BWW Reviews: Candlelight Pavilion Loves Charity... Charity Hope Valentine, That Is!

Sweet Charity/book by Neil Simon/music by Cy Coleman; lyrics by Dorothy Fields/directed by Neil Dale/choreographed by Janet Renslow/Candlelight Pavilion Dinner Theatre, Claremont/through May 5

Of all the Broadway shows from the 60s, Sweet Charity is one of the least memorable. Not because it is without merit. Hardly!It does have some wonderful music by Cy Coleman and Dorothy Fields, and some dynamite choreography from original dance man Bob Fosse... and an amusingly offbeat book by Neil Simon. But it is still pretty flimsy on the whole and serves as a vehicle for its leading lady Charity Hope Valentine, originally played by Gwen Verdon and on film by Shirley MacLaine. Without a quirky star, the show can go down hill quite fast. Thankfully, Candlelight Dinner Theatre's production has enough going for it to make for an entertaining evening.

Most of the fun in this show emanates from the off-center events in the life of doormat Charity who, like her name, gives away too much of herself to every man she meets. She ends up in the pond in Central Park, not once but twice, gets stuck in an elevator, stuffed into a closet, and trapped on a ferris wheel that has stopped in mid air. Every trap stems from her involvement with a man, who needs her more than she needs him. But, this dance hall hostess, who is rather embarrassed about her lack of success in life, is a big "Brass Band" and the "Bravest Individual", and once she convinces herself of that fact, she might just make it through on her own terms. Tracy Pedretti makes Charity a genuine and likable gal, who is everyone's best friend. Her performance, for the most part is steady and dependable, but needs more emotion on "Where Am I Going?", which, almost at the 11th hour. is her breakthrough, her catharsis.

Supporting players Bobby Collins as the weak Oscar Lindquist and especially Eduardo Enrikez as Vitorrio Vidal, the Marcello Mastroianni-like romantic Italian movie star, really invest our full attention. Enrikez is always a natural with slick, Mediterranean macho types. The dancers at the Fan-Dango Ballroom give their sexy all to the rollicking crowd-pleaser "Big Spender" performing choreographer Janet Renslow's somewhat Fosse-esque moves to great allure. Renslow's work with "Rhythm of Life" is also quite rousing and engaging. This number, so 60s in its overabundance of aggressively free self-expression, could have been lifted, literally, right out of Hair or Godspell. The 18-member ensemble of singers/dancers are wonderful. Neil Dale, who directed BWW Award winning Miss Saigon at Candlelight in 2012, has directed evenly with fine pacing, and the show flows smoothly from top to finish. Guitarist Michael Ryan provided delightful pre-show music to dine by. Especially riveting was his arrangement of "Malaguena".

Sweet Charity is not the greatest musical show ever written, to be sure, but is the perfect light choice for dinner theatre fare. It is definitely dated and... if its 60ish life affirmations are too loud and pushy - "Without love, life has no purpose" - at least it is dosed out with a heavy mix of sweetener, so the audience remain comatose right through to the happy ending. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Speaking of dinner theatre, this is my first time at Candlelight Pavilion in Claremont, and it will certainly not be my last. I enjoyed a succulent slow-roasted tri-tip au jus, luscious crabcakes as appetizer, a delicious strawberry blended margarita from the bar and a scrumptious dessert, apple strudel a la mode. There were varied choices for non-meat lovers and a great selection of prize-winning desserts to choose from. My mouth was and still is watering just thinking about it. Looking at the menu inside the program, I was amazed at the low, low prices. And the friendly service could not have been better. A very lovely evening of merriment!

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