Sweet Charity

As soon as I walked in the joint, a man of distinction approached me to ask me to spend some time on stage with the provocatively clad dancing girls. Did I look like a real big spender or had I just been cast as the type who would pop their cork at the Fandango Ballroom?

Overcoming stage fright I ventured up the stairs where Charity Hope Valentine brushed me off. She recommended another dancer who gently exposed my two left feet when we danced across the stage. They were laid even more bare when the other ‘volunteer’ from the audience swished around in style, as though he was a member of the cast.

Settling down back in my seat for the real performance it was a relief and treat to revisit this award winning production in the new surroundings of the Sydney Opera House – transplanted from the original at the Hayes Theatre.

The simplicity and brilliance of the set lost nothing in the move down the hill to Bennelong Point. The swivelling glass panels that effortlessly transformed from a pond, to the cupboard of a stylish apartment, appeared just as clever.

The glue for the production was the sparkling five-piece band led by Andrew Worboys who deserved their place on stage, sizzling in the jazz inspired score. 

Verity Hunt-Ballard’s performance as Charity has been celebrated, winning her a second Helpmann. Hitting the nail on the head was Geoffrey Rush who summed up her character as ‘a clown.’ Her expressions and physical comedy are dazzling.  Even more enjoyable for being able to see them up close rather than from the clouds in a 2000 seat theatre.

Deserving as much recognition is Martin Crewes. He plays three characters – Charlie the thieving boyfriend, Vittorio a self-obsessed movie star, and  Oscar the troubled soul Charity meets in an elevator. The contrast between the king of cool and the awkward claustrophobic accountant could not be more marked. Crewes makes the transformation appear effortless.

The crew of dancing girls and boys under the direction of Dean Bryant and choreographer Andrew Hallsworth also shine.

Spilling out of the Drama Theatre of the Opera House into a pulsating nightclub makes it an even more special night.

David Spicer

Photographer: Jeff Busby

More reading

Read our feature interview with Verity Hunt-Ballard in the January / February edition of Stage Whispers - More details.

Our review of the original Sydney season

Musicals in 2015 and Beyond