With Sutton Foster at its center, the New Group’s revival of Sweet Charity melds the many emotions of a story about a big-hearted and naïve young girl trapped in a miserable reality.
Set in the '60s, Sweet Charity, as the title might imply, follows Charity Hope Valentine (Sutton Foster), a dance hall hostess whose taste in men leaves much to be desired in the judgement department. After her latest beau steals her purse and pushes her in a lake, Charity swears off men and the heartbreak that comes with them, focusing instead on trying to escape life in the dance hall alongside fellow dancers Nickie (Asmeret Ghebremichael) and Helene (Emily Padgett). That resolution changes when she meets Oscar (Shuler Hensley). The pair get stuck in an elevator, and, after Charity manages to talk the claustrophobic Oscar down from his panicked state, the two strike up a romance. Charity hides her real profession from the virtue-obsessed Oscar, but her pretense that she works at a bank can only last for so long.
The set is sparse, but in Leigh Silverman’s capable directorial hands, the excellent performances fill the space with the raw tensions of the story. Sutton Foster, no surprise, shines at the musical’s center, bringing the musical’s comic and tragic moments to life with her endearing portrayal of Charity. She particularly shines in “If My Friends Could See Me Now,” a high-energy song where she celebrates a turn of good fortune for an evening.
Foster is accompanied by a brilliant cast, bringing out the realities that clash tragically with Charity’s almost goofy personality and hopeful outlook. The duality of the show’s tragic and comic elements is perhaps best shown in “There’s Gotta Be Something Better Than This,” in which Helene and Nickie join Charity in dreaming of a better life and making plans for their future, only to head back into the dance hall when called by their boss. Ghebremichael and Padgett’s strong voices shine in this song, making the reality of their characters’ situations all the more tragic.
Cy Coleman’s music lands laughs, aided and abetted by the skilled and hilarious choreography of Joshua Bergasse, who particularly impresses in a hysterical sequence where Charity fumbles her way across a dance floor populated by rich, elegant, and self-impressed guests at a fancy nightclub. Coupled with the beautiful choreographies of the dance hall girls, especially in the hopefulness of “There’s Gotta Be Something Better Than This,” the choreography livens the show.
Though not always a happy story, Sweet Charity delivers with its hilarious and thought-provoking outlook on the life of its uniquely charming protagonist.
