Sweet Charity NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (251)
See it if you like a light hearted romp, some very catchy tunes, an adorable leading lady (Sutton Foster) and a good time.
Don't see it if you're a stick in the mud who steals candy from babies & murders puppies. You won't have a good time here in this sexy & charming musical Read more
See it if You enjoy musicals with strong singers. Also, Sutton Foster rocks and it's worth it to go see her in such an intimate production.
Don't see it if you are expecting an overproduced musical with fantastic staging. This is a spare production, which highlights the prolific talents of SF.
See it if You want to see Sutton Foster embody Charity. Remarkable actress. Her face alone tells the story.
Don't see it if You expect the full blown Fosse experience. Small, intimate staging focused fully on Charity.
See it if you want to see how dated musicals should be approached.
Don't see it if you don't want to be exposed to creaky writing of the past, however rehabilitated by a production.
See it if You enjoy watching Sutton Foster's amazing talent. Remake is a bit different but well worth attending.
Don't see it if N/A
See it if You'd like a small scale version of a classic musical. Sutton Foster manages to be strong & fragile, sad & optimistic, frenetic but stuck.
Don't see it if You're not a Sutton Foster fan (& how is that possible?) Or if you don't like this music. The main numbers are wonderfully performed. Loved.
See it if you're rightfully awed by Sutton Foster, who is oh-so terrific on all fronts, and enjoy a surprisingly intimate staging and glorious tunes
Don't see it if you're expecting nonstop glee, as there are many poignant moments, or if you demand elaborate staging or bristle at actors in multiple roles
See it if you want to see a terrific performer at the top of her form in a show with some classic songs.
Don't see it if you don't like Cy Coleman musicals or Sutton Foster.
Critic Reviews (50)
"While Bergasse has demonstrated talent elsewhere, he is no Fosse. Sutton Foster, while one of the most talented actresses in musicals, is no Gwen Verdon...Her perkiness is tiring, but she demonstrates a real flair for physical comedy. The always watchable Shuler Hensley makes a fine Oscar, the man she hopes will be her rescuer. Joel Perez is a standout in all four of his roles. The racially mixed ensemble is very good...Despite some reservations, I did not regret seeing this production."
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"Foster comes through with wrenching vulnerability as the forlorn dance hall hostess, but also adds an appealing ability to fight back to survive...Foster’s performance deserves to go beyond this limited off-Broadway run, and so does this production directed by Leigh Silverman and smartly choreographed by Joshua Bergasse...There are numerous striking numbers...'Sweet Charity' a hard ticket, but if you can manage to book it, you’ll have a very entertaining time."
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"Witnessing Foster’s performance at arm’s reach feels like a rare privilege. But other elements of the close-quartered revival might benefit from more perspective…Even with a pared-down, somewhat darker approach, this tale rings a bit hollow...It’s a credit to Foster’s inimitable talent that she brings what nuance she can to a character that’s trapped by the pages she’s been written. The rest of the cast also turn in great performances."
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"Silverman took a drastic turn in her interpretation. Silverman avoided the typical musical theater approach, infusing a methodology that makes more sense when staging a straight play. Her scene work was profound. But this is, at the end of the day, musical comedy...If you’re a purist, this is not the production for you. If you’re looking for a little grit in your musical comedy, this may be the 'Sweet Charity' you’ve been waiting for. Overall, it was a little too lukewarm for my liking."
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"Any production of 'Sweet Charity' needs a leading lady who can sing, dance, perform physical comedy and do it all while projecting a believable vulnerability. Foster delivers on all accounts...The rest of the show impressed me less...Silverman has tried to darken 'Sweet Charity.' But the darkening is hard to do when you've got a script laced with one-liners and the innate razzle dazzle that Fosse embedded in all his work."
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"The production has a sleek, tacky charm…Foster is a spectacular dancer and all-around musical virtuoso…Although her character spends most of the show with a cloying optimism, Foster somehow never has a phony moment. ‘Sweet Charity,’ of course, has a few dark and delightful songs…Bergasse’s functional choreography can’t keep us from missing Fosse. With Silverman trying to make Charity’s story real, the show’s senseless scenes and songs feel more irrelevant than ever."
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"The hit 1966 musical...is an unsettling case of high-spirited Broadway sentimentality imposed on an essentially dark and depressing book. In the pared-down revival, starring Sutton Foster, that emotional disconnection is particularly clear...Since Foster portrays this pathology with the clueless eagerness of a stray puppy...what we see comes across as masochism rather than optimism...When the musical is showcasing the rich Cy Coleman-Dorothy Fields score, things mostly go well."
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"Lighting up that ersatz swingathon is Sutton Foster, who invests the titular Charity with irresistible goofy charm and displays comic talents reminiscent of Lucille Ball and Marilyn Monroe...Alas, the second act never attains such comic heights as even Foster cannot overcome the limitations of Simon’s book, whose treatment of sexual politics is decidedly one-dimensional."
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