Gwen's Charity — Page 2

SORRY

Updated On: 10/10/05 at 10:51 AM

She passed away on October 18, 2000. A very sad day.

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Why did they cut the Soliloquy though? Honestly, that's one of my favorite songs in the OBCR-not in the revival recording,although I love Applegate's performance-because Verdon just reveals so many sides of Charity throughout the song, it's like a comic and fun "Rose's Turn", obviously without the dramatic impact and stuff, but you guys get my point. I don't get why they cut that song instead of some other songs that are not as powerful.

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I saw Gwen in Sweet Charity when I was 10 yrs old. At the end of the show I wanted to take Charity/ Gwen away from all that crap, marry her and give her a happy ending. But oh well the good fairy (played by Ruth Buzzi) beat me to it.

Gwen made such an impact on me that no other Charity could compare and I've seen a few. To me, Shirley MacClaine was just annoying in the movie. She pouted and cutsied her way through it and oh I missed Gwen.

Then there was the Westbury Music Fair Production I saw a few years later with Gretchen Wyler. Well she was forgettable. She made if amazingly apparent why she never became bigger than she was. She had the sensitivity of a bulldozer and she made the audience feel no sympathy for her whatsoever. ( I wasn't surprised to see how obnoxious she truly was in Broadway: The Golden Age.

Then there was the Debbie Allen version and surprise of surprises Debbie was quite good! She made me feel sorry for her, her dancing was specatacular and Debbie had a blast on that stage. She is the only Charity other than Gwen that I liked! She gave an honest spectacular performance and made it her own. Kudos to Debbie.

So when Debbie left, Ann Reinking took over. I ran to see Ann Reinking. Another Raspy voiced dancer who cohabitated with Bob Fosse! I figure she would be Gwen Jr and Ann is so good right? She is a lot like Gwen, right? Well she was good in Over Here and Pippin Right? Wrong.

Ann forgot everything she knew about acting and made Charity a one dimensional cartoon. And she wore this awful blonde wig. It was quite frankly, embarrassing. I expected Ann to be wonderful and she was abysmal. Shortly after, she turned to choreography.

I did not see Christine Applegate, I no longer see Charity's because frankly, there is only one real true Charity and that is Gwen.

I thought Shirley was okay acting-wise in the movie--the scene where she applies for a job and the HR guy thinks it's a gag is really quite good. But once the dancing starts, there is no question that Gwen is the superior Charity.

Didn't she coach Debbie Allen as well?

I've always heard great things about Helen--is she in anything available on DVD?

Thanks...I could be totally wrong too...I just remember reading that she helped Debbie with the choregraphy, because Bob couldn't remember it all...But, like I said, I could be wrong.

I've spoken to someone who had a master class (or something) with Michael Rupert.

And he said he has fond memories of Gwen teaching Debbie, Bebe, and Allison, THERE'S GOTTA BE SOMETHING BETTER THAN THIS.

So Gwen definitely helped out with choreography for that revival.

I second the Michael Rupert love. Amazing talent. Amazing director.

Gwen was amazingly generous teaching other ladies the roles she made famous. Maclaine has talked about how incredible it was to have her to learn Charity from -- though she said Gwen damn near killed her. It was like boot camp. Gwen made the most difficult and strenuous things look easy and mere mortals like her had to just try to keep up.

If you can find it, get your hands on the episode of Broadway Beat on the Sweet Charity concert from several years ago. In addition to the footage of all of the different Charities who participated (including Reinking, McKechnie, Rivera, Neuwirth and Allen) and of Gwen doing the old smoking in the closet bit and blowing the smoke into the garment bag, they had clips from years before of her in a dance studio teaching Debbie Allen "If My Friends Could See Me Now" for the 1986 revival. While she's a little frail, it's remarkable watching her instructing Allen and then doing the steps herself at 60-something.

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Are the recordings of Chicago and Charity at Lincoln Center? I remember (Margo I believe) saying that the Follies recording was of poor quality with no sound, so I would think Charity would be the same, but maybe Chicago was pretty good--anyone seen these?