Sweet Charity Question

[TheaterBaby]

Posted: 1/11/04 at 1:04pm

OK, now unfortunately I have never seen a live production of this show. But, I have seen the movie a few times, and I bought the DVD on Friday. So here are 2 questions that I have:

1. What's with the alternate ending? Whenever I've seen it on tv the ending was the one when Charity and Oscar walk away together after falling in the lake. But, on the DVD the main ending is of Charity walking away alone like an upbeat loser, and they considering the other ending to be the alternate. Which one is the real/original ending?

2. How different is the movie from the Broadway show? Which ending do they use on Broadway?

[DefyingGravity2]

Posted: 1/11/04 at 2:33pm

Umm... ipretty surethat the SHOW ends w/ her being alone... she falls in the lake and ends by herself

[Bret]

Posted: 1/11/04 at 2:44pm

She dosnt fall in the lake at the end. Oscar leaves her. She mourns for 2 seconds, then walks away, like she does in the beginning, with a sense of optimism.

[Belasco07]

Posted: 1/11/04 at 2:50pm

2 seconds? What about the song WHERE AM I GOING? I've never heard of this alternate ending. Interesting...

[bob8rich]

Posted: 1/11/04 at 4:28pm

In the show Charity ends up alone - but departs with a sense of optimism.

There are some changes to the score in the film. The songs "You Should See Yourself", "Too Many Tomorrows", "I'm The Bravest Individual", & "Baby, Dream Your Dream" were in the show but cut from the movie, while Coleman wrote a totally different melody to Dorothy Fields' lyric for the title song. And a new song - "My Personal Property" - was written for the opening of the film.

[Kristie-K]

Posted: 1/11/04 at 4:58pm

I heard that the ending of the movie was very depressing so Bob Fosse re-shot a happy ending.......It did not work......because the movie did not do very good at the box office with either endings

[kidbroadway]

Posted: 1/11/04 at 7:08pm

As discussed before, in the summer I believe, when the reading was done with Marissa Tomei...the begining of the new broadway revival is being altered to give Charity the "star entrance" she deserves, which was missing from the original version. The new opening is promissed to to be the sultry, sexually saturated number "Big Spender". Sure to bring the audience right into the world in which Charity lives. Allowing Charity to enter during the song, hopefully from the audience (would be HOT!) to either join the girls or to finish out the opening.

It has also been mentioned on other boards that Cy Coleman is putting in a solo number originally not included in the production, written by the late Dorothy Fields.

In all this production promisses to be the more "realistic" version that probably was not seen as something the audience could grasp in the past, especially concerning Charity's profession as a "dance hall girl" or to a modern day audience a prostitute with a heart of gold. I have seen Christina Applegate perform with The Pussycat Dolls (a classy, celebrity backed berlesque show)and she is going to be HOT and knock all our socks off in this great role, at least I believe it. Imagine a Carmen Electra with class, talent and some solid pipes and acting abitlity.

[Kristie-K]

Posted: 1/11/04 at 7:18pm

This is one of my favorite show of all time...I think if Bob Fosse was still alive, he would welcome minor changes, bring it up to date..

[gherbert]

Posted: 1/11/04 at 8:06pm

The ending of the original show in 1966 was this: Charity is pushed into the same pond that she was pushed into at the beginning by Oscar, who runs away. When she fishes herself out of the pond a fairy appears and says, "It will all happen tonight." Charity, ecstatic and optimistic after having a fairy tell her this, goes off with a smile. Then the fairy turns around to reveal a sign on her back saying: "The Good Fairy, Tonight at 8PM!"

[TheaterBaby]

Posted: 1/12/04 at 2:33pm

I didn't know Christina Aplegate could sing? I think she's a good actress. I wouldn't mind seeing her in the role of Charity. Can she dance to Fosse choreography though?

As far as the movie goes, I prefer the happier (alternate) ending. True, it's completely unrealistic, but I'm a sucker for a happyily ended movie. lol

[robbiej]

Posted: 1/12/04 at 2:40pm

gherbet,

you forgot the final supertitle:

'And she lived hopefully ever after.'

[TheaterBaby]

Posted: 1/12/04 at 3:01pm

'And she lived hopefully ever after.'

At least they kept that for both endings....even though it makes no sense with the happy ending, which should be, "She lived happily ever after." But whatever. :P

[Karma76]

Posted: 1/12/04 at 3:16pm

she is a dancer, she danced since she was a little girl. she also was/is(not sure if she still does it) in the **** cat dolls.

[DefyingGravity2]

Posted: 1/12/04 at 3:34pm

thanks gherbert... i knew she fell into the pond (lake, whatever... who cares) like she does in the beginning.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 1/12/04 at 6:45pm

I hate movie musicals who take great scores & rip them to shreads when they transfer it to film.Other examples of this are: Molly Brown, A Funny Think Happened. Than there is Irma La Douce that dropped the whole score. The latter is a great candidate for revival instead of every 5 years reviving My Fair Lady.

[redmustang]

Posted: 1/13/04 at 12:20am

I agree 100% with MrRoxy (as I often do). As much as I love the film of Chicago, they cut my three favorite songs: Class, When Velma Takes the Stand, and My Own Best Friend.