The Sweetest Thing: 'Charity' Gives Nothing But Love

It's an old story. A girl, who happens to be currently in the dumps, has a good heart and hopes to meet a good guy. Of course, she has terrible taste in men, and every man she meets takes advantage of the aforementioned good heart. You root for the girl, curse the schmucks, and hope that everything ends happily ever after.

In a nutshell, that's the premise of Sweet Charity, this fall's musical on the Loeb Mainstage. The problem with a story like this, however, is that it's old, it's boring, and it's conventional. But luckily, directors Jim C. Augustine '01 and Kathryn B. Walsh '01 are anything but old, boring and conventional and have created a production of Sweet Charity that is hip, smart and entertaining.

Admittedly, Sweet Charity has never been an audience favorite-the story lacks the narrative power of musicals like Les Miserables, and the music doesn't have the sing-along quality that has kept shows like Cats running for years. Augustine and Walsh go to great lengths to combat this problem in their production, and are largely successful.

Small caf tables and chairs are placed on the set to create the ambiance of a dance hall and to allow audience members to become a part of the production itself. Augustine and Walsh also introduce the use of two clowns, played by Thomas Odell '04 and Sophia Chang '01-dressed in fantastic costumes of over-sized shoes, tutus and striped stockings-who carry large signs with messages such as "The First Kiss." These signs aided the transitions of the musical, while the whimsy of their bearers keeps them from being perceived as simple plot devices.

The real success of the musical depends on Charity herself, and Jody E. Flader '02 turns in a determined performance. Flader is perfectly cast for the role with her blond haired, blue-eyed innocence and wholesome smile. Flader's voice is her strongest asset, and she shines in "If My Friends Could See Me Now" in the first act.

Samuel H. Perwin '04's wonderfully overdone movie star Vittorio Vidal brings charisma, vitality and a commanding presence to a slow first act. Aside from a clever rendition of the classic "Hey Big Spender,"-a ballet bar has never been corrupted so well-the pace of the first act does not get going until Perwin arrives and provides Flader's Charity with an object for her romantic frustrations.

Predictably thrown over by a vain Vidal, Charity soon lands in a broken elevator with a claustrophobic tax accountant named Oscar, played by John P. Keefe '01. Oscar's phobia takes on manic proportions and becomes oppressive. But once safely out of the elevator, Keefe provides a compelling portrait of a bumbling introvert looking for love, but does not develop his character any further. As the long first act ends, the audience is firmly rooting for Charity and her worryingly normal boyfriend.

The second act is the story of Charity and Oscar, and is more consistent that the first act. The pace of the show picks up, and only lags when Charity and the dancers are left in the empty Fan-Dango Ballroom. The scene is set before the Ballroom is open, but the three dancers get lost in the vast amount of empty space.

Otherwise, Augustine and Walsh make exceptional use of the space offered by the Mainstage. Two three tiered towers rise on either side of the set, a hydraulic lift rises and falls periodically from the center of the stage and a smaller central tower provides space for a steamy bedroom, a malfunctioning elevator, and a pair of Coney Island swings alternately.

Augustine's choreography takes full advantage of these various spaces, and is one of the strongest components of the show. While the acting and singing are inconsistent at times, the choreography remains consistently solid. Augustine's strong points, however, seem to be at opposite extremes - either in effectively employing large numbers of dancers such as in the wedding scene in the second act, or in focusing attention on a single actor or actress' solo. Some of the most compelling moments of the show come when Augustine deals with situation comedy scenes, as when Vittorio is caught between Charity and his steady, Ursula (played by Kate _ Earls '0_) or when Charity and Oscar refuse to look at each other in Barney's Chile Hacienda.

The orchestra supports the cast well in this production, although they struggled with the overture. The orchestra became more confident as the show continued, however. The lighting was superb, especially in the first scene where bright, bold primary colors were used to set the tone for the show.

Augustine and Walsh attack an inconsistent text with ambition and energy. It is rare to see a musical that is smart, but the direction and choreography of this production make it just that. The use of swings in the Coney Island scene provide a visual metaphor for the suburban front-porch-swing respectability for which Charity longs, and the choreography of a dance scene in which the women shake their breasts and the men perform pelvic thrusts, and then switch roles, provides a welcome gender-bender in a musical which at times seems dated. Subtle twists like these, along with a dance hall owner who sings in falsetto, belie thoughtful direction and a deep engagement with the text that produces a musical.

SWEET CHARITY

book by

Neil Simon

music by

Cy Coleman

words by

Dorothy Fields

directed by

Jim C. Augustine '01

Kathryn B. Walsh '01

starring

Jody E. Flader '02

John P. Keefe '01

Nov. 10-18

Loeb Mainstage

book by

Neil Simon

music by

Cy Coleman

words by

Dorothy Fields

directed by

Jim C. Augustine '01

Kathryn B. Walsh '01

starring

Jody E. Flader '02

John P. Keefe '01

Nov. 10-18

Loeb Mainstage