Sutton Foster to lead SWEET CHARITY Off-Broadway Revival! — Page 3

ClassicallyConnor said: "I can't imagine a version of this show without the Fosse choreography.



But I couldn't imagine Pippin without it either, and the revival was smashing.







"

I think Youtube has some clips of the last revival--I remember the Rich Man's Frug, one of my all time fave dance numbers, just seeming like a watered down version (though I don't envy any choreographer who has to do a new version of that--it's a bit like with the Promises Promises revival's new Turkey Lurkey Time which could never top the Bennett original which nearly any Broadway fan with youtube had seen by then)>

I've seen two videos of the Fosse revival from the 1980s (with Reinking who is good but a bit harsh in the role and McKechnie in the tour--who is perfect) and it's not just the choreography, but the staging (which, with a few exceptions, recreated the original production) is simply brilliant including that underrated set which uses a camera iris effect to zoom in on parts of the stage. It should be kept in mind that Fosse instigated Sweet Charity just as much as, say, Bennett did with A Chorus Line. It was his pet project. He finally got a score made. And only then did he take the demo of the score to Neil Simon's to try to convince him to write the libretto around his ideas (he originally planned--as he often would later on--to write the script himself). So to remove Fosse really is to remove perhaps the key author--maybe one reason the show simply hasn't seemed to work without him despite one of my fave scores. I mean that doesn't mean a brilliant new staging can't happen, but.

Of course Pippin used the Fosse vocabulary (and recreated the Manson Trio which got a special Fosse credit in the program) as well as some acctual moments of the choreography and I agree that it worked for me. And, while most people seem to just think of the current Chicago as Fosse's choreography it also is essentially re-choreographed by Reinking in the Fosse style (again Hot Honey Rag gets its own credit due to being a strict recreation of the Fosse original) and while I like Reinking's work in CHicago--certainly more than what I've seen of her original choreography not done in the Fosse style or Rob Marshall's choreo for the Chicago film--comparing some of it with the original (even a simple number like All I Care About is Love which Orbach and the chorus did on the Tonys) you see that she re-used a lot of his stuff but often in comparison the Fosse work still looks a bit more precise.

Anyway, ramble ramble... I should give Bergasse a chance I suppose. The main difference is when he did On the Town, *that* choreography had been lost (for Jerome Robbins' Broadway, Robbins himself had to re-choreograph the On the Town section incorporating the bits he could remember)--Fosse's Charity choreography is all well documented or remembered by his dancers--especially thanks to the 80s revival and much of it being reused in the movie. As I said, Fosse wasn't interested like those others in preserving his choreography particularly (he never approved of the Lincoln Center Archive videos--indeed their copy of Big Deal is just a copy of a home made bootleg) so I guess he wouldn't care, but...

I have a unique perspective here -- Sutton recorded one of my songs on her debut album, and it's also on her live album ("Air Conditioner" is the song). She has done it in concert all over the country and I have a list of over 100 young theater girls who have found my website on the internet, and asked for the sheet music (which I happily send -- actually, just a lead sheet, but in 3 different keys).

Sutton has devoted fans all over the map from her tv show "Bunheads" (which every young ballet dancer I have ever met raves about), and now "Younger." Even though we know actors like Kelli O'Hara and Laura Bananti are brilliantly talented, they are not widely known outside of NYC -- but Sutton is. And the fact that some of her fans go so far as to track me down -- it shows how her influence is growing.

I'll never forget the first time I went to see "The Drowsy Chaperone" -- it was the third preview and I admit that I said to myself, "For Sutton's sake I hope it's a hit . . . but if it's not, she will do more concerts and will sing my song!"

I'm not proud of that selfish moment I had that night at the Marriott Marquis Theater -- but by the time that performance of Drowsy was over I knew it was going to be a hit, and I ended up seeing it 68 times (they had a lottery and a whole bunch of us Drowsy heads became friends and teamed up to increase our chances of winning).

I also thought Sutton in "Anything Goes" was terrific, and even though I didn't like "The Wild Party" all that much (too dark -- but Steven Pasquale -- hubba hubba) -- and Sutton again was stunning -- I don't think there's anything she can't do -- and do better than 99% of the rest of the planet. Her star is still ascending.

BTW, Sutton found my song when she was planning to do a "warm weather" concert in the dead of winter in NYC (she did it at Joe's Pub). I met her for the first time that night and she said to me, "Want to know how I found your song? I went to iTunes and was using summer words to find songs -- words like "heat" "humidity" "summertime" and "air conditioner' and your song popped up."

I tell my songwriting friends, if a Tony winning Broadway star is surfing iTunes looking for songs, we should ALL have our songs on iTunes. If you are a songwriter reading this, get your songs up there! You never know who might discover you!

wicked fan, I am glad you're thrilled. I find Foster dull and with personality. Annoyingly spunky, maybe, but I also HATED Wicked.

Sutton, Donna and Raul made Anyone Can Whistle the best Encores! production I have ever seen, with Damn Yankees with Sean, Jane and Cheyenne matching it for excellence.

Why does SWEET CHARITY get dragged out every once in a while? I love Sutton, and would go see her do just about anything, but SC is a not-very-good show with some great songs and Fosse choreography, but not much else to recommend it. Is musical theatre so bereft that it has to serve up the same old tired shows? Don't think so.

Bumping. When is this supposed to open? Can't for the life of me spot an opening night listed.

It opens November 20th.

I know there's some speculation about it possibly transferring to Broadway if it does well, but I have a question about that. How often do revivals transfer from off-Broadway to Broadway?

I know that usually happens with new works like Disgraced, Eclipsed, Fun Home, Hamilton, Hand to God, The Humans, etc. But I've never heard of an off-Broadway revival that managed to transfer to Broadway.

Updated On: 8/25/16 at 10:32 AM

A minor quibble, but the Delacorte isn't actually considered an off-Broadway space.

I'm not sure why Delacorte was brought up * . The show is happening at The Romulus Linney Courtyard Theatre, which has 199-250 "flexible" seats. "Off-Broadway" label requires for it to have, by definition, 100–499 seats but traditionally, we have had only 40 theaters officially called "off-broadway". None of the Signature Theater spaces are called as such - I don't actually know why, though. Wikipedia says it might not be an "updated list".

As for Delacorte - it's an open space with 1800 seats which is used by Pulic for their "Shakespeare in the Park" series. I'm not sure why it's not called "Broadway" (which it would fit the definition of, seating space wise). I guess it's too far up North? ("I CAN SEE HARLEM FROM HERE!" - Billy Porter, la Shuffle Along)




* Edit - Kad was referring to the revival of Hair, which moved from Delacorte to Broadway. My bad for not realizing that.

Updated On: 8/25/16 at 11:10 AM

To whoever was asking about artwork:

It is a strange promotion image. Especially since the behind the scene shot they tweeted out showed her in costume (at least from what her skirt and shoes could indicate).



Nevertheless I'm excited to see what Leigh Silverman has up her sleeve.

Yes, it will have a playbill.