Sweet Charity 2005 Revival: What Went Wrong?- Page 2
Sweet Charity 2005 Revival: What Went Wrong?
#25re: Sweet Charity 2005 Revival: What Went Wrong?
Posted: 2/19/07 at 9:57pm
There were MANY theories to the firing, but there was no definite answer. Their replacements were equally as wonderful, if not better.
It's too much to get into now, if you want to know how people really felt at the time - do a search.
The failure of the show was HARDLY Applegate's fault. She's the reason the show continued, she had so much drive, and passion for the show, she never gave up. She was rarely out. More BROADWAY stars should have the dedication and drive that Applegate had. She was very capable of the role. Cilento ruined most of the choreography, he was most responsible for what went wrong. Christina got better and better as time went on. And by the end of her run her voice was noticeably stronger.
ILUVTOMG
Stand-by Joined: 8/8/06
#26re: Sweet Charity 2005 Revival: What Went Wrong?
Posted: 2/19/07 at 10:00pmit was missing bob fosse. period. the revival was more like 'SPLENDA CHARITY' ... a poor substitution for the real thing (and definitely not as sweet)
djb
Stand-by Joined: 5/17/06
#27re: Sweet Charity 2005 Revival: What Went Wrong?
Posted: 2/19/07 at 10:07pm
Applegate was alright.
What went wrong?
She's no Gwen Verdon.
Stand-by Joined: 12/31/69
#28re: Sweet Charity 2005 Revival: What Went Wrong?
Posted: 2/19/07 at 10:18pm
Ray--I knwo her role on 30 rock is a mockery, etc, but to much of the tv audience I'm not sure they see it as that much (and some could argue Charity is hardly meant to be a role model for women...) but it's moot.
Wasn't one of the new songs actually one of the last songs Cy wrote--not a cut song? I remember hearing that. How was the ending changed? no fairy godmother?
And again does anyone know of a site that shows pictures of the original neon set etc? i'v enever found a good shot
I stand by what I say that like shows liek Pippin and (arguably) Follies it's a bit of a hard play to get right and is so identified with its original staging...which is lamsot as much a part of the show as the libretto or music
#29re: Sweet Charity 2005 Revival: What Went Wrong?
Posted: 2/19/07 at 10:22pmit was easily Cilento's bastardization of the show. i'm all for reinvention, but make it good... PLEASE
"Picture "The View," with the wisecracking, sympathetic sweethearts of that ABC television show replaced by a panel of embittered, suffering or enraged Arab women" -the Times review of Black Eyed
Smartful Dodger
Featured Actor Joined: 3/23/05
#30re: Sweet Charity 2005 Revival: What Went Wrong?
Posted: 2/19/07 at 10:45pm
The reason I joined this board was that I'd raced home after seeing Charlotte d'Amboise perform the role at the Colonial in Boston during that now (in)famous on-again-off-again-on-again week in late March 2005. I really wanted to tell people she was wonderful (unlike her unsatisfying Cassie this season). I was glad I saw it with her and not Applegate.
I'd give $100 (or a nice bottle of wine) to get Margo's or Michael Bennett's perspectives on the backroom chatter on this disaster. Please...
Updated On: 2/19/07 at 10:45 PM
#31re: Sweet Charity 2005 Revival: What Went Wrong?
Posted: 2/19/07 at 11:23pmBy trunk song I meant a song that had been written by Coleman and Fields that hadn't been used in any show before, I'm not sure what song it was, "A Good Impression" was the only one that remained.
"Some people can thrive and bloom living life in a living room, that's perfect for some people of one hundred and five. But I at least gotta try, when I think of all the sights that I gotta see, all the places I gotta play, all the things that I gotta be at"
TonyaFanatic
Broadway Star Joined: 12/29/04
#32re: Sweet Charity 2005 Revival: What Went Wrong?
Posted: 2/19/07 at 11:29pm
"Their replacements were equally as wonderful, if not better."
I assure you that Natascia Diaz and Solange Sandy were impeccable in roles that are fun and sometimes showstopping, but never usually outshine everyone in the cast including the actress playing Charity. With what knowledge I do know about the situation, Ms. Sandy and Ms. Diaz refused to play down their talents to make someone else look better onstage. They were phenomenal and just happen to be the kind of performers who turned a bad circumstance into a great one just by being the great performers they were.... In a nutshell, Christina wasn't havin' it.
"Girl, this cupcake is the jumpoff"- Adriane Lenox
#33re: Sweet Charity 2005 Revival: What Went Wrong?
Posted: 2/19/07 at 11:38pm
IMHO...
The revival suffered from the same problem as many other revivals before and after it: packagitis. A producer looks at a fondly remembered musical from the past and thinks, Hey, we get some trick casting and then stroll through the rest. So they get some second-tier star to take a lead role for name recognition, then proceed to cut corners on everything else because they figure the audience wont care. In their minds, the audience will be there with the automatic expectation of having a great time seeing a show they'll automatically love because it's, well, a revival of that Great Theatre Classic, _________________.
We've seen it a hundred times before, and we will no doubt see it a hundred times again. Revivals like SWEET CHARITY and FOLLIES and all the rest simply underscore what Broadway is slowly but surely turning into: a packaged event.
http://docandraider.com
Trish2
Broadway Legend Joined: 8/20/06
#34re: Sweet Charity 2005 Revival: What Went Wrong?
Posted: 2/19/07 at 11:43pmtwo names: WALTER & BOBBIE
#35re: Sweet Charity 2005 Revival: What Went Wrong?
Posted: 2/19/07 at 11:46pmI thought Denis O'Hare was adorable, and Applegate was adorable, but as a pair they couldn't have been worse. He could have played Charity's dad, but her love interest? That was just silly to watch. I thought he was the best part of the show, but as others have said, there were too many mismatches in the creative team along with the cast for this production. I thought Ann Reinking could have done some great work on choreography for this show. I'd love to see Applegate in a straight play in the future.
"Winning a Tony this year is like winning Best Attendance in third grade: no one will care but the winner and their mom."
-Kad
"I have also met him in person, and I find him to be quite funny actually. Arrogant and often misinformed, but still funny."
-bjh2114 (on Michael Riedel)
-Kad
"I have also met him in person, and I find him to be quite funny actually. Arrogant and often misinformed, but still funny."
-bjh2114 (on Michael Riedel)
roquat
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/25/05
#36re: Sweet Charity 2005 Revival: What Went Wrong?
Posted: 2/19/07 at 11:49pmI'm sorry, but SWEET CHARITY has one of the weakest books of any hit musical (up there with GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES, which is also hardly ever revived--but then, it has a much feebler score). CHARITY badly needs a charming, spectacular star who excels in every department (singing, acting, and especially dancing) to carry it. Applegate came across as a student earnestly trying her best in a $60 million high school play.
I ask in all honesty/What would life be?/Without a song and a dance, what are we?/So I say "Thank you for the music/For giving it to me."
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/31/69
#37re: Sweet Charity 2005 Revival: What Went Wrong?
Posted: 2/20/07 at 12:01amA strong star AND a strong director ()and choreographer in this case)
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/31/69
#38re: Sweet Charity 2005 Revival: What Went Wrong?
Posted: 2/20/07 at 12:53amI always suspected someone in the Natascia Diaz and Solange Sandy camp started the rumors of them being fired because they outshone the star. I saw the show in Minnesota and they were weak, imo. Also, there was a blind item shortly before they were fired that hinted that one of them was being a major pain in the ass backstage and were being replaced. Days later, voila, they were replaced. But fired for upstaging the star? Not the night I saw it and I never cared for Applegate's performance so that's saying a lot.
NYC4Life
Broadway Star Joined: 1/23/06
#39re: Sweet Charity 2005 Revival: What Went Wrong?
Posted: 2/20/07 at 1:07am
Applegate was wonderful. She did an amazing acting job with Charity, I believed everything she said.
As for Jane Krakowski it is almost laughable if that is not a rumor. She was hanging from sheet singing "Who's not wearing any clothes? I'm not" at studio 54 every night, played a woman who was cheating on her husband in Alfie and played a a pretty demeaning female on Ally McBeal. I love her but I hope that is not a true story.
#40re: Sweet Charity 2005 Revival: What Went Wrong?
Posted: 2/20/07 at 1:15am
I agree with mostly everyone, it needed Fosse or at least someone who could really make the dances dynamic... very dynamic. The dancing is what sets apart this show from the other ones. It can heighten the comedy and the other book scenes, but the show really needs a triple threat for Charity and a really energetic Nickie and Helene. While I thought Christina Applegate was amazing in the book scenes, she is a very good comedic actress, but lacking in the vocal and especially dancing. But, the show wasn't even saved by the great supporting numbers. "Big Spender" was bland, bland, bland, and BLAND. Rich Man's Frug was... um interesting (It definitely caught my attention). My favorite number, "There's Gotta Be Something Better Than This," was awful. No interesting jumps, kicks, or anything from Cilento and absolutely no attitude or energy by Nickie and Helene. It really felt as if they were just walking around the stage posing.
I do love Sweet Charity, but I find the movie to be even worse than the revival. Spare Chita, Paula Kelly, and Stubby Kaye the movie is awful. Bad direction by Fosse and a misguided performance by Shirley McLaine, who definitely did have the dancing chops. The only place the movie really comes together for me is during "There's Gotta be..." it is probably my favorite dance number in a movie. I hope that in the near future there will be a revival with a capable star.
#41re: Sweet Charity 2005 Revival: What Went Wrong?
Posted: 2/20/07 at 3:28amOh I think the movie of Sweet Charity is just a fascinating experiment, you can see the way Fosse was trying to do different things that he eventually perfected in Cabaret. It's a bad movie but as a way to see Fosse's film work, it's rather fascinating. The dancing is great as well and it's great to see numbers like "Big Spender," "There's Gotta Be Something Better Than This," and "If They Could See Me Now" fully choreographed and danced by top-notch performers.
"Some people can thrive and bloom living life in a living room, that's perfect for some people of one hundred and five. But I at least gotta try, when I think of all the sights that I gotta see, all the places I gotta play, all the things that I gotta be at"
#42re: Sweet Charity 2005 Revival: What Went Wrong?
Posted: 2/20/07 at 6:30amThe sets, lighting, and costumes were far too "Hey, weren't the 60s fun?" The choreography was... well there aren't really any words for it. Talented cast - I thought Christina was great - but the whole production seemed more focused on a kind of "Isn't this show cute!" mentality rather than telling the story. It felt depersonalized. It was a fun few hours but not much else.
#43re: Sweet Charity 2005 Revival: What Went Wrong?
Posted: 2/20/07 at 9:43am
The revival was a lot of fun(i dont get all this negative response to it)
Applegate was great as Charity ,her singing got better as the show went on and her comic timing was spot on.
The choreography was fine(im a dancer and i loved it) and the sets looked great.
Namo i love u but we get it already....you don't like Madonna
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/31/69
#44re: Sweet Charity 2005 Revival: What Went Wrong?
Posted: 2/20/07 at 7:36pm
I would never call Sweet Charity a bad movie but I can see why it's a bit of a mess--it's SOO ooverblowna nd big budget and doesn't really hang together though I personally love Shirley (and all the actors) and I think nearly all the production numbers come off wonderfully. I wish I had a better sense of how the original production worked visually
(and yeah the movie is also very interesting as a failed experiement--we can see where Fosse was going with it)
E
Yankeefan007
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/20/04
#45re: Sweet Charity 2005 Revival: What Went Wrong?
Posted: 2/20/07 at 7:54pm
FYI - Nine played the O'Neill, not 54.
From Brantley's review:
"Ms. Applegate, who is best known for 11 seasons as the dopey daughter on the sitcom "Married ... With Children," exudes a soft hopefulness and a sterner determination that suit her character, an unlucky dance-hall hostess in eternal pursuit of love. She has a comic polish that considerately stops short of polyurethane sheen, and an easy, conversational way with a song, even if her voice isn't always on pitch.
But as a character meant to be a shopworn angel, Ms. Applegate looks more like a merry cherub, an ingénue fresh from the suburbs. More important, in the musical numbers, she seems to grow smaller rather than bigger, which is one thing that definitely should not happen if you are playing Charity Hope Valentine.
But the production asked a question that boded ill for future incarnations: Could "Charity" possibly soar without the Fosse touch and a star who thrilled to it?
This latest revival, directed by Walter Bobbie and choreographed by Wayne Cilento, answers that question with a weary "no." While the overture, with its delicious opening vamp from the song "Big Spender," makes you salivate, the main course never seems to arrive.
The dances never achieve more than a low-grade fever, when what's wanted is that old steam heat. The pop-religion parody, "The Rhythm of Life," usually a guaranteed showstopper, fizzles for want of choreographic and satiric sharpness.
The supporting cast includes solid pros like Ernie Sabella (as the dance-hall proprietor) and, as two of the many men in Charity's life, Denis O'Hare and the handsome-voiced Paul Schoeffler. Doing a variation on his Tony-winning performance as a neurotic gay accountant in Richard Greenberg's "Take Me Out," Mr. O'Hare at least provides some comic oxygen as a neurotic heterosexual accountant."
http://theater2.nytimes.com/2005/05/05/theater/reviews/05char.html?ex=1172120400&en=43964cab52c6c94b&ei=5070
Mr Roxy
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/17/03
#46re: Sweet Charity 2005 Revival: What Went Wrong?
Posted: 2/20/07 at 8:05pm
It was great with Verdon
To revive it, endlessly, with anyone else is a recipe for failure
Let it rest
Poster Emeritus
#47re: Sweet Charity 2005 Revival: What Went Wrong?
Posted: 2/20/07 at 9:47pmThe Charity film is a brilliant experiment. Ahead of its time really. Fosse did a fine job with the direction and the supporting cast was charming. Shirley McLaine was badly miscast, however.
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/31/69
#48re: Sweet Charity 2005 Revival: What Went Wrong?
Posted: 2/21/07 at 9:34pmWhile I woulda loved Verdon i have no clue how Shirley was miscast...
#49re: Sweet Charity 2005 Revival: What Went Wrong?
Posted: 2/22/07 at 12:14am
Perhaps miscast isn't the word. Perhaps I just didn't like her. I think Gwen Verdon was a big enough star. She could have handled it. It also would have been a slightly better film, I think.
Updated On: 2/22/07 at 12:14 AM
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