Sweet Charity Preview

Laugh and weep with 'Charity'

Thursday, January 11, 2007
BY JENN MCKEE
News Arts Writer

Most of us know a few people who are chronically unlucky in love. They get hurt repeatedly, but they keep trying anyway, hoping this time will be different.

The musical theater world's poster girl for this syndrome is the title character of "Sweet Charity'' - now being staged by the Ann Arbor Civic Theatre - who works as a dance hall hostess while getting dumped by a succession of men.

"I like to think of her as an eternal optimist,'' said Kathy Waugh, who plays Charity. "You could say she never learns from her mistakes, but I think there's something to be learned from being an optimist, too. Like how she manages to pick herself up again and again.''

Director Edmond Reynolds tagged Waugh to play the role not only because of her singing, dancing and acting skills, but also because of her stage experience. "She's on stage so much - just about every single scene,'' said Reynolds. "You have to have something special to carry all of that. You have to be able to take the material, all the sad situations that Charity finds herself in, and find the humor in them. It's one of those laughing-while-you're-crying kind of shows.''

But Waugh's life experience also played a part in landing her the show's lead role. "She's the right age,'' said Reynolds. "Some actresses I asked to callbacks were in their early 20s, but Charity has lived more of her life, and it's been hard on her.''

Indeed, "Sweet Charity'' - with a book by Neil Simon, lyrics by Dorothy Fields and music by Cy Coleman - follows Charity as she suffers heartbreak over a married man, gets used by a movie star and meets and dates a tax accountant, whom she hopes will break the cycle of romantic disappointments. Featuring classic songs like "Big Spender'' and "If My Friends Could See Me Now,'' the show premiered on Broadway in 1966 with Gwen Verdon in the lead role and her husband, Bob Fosse, directing and choreographing.

Significantly, Fosse originally had the idea to create a musical based on Federico Fellini's film, "Nights of Cabiria,'' and use it as a vehicle for Verdon. And although Fosse's 1969 film adaptation, starring Shirley MacLaine, got mixed reviews, Fosse's distinct choreography came to be as synonymous with "Sweet Charity'' as Coleman's score.

For this reason, Jeff DiFranco's choreography for the A2CT production often tips its bowler toward Fosse, referencing the feel and look of that icon's work. "These aren't the most natural movements for performers,'' noted Waugh. "They're tough. But hopefully, by the time we open, it won't look like so much work.''

The show's heavy emphasis on dance was one of the primary reasons Reynolds was drawn to direct it. "Not that I'm a dancer or a choreographer, but I like to see that,'' said Reynolds. "Live dancing like this, when it's done well, just lifts an audience out of their seats.''

Because the show stems from a different era - before feminism was in full bloom - Charity and her fellow female dancers at Fan-Dango have a narrow range of choices and aspirations. "One wants to be a hat-check girl,'' Waugh said. "One wants to be a receptionist at a company with a water cooler and coffee breaks.'' Such limitations add urgency to Charity's circumstances, but Simon's book provides one-liners and levity.

"The show's humor just pops out,'' said Waugh.

And through it all, the audience never completely loses heart because Charity herself doesn't. "Life's tough,'' said Reynolds. "You could be consumed by it and crawl into a hole. But it takes guts to keep getting back up. (Charity)'s so lovable that you're really hoping for her.''

Jenn McKee can be reached at 734-994-6841 or jmckee@annarbornews.com.

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