Sweet Charity NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (251)
See it if you can deal with musical theatre stripped down to its essentials: terrific material, a talented cast & Sutton's pitch perfect technique.
Don't see it if You're expecting Fosse or his Rich Man's Frug, a large orchestra or the usual bells and whistles that so often make the Bway musical go. Read more
See it if You've ever thought of yourself as a Sutton Foster fan because she's epic here. The intimate staging is also something to experience.
Don't see it if You're expecting the original production with brass and a massive cast because this isn't that. Read more
See it if You savor the chance to see great talent in a tiny space, like older shows dusted off and reimagined, or like Surton foster in anything.
Don't see it if You're humming the old score, like big feel-good musicals, or don't like tinkering with your old favorites.
See it if Sutton Foster can light up a dark room with her smile. Her Charity will break your heart.
Don't see it if You don’t like revival. But this one you would. Just saying.
See it if You love Sutton Foster. You enjoy pared-down musicals that keep the essence of the original. You love great song and dance numbers.
Don't see it if You saw the original with Gwen Verdon years ago and will miss her! You're not a Sutton Foster fan - she's the foundation of the show.
See it if SUTTON FOSTER, SHULER HENSLEY, JOEL PEREZ.... need I say more?
Don't see it if You care too much about the musical itself. Sweet Charity isn't my favorite show, but the performances here were amazing and intimate.
See it if You love Sutton Foster. The cast is very versatile - most play multiple roles. The score is fantastic. Just a delightful night.
Don't see it if You dislike musicals, dislike Sutton Foster, want a modern plot.
See it if you want to see Sutton Foster sing, dance and act her way through a role she was made for, in an intimate bare bones staging of a classic.
Don't see it if you don't care for classic musicals, you would find it dated, or prefer a big, flashy staging with huge production numbers. Read more
Critic Reviews (50)
"Unique, brilliantly cast, impeccably staged, and discovers the deep, rich underbelly of this musical that seems to have escaped notice until now...The musical peels away the layers of Charity’s past revealing her vulnerability and her less explored – but equally evident – inner strength...Under Leigh Silverman’s sharp direction, the members of the impressive cast deliver authentic performances animated with deep honesty and endearing charisma...Joshua Bergasse’s choreography is stunning."
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"Foster, evoking some of the best comedy shtick of the era in the spirit of Carol Burnett and Lucille Ball, is brilliantly on point with her comedic timing…Bergasse’s choreography dutifully nods to Fosse on occasion, but also breathes new life into famous dance sequences. But the evening belongs to Sutton Foster, who puts her stamp on one of the great musical comedy roles of the 20th century."
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"Smartly directed by Leigh Silverman, and designed with great ingenuity...Unsurprisingly, Foster brings her patented all-American optimism, to this difficult and iconic role...More importantly, Foster brings her equally flexible voice and legs to the often-bare stage, allowing her to perfectly land such beloved Cy Coleman-Dorothy Fields songs as well as brilliantly execute Joshua Bergasse’s complex, tap-and-ballet-inspired choreography."
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“Although Charity perpetually struggles to find a man to love and marry...the audience has no trouble falling for Foster, even in a production that has a few problems...Foster receives capable support from Asmeret Ghebremichael and Emily Padgett as Nickie and Helene. Joel Perez does very nicely in four distinct roles, and Shuler Hensley squeezes the square Oscar for every laugh he's worth...But the minute she walks on the stage you can tell that she's a real big talent, a gal of distinction.”
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"Its book by Neil Simon is dated and improbable, with a series of comic set pieces that only occasionally land. But its score by Cy Coleman holds up. The choreographer Joshua Bergasse, the spot-on five-piece band, and the design team all work together to scale down this big Broadway musical appropriately. Best of all, the performances are terrific. Few regular theatergoers would be surprised by the charmingly daffy portrayal of Charity by Sutton Foster."
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"The resplendent Sutton Foster often movingly suggests the dark side to Charity’s perpetual sunniness…The material doesn’t hold up especially well. The sexual politics are obviously dated and so is Simon’s awkward vernacular…The plot is noodly and digressive, but then again that mirrors the heroine and it’s part of her charm. The Coleman and Fields songs are still pretty good…How bleak can a piece really be with the smile and voice and legs of Sutton Foster vibrating at its center?"
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"The extreme masochism of taxi dancer Charity Hope Valentine is a challenge, especially in 2016, but Foster turns the character’s commitment to being abused by men into a feminist statement while remaining a total delight to watch...From ballsy then to doormat now, the actress really can do anything...Foster, Silverman and Schuler Hensley turn dross into, if not gold, something more touching than a well-manufactured evening of musical-comedy glitter."
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"This new 'Charity' is built around an irrepressibly delectable Sutton Foster, who gives the show a refreshingly different flavor and thoroughly wins the day…This production of 'Charity' has been conceived and staged not as a grand Fosse musical, but as a Neil Simon comedy. Which, in retrospect, it is....Georgia Stitt leads a ferocious all-girl ensemble, and they truly rock. Foster’s performance is by no means the sole attraction of this friendly 'Sweet Charity.'"
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