Sarah Jessica Parker as Charity- Page 2

[FranklinShepard-Inc.]

Posted: 10/18/06 at 11:50am

I think she whould have done fine. After all Charity doesn't need to be a great vocalist. Neither were Gwen Verdon or Shirley McLaine.

[jewishboy]

Posted: 10/18/06 at 1:14pm

I'm sorry if she does dance then I think she would be perfect. But, the directors of the revival claimed that Applegate was a great dancer and she really was not.

[justme2]

Posted: 10/18/06 at 1:27pm

I saw Applegate and her performance as Charity was great...wonderful comic timing, voice was fine and dancing was fine. Her take on Charity was fine. I was impressed with her overall and actually managed to enjoy the show.

I saw Ringwald last month in SJ...Comic timing fine, but gasping during songs and literally not dancing while others around her were trying to dance down to not make Ringwald's dancing shortcomings less obvious than they really are.


Sarah? NO. I can't picture it and don't want to see it.

[ILUVTOMG]

Posted: 10/18/06 at 1:33pm

does anyone remember SJP's name being tossed around for natasha richardson's replacement in Cabaret? i remember reading that she desperately wanted to do it but they went with jennifer jason leigh instead. her consolation prize: Sex and the City. Cabaret's booby prize: Brooke Shields and Molly Ringwald.

[NathanLaneStalker]

Posted: 10/18/06 at 1:36pm

I think she'd be ok...but I'd rather see Amy Spanger as Charity!

[South Fl Marc]

Posted: 10/18/06 at 1:40pm

"What Jane did was not admirable, but instead highly unprofessional."

She might have been unprofessional, but Neil Simon, aided by his pit bull wife, is just a nasty, bitter old man.
Updated On: 10/18/06 at 01:40 PM

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 10/18/06 at 1:42pm

I promise you nothing could be worse than Molly Ringwald.

Yesss, so let's allow something just as bad, shall we? Molly Ringwald's voice makes my. ears. bleed. At least Applegate wasn't that bad; I didn't mind her, actually. SJP is adorable, and if the role didn't require her to sing, I'd be all for it.

does anyone remember SJP's name being tossed around for natasha richardson's replacement in Cabaret? i remember reading that she desperately wanted to do it but they went with jennifer jason leigh instead. her consolation prize: Sex and the City. Cabaret's booby prize: Brooke Shields and Molly Ringwald.

I was going to say that may not have been as awful an idea, because Sally isn't supposed to be a good singer, but a lot of people argue the same for Charity.

Updated On: 10/18/06 at 01:42 PM

[Mateo2]

Posted: 10/18/06 at 1:45pm

I think Christina Applegate was very credible as Charity. Christina has excellent comic timing and her singing and dancing was better than average. I saw her twice and both times Christina got an excellent response from the audience. As for SJP, I do not care for her much as an actress. Even though she got all the notoriety for Sex and The City, Cynthia Nixon, Kristin Davis, and Kim Cattrall carried the show. I’m sorry, I’ve had enough of SJP, and I do not need to see her on Broadway.

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 10/18/06 at 1:55pm

I never thought of it before, but I can actually see SJP as Sally Bowles not that you mention it..

[MrMidwest]

Posted: 10/18/06 at 1:57pm

"SJP is adorable, and if the role didn't require her to sing, I'd be all for it."

Just wondering, but how good of a singer do you think Gwen Verdon (or really, most other people who have played the role on Broadway) was? In my opinion, SJP's voice is smooth and melodic when it's not stretched beyond its limitations.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 10/18/06 at 2:02pm

Right, exactly; many people who have played the part haven't been great singers, which is why I made the point I did about Charity and Sally Bowles. Personally, I just don't like listening to people who are bad singers, and I think it's a sticky line to draw when you're saying "well, so and so couldn't sing either," or "it's not written for a great singer," because... well, how bad is too bad to subject people to listening to? When does it become about what's pleasing to hear versus the history of the role?

[bschneid76]

Posted: 10/18/06 at 2:03pm

I love Gwen Verdon as a singer! She had a unique voice and presence. I do love Sarah Jessica Parker, and would be interested to see her do Sweet Charity. I quite enjoy her version of "Shy" in Once Upon a Mattress. Not as good as Carol Burnett, but still pleasing.

[MrMidwest]

Posted: 10/18/06 at 2:14pm

Emcee, I'm not exactly sure we agree on what someone being a bad singer means, which is fine. I don't find Verdon, Reinking, Allen, etc to be hard to listen to. Would it be great to see Charity played by someone who was an amazing singer? Yes, but I don't think it matters a whole lot. I just don't.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 10/18/06 at 2:17pm

It truly doesn't matter.

I thought Applegate was completely winning in the role.

[blueroses]

Posted: 10/18/06 at 2:19pm

"n my opinion, SJP's voice is smooth and melodic when it's not stretched beyond its limitations."

Totally agree. And I think she's a wonderful comedic actress who would shine in the role.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 10/18/06 at 2:22pm

I don't think her vocal abilities should come into question for Charity. Sure, she's not a WONDERFUL singer, but - call me crazy - I thought she was charming, spunky, and funny in ONCE UPON A MATTRESS.

I don't think she can dance, though, which is what you need for Charity.

Well, I suppose in SWEET CHARITY when not choreographed by Wayne Cilento...

[blueroses]

Posted: 10/18/06 at 2:30pm

I thought she initially trained as a dancer?

Ah, maybe that was just in Girls Just Want to Have Fun!

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 10/18/06 at 2:35pm

You could be right - but she just doesn't strike me as being a dancer.

[Mateo2]

Posted: 10/18/06 at 2:47pm

SJP trained in singing and ballet. She studied at the American Ballet School and the Professional Children's School

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 10/18/06 at 4:14pm

Emcee, I'm not exactly sure we agree on what someone being a bad singer means, which is fine. I don't find Verdon, Reinking, Allen, etc to be hard to listen to.

Neither do I; but if the general consensus is that they're not the best possible singers, once you allow for a role in a musical not to be cast with heavy basis in singing ability, to what point do you allow less-than-stellar singing to deviate into bad singing? I'm sure we could pretty much all agree that Molly Ringwald is a terrible singer, you know?

[Joshua488]

Posted: 10/18/06 at 4:19pm

NathanLaneStalker, I think Amy Spanger still reads a little too young for Charity. I believe she and Christina Applegate are around the same age, but Amy reads much younger on stage than Christina did.

[uncageg]

Posted: 10/18/06 at 4:31pm

I thought that Applegate was wonderful in the role. And on the evening I saw it, she knocked it out of the box. Her acting was wonderful, her singing was wonderful (No better or worse then her predessors in the role) and her Dancing was wonderful. She didn't miss a beat. I just don't understand what people wanted from her in this role? She did it, and very well. I am getting nervous about Ms. Ringwald based on the reviews and the comments I have read here! I am taking a friend to see it when It arrives in Denver in December. I hope that she is settled into the role by then!

[justme2]

Posted: 10/18/06 at 4:45pm

"I just don't understand what people wanted from her in this role?"

Don't you remember all the threads from back then? They wanted Gwen Verdon..but alas, she was "unavailable".

[Carefree-Existence]

Posted: 10/18/06 at 5:27pm

Frankly I was looking for someone with a personality. Yes Charity has to act, sing and dance- but she more than anything has to carry a show. For me she hit many of the right points, and yes hit a lot of the scenes out of the park- but in the end it added up to not much. Maybe this is because a lot of the supporting cast was rather dull (cast to make Christina look better), and Cilento and Bobbie's work certainly didn't help. Nothing for me in that production warranted a revival. Everything from the direction to Christina was serviceable...and that's what Christina Applegate was for me. You don't base a hole production around serviceable. The musical isn't that brilliant in the first place, it needs an actress that is going to be stellar. The original had Gwen Verdon (a goddess) and Bob Fosse.

So maybe Sarah Jessica isn't perfect...maybe I would just find her serviceable as well. I just think that she exudes a quality that screams CHARITY HOPE VALENTINE.

And regarding good vs bad voices. I think we'll all have to agree to disagree. I've never seen a Charity that I left thinking- DAMN she can sing. Maybe that's because it's a score that doesn't require a lot vocally. Even if Jane Krakowski played the role- I don't think she's much of a singer either. From what I have heard SJP sing- (and it's not a lot)- I think she could be quite intriguing and frankly... perfection in this role.
Updated On: 10/18/06 at 05:27 PM

[theaterdude87]

Posted: 10/18/06 at 5:31pm

I think she would be good...she is a name and is cute and has proved very well with fans and the great white way.