I LOVE SWEET CHARITY!!!!- Page 2

[marymagdalene]

Posted: 7/12/05 at 12:11am

I saw Christina at the 4/23 Saturday Matinee and I was extremely impressed with her...

Yeah, Christina is no Bernadette Peters, Stephanie J. Block, Ethel Merman, Carol Channing, or even Audra McDonald...

I have listened to Gwen Verdon's (of whom I adore) version on CD, grew up with Shirley MacClaine (I really like her) in the movie version, BUT there is a similarity of their voices that I like, and is sort of perfect for the character of Charity Hope Valentine: confident, yet laden with self-doubt...

I knew her primarily from "Married...With Children," but then again, who does NOT know her from that show, and of course, "Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead."

I did not realise that she could sing until it was announced that she was going to be Charity Hope Valentine...
Considering that I did not know that if she could sing or dance, I was skeptical...

I read this article from "New York Metro.com" from April 19th:
"'Christina Applegate, best remembered as bleached-blond teen bimbo Kelly Bundy in the nineties sticom 'Married...With Children,' had - unbeknownst to her pubescent admirers - danced regularly until the age of 27. Hollywood-born and -bread, she had also nurtured a lifelong infatuation with the work of Bob Fosse. In L.A., Applegate is neither a star nor a has-been;... a young Applegate was on the upswing, and to commit to 'Sweet Charity,' she passed on Tim Burton's remake of 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Instead of trading lines with Johnny Depp, she found herself enduring a grueling private tryout with composer Cy Coleman. "When there's a dream in a 7- or 10-year-old girl that doesn't get fulfilled," she explained, "you willalways feel that loss in your life, and this came along and this was that dream.'"

I have located the link - enjoy!

I cannot wait to get the OBCR on 7/12!
NOOOOO! The plucky adventures of a sitcom starlet who just wanted to dance...

[ljay889]

Posted: 7/12/05 at 12:27am

^ I really think everyone should read that article. It's an amazing article. It really helps you see how devoted Applegate is too this show. It also shows how Applegate and d'Amboise have no bitter feelings about eachother - they are friends.

I just think before people start bashing Christina - they should really read that article.

[ZBraff]

Posted: 7/12/05 at 10:02pm

I'll admit, I was not a fan of the idea of Applegate as Charity. The fact that her performance at the Tonys was mediocre didn't help.
But I just saw Sweet Charity on Sunday, and I absolutely loved it. Christina was fantastic, and even though I was upset about them rechoreographing original fosse, the dances were dazzling.
Dennis O'Hare was perfect in every way.
Such a wonderful, wonderful show.

Christina Applegate really pulled through and surprised me. She made a wonderful Charity and her dancing was superb.

[Phantom2]

Posted: 7/12/05 at 11:55pm

It's a great show with a fabulous ensemble. The girls are soooooooooooooooo hot!

[ljay889]

Posted: 7/12/05 at 11:59pm

Zbraff. I'm glad you enjoyed the show. I too didn't know what to expect of Christina - and I was pleasantly suprised. She is fantastic.
---

You guys know what I find REALLY sad? Cy Coleman never got to see this production, and Christina. It's been said it was VERY supportive of Christina, and was really looking foward to her in the role. She should feel very lucky to have worked with him right before his death. I really wish he was here..

[justme2]

Posted: 7/13/05 at 12:12am

me too.....I would have liked to see what other shows of his (he had MANY in the works)would have made it to Broadway in the upcoming years.

What a musician! I miss him already and hope that his work does not become neglected.

[ljay889]

Posted: 7/13/05 at 12:28am

^ Yep. I agree.

I just think before people knock Christina - they should realize this was her dream to be on Bway, she was a huge fan of Fosse, and trained in dance for many years - she wasn't some random star the Weissler's decided to stunt cast who had no previous dancing/singing experience. Also people should realize Coleman approved of Christina. The whole creative team was blown away when they heard her read the book scenes. She was also the only "star" that could pass the dancing audition, and the Weissler's have no shame in saying - at the auditions she made others auditioning for the role look very embarrassing. Christina could've been co-staring in this summers highly anticipate Charlie and The Chocolate Factory - but Broadway was more important too her. She is indeed one great woman, who deserves more respect than she gets.

[justme2]

Posted: 7/13/05 at 12:50am

agreed lijay..of course. :)

I was having an interesting discussion with someone at work today about the new Willy Wonka movie. We were in agreement that we loved Gene Wilder's version so much that we weren't interested in seeing this version at all and felt there was no need for it to have been made. Our conversation reminded me of what we've been seeing on these boards regarding Sweet Charity.

Our lack of interest in this new movie did not make us want to get on a message board and slam Johnny Depp and the creative team for attempting to "rip off a classic" that shouldn't be touched. We didn't start negative posts about how poor a replacement Johnny Depp is, and bitch about how poorly the movie producers were treating the "original movie".

I can completely understand where these Charity haters are coming from; their love of the original is so strong! What I can't undersand is the need to leave caustic comments on every Charity thread, and mock the audience members who are enjoying this show.

[AudtioningWaitress]

Posted: 7/13/05 at 6:27pm

Sadly, I too thought I was going to hate this...And while I did think some of the choreography was a bit safe and not up to the 'Fosse' standards that I wanted it to be. I thought the show was completely delightful and I thought Christina Applegate was adorable. And believe me, I wanted to dislike her, but she completely one me over. And Denis O'Hare rocks too!