Theater review: Marriott Theatre's super 'Sweet Charity' has perfect rhythm

Posted September 14, 2018 3:00 am

Anne Horak plays Charity Hope Valentine, the dance hall hostess with a heart of gold, in Marriott Theatre's “Sweet Charity.” Courtesy of Justin Barbin

“Sweet Charity” - ★ ★ ★ ½

“The rhythm of life is a powerful beat, puts a tingle in your fingers and a tingle in your feet.”

Behold the words of Daddy Johann Sebastian Brubeck, jazz cat turned street preacher in the musical “Sweet Charity.” Daddy Brubeck is the guru named for two rhythm masters - Baroque composer J.S. Bach and the Third Stream's Dave Brubeck - and his gospel enlivens the supercool musical about the misadventures of Manhattan dance-hall hostess Charity Hope Valentine.

That “rhythm” animates Charity, the titular sweetheart of the 1966 tuner. And in Marriott Theatre's high-spirited revival, charmer and Lincolnshire newcomer Anne Horak brings the kindly optimist with bad taste in men to life in a performance that brims with joy and endless good humor.

Repeatedly disappointed by love, Charity persists in its pursuit hoping a man will take her away from the second-rate Fandango Ballroom. There, she and her friends don't so much dance as defend themselves to music (a jazzy, urbane score by the great Cy Coleman). Like best pals Nickie and Helene (played with sass and spunk by Dani Spieler and NaTonia Monét), Charity aspires to middle-class respectability: a life of “frozen peaches and cream.”

That wry observation from lyricist Dorothy Fields suggests middle-class respectability isn't all it's reported to be. The book, by the late Neil Simon, is equally amusing.

Dancers at the Fandango Ballroom try to entice a "Big Spender" in Marriott Theatre's "Sweet Charity," directed and choreographed by Alex Sanchez. Courtesy of Justin Barbin

Still, Charity dreams and then meets a man who might just give her that peaches and cream life - nervous accountant Oscar (the ever-endearing, always funny Alex Goodrich). They meet on the way to a self-help seminar and bond while trapped in a stalled elevator. Then, they find themselves at a revival presided over by Daddy Brubeck, played by the charismatic Kenny Ingram, a Marriott favorite son who delivers a praiseworthy performance of the irresistible “The Rhythm of Life.”

It's one of several showstoppers courtesy of an agile, exuberant cast under director/choreographer Alex Sanchez. Sanchez works magic once again, tipping his hat to original director/choreographer Bob Fosse (note the dancers' classic Fosse-attitude: knee bent, arm raised, fingers grasping the edge of a black bowler hat) while putting his own sophisticated spin on the dance numbers.

Charity (Anne Horak), center, Helene (NaTonia Monét), left, and Nickie (Dani Spieler) play taxi dancers eager to find another profession in "Sweet Charity," running through Oct. 28 at Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire. Courtesy of Justin Barbin

But “Sweet Charity” has more to it than showy production numbers. Sanchez demonstrates flair for physical comedy (at which Horak and Goodrich excel) and for drama. The penultimate moments of this production are as honest as they are wrenching.

Of course, no review of “Sweet Charity” would be complete without mentioning the crowd-pleasing “Rich Man's Frug,” a sly, insidiously clever composition for dance in three movements where disinterested elites strut their stuff. In that respect, it's not unlike the decisively brassy “Big Spender,” where bored “social consultants” entice Fandango patrons to the dance floor.

Director/choreographer Alex Sanchez's "Rich Man's Frug" stopped the show on opening night of Marriott Theatre's revival of "Sweet Charity." Courtesy of Michael Brosilow

Also deserving kudos are music director Ryan T. Nelson and conductor Patti Garwood. She and her dynamic octet do both Bach and Brubeck proud.

As a character, Charity Hope Valentine is hopelessly dated. She's passive, accepting whatever the Fickle Finger of Fate bestows. She allows herself to be taken advantage of by men, which makes for some cringeworthy moments. Yet her sexual confidence and lack of guile are admirable. More importantly, she survives. Charity bounces back. And when she does - as Horak demonstrates in the explosive 11 o'clock number “I'm a Brass Band” - music pours out of her.

Now that's a life force. Charity's life isn't always happy, but it's hopeful. And it's got rhythm.

Amen.

Location: Marriott Theatre, 10 Marriott Drive, Lincolnshire. (847) 634-0200 or marriotttheatre.com

Showtimes: 1 and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, 7:30 p.m. Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday, 3 and 8 p.m. Saturday, 1 and 5 p.m. Sunday; through Oct. 28

Running time: About two hours, 30 minutes including intermission

Tickets: $50-$60; dinner theater packages available

Parking: Valet parking available. Free parking in lots adjacent to the theater.

Rating: For teens and older; contains some mild sexual references

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