Sweet Charity
‘There’s gotta be something better than this …’ sing Charity (Verity Hunt-Ballard), Nikki (Debora Krizak) and Heléne (Lisa Sontag).
Don’t believe it!
Musical Theatre doesn’t come better than this Sweet Charity, a smashing first-up hit at Sydney’s new home of intimate musical theatre, The Hayes Theatre Company.
Dean Bryant and choreographer Andrew Hallsworth weave musical theatre magic to pare back this classic Broadway musical, losing nothing (maybe it even gains a lttle something) in an intimate space. Their reimagining truly serves the show, with fluid staging facilitated by Owen Phillips’ minimalist design, complemented by Ross Graham’s lighting; a top flight triple threat cast dressed (and in various stages of undress) stunningly and often wittily by Oscar and Tony winner Tim Chappel, backed by all-new jazz inspired scoring from Andrew Worboys’ five-piece band.
A Jazz pianist of note, composer Cy Coleman would have enjoyed the new five-piece arrangement, which still retains a big Broadway sound when required.
Entering the theatre, you’re plunged straight into the Fandango Ballroom, where provocatively clad dance hall hostesses spruik for patrons over great jazzy sounds. You know you’re up close and personal with something special before the show even starts. Some lucky guys even get chosen to be the evening’s first customers.
Two mirrors and red light neons glaring ‘Girls Girls Girls’ dominate Owen Phillips’ minimalist design, with just eight black chairs, a couple of costume racks and a smattering of props, enabling an eloquent, fluid production which throws the onus right onto the performances.’
If choices were constrained by budget and size of venue, the production makes an absolute virtue out of that necessity.
The versatile, revolving two-way mirrors are a remarkable production element. Charity’s near drowning gets an extraordinary treatment, the wardrobe scene never worked better, and fly-on-the wall moments (looking like part of the performance is taking place next door in one of those TV cop interrogation rooms) are pretty special.
A 12-strong triple threat performing powerhouse led by Helpmann winner Verity Hunt-Ballard in the title role, Helpmann nominees Debora Krizak and Martin Crewes, and Green Room winner Lisa Sontag, bristles with major musical theatre experience, complemented by a couple of newly graduated students. There’s stars on the rise too; immediately after the season Kirby Burgess steps into her debut role as Rizzo in Grease.
Verity Hunt-Ballard trades large musical theatre stages where she delighted audiences around the country as Mary Poppins for the intimacy of the Hayes Theatre. Revealing new facets of her talent in a triple threat title tour de force, she barnstorms her way through classic numbers ‘If My Friends Could See Me Now’ and ‘I’m a Brass Band’, while creating a vulnerable, gentle, totally engaging heroine.
Charity, a hostess at the Fandango Ballroom, is naïve and eternally optimistic but unlucky in love.
Martin Crewes plays all three men in Charity’s life. With splenidid comic instincts, he deftly moves between the sleazy, taciturn boyfriend Charlie, suave smoothy and film star Vittorio, and nerdish, neurotic Oscar. This multiple casting is probably an economic decision, but it works well.
Debora Krizak expands on the delicious comic characterization which earned her a Helpmann nomination as Sheila in A Chorus Line in dual roles as Charity’s co-worker Nikki, and Ursula, Vittorio’s tempestuous girlfriend. The scene where she pleads with Vittorio to let her into his apartment is joyously etched on my memory.
Lisa Sontag (Heléne) completes the main trio of dance hall hostesses and friends who share a robust, vital rapport, well served by the classic warmth and wit of Neil Simon’s script. They combine in a vibrant, energetic ‘There’s Gotta Be Something Better Than This”, while Krizak and Sontag nail the wistful ‘Baby, Dream Your Dream’, as the audience watch, like flies-on-the-wall, through the reversed two way mirror.
When everyone kicks in for ensemble numbers, the show fills, yet never overpowers, the small stage. ‘Big Spender’ is incredibly sexy, funny and exuberant, with numerous individual contributions elevating the whole; a witty stylized new interpretation of ‘Rich Man’s Frug’ owes its success in equal parts to a mix of inventive choreography, slick dancing and costuming that’s in on the joke, while ‘Rhythm of Life’ adds removing stylish costumes to the comic and choreographic mix.
Musical Director Andrew Warboys crosses over to play Fandango Ballroom manager Herman, delivering ‘I Love to Cry at Weddings’ from the piano with gusto. The character only has a handful of lines, mostly delivered from the shadows, so why not, given that the band shares the stage, blurring the boundaries anyway.
Sweet Charity is a pedigreed Broadway classic with a great score, script and lyrics, trimmed only slightly for this production, while remaining faithful to the original. While it’s nearly 50 years old, this fresh interpretation will have timelessness and vitality for newcomers, while its little surprises engaged and delighted this audience member, returning to an old friend.
Sweet Charity ends on a poignant low-key note. For the first time in the evening the cast and band, who have been present all night, leave the stage, and a once again unlucky in love and reflective Charity is by herself. The departure of the band and the stripping back of the stage is reminiscent of another show by original Broadway director Bob Fosse, Pippin.
It’s a powerful, unconventional way to end a musical which first stepped outside the box way back in 1966.
At the curtain call on opening night, Verity Hunt-Ballard invited her friend and mentor Nancye Hayes onto the stage, where the Aussie theatre legend reflected on her breakthrough in the same role, and the then-revolutionary casting of locals as the leads in Broadway musicals
That was groundbreaking then, like Sydney’s new intimate Musical Theatre and Cabaret venue, now.
Sydney Musical Theatre lovers have a wonderful new home in the Hayes Theatre Co., with a first production in which I simply can’t find a fault.
Neil Litchfield
Photographer: Kurt Sneddon.
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