Sweet Charity - A Show With a Lot of Heart

Alex Woodward and Understudy Production's Sweet Charity is yet another astounding production which is setting the bar high for independent works in the Brisbane performing arts sector. At its matinee yesterday, it received a standing ovation and if I'm being honest, I was clapping for a while, even after they'd left the stage. Yes, the story lacks but the choreography, production design and talent shows that you don't need to have a ground-breaking story to create a powerful spectacle.

Sweet Charity tells the story of the romantic ups-and-downs of Charity Hope Valentine, a dancer at the Fandago Ballroom at New York City and who is so in love with love that she has a heart tattooed on her left shoulder. Charity was played by Naomi Price who was sensational in that role. From the start of the show until the end, she took us all on a journey and invited us to share all of her characters' ups and downs as if we were intimately acquainted. Not to mention her incredible set of pipes and her gorgeous enthusiasm for being on stage which shone through in each scene. But for me, the star of the show was Andy Cook, who played the very attractive movie star Vittorio. His stage presence was breathtaking; he had such pizzazz and poise on stage and both his voice and dance moves were to die for. Whenever he was on stage, no one else seemed to exist and sharing the stage with so much talent, that isn't an easy feat to achieve. Elliot Baker's Rhythm of Life is something that I'll never forget and not just because the entire cast were in their underwear, but because his voice was sublime. Lizzie Anne Moore and Hayley Winch were so much fun to watch on stage and complimented each other perfectly in all of their duets and had such quirky characters.

Shanon D. Whitelock has done an excellent job as musical director and Dan Venz's choreography was so phenomenal that I can't even begin to describe it. The choreography was colourful, full of heart and the right combination of styles. Dan, you made me wish that I hadn't stopped doing ballet and for that in itself I applaud you. My favourite songs of the show were those which featured powerhouse vocals and choreography, such as Big Spender and Rich Man's Frug, which made me wish that I was a rich elite just so that I could go the night clubs where I could watch people dance like that.

A big bravo to the directors Maureen Bowra and Kris Stewart, who I applaud for not only pulling off such a mammoth production but for transforming the auditorium and the spaces between both the audience members and stage, into the world of the show. I especially loved the moments in the elevator and how the platform in front of the stage served as a door which the characters walked in and out of. Another big bravo goes to Joseph Noonan for his costume and set design; the hours and days spent on it being shown in its elegance.

Rating: 4.5 Stars

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