Photo Flash: SWEET CHARITY At Theatre Royal Haymarket.. ummm.

The Springfield Community Players Presents:
SWEET CHARITY!

All right, now you know.

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:-p

PJ, I'm learning!!

Man, did they get the hair and makeup wrong.

Let me guess ... they moved it to 1975, just because.

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To be fair, that video looks like it was filmed at Menier. There are more photos of the show at Theatre Royal Haymarket, and they definitely spruced up the set a bit more than what's seen in that video. "Rich Man's Frug" especially has more of a set now. That said, yeah, it looks pretty bad.

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Uh OH, Oscar doesn't like his image being used in shows or on TV not associated with the Award show!

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Really. I was a big fan of the last Broawdway revival and loved Christina Applegate but the current London production just blew me away. A truly original conception for the show, well cast and beautifully choreographed. The Rhythm of Life has never worked so well and the Rich Man's Frug was terrific.

When will some of you people learn that a couple of hastily produced video clips do not give you a basis for pronouncing judgment on a show you have not seen.

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Right, please don't judge from the video. At the Haymarket it is SO much better. It is a very solid production that needs to be seen to be appreciated.

Shouldn't these clips belong in the bad community theater thread?? Nothing about that looked good.

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Is Charity played by a drag queen?

Menier Chocolate factory have done yet again what they did with La Cage, Little Night Music and to an extent, Little Shop, stripped it right back to the bare emotions and context, and then built a heart-felt show up around that, it isn't lavish and OTT like most Broadway shows, however, doesnt that make it more realistic and focus more on the acting happening??

I'm sick of the "It's more realistic" crap. I don't care if a show is realistic, people are spontaneously SINGING!

I have to say I disagree with those who think that "small scale" is better or more realistic. It's a musical, so you automatically check realism at the door, never mind the size.

My big gripe is that Broadway did used to conjure images of spectacle and large-scale magic. It wasn't just one or two box office stars surrounded by a four-person chorus and summer stock sets. And "cheap" didn't pass for "concept." "Scaled down" didn't pass for "realistic."

Six people in the pit doesn't equal Broadway to me, with rare exception. A chorus of eight doesn't either. That's summer stock. That's community theatre.

I can see excellent theatre all over the country where they have scaled-down productions with quality actors and singers. They're everywhere. Not just in NY.

What made NY theatre special wasn't the quality, it was the spectacle. Thirty chorus kids who could tap their asses off. All dressed in expensive costumes, with a pit orchestra of 20-30 as well.

Broadway is fast becoming a community theatre with headliner stars and fat ticket prices, but nothing else above and beyond what any of us could see in a small city in Iowa or Arizona. Actually, with the costs lower regionally, at least I can still see 30 in the chorus or 30 the pit there. Something that is a thing of the past on the Great White Way, unless I want to check out those old warhorses that have been playing for over a decade. And even THOSE have been scaled down over the years to keep the shows running.

And for those of you who think that "good actors" or "good singers and dancers" only live in NY, you need to get out more. You have no idea.

This "smoke and mirror act" saying smaller is better is played out. It's "the emperor's new clothes."

Except I can already see that the emperor is naked, and the ruse is over. Bring me a Broadway-scale show, not just a "Broadway quality" show.

But I'm sure as long as people are willing to shell out $130 to see an "Equity waiver"-sized production, this game will continue.

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Updated On: 5/4/10 at 07:00 PM