Artist:
Sweet Charity
Genre: Broadway
Background: The well-known
actor's mantra to "break a leg"
took on new meaning when Christina Applegate
ended Sweet Charity's Boston run by literally
breaking an ankle bone during one of her
routines. If there were a Tony for guts
and determination, Applegate's can-do recovery
in time for the revival's official Broadway
opening, would surely win her a statue hands
down.
Applegate best known for her roles in
Married . . . With Children and Friends,
is as pretty and perky a Charity as the
role's originators (Gwen Verdon on stage,
and Shirley McLaine on screen). Even with
the recently broken ankle, cleverly supported
by cast-like boots that blend with her
hoisery, she's also an energetic hoofer
-- not great, but better than adequate.
Though her singing voice is on the so-so
side, she knows how to deliver a song
and she is an excellent comedienne and
fully evokes the vulnerability of a girl
so desperate for love that she tends to
stumble into one deadend relationship
after another. Above all, she's extremely
likable.
This is a big, magic marker bright production
with plenty of talent. Janine LaManna
as the sardonic Nickie and Krya DaCosta
as Helene are well cast as Charity's best
friends at the Fandango. Then there's
Denis O'Hare who looks a little like a
young Tony Randall in The Odd Couple as
the full of ticks anti-heroic Oscar. O'Hare
isn't much of a singer but his comic timing
is superb. He's on the mark from the moment
the romantic sparks between him and Charity
are ignited in a stalled elevator to the
bracingly feminist finale. Paul Schoeffler
brings the right touch of movie star flamboyance
to the hilarious scene in which Charity's
happenstance meeting with him lands her
in the room-sized closet of his luxurious
apartment while he makes love to his jealous
girl friend Ursula (Shannon Lewis).
The Neil Simon book is, of course, pretty
much a flimsy excuse for everyone in this
large cast to kick up their heels and
sing Cy Coleman and Dorothy Fields' indestructibly
catchy songs -- some of which, like "Big
Spender", will be familiar even to
those who haven't seen the show live or
on screen. When it comes to the dancing,
anyone expecting a replay of Bob Fosse's
stylish freeze frame dances is in for
a surprise. (Fosse directed as well as
choreographed both the original Broadway
production and the film version). Director
Walter Bobbie, who also helmed the long
running, 100% Fosse-fueled Chicago, has
opted to let choreographer Wayne Cilento
put his own imprint on this production.
There are nods to Fosse all over the place,
as when Charity does her top hat and cane
routine and sings her best number, "If
They Could See Me Now." (Who but
Dorothy Fields could pen a verse like
"To think the highest- brow/Which
I must say is he/ Should pick the lowest-brow/Which
there's no doubt is me/What a step-up.
. .holy Cow!/They'd never lelieve it/If
my friends could see me now!"). The
tips of the hat to Fosse notwithstanding,
Cliente is his own man. His choreography
is lively and fun to watch even if it
doesn't eclipse the master of choreographic
stylishness.
Applegate, best known for her 11 irreverent
seasons on "Married ... With Children,"
turns out to be a sweetheart. She sings
fine - think Betty Boop with a hint of
vibrato. She has the upturned nose of
a curious puppy, an endearing clown of
a smile and an expressive way with physical
comedy. With her feet supported in high-button
ankle boots, she steps a bit gingerly
through the reduced choreography of the
opening numbers, clearly saving herself
for a strong finish.
