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Summer Stock Austin has already put on an impressive show with its production of Cabaret, but they're not done yet. Complementing this piece is one of the lost treasures of the Broadway stage, Sweet Charity, written by some of the top names in theater, including composer Cy Coleman, lyricist Dorothy Fields, and famed playwright Neil Simon. The play tells the story of a dance hall girl trying to find a way to earn an honest living in the turbulent world of the late 1960s, and her adventures along the way. The musical is based upon the acclaimed film Nights of Cabiria by Federico Fellini, and was turned into a motion picture in 1969 by Bob Fosse, marking his film directorial debut. Despite all the talent on display, however, the story remains dated, and Summer Stock’s production does little to make it any fresher, though director Ginger Morris and musical director Michael McKelvey do ratchet up the productions numbers to eleven.
Cy Coleman is an underrated genius of the Broadway stage, and his songs in this musical are shining testaments to his ability. Tunes like “Hey Big Spender”, “If My Friends Could See Me Now”, and “Baby Dream Your Dream” will have you tapping your foot all the way home, and thanks to guidance from Morris and McKelvey, and brilliant choreography from Vincent Sandoval, the numbers all spark like vibrant, lively supernovas across the stage, enveloping the audience in their dazzling glow. The ensemble shows off its style with gusto, especially in “Rich Man’s Frug”, one of the most amazingly choreographed numbers I’ve seen this year, featuring Mancini-esque melodies and dancers, led by the captivating Madison Piner, strutting around the boards with military precision, whimsically taking us back in time to the elegant lifestyle of the 60s upper crust.
Though these numbers truly do warrant much accolade, it’s a shame that they’re held together by such a flimsy plot, which is shocking, since the book comes from one of the best talents in drama, Neil Simon. The story consits of little more than “a dance hall girl's trip through the tumultuous sixties”, leading Charity, our lead, through a number of diverse situations, most culminating in a song and dance number, before whisking her off to another flight of fancy. Many of these situations have little to do with one another, and characters come and go without a second thought. It’s difficult to connect with many characters, since they have so little stage time, making it difficult for an actor to truly bring something special to the table. I found myself wishing that several of the smaller roles could have been expanded so some of the actors could have more to do, such as Briana Watson, a sultry siren who showed off an amazing voice and some solid acting chops in her rather small role as Helene, Andrew Butler, whose wise-cracking sarcasm as Herman and hilarious final number had the audience in stitches, and Matthew Harper, in an amazing turn as Vittorio Vidal, whose charm wit overcame any trouble with his accent or costume malfunction. Little of this is the actual production’s fault, but Morris should have taken more time to shape the script into something a bit more coherent and palatable.
Sara Burke makes a splendid lead as Charity Hope Valentine, offering up a performance full of charm and effervescence. When she sings out the lines to “I’m the Bravest Individual” with a clear, if world-weary, voice, here eyes glowing with hope and sunny optimism, we take her at her word, despite the fact that we somewhere behind her eyes, we see a lingering pain that she can’t quite shake. Many members of her cast, however, don’t shine quite as brightly. The main problem is that these young people, many of them only high school students, must play characters twice their age, but without the life experience, they can't quite reach the right maturity to make the role believable. For instance, Brandon Edwards injects plenty of raw excitement into his performance as Daddy Brubeck, but he lacks the charisma and wisdom to play such a bold and revered character. This conundrum rears it's ugly head throughout the piece, taking us out of the action numerous times.
There’s much to love in Summer Stock’s production of this Broadway marvel. Sara Burke is a capable lead, bringing plenty of energy and bubbliness to the role, and the musical numbers are nothing short of breath-taking, but the plot lacks the panache or spark to move the story forward at a decent clip, and the young actors sometimes struggle trying to find the heart of their role. Morris and McKelvey have done wonderful work together in the past, and we can be assured that they will do amazing work in the future, but here it just seems they've chosen the wrong piece to showcase their young cast. 
There's only one more performance of Sweet Charity this year, Saturday, August 7 at 7:30pm, so if you don't want to miss these dazzling numbers and fantastic lead performance, be sure to purchase your tickets. For more information, and to purchase tickets, visit summerstockaustin.org
Comments
This review is so far from the truth. Have you forgotten that these are high school and college students? Have you also forgotten there are very limited resources for time speant is rehearsel? The leads were great but the true unsung heros were the ensemble as well as the direction and leadership....snaps to them all. Keep your chin up....remember OPINIONS are like Belly Buttons...everyone has one! So as for mine this cast deserves 5 Stars! Congrats to all!!!! I guess your sold out audiences and standing ovations felt the same way!
As I say in many of my reviews, this is simply one man's opinion, I always encourage people to go out and see for themselves. Nowhere do I state that anything I say is the God's honest truth. As you say, everyone has their own opinions, and this mine. You have yours, and I do not begrudge you that.
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