Sweet Charity

written by: Cory Q

On 2/9/2005 Mrs. Q and I went to see the Broadway-bound production of "Sweet Charity" starring Christina Applegate (of "Don't Tell Mom The Baby Sitters Dead" fame) at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis. Mrs. Q being the savvy shopper she is got us third row seats. Close enough to hear the performers sing directly and to see their sweaty bodies... And I have to say, Christina Applegate is more petite than I expected.

For those of you who aren't familiar with the story (which I wasn't), "Sweet Charity" is the story of Charity Hope Valentine's (Applegate) search for lasting love in the modern world (the setting is a combination of elements from the 1940's, mid 60's and some modern day). The story starts with Charity and her boyfriend going out to see the lake. She sits down, dangles her foot into the water (which is the orchestra pit) and then gets pushed in while her no account beau makes off with her purse. The performance we saw (only the second live performance of the show) had Charity climb into and out of the pit on a ladder. Their technical pieces weren't quite up to speed. So, the story progresses... Charity works at the Fandango Ball Room as a euphemism for being a whore. A kindhearted whore. We follow Charity on a song and dance filled journey of modest self discovery.

Why not go into more plot details? Because there isn't much more to relate. Charity meets a movie star and ends up trapped in an elevator with a 'decent guy' she starts dating. And this is the problem with this show. We end in roughly the same spot we started. Charity is an eternal optimist without a real plan, Oscar (her romantic interest played by Denis O'Hare) is as neurotic as he started, and Charity's coworkers are stuck where they are too. It is a thin plot used as a frame work for a couple popular songs ("Big Spender", "If My Friends Could See Me Now") and some big dance numbers.

I believe that the actors, especially Applegate, deserve to be commended for their efforts to bring emotional dept to characters that are paper thin. Applegate is making her stage debut and it is plain to see she is not a dancer but she certainly holds her own alone on stage and her voice might not be 'belt it out' strong but it was true nonetheless. I liked her before, but greatly respect her now. Denis O'Hare's turn as the neurotic accountant is believable and easy to identify with. The real stand out in the cast was Paul Schoeffler as Vittorio Vidal. His voice was strong, his delivery well timed, and his overall performance seemed effortless. In fact the best scene of the show was between Vittorio and Charity in his apartment. This scene had great comedic timing and characters that for a brief moment were whole people. Again, this being only the second live performance, some of the other scenes suffered from odd timing where the actors weren't quite sure where the laugh would be or how to hit certain lines to give them comedic punch. One of my favorite funny moments wasn't meant to be. Oscar asks Charity how many men she has dated. He says "How many!?" in a loud, aggravated voice, and all I could think of was "37".

I found the set pieces to be engaging. The set was pretty minimal but conveyed space and movement very well. Overall the staging was well executed and deserving of note.

I also want to mention the orchestra. They did a great job. And I'm not just saying that because I know Lynda Bradley Vacco who played the viola and violin for this production.

To recap: The Broadway-bound production of "Sweet Charity" is still trying to hit its stride. The actors do an admirable job fleshing out a thin script (which keeps from being outdated by treading on the campy side) that is a flimsy frame work for song and dance numbers. Oh, and watching Christina Applegate prance around in a tiny, flouncy red dress for two hours is a good, good time.

This article has been viewed 2625 times.