"Foster and Silverman bring comparable insight to 'Sweet Charity.' They embrace the goofy, big-hearted openness of the title character, but also the bleakness of her reality...If the approach falls short of revelatory, that's perhaps because this flawed show can never seem complete without Fosse's dance moves…It could use a bit more oomph in the choreography. But the crucial component that requires zero improvements is Foster's gorgeous performance. She's perfection."
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"The new 'Sweet Charity' is obviously aimed at tourists who have never seen the show, or a generation in infancy when the original production opened. A clumsy movie version in 1969 did nothing to preserve fond memories. And neither does this new Off-Broadway revival with the brassy but lackluster Sutton Foster. Mediocre is its middle name...Foster works hard to make you feel like she’s not working hard but comes off best in the combustible numbers that come naturally."
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"Charity was always a pretty great part. And you’d be hard-pressed to find a performer better equipped than two-time Tony winner Sutton Foster, whose vocal and dance skills are matched only by her gift for physical comedy. The top-notch supporting cast includes Shuler Hensley; Asmeret Ghebremichael and Emily Padgett as two tell-it-like-it-is Fan-Dango dancers; and the versatile Joel Perez in four roles. Did we mention this production is stripped-down?"
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"Purists may balk, but director Leigh Silverman and her star, Sutton Foster, have given us a whole new reason to fall for that dance hall charmer Charity…The proximity allows for a visceral experience up close and very personal. As Charity, Foster once again pulls out all the stops, confirming her place in the pantheon of musical theatre stars. She breaks your heart...Equally entertaining, it cuts deep with a poignantly resonant message of empowerment and, yes, hope."
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"This intimate mounting seamlessly welds comedy to tragedy with the help of one of the musical theater's great leading ladies, Sutton Foster...The production benefits from a stellar supporting cast...Everyone in the small ensemble takes on several parts with committed vigor...Not everyone will be pleased with some of Silverman's choices, especially musical purists...Still, Silverman strikes at the story's essence in this scaled-down revival starring a first-rate actress who really gets it."
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"Director Leigh Silverman absolutely nails it...It works beautifully and allows the top-notch evening of musical comedy that precedes to finish with a heartwarming glow...Simon's book is full of the kind of smart, urban wit that made his name a comedy genre...This is a 'Sweet Charity' where the book gets a real workout. There's still the lively zest of sharply written musical comedy, but Silverman, Foster, Hensley and company make sure the fragile heart beneath the fun gets its say."
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"The production coasts on the charms of its somewhat miscast star, Sutton Foster, guaranteeing a good time...But the director, Leigh Silverman, has opted to turn 'Sweet Charity' inside out, an approach that does little more than expose what was always weak about the musical while failing to capitalize on its many strengths...Silverman's approach is an honest attempt at improving a show that has a number of built-in weaknesses, but her solutions prove equally problematic."
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"An odd, occasionally schizophrenic show that's been difficult to get right...Bergasse hasn't established a consistent vernacular the way Fosse did; too often, his choreography looks like a bunch of unrelated bits pasted together. Much of Leigh Silverman's production feels like that, though...She wants to have it both ways, but differently than the book and score do. Worst of all, in fooling with the ending, she's neutered the title character's defining optimism."
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