di Domani Series, this contemporary comedy/drama explores a host of moral issues with wit and irony. Set in post-revolutionary France, in the Charenton Asylum — where the infamous Marquis de Sade is an inmate — the Marquis, the Abbe de Coulmier and the asylum's new administrator Dr. Royer-Collard wage what becomes a bloody war.

The theme of playwright Doug Wright's 1995 play may be said to be the question of artistic expression and its consequences, but that does not begin to tell you about the murder and mayhem, torture and dismemberment, flagellation and fornication, and over an hour's worth of full-frontal (male) nudity that this two and a half-hour production contains.

If this does not sound overly appealing, go to Simons Center's Theatre 220 for the quality of the acting and the production values created by Center Stage, the student producing organization.

Robbie Thomas is an amazing Marquis, arrogant, flagrantly sensuous, flippant, endearing and horrifying all at once. We are guiltily drawn to him. Sam McCalla's portrayal of the transformation of the innocent, compassionate Abbe into a monstrous torturer who abandons his own values is nothing short of brilliant. John Rhodes catches with well-developed understanding the menacing role of the doctor, while Meredith Cook is lovely as a winsome young lady sacrificed in the name of ... art?

William Haden was effective especially in the final scene, and Chelsea Young is convincing as the Marquis' wife, interested only in her social status.

The split set with silhouetted actors center stage works beautifully. Kudos to director Charley Boyd and the tech staff.