"Foster makes the role of Charity so completely and convincingly her own, even if the production in which she appears rarely offers her support to match. (The exception is a wonderfully sadsack Shuler Hensley.)...The overall production exists principally as a serviceable frame for Ms. Foster’s portraiture. Mr. Bergasse is less assured doing Fosse. Though he has come up with some affecting choreography for Charity, should-be showstoppers lack satiric oomph."
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"There’s an argument to be made for this approach, but it would require a darker and more specific production than the rest of what director Leigh Silverman has assembled...Yet there’s much to enjoy in this 'Sweet Charity,' starting with the musical itself. The songs are top-notch; Neil Simon’s book still earns laughs. And Foster’s will-to-spunkiness is a terrific match for Charity. But if this revival has a future, it should fill out to meet its ambitions."
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"In the stripped-down and stirring revival starring the astonishing Sutton Foster, Silverman has in many ways succeeded...This one never lets you forget that it is fundamentally about women endangered by men, poverty, and a lack of education…Without that Broadway lift, ‘Sweet Charity’ risks seeming leaden and grubby…Hollowness is unavoidable here...Silverman’s work with Foster is extraordinary. Together, they get the most out of the complicated comedy of scenes."
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"You keep hoping that, despite early signs of limpness, it won’t be drained of all its energy and sentiment by the end. But the director, Leigh Silverman, is adept at throwing ash on soap bubbles. The problem is that she’s too serious about theatre; she wants her shows to count—to have a moral purpose...Instead of trusting in and directing the flow of Foster’s natural wellspring of talent, she set out to dam it."
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"This new version is the best production imaginable, and Foster is giving the performance of a lifetime in the title role. I’ve never seen her do anything better—and that’s really saying something...Emotionally convincing to the highest degree, starting with Foster’s performance...Since the other members of the cast are good enough not to be swamped by her, the result is not an unbalanced tour de force but a dramatically convincing presentation of a musical whose flaws can only be overcome."
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"Another career-making performance by Sutton Foster...Hensley knocks it out of the admittedly tiny ballpark...But that too is one of the things making this revival exceptional...These practiced bodies are all but in our faces much of the time, which has the odd effect of making the story that much more tough-minded without relinquishing its poignance...Foster's is a beautiful performance in a grown-up, revelatory revival."
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"Director Leigh Silverman seemingly seized upon the following exchange between Charity’s fellow 'taxi dancers' to set the tone for this stripped-back, bare-bones New Group revival. 'Hello. I’m Rosie,' says a newbie. 'Not for long you ain’t," comes the reply...No room for hope or optimism or rosy-colored glasses. Even with great tunes like 'Big Spender'...Charity’s grimmer than usual end startles. More like, Sour Charity."
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"Dancing is what you get a lot of in this modest but smartly staged production...Silverman’s production captures the air of wised-up innocence that defines the woolly era of the early ’60s. Charity is very much a child of her time, and Foster is just plain marvelous at conveying her yearning to fit in and belong. While a fine supporting cast are strongest in the dance department, there’s a sense that they have all seen the future and found it less fun than it was cracked up to be."
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