On & Off Broadway

'Sweet Charity'

Review by Elyse Trevers

Posted

Fittingly, Hope is her middle name, and so Sweet Charity views the world with optimism. Although the men in her life use, rob and abuse her, she still waits for one to love her.

In the latest revival of the Cy Coleman - Dorothy Fields musical, Sutton Foster is effervescent as Charity, the ingenuous wide-eyed dance hall hostess with a heart of gold. Recipient of two Tony Awards, Foster sings and dances her way into our hearts. The intimate Pershing Square Signature Center allows us to get up close to see how she truly sparkles. Foster’s thousand-watt smile lights up the theater as she approaches new people, with hope and high expectations.

Charity’s positive attitude calms Oscar (Shuler Hensley) when they get stuck in an elevator together. Hensley is hysterical as he goes through his stages of claustrophobia. Charity’s sweetness causes him to fall in love with her. He asks her to marry him but leaves her at the last minute, unable to handle the knowledge that she isn’t the virginal pure girl he thought she was. Hensley was so good at breaking her heart, I was tempted to boo him during the final curtain calls.


Charity’s two friends at work, Nickie (Asmeret Ghebremichael) and Helene (Emily Padgett), try to get her to face reality but they also buy into her hopeless romanticism, especially when it looks like she may really ‘get out’ of their sordid lives. The three women perform the plaintive “Baby, Dream Your Dream” number.

One of the highlights of the show comes early with all the girls soliciting various audience members to be a “Big Spender.” Other Broadway classics include “If My Friends Could See Me Now” and “I’m A Brass Band.”

The musical, directed by Leigh Silverman, is presented in an intimate setting with the ensemble members playing multiple roles. Sweet Charity is a wonderful show, and if there’s any criticism, it’s that this version is too bright and pretty. The characters should probably be grittier and the men more seedy. But, again, maybe that’s just the glow from Sutton Foster.