Past Reviews

Regional Reviews: Minneapolis/St. Paul

Sweet Charity
Artistry
Review by Arthur Dorman | Season Schedule

Also see Arty's reviews of Loudly, Clearly, Beautifully, Survivors, Parade and A Taste of Things to Come and Deanne's review of Root Beer Lady


Shinah Hey and Cast
Photo by Dan Norman
Everyone else on stage is dressed in black, but Charity Hope Valentine's garb emphasizes her surname, a bright valentine-red dress. The show is Sweet Charity and the title role is not merely a character in the show; she is its raison d'être. It's called "the story of a girl who wanted to be loved," and Charity is dressed for the part. Shinah Hey is giving a star-making performance in Artistry's production, and her Charity heartily succeeds in being loved–maybe not by the unreliable men she encounters in the course of her show, but without doubt by a cheering audience.

If you like being there to see a performer skyrocket from reliably good to indispensably wonderful, that is reason enough to see Shinah Hey lighting up this production. But you will also be rewarded by the luxuriant sound of an excellent 19-piece orchestra (four violinists! five reed players!) conducted by the indefatigable Anita Ruth, Cy Coleman and Dorothy Field's jaunty score that captures the brassy energy of golden age musical theater, credit Abby Magalee's frisky and evocative choreography, and a quartet of outstanding supporting performances by Brendan Nelson Finn, Jaclyn McDonald, Hope Nordquist, and Adán Varela.

All these fabulous qualities don't completely cover up the dated patches in Neil Simon's episodic book, from 1966, even if many of the jokes still land. The legendary Bob Fosse conceived the show as a vehicle for his wife, Gwen Verdon, based on material older yet, the 1957 Italian film Nights of Cabiria, directed by Federico Fellini and winner of the 1958 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Fellini's take was billed as a drama, not a comedy, and the main character, Cabiria, is a prostitute, while Fosse sanitized the premise somewhat by making Charity a taxi dancer. Fosse knew what he was doing, calling up Simon–fresh from his big success with Barefoot in the Park and The Odd Couple–to craft the show as a comedy.

After a rousing overture, we meet Charity perched above the orchestra, dancing to the instrumental "Charity's Theme," a lilting number that establishes her perky and optimistic nature. This is followed by the first episode that illustrates Charity's luckless love life. She extolls the glories of a cretin named Charlie, singing to him that "You Should See Yourself" while he silently preens. She is doing all the work in this relationship, and it seems unlikely to end well. It doesn't.

Charity reports to work at the Fandango Ballroom where she and nine other women stand behind a bar, on display as it were, to be selected by a customer who purchases their time to dance, have some laughs, and talk. If anything more is paid for, we don't hear about it. This is the set-up for what is Sweet Charity's best known number, "Big Spender," created with iconic choreography by Fosse, and recreated here in the same vein by Abby Magalee. The dancers remain in place, their dancing consisting of a pivot off the hips, an extension of a leg, a twerk of a shoulder, a jutting out of a chin, and so on. It is classic and terrific.

In spite of her resolve not to be made a fool of again, we watch as Charity becomes a plaything for famous movie star Vittorio Vidal (Varela, who doubles as Herman, manager of the Fandango), their time at a tony discotheque providing the setting for another splendidly stylized dance number, "Rich Man's Frug." (Raise your hand if you remember the Frug.) Charity commiserates with her two besties at the Fandango, Nickie (McDonald) and Helene (Nordquist), raising their hopes in the spirited "There's Gotta Be Something Better Than This." Charity is inspired to reach out and she meets Oscar (Finn), who actually seems nice, treats her with respect and kindness, and may just be the one. He coins the sobriquet that puts her heart aflutter: Sweet Charity.

We stay and watch, crossing our fingers and toes for Charity's dream to come true. During the second act, her trail leads us through three robust full-company numbers, including the effervescent "I'm a Brass Band," a pair of sweet tunes in "Baby, Dream Your Dream," earnestly delivered by McDonald and Nordquist, then Oscar's ode to his "Sweet Charity," sung with a full heart by Finn, and Charity's soul-searching plea, "Where Am I Going?," knocked out of the park by Hey.

Hey shines in every aspect of her performance. Her voice is full and melodic, with a slight catch that suggests Charity's breathless naivete and eternal optimism. She dances with grace and electricity, and she has terrific comic chops, having a field day with some of the physical comedic bits along with deftly timed line delivery. Hey's bright star is complemented by McDonald and Nordquist's high-octane turns as her jaded friends; Finn's wonderful performance as the sweetly neurotic Oscar; Varela's take as an urbane movie star, singing a glorious "Too Many Tomorrows," and as crusty Herman who leads the gang in a rousing "I Love to Cry at Weddings"; and an ensemble in which every member shines.

Laura Leffler directs with an eye toward maximizing the pleasures to be had from this time-capsule of golden age musical glory, with the emphasis on performance, music, comedy and dance, not lavish sets and stage effects. In fact, of those there are none. The slimmed down stage design has most action taking place sans scenery, downstage, with the orchestra on raised platforms behind them. One even higher platform behind the orchestra is put to use by actors on a few occasions. On a screen hanging above we see a series of projections that identify each scene, using cartoon-like font and illustrations, designed by Adán Varela working with Peter Morrow as projection consultant. The simple yet striking costumes were not designed, but "coordinated" by Britt Hilton. Shannon Elliott's lighting design, featuring walls of bright color, and Collin Sherraden's sound design add to the overall quality of this production.

We must grant that the show's conceit that the only way for a rose-colored-glasses-wearing taxi dancer to find fulfillment is with a good man who will marry and support her is, to say the least, old school thinking. But given the mid-sixties timeframe, on the cusp of change for women, Sweet Charity could be viewed as a status report that confirmed the need for change.

Putting Sweet Charity in that context, I remember as a teenager seeing ads for the original Broadway production. It featured a photo of the heavenly Gwen Verdon looking hapless in her skimpy black dress with a high slit, a purse with a rope serving as a strap hanging from her shoulder, and a valentine tattoo on said shoulder. Beneath the photo was this quote from Cue Magazine: "Sweet Charity makes one very proud of American musical theater."

The show did not win that season's Tony for Best Musical–that went to the aspirational Man of La Mancha–and Verdon missed out on awards for Best Actress in a Musical, which went to Angela Lansbury, an absolute smash in Mame, but Sweet Charity brought together the razzle dazzle, the star power, the sex, the workmanship, and the unapologetic brass of the best golden age musicals. Artistry has every right to be proud of its fabulous remount of a show that stands as a prime example of what gave that golden age its glow.

Sweet Charity runs through February 16, 2025, at Artistry's Schneider Theater, Bloomington Center for the Arts, 1800 West Old Shakopee Road, Bloomington MN. For tickets and information, please or visit artistrymn.org or call 952-563-8375.

Book: Neil Simon, Music: Cy Coleman; Lyrics: Dorothy Fields; Conceived by: Bob Fosse, based on an original screenplay by Federico Fellini, Tullio Pinelli, and Ennio Flaiano; Director: Laura Leffler; Choreographer: Abby Magalee; Music Director: Isabella Dawis; Music Supervisor and Conductor: Anita Ruth; Props Design and Scenic Concept: Katie Phillips; Costume Coordinator: Britt Hilton; Lighting Design: Shannon Elliott; Assistant Lighting Designer: Sound Design: Collin Sherraden; Projections Designer: Adán Varela; Projections Consultant: Peter Morrow; Intimacy Coordinator: Sophie Peyton; Production Manager: Katie Phillips; Technical Director: Will Rafferty; Stage Manager: Samantha Smith; Assistant Stage Manager: Cameron Fleck.

Cast: Abbi Fern (Suzanne/ensemble), Brendan Nelson Finn (Oscar Lindquist/ensemble), Aliya Grace (Rosie/ensemble), Shinah Hey (Charity Hope Valentine), Annika Isbell (Betty/ensemble), Emily Jabas (Ursula/ensemble), Sydney Lin (Elaine/ensemble), Quinn Lorez (Carmen/ensemble), Laura Marie (Frenchy/ensemble), Martinoa Mayotte (Daddy Brubeck/ensemble), Jaclyn MacDonald (Nickie/ ensemble), Hope Nordquist (Helene/ensemble), Armando Harlow Ronconi (Charlie/ensemble), Adán Varela (Herman/Vittorio Vidal/ensemble).