There and back with Sweet Charity

It’s been three long months since I last walked the streets of the Big Apple. There are still times when I have to pinch myself to make sure that I really did get to watch all those musicals or if I actually had my picture taken with Hank Azaria, Rosie O’ Donnel, and Christina Applegate. It was just so surreal being in the company of Hollywood celebrities, and even more heartwarming to see these actors battle it out in the not-so-economically-fulfilling world of theater, all for the love of it. Seeing the view from the top was an experience I will never forget. The only trouble with such a glorious acquisition is that it has a tendency to spawn heightened standards – when anything else doesn’t quite match up to the original. If one were to come from such standpoint, then his or her romance with theatre would truly be high-maintenance and difficult to appease. As every show is a brand new experience for a stage actor, every staging should be a brand new experience for a spectator. One just needeth to open his horizons up a bit and give other productions a shot. So with a bravado to the "go down from the hill" and break this habit of dismissing school productions with the usual stereotypes, I decided to check out my alma mater’s version of Sweet Charity.

To paint a palette sweet, my friends and I headed over to the bluer side of town to catch BlueRep’s staging of the celebrated musical. Directed by theater veteran Chari Arespacochaga, the musical looks into the comical life of Charity Hope Valentine, a taxi dancer who works at the Fan-Dango Club and constantly daydreams of finding the perfect guy.

Neil Simon weaves a simple story of hope and love in the eyes of the not-so-damsel-in-distress Charity. Dashed with Dorothy Fields and Cy Coleman’s poignant vocal score and Bob Fosse’s powerful choreography, the musical continues as Charity finds herself at the doorstep of Club Pompeii, an elitist nightspot where she meets Hollywood heartthrob Vittorio Vidal. Somehow, Charity ends up in his lofty apartment and finds herself caught in between Vittorio’s love spat with his girlfriend Ursula. Hiding in a closet, Charity survives the experience and emerges with a few mementos of her chance encounter with the movie star. Inspired by her dreamlike rendezvous, she leaves the Fan-Dango to find her Mr. Right once and for all. The rest is one hilarious roller coaster ride from the Rhythm of Life Church to the park with a guy named Oscar with whom she lives "hopefully ever after."

I’m no dance connoisseur but I sure was moved by Fosse’s intricate choreography — something I thought was a spectacle apart from the music and the acting. With his angular, hat-bobbing moves, any spectator can find himself popping his shoulders to the jazzy-fizzle of Fosse’s Tony-Award winning direction. This is exactly what I was hoping to see in that afternoon’s performance. And this is exactly what BlueRep judi-ciously delivers. From the raw sensuality of Hey Big Spender to the illusionary disjointedness of Rich Man’s Frug, my jaw literally dropped from my scenic front-row view. Kyla Rivera’s choreography was able to capture Fosse’s passion for unique movement, as evident in the praiseworthy sequences of Rich Man’s Frug and Rhythm of Life. If Chari’s directorial style is to fill the stage with actors to make up for the minimalist set, then she succeeded in coming up with a living, breathing mechanism of multiple clogs harmoniously working together to paint a most captivating scene.

One of the other outstanding aspects of Sweet Charity in N.Y.C. was Christina Applegate’s performance. She literally stole the show, cascading an effortless flare and an engaging wit that caught audiences at hello. As Applegate delivered every single time she graced the stage, Angela Primavera delivers in her most impressive performance as Charity Valentine. It’s no joke to pull of those key punch lines and solo numbers when a huge portion of the show’s success rests on your shoulders. But with Angela’s grace and confidence, she was able to capture the sincerity and heart that had audiences fondly applauding and empathizing with the hopeless romantic. What’s extra commendable about BlueRep’s rendition is that it is able to level off the playing field for all its wonderful performers. Watching the Broadway version, most people including myself were so blown away by the sheer artistry and celebrity of Christina Applegate that I hardly noticed the other performers onstage. In BlueRep’s staging however, one is fondly greeted with so many memorable performances by its talented actors, including Kathleen Teodoro and Laura Cabochan who play Charity’s bosom buddies Nickie and Helene respectively, Jeffrey Ramos as Oscar Lindquist, Red Concepcion as Bid Daddy Brubeck, and Shark Alonso as Vittorio Vidal. Of course, one cannot overlook the powerful ensemble who was equally as bold in giving the play that extra ooomph and pizzazz.

One reservation I had with BlueRep’s version however was their chosen ending to the musical. Charity Valentine shedding her tears after being dumped by Oscar in the end, comforting herself by singing I’m the Bravest Individual, and then proclaiming to all the world, It’s me, Sweet Charity as she dances off to the sunset celebrating her damaged yet unwavering belief in love, was something that my friends and I had been looking forward to since sharing with them my experience of the Broadway version. Unfortunately, the local staging took a different route to follow suit with the show’s optimistic approach. But like we said, every show should be a brand new experience for a spectator. Though unfamiliar, this was certainly a refreshing take on how the cookie crumbles for our love-struck heroine.

Seeing BlueRep’s version of Sweet Charity, I can’t help but remember Baby Barredo’s wise words. In theater, one must always do his best because absolutely everyone and everything on stage can be seen, down to the simplest hand gesture or the extra swish of a hip. Even the simplest walk-on part or the anonymous dancer in the chorus can capture audiences with his stage presence. After all, there are no small roles, only small actors. From my front-row view, I was able to witness the intensity of the cast, fueled with their love for theater and camaraderie in "forming a community of Ateneans possessing the Ignatian ideals of passion for life," as the college theater organization sternly advocates in its mission-vision. It’s hard to believe that it’s been more than 15 years since Rem and his friends put up Blue Repertory in the Ateneo, and it’s as remarkable as ever. Some of the new blood were said to have been on their theatrical honeymoon, the old blood intent on rekindling their love affair with theatre. Some had been pursuing their dream of performing, others their dream of becoming. I don’t know about Charity, Nickie, and Helene when they say that "There’s Gotta Be Something Better than This" but with how Sweet Charity rocked audiences with fun, laughs, and good time, I don’t think I could’ve asked for anything more.

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Catch your breath and let me know what you think at chasingtoff@yahoo.com