Sweet Charity 4/27 matinee: why is the Hirshfeld always that dark?

Got my tickets at 10 this morning, then headed over to DRS for the cd thing, where I was in the 1st line, waiting until noon there.

Sweet Charity was very....soul-less. Not the acting, but the show itself. It was very blah, nothing special, just a great set with great actors. Wayne Cilento was seated in the back row and was very glad I recognized him, as was Barry Weissler.
Denis O'Hare was great, the elevator scene was hysterical. He was a bit pitchy here and there, sang through his teeth, but it was a joy to see him. Christina, Christina, how far she's come since Kelly Bundy. She was great, considering her broken foot (still wearing the gold boots). Her singing was good (Brass Band was a lot better than on the today show), her dancing was very fair, considering the accident. I'm glad to see she's better. I'm predicting that the critics will tear the show apart, especially Mr. Brantley, but, to quote Mr. Riedel, "Christina, I'm rooting for you."

BTW, the audience wouldnt stop talking during the entracte and overture, and well into the first song of each act

P.S. I've seen many shows at the Martin Beck/Hirshfeld and I have one question: Why is it so damn dark inside? They can pay for electricity.

Updated On: 4/27/05 at 06:22 PM

I saw Sweet Charity last night and was pleasantly surprised by how good it was. Christina Applegate has a good voice with a lot of character. Did anyone see it before she got hurt. It was a little weird how often she just sat to the side while other people danced. I was wondering if that was because of her foot or if it was originally like that, because she seemed to be a pretty capable dancer. Dancing is not my area though so I wasn't sure.
Denis O'Hare was funny, but he wasn't able to turn it off when he was supposed to be serious.
This was my first show in the Hirshfeld and it was the most beautiful broadway theatre I've been in. It reminds me a little of the Fox in Atlanta, only not so very large.

The Ambassador seats were much, much worse and I was in almost the same spot and saw almost none of Chicago but saw Charity perfectly. I love the Hirshfeld's decor and think the darkness is a key part of it. I could not actually see my playbill it was so darl but I didn't mind. It is my favorite theatre as far as decor, by far.

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yodamarie78-
I saw the show in Chicago a week or so before Christina's injury. I thought it was weird how she started out just sitting and watching the other two at the beginning of There's Gotta be Something Better.... Also, her leaving in the middle of I'm A Brass Band was that way before her injury. I'm pretty sure that is the direction Cilento was going for and not Christina taking it easy at all during the dance.

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I saw the show tonight and boy was i disappointed. In everything. With the exception of Dennis O'Hare. While watching this production, I kept thinking to myself, why does this NEED to be here? WHy Sweet Charity? Why now? And as for Miss Applegates' performance....ughhhhhhhh. I understand the support she's getting and for coming back from a broken foot, she does an admirable job--though does a broken foot somehow cause dysfunction all the up through the vocal chords? The girl is sweet, and occasionally lands a joke, and sure, she's always "had a dream to be a broadway star" but Im sorry--she couldnt hold one note (without abrubtly ending it and just screaming out the final lyric). She never came close to bringing the house down with a single number (not that Cliento's AWFUL choreography helped matters in the least) and she just lacks the charisma, the pizzaz, the whatever you want to call it to carry off a star vehicle like this. I don't understand the support because "this is her dream goddammit." My god, its probably the dream of thousands of other talented girls in Carnegie Mellon or NYU or out on the audition circuit trying to get paying work as professional actresses every day. it just irked me i guess that she gets this automatic standing o for having accomplished a mediocre at best performance when (i personally feel) there are literally hundreds of other actresses who've paid their dues and earned the right to carry a show like charity. OK, I'll accept the ensuing christina defense now...

Revival nominees perform as well. I think the only stiupulation is that the show still must be running at the time of the tonys.

I think Nickie and Helene usually start off Something Better Than This and then Charity joins in...though the reason Christina is sitting so much of it out is due to her foot. (Though I hear she danced most of it on the first night of her Broadway run.)

Charity left the stage during a portion of I'm a Brass Band when Charlotte d'Amboise did the role in Boston, so I think that number was always staged with a break for Charity. (I don't agree with that choice, though, it's Charity's fantasy, it should be her number.)

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What is with the comments "Why a Sweet Charity revival NOW?" "Why does this need to be done now?". These comments show up on nearly every thread.

Why is ANY show produced on Broadway? It's simply because the money came in to produce it at this point in time. There is no team of people sitting in a back room, looking at scripts and saying...."why don't we bore the crap out of the audience and produce a show that no on will want to see".

I don't see anyone commenting "Why a Sweeny Todd revival, why now?" or "Was there really a need for someone to produce a show like Wicked now?"

Any show that is produced for Broadway audiences is a good thing. It give the audience a chance to CHOOSE a production to see.

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I'll just say it again...I love this show...and this production of it.

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Theatreboy33 - Revivals only need to be seen again at the desire of the producers. Did we "need" to see Into the Woods twice in less than 20 years? No. Was there a political climate that "called for" a Forum with few changes in the script, score or staging? No. Or Kiss Me Kate? No. Was there a huge buzz of people saying they really wish they could see Wonderful Town with little-to-no scenery and no real concept to back it up? No. They are risks producers took in bringing back shows not knowing whether they would be hits or misses because most of the time, they can't predict what the social or political climate or need will be two or three years down the line when the thing finally hits Broadway. New shows are usually a result of society and politics, styles and trends, but revivals rarely are. The only revival of Charity was nearly 20 years ago and really didn't offer anything new other than some minor score changes, so in a way, yes, I would say there was a need for a "new" Charity, though I'm sure hard-core Fosse fans would disagree.

This revival of Sweet Charity features new choreography for the first time on Broadway, book revisions and new songs by one of the greatest Broadway composers soon after his death. I'm sorry you didn't like Christina's performance, but her charisma reached me in the upper balcony of the Palace in Chicago. To me, the stage seemed to be radiating her charisma and there was a significant absence when she wasn't on stage. I just don't see why there is so much fuss about Denis O'Hare doing his same schtick with a different script.

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It absoulutely kills me when people knock Christina SO MUCH for her voice.

Let's look at a few females who have played this role. Gwen Verdon, Ann Reinking, and Debbie Allen. They certainly aren't known for the voices. Have you heard the OBC - Verdon sure had a hard time holding some notes.

The role obviously was not written for a strong singer.

"The role obviously was not written for a strong singer."

That's crap.

MEF - You mean to tell me roles such as Charity, Roxie from Chicago, and Ruth from Wonderful Town - were written for strong singers? Give me a break!