Sutton Foster to Star in Sweet Charity 50th Anniversary Revival

The New Group Presents

book by Neil Simon
music by Cy Coleman
lyrics by Dorothy Fields
choreography by Joshua Bergasse
directed by Leigh Silverman
featuring Sutton Foster

Nov – Dec 2016

Sweet Charity is a musical with music by Cy Coleman, lyrics by Dorothy Fields and book by Neil Simon. It is based on Federico Fellini’s screenplay for Nights of Cabiria. However, where Fellini’s black-and-white Italian film concerns the romantic ups-and-downs of an ever-hopeful prostitute, in the musical the central character is a dancer-for-hire at a Times Square dance hall. The musical premiered on Broadway in 1966, where it was nominated for 12 Tony Awards, and also ran in the West End as well as having revivals and international productions.

The show was adapted for the screen in 1969 with Shirley MacLaine as Charity and John McMartin recreating his Broadway role. Bob Fosse directed and choreographed this film.

If They Could See Me Now – Gwen Verdon

Sweet Charity

ORIGINAL PRODUCTION

The musical premiered on Broadway at the Palace Theatre on 29 January 1966 and closed on 15 July1967 after 608 performances and 10 previews. It was conceived, directed and choreographed by Bob Fosse and starred Gwen Verdon, John McMartin, Helen Gallagher, Thelma Oliver, James Luisi, Arnold Soboloff, and Sharon Ritchie. Scenic and Lighting Design were by Robert Randolph and Costume Design was by Irene Sharaff. The production was nominated for 12 Tony Awards, winning for Fosse’s choreography.

The musical opened in the West End at the Prince of Wales Theatre in October 1967, running for 476 performances. Juliet Prowse starred, and was succeeded by Gretchen Wyler.

1986 BROADWAY REVIVAL

A revival opened on Broadway at the Minskoff Theatre on 27 April 1986 and closed on 15 March 1987, running for 369 performances and 15 previews. Again directed and choreographed by Fosse, Debbie Allen starred as Charity with Bebe Neuwirth as Nickie and Michael Rupert as Oscar. The production won four Tony Awards including Best Revival of a Musical. When Allen left the show, another Fosse “disciple”, Ann Reinking took over as Charity.

1998 BENEFIT CONCERT

On 15 June 1998, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS presented an all-star fully staged one-night-only concert at Avery Fisher Hall in Lincoln Center. It starred Chita Rivera, Bebe Neuwirth, Donna McKechnie, Debbie Allen and in her last public stage appearance, Gwen Verdon, all in the shared role of Charity.

1998 LONDON REVIVAL

A West End revival opened on 19 May 1998 and closed on 15 August 1998 at the Victoria Palace Theatre, choreographed by Stephen Mear and starring Bonnie Langford.

2005 BROADWAY REVIVAL

Christina Applegate starred in another revival of the show, opening on Broadway at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre on 4 May 2005, after a troubled three-city preview tour. Applegate broke her foot in Chicago, the second stop on the tour, and was replaced by her standby, Charlotte d’Amboise. Then, after the final leg of the tour in Boston, the producers announced that the production would not be continuing to Broadway due to lack of interest. However, two days later, the Broadway engagement was on after Applegate convinced the producers to continue. A week into previews, Applegate rejoined the cast, which also included Denis O’Hare and Ernie Sabella.The show was nominated for three Tony Awards including Best Revival of a Musical and Best Actress in a Musical for Applegate. (Reportedly, pop icon Britney Spears was asked to replace Applegate when her contract expired, but declined the offer)The show ended its Broadway run on 31 December 2005, after playing 279 performances.

A national tour of the 2005 Broadway revival began in September 2006 and ended in August 2007. It starred Molly Ringwald and later Paige Davis as Charity.

More on Sweet Charity at TheatreGold DataBase Here

Big Spender for 1969 Movie

Sutton Foster

Sutton Lenore Foster (born March 18, 1975) is an American actress, singer, and dancer. Foster is best known for her work on the Broadway stage, for which she has received two Tony Awards, in 2002 for the role of Millie Dillmount in Thoroughly Modern Millie and in 2011 for her performance as Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes. Her other Broadway credits include Little Women, The Drowsy Chaperone, Young Frankenstein and Shrek the Musical. She recently starred in the ABC Family television series Bunheads. She played Reno Sweeney in the Broadway revival of Anything Goes, which began performances on March 10, 2011 at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre and officially opened on April 7, 2011. For this role Foster won her third Outer Critics Circle Award and second Drama Desk Award and Tony Award for her performance. Foster played her final performance March 11, 2012, when she was replaced by Stephanie J. Block.