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Semin‘Sweet Charity’ in Porthouse Theatre revival
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Reviewed by: FRAN HELLER Contributing Writer
Revivals are risky business.
A case in point is “Sweet Charity” at the Porthouse Theatre through Aug. 12.
The 1966 musical comedy about a hapless dancenhall hostess who wears her heart on her sleeve or, more aptly, tattooed on her arm, has a few seams showing.
Conceived, created and staged by Bob Fosse for the inimitable Gwen Verdon, his wife at the time, the show was acclaimed mostly for its dance, which garnered a Tony for choreographer Fosse. Neil Simon wrote the book, with score by Cy Coleman (music) and Dorothy Fields (lyrics); all three are Jewish.
The musical was adapted from Federico Fellini’s 1957 film “Nights of Cabiria.” A 1969 film version (also directed by Fosse) starred Shirley MacLaine in the lead role.
Charity is a dancenhall hostess at the seedy Fan Dango Ballroom. She longs to marry, but the men in her life simply love her and leave her. One steals her purse and dumps her in the lake; another, jilted by his date, shoves her under the bed when the jealous lover returns. Finally, she is trapped in an elevator with the nerdy Oscar.
The Porthouse production, ably directed by artistic director Terri Kent, features MaryAnn Black as the eternally optimistic Charity Hope Valentine. The perky, petite Black, a consummate comic actress, is a loveable mix of spunk and vulnerability as the unlucky “taxi dancer.” But Black is a bit too ripe for the extremely demanding role, which calls for some nifty hoofing and belting out of songs.
The veteran actress strains in a few places where she has to sing and dance with equal gusto, as in the blockbuster topnhatnandncane routine “If My Friends Could See Me Now.” At times, Black’s persistent mugging grows cloying.
The fault line is not only with the overly ambitious production, in which the singing and dancing are adequate rather than stellar. Simon’s humor is mostly of the cornball variety, while his book is episodic and farnfetched, particularly in the rambling second act. “The Rhythm of Life” church number, led by a hippie religious guru Daddy (Jim Weaver) makes no sense and should be eliminated.
Save for a few name recognition numbers, the score is lackluster. The finicky horns and sluggish orchestra under musical director Melissa Fucci on a muggy opening night also didn’t help.
Nolan O’Dell’s imaginative set proves less is more. A row of oddlynshaped reversible rectangles serve as ballroom mirrors, which later morph into leafy trees distilled through Cynthia Stillings’s chiaroscuro lighting.
The use of wellnplaced signs and a narrative voiceover to introduce each segment adds quirky charm. The mostly smooth actorndriven scene changes cleverly convert a series of tables into a bed, an elevator (enhanced by Rosemarie Cruz’s sound design). and a parachute jump.
The first vignette takes place in Central Park, where Charity is robbed and dunked. The rescue scene that follows features a parade of New York’s lowlife and highnsociety types, embellished by S.Q. Campbell’s great costumes, a main attraction throughout.
The openly erotic moves in “Big Spender,” whereby the dancenhall chorines try to lure their male patrons, is well executed.
The best choreographed number is “Rich Man’s Frug,” a freezenandndance frame in which “stylized clustering,” a Fosse trademark, is performed in sync by the ensemble. But the rest of John R. Crawford’s choreography is prosaic and repetitious.
Eric van Baars is terrific as the shy, claustrophobic Oscar. Van Baars deliciously hams it up in the elevator scene, in which Oscar’s handkerchief plays a key role.
Bob Russell fits the role as the crass dancenhall manager Herman, dubbed Adolph Hitler by his employees. Russell, who appeared as Bill Sykes in the Cain Park production of “Oliver!” this season, reveals his considerable vocal chops once again in Herman’s solo number, “I Love to Cry at Weddings.”
Cynical dancenhall cronies Nickie (Sandra Emerick) and Helene (Nicole Perrone) serve as foils to the Panglossian Charity.
Smooth Jim Weaver suits the role of Italian matinee idol Vittorio Vidal, whose love interest is the volatile Ursula (Sara Hymes). Hymes’s white wig is more attentionngrabbing than her sexless performance.
Arts patron and philanthropist Roe Green made a special appearance opening night as the suitably named “Fairy Godmother.”
All the stops are pulled out in “I’m a Brass Band.” The ensemble, draped in red, white and blue, becomes a marching band tooting cardboard instruments and led by the batonntwirling Charity. There’s even a rainfall of patrioticncolored confetti. It’s pleasing to look at but has nothing to do with the storyline.
This production, despite some highs, proved a disappointment.
Revivals are risky business.
A case in point is “Sweet Charity” at the Porthouse Theatre through Aug. 12.
The 1966 musical comedy about a hapless dancenhall hostess who wears her heart on her sleeve or, more aptly, tattooed on her arm, has a few seams showing.
Conceived, created and staged by Bob Fosse for the inimitable Gwen Verdon, his wife at the time, the show was acclaimed mostly for its dance, which garnered a Tony for choreographer Fosse. Neil Simon wrote the book, with score by Cy Coleman (music) and Dorothy Fields (lyrics); all three are Jewish.
The musical was adapted from Federico Fellini’s 1957 film “Nights of Cabiria.” A 1969 film version (also directed by Fosse) starred Shirley MacLaine in the lead role.
Charity is a dancenhall hostess at the seedy Fan Dango Ballroom. She longs to marry, but the men in her life simply love her and leave her. One steals her purse and dumps her in the lake; another, jilted by his date, shoves her under the bed when the jealous lover returns. Finally, she is trapped in an elevator with the nerdy Oscar.
The Porthouse production, ably directed by artistic director Terri Kent, features MaryAnn Black as the eternally optimistic Charity Hope Valentine. The perky, petite Black, a consummate comic actress, is a loveable mix of spunk and vulnerability as the unlucky “taxi dancer.” But Black is a bit too ripe for the extremely demanding role, which calls for some nifty hoofing and belting out of songs.
The veteran actress strains in a few places where she has to sing and dance with equal gusto, as in the blockbuster topnhatnandncane routine “If My Friends Could See Me Now.” At times, Black’s persistent mugging grows cloying.
The fault line is not only with the overly ambitious production, in which the singing and dancing are adequate rather than stellar. Simon’s humor is mostly of the cornball variety, while his book is episodic and farnfetched, particularly in the rambling second act. “The Rhythm of Life” church number, led by a hippie religious guru Daddy (Jim Weaver) makes no sense and should be eliminated.
Save for a few name recognition numbers, the score is lackluster. The finicky horns and sluggish orchestra under musical director Melissa Fucci on a muggy opening night also didn’t help.
Nolan O’Dell’s imaginative set proves less is more. A row of oddlynshaped reversible rectangles serve as ballroom mirrors, which later morph into leafy trees distilled through Cynthia Stillings’s chiaroscuro lighting.
The use of wellnplaced signs and a narrative voiceover to introduce each segment adds quirky charm. The mostly smooth actorndriven scene changes cleverly convert a series of tables into a bed, an elevator (enhanced by Rosemarie Cruz’s sound design). and a parachute jump.
The first vignette takes place in Central Park, where Charity is robbed and dunked. The rescue scene that follows features a parade of New York’s lowlife and highnsociety types, embellished by S.Q. Campbell’s great costumes, a main attraction throughout.
The openly erotic moves in “Big Spender,” whereby the dancenhall chorines try to lure their male patrons, is well executed.
The best choreographed number is “Rich Man’s Frug,” a freezenandndance frame in which “stylized clustering,” a Fosse trademark, is performed in sync by the ensemble. But the rest of John R. Crawford’s choreography is prosaic and repetitious.
Eric van Baars is terrific as the shy, claustrophobic Oscar. Van Baars deliciously hams it up in the elevator scene, in which Oscar’s handkerchief plays a key role.
Bob Russell fits the role as the crass dancenhall manager Herman, dubbed Adolph Hitler by his employees. Russell, who appeared as Bill Sykes in the Cain Park production of “Oliver!” this season, reveals his considerable vocal chops once again in Herman’s solo number, “I Love to Cry at Weddings.”
Cynical dancenhall cronies Nickie (Sandra Emerick) and Helene (Nicole Perrone) serve as foils to the Panglossian Charity.
Smooth Jim Weaver suits the role of Italian matinee idol Vittorio Vidal, whose love interest is the volatile Ursula (Sara Hymes). Hymes’s white wig is more attentionngrabbing than her sexless performance.
Arts patron and philanthropist Roe Green made a special appearance opening night as the suitably named “Fairy Godmother.”
All the stops are pulled out in “I’m a Brass Band.” The ensemble, draped in red, white and blue, becomes a marching band tooting cardboard instruments and led by the batonntwirling Charity. There’s even a rainfall of patrioticncolored confetti. It’s pleasing to look at but has nothing to do with the storyline.
This production, despite some highs, proved a disappointment.
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