Christina Applegate as Sweet Charity- Page 2

[ljay889]

Posted: 12/20/08 at 8:51pm

Krakowski was doing one of the workshops, and she got into a tiff with Neil Simon about the role. And it was bye-bye Jane.

[Fan123]

Posted: 12/20/08 at 9:11pm

"I always thought the ending was pretty lame, but the revised ending for this produvtion, and the reinterpritation of the character made me fall in love with the show."

What was the revised ending? How was the character different?

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 12/20/08 at 10:42pm

The original ending was as follows:

As they are walking through the park, Charity trying to save the relationship, Oscar trying to end it, Oscar makes his point by throwing Charity into the lake. This particular lake is bad luck for Charity. As she pulls herself out of the water, a Good Fairy appears and says to Charity, "Tonight, it will all happen tonight." Charity is again overcome by hope and optimism for finding her true love, until the Good Fairy turns around. There is a sign on the Fairy's back which reads "THE GOOD FAIRY - tonight at 8 p.m. on CBS."

The revised ending cut the good fairy and ended with a reprise of "I'm the Bravest Individual" which I liked a lot better. I also felt the character of Charity was slightly revised as she became a little more bubble gum pop and really just a dance hall hostess which in the original production and revivals, based on pictures, it seems like she really was still a prostitute. Maybe that was just me.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 12/20/08 at 10:45pm

I ain't saying she's Donna McKechnie, but this is twice I've seen people kinda slagging Krakowski. I thought she WAS considered a good dancer.

[ljay889]

Posted: 12/20/08 at 10:51pm

She's pretty good. But the critics didn't think her dancing was that great as Lola in DAMN YANKEES. I quite liked her in the role though.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 12/20/08 at 11:14pm

I thought Applegate was great in the role.

Even though Clarke gave a performance for the history books that year and deservedly won the Tony, Applegate still gave a strong lead female performance that wasn't nearly given enough credit. Especially because she basically single-handedly pushed the show to Broadway when no one else wanted to keep the production alive.

She was wonderful. At the Tonys on the other hand, she was clearly nervous and the entire production of their song(s) was just terrible. So being nervous + having an awkward production number to do = not a great combination. And I quite liked Cilento's choreography...I know I am in the EXTREME minority there but whatever.

The production was really fun, cute, bubbly, engaging, and highly underrated. It wasn't masterful by any means but neither is the material. I thought the production suited the material and was far better than the LA CAGE revival of that year which was just pretty damn boring.

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 12/20/08 at 11:20pm

Cilento's choreography is one of the biggest crimes against musical theatre history I have ever witnessed.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 12/20/08 at 11:25pm

Ha...like I said, I know I'm in the extreme minority.

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 12/20/08 at 11:26pm

Have you seen the original choreography WickedRocks?

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 12/20/08 at 11:58pm

Fosse's choreography for Sweet Charity is actually my least favorite of his works. I loath his "Big Spender". I liked the lighter interpretation of the song by Cilento.

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 12/21/08 at 12:36am

Does a lighter interpretation best serve the material. Though it is a musical comedy, I'd consider it pretty dark material. I think one of the revival's main flaws was glossing over the reality of the world Charity works in.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 12/21/08 at 1:26am

Well, that's why I liked the revival. Fosse's Charity was a hooker and I don't see her that way.

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 12/21/08 at 1:27am

Charity lives a dark life, hooker or not. She worked in a seedy dance hall. It's in the text, not merely an interpretation on Fosse's part.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 12/21/08 at 3:00am

Charity is a hooker, they just prettied it up a bit, but I mean the show is even based on a Fellini movie about a prostitute.
Phyllis, Jane Krakowski is in my top three all time favorite Broadway stars, I adore her, and I think she is a good dancer, but she isn't a trained dancer or a natural dancer by any means. In DAMN YANKEES it showed that while she could dance the moves, she lacked the natural fluidity to execute the steps in the style that they were meant to. Either way, she would have made a fantastic Charity.
Never heard Marisa Tomei sing or seen her dance but I think her Charity would have been a riot to watch, but not in the bubbly annoying revival. She would make a great Charity in the somewhat grittier Fosse style.
It's amazing how many women went through this production, the show deserved better than what it got. Cilento should never work as a choreographer on Broadway after that debacle.
Re Krakowski, rumor has it that she complained about the book in the middle of the workshop:
Krakowski- "I can't say this, it's sexist"
Neil Simon- "Don't worry, you won't have to"
And that was that.

[bwaybabe2]

Posted: 12/21/08 at 3:27am

"And for the record, Ms. Applegate has a lot of dance training... so I wouldn't really go with "non-dancing" as an accurate description of her..."

Right. Thank you for posting this. I also know about her training, and have seen her dance in some of her shows, and she is very good. Unfortunately, I never was lucky to get in this show ("Sweet Charity"), which I wish I had seen with her in the lead. I do have this great memory, one Thanksgiging, seeing her perform a number from the show in the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade...and she was as engaging as ever. Perhaps her singing is not the ultimate, but she can manage rather nicely

[emo_geek]

Posted: 12/21/08 at 3:50am

If you did not like her, try watching Molly Ringwald. One of the worst nights of theatre I have ever attended.

[Byron Abens]

Posted: 12/21/08 at 8:58am

I knew several people connected with this production and they had nothing but the utmost respect for Ms. Applegate and the dedication she showed in getting this show to open on Broadway, as well as her performance. And this is coming from people who are not the types to throw praise around without meaning it.

I personally found her singing to be no worse than Gwen Verdon's. While I have found the clips and videos of Ms. Verdon's performances to be quite amazing, I think it her complete package and stage presence that made them so. If she had not been an absolutely thrilling dancer and fine actress I don't think she would have been nearly as renowned based solely on the strength of her voice.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 12/21/08 at 11:20am

Did anyone see Paige Davis on the tour? I imagine she would have been fantastic.

[Brick]

Posted: 12/21/08 at 12:28pm

Charming...

... In an annoying, bubble-gum production.

Walter Bobbie and Wayne Cilento's work was truly anemic.

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 12/21/08 at 12:43pm

Cilento should never work as a choreographer on Broadway after that debacle.

Lucky for him, thanks to his atrocious contribution to WICKED, which now has about a gazillion productions all over the world, all including his ugly choreography, he's going to be a wealthy man for the rest of his life without having to work another day.

[jennamajig]

Posted: 12/21/08 at 1:19pm

I saw Charlotte D'Amboise in the Boston pre-broadway tryout stop, which I think was around when Applegate broke her foot. I remember looking forward to seeing Applegate, and being slightly disappointed.

D'Amboise was decent, but there was no spark. I'd seen the show before seeing her at Theatre by the Sea in RI and related more to the woman who played Charity then. I was never a huge fan of the show itself and D'Amboise didn't change my mind. Maybe it was her interpretation, but I left thinking Charity was definitely a hooker for that dance hall. D'Amboise was one heck of a dancer, though.

Missed Applegate when the show finally made it to Broadway, but wished I'd seen her from the comments listed here.

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 12/21/08 at 1:31pm

Like most, I like Christina at the beginning, and as she grew into the role, and could handle more choreography, I loved her. She has a warm, likeable charm. (Those are qualities Krakowski has, but I always felt because of her sexpot essence, she never felt truly relatable.)

As for If My Friends Could See Me Now, looking on the YouTube and other places, it never really seems that anyone could fully handle the singing portion of that number without getting huffy.

[BwayBaby18]

Posted: 12/21/08 at 3:02pm

I saw Christina's first performance (April 18th) on Broadway and i was hooked! She was wonderful! She made a stupid character relatable. She is a wonderful comedic actress.

Also Charity herself says that she isn't a hooker.

As for the Krakowski rumor she believed that Charity was too dumb and that no audience would believe it and she wasn't going to say it. To which Simon responded "Don't worry you won't have too."

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 12/21/08 at 3:05pm

Charity may say she isn't a hooker, but is she being realistic with herself? One of the main ideas in Charity is her denial of the reality of her situation(s).

[BwayBaby18]

Posted: 12/21/08 at 3:11pm

Yes, a wonderful point. But it also depends how the production is handled. In this production it was very clear that she wasn't. She was a girl who feel in with the wrong crowd. And frankly, from what i have seen of Verdon and McClaine i could careless. From seeing clips and the movie i just think.. Ah look another dumb hooker who got what was comming to her... i know it is awful but it is true. I just couldn't relate. Applegate made Charity relatable. Seeing the show was really an eye opening experince for me, her portrayle made me learn a lot about myself.