I was there tonight and really loved Sutton. She was fantastic, though her wig was not! Did her arch nemesis design it in an attempt to sabotage her wonderful performance? Well, there's always time to get another wig, but Sutton's Charity is already fully formed. The heartbreak of Where Am I Going was excellent and I've never liked the ending more.
The beginning of the show was a little shaky, but things really kicked into gear during If My Friends Could See Me Now, which Sutton nailed.
I'm a Brass Band was the best of the production numbers with the Frug and Rhythm of Life needing the most clean up/choreographic alterations.
Baby Dream Your Dream was great; Ghebremichael and especially Padgett made for a strong Nickie/Helene pairing. Joel Perez now is essentially the male lead as he played the combined roles of Vittorio, Daddy and Herman.
The scaled down orchestrations took a little getting used to, but I honestly enjoyed them by the end. No, they wouldn't cut it in a Broadway house unless you're Roundabout, but for this venue with this production I thought they worked.
If the intention is to transfer then there is some work to be done, but the leading lady is a star and we've all seen shows transferred on much less. I wish them luck and hope to get to see this again someway, somehow.
Marie: Don't be in such a hurry about that pretty little chippy in Frisco.
Tony: Eh, she's a no chip!