by erin thursby scopes1925@msn.com
What: Molly Ringwald in Sweet Charity
When: January 23-28th
Where: Moran Theater - Performing Arts Center
Charity Hope Valentine (Molly Ringwald) is a dance hall hostess, otherwise known as a taxi-cab dancer. In the 1960s everyone knew what a dance hall hostess was, but today it’s a little cloudier. Dance halls reached their peak in about the 1930s when some respectable girls still worked the halls. Because they were so popular in the 30s, that period probably lends a little flavor to the first ensemble number ‘Big Spender.’ It’s clear from that first dance-hall number that these women (circa the1960s) are just one step above strippers, and that many of them engage in “extra-curricular” activities for extra cash. The official duties of a dance-hall girl were to dance with men and entertain them. The men simply paid them for their time. In California, as of 2002, there were at least a few dance halls left, but not many. Charity is often disappointed in love, but ever optimistic that her prince will come to rescue her. Ringwald does a more than passable job as Sweet Charity, although they do scale back the dance in the traditionally dance-heavy part for Ringwald. Instead, the part concentrates on her stronger aspects of stage performance, such as acting and singing. She’s excellent at physical comedy, pulling it off in a way that seems effortless and genuine, but takes practice and talent.
Francesca Harper and Amanda Watkins play Charity’s dance hall friends, Helene and Nickie. Both have a fabulous set of pipes, which they show off throughout the play. I particularly enjoyed their duet in the second act ‘Baby, Dream Your Dream.’
The solo tenor work from Richard Ruiz, who plays Herman the dance hall owner, was an unexpected delight.
Guy Adkins plays the delightfully neurotic Oscar Lindquist. Oscar first meets Charity in an elevator that breaks down. He reveals that he’s claustrophobic and proceeds to twist his body all over the elevator in configurations that would make a contortionist proud. Charity keeps him calm by singing him ‘I’m the Bravest Individual’ and a romance blooms between the ever buoyant Charity and the nervous Oscar.
The technical aspects of a show can make or break a production, but they often go unnoticed, especially when done right. All of the things supporting the actors in this production, from the musicians to the wig master must be mentioned because they were fabulous. Immense kudos to the orchestra and the conductor, Ross Scott Rawlings, for well wrought and excellently timed orchestrations. Some inhumanly long notes were played, the result of another musician picking up that same note. The technique was seamless.
Not all traveling shows are as skillfully lit as this one, and I always look at the lighting in a show. David Grill, the lighting designer, won my vote by skillfully using one of my favorite lighting gimmicks to full advantage, the scrim. Scrims are specially made pieces of fabric that, when lit from the front appear opaque, but are transparent when lit from behind. Lighting can change the tone and color of a scrim dramatically and are great for big “reveals.” I won’t spoil the best scrim reveal in the show, but I have to say that some of disadvantages of using a scrim (like the fact that it can be a pain to hide the source lights behind a scrim) are used instead as advantages. The gimmicky scrim was the most obvious lighting technique used in the show, but the overall lighting of each scene set the mood and was exquisitely executed.
The costumes in this production are vibrant and vital to dating it as a period piece, circa the late 1960s. The hair and wig design by Bernie Ardia helped to date the piece with Bridget Bardot styles, afros and mod cuts. The leader of the “Rhythm of Life” Church, Daddy Brubeck (David Glaspie), had such an outrageously large afro that I expected it to fly from his head. Despite all his movement around the stage, the afro was well affixed to his head and it looked awesome. The costuming and wigs alone are worth a show of their own! To get tickets to the show call 904-632-3373 or go online at www.artistseries.fccj.org
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