Posted: 11/9/16 at 1:08am
Caught this tonight. Simply fantastic and so refreshing to see SWEET CHARITY in another re-interpretation from Bob Fosse's original. The staging was incredible in such an intimate space. The band (not orchestra) was top notch and I'm aching already for a cast recording of this production.
To answer questions: "Charity's Soliloquy" is indeed done as the original: in the bossa nova genre. The location changes during the number is a refreshing approach. Very cinematic and a technique used several times throughout the musical. The wig works perfectly in this and Sutton changes it for when she's "working" at the Fandango ballroom (as do the other actresses - you see them in wig caps, etc).
Joel Pérez is a revelation of acting range. Each character he plays is a completely rounded out character - from Vittorio Vitalé, Big Daddy to Herman. What a gift he has in this production.
Kudos to choreographer Joshua Bergasse for tackling "The Rich Man's Frug", "The Rhythm of Life", "I'm a Brass Band" and most notably the iconic "If My Friends Could See Me Now" and "Big Spender" and just doing his own thing without homaging Bob Fosse (like Wayne Cilento did for the 2005 Broadway revival).
There was a post-show talkback with the creative team and the entire cast (including) Sutton, who mentioned it was quite startling to her at their first public performance with how close the audience is to them. During the show, I was sitting first row dead center and Sutton changed her shoes literally a foot away from me. That's how close the actors get to the audience. Also, director Leigh Silverman made a few faux pas regarding the many endings of the musical that I politely corrected her on. It was quite obvious she is unaware of the 2005 Broadway revival.