Brighton Fringe 2017
Sweet Charity
The Brighton Academy
Genre: Musical Theatre
Venue: The Brighton Academy. Claremont Hall, Cumberland Road, Brighton BN1 6SL
Festival: Brighton Fringe
Low Down
This is gritty New York in the mid-sixties and is now a fascinating reflection of American sub-culture during that era. It portrays a slice of life at the Fandango Dance Hall where the real purpose of the premises is geared far more towards sex-work than dancing the quick-step!
Review
Sweet Charity was first performed on Broadway in in 1966. Originally Directed by the legendry Bob Fosse, it also ran in the London’s West End as well as having later revivals and international productions. This is a musical with a highly comedic book by Neil Simon. The infectious music is by Cy Coleman with lyrics by Dorothy Fields. There are some great show stopping numbers here that include ‘Big Spender,’ ‘If They Could See Me Now,’ ‘There’s Got to be Something Better Than This’ and ‘Rhythm of Life,’ all of which have found their way, over time, into mainstream culture.
Here, the sparkling Choreography is brilliantly crafted by Kate Alexander and Emma Green with joyous Musical Direction from Brett Wellcome whilst exceptional Direction for the show is provided by Verena Lewis, who strips the performance down to a black box immersive experience where the cast shine through vividly with little care for much scenery or other entanglements. This team provide us with a musical where the singing, dancing and acting take centre stage, surrounded intimately by the audience viewing from three sides. If ever there was a sense of audience involvement, this is most certainly it!
This is gritty New York in the mid-sixties and is now a fascinating reflection of American sub-culture during that era. It portrays a slice of life at the Fandango Dance Hall where the real purpose of the premises is geared far more towards sex-work than dancing the quick-step!
Charity is played by Emily Richardson who bravely pulls off a unique take on a vulnerable, bruised and lost call girl, whilst Daniel Wallage plays the quirky, enigmatic and complicated Oscar as he seeks to rescue her from her wanton lifestyle, whilst she seeks to extract him from a life of utter confusion and loneliness. Their scenes together are extremely touching and emit a great chemistry. Distractions are powerfully created by Carl Lovejoy who plays the Italian celebrity idol, Vittorio Vidal. These main characters are surrounded by a full and strong cast, (sadly too big to mention here by name) who dance and sing their way through the story in the hope that one day some lucky break will lift them out of their sleazy lifestyle, and some who have simply given up all hope of that ever happening. This musical takes you on a journey and tells a unique story as the cast engage you with great energy and urgency.
For me, the most engaging number is ‘Rhythm of Life,’ brilliantly led by ‘Daddy,’ Tatenda Madamombe and sung by the members of his weird American church-cult, all displayed with breath-taking ease and athleticism by a cast all dressed in sixties hippy gear. Wow, does that evoke some past memories as the writer here betrays his age!
You really have to get to see this show, and if you read this in time to do so, I thoroughly recommend it – as did so many of the audience members that I spoke to upon leaving. If you read this after the event, then keep a watchful eye on the Brighton Academy website for future productions.
