Hey, big spender! Sweet Charity swings back to the rhythmic ’60s – in concert
Readers of a certain age will remember the movie version of Sweet Charity starring Shirley MacLaine – and now Prospero Arts is bringing its ‘rhythm of life’ vibe back to the stage at QPAC.
Flip your wings and fly to Da-a-ddy … People of a certain age have those lyrics as sung by Sammy Davis Jr. etched into their brain from the 1969 movie musical, Sweet Charity.
The psychedelically tinged Bob Fosse-choreographed Broadway hit, which was turned into a movie starring Shirley MacLaine as Charity Hope Valentine and Davis Jr. as Daddy Brubeck, hippie founder of the Rhythm of Life Revival Church, is again a stage incarnation and it’s coming to QPAC in December as part of the Prospero Arts Concert Series.
But even if you’re not of a certain age, the chances are that you might’ve seen the movie playing on weekend afternoons on TV over the past several decades. The image of Shirley MacLaine as the hopeful Charity Hope Valentine with her heart tattoo of “Charlie” has been an indelible image for many.
An extraordinary singer, dancer and actor, MacLaine is not an easy act for anyone to follow, but Brisbane-based Loren Hunter gives it a go taking on the central role of Charity with enthusiasm and plenty of impressive credentials. One of these is being nominated for the Judith Johnson Award (in the Sydney Theatre Awards) for best performance by a female actor in a musical playing Jane Seymour, one of King Henry VIII’s unfortunate wives, in SIX.
“I did SIX – the musical for five years touring,” Hunter says. “I had some breaks throughout that time for about two years in total when I did Prospero Arts’ productions of Jersey Boys and Wizard of Oz. I also did Baz Luhrman’s Strictly Ballroom – the musical, and King Kong – the musical.”
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Sweet Charity is also a Prospero Arts’ production, and even though it’s a semi-staged concert-style production with reduced sets, lighting and costumes, Hunter assures audiences it is a fully acted version of the musical. There will be a 16-piece band on stage, under the musical direction of Michael Tyack, to give the full nightclub vibe to the song-and-dance numbers.
“You’ll see all the dance numbers,” Hunter says. “All of those iconic moments like the The Rich Man’s Frug – the dance number in the club.” If you’re not familiar with that cryptic title, it’s a type of comical dance mocking the elite upper-class.
As for the character of Charity – an optimistic dance hall hostess who keeps choosing the wrong men (including the Charlie of the tattoo) – Hunter describes her as “a character who’s extremely resilient”.
‘The sense of possibility for her is so strong … that something good is going to happen’
“And given the circumstances of her work and her life, I think she’s just looking for a way out and finds it in the wrong people,” Hunter says. “She doesn’t give up on the idea that her life can be better or that she can find love, no matter how many times it goes wrong.
“The sense of possibility for her is so strong … that something good is going to happen. We all need a bit of that sometimes. There’s no victim mentality.”
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Hunter studied her craft at WAAPA (Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts) and says she was well aware of the musical and the movie.
“It’s so iconic (a show) when you’re studying. The music by Cy Coleman is very well known in the musical theatre community,” she says. “I recently rewatched the film to gauge the structure of the show.”
Award-winning choreographer Cameron Mitchell is helming the show in what is described as a “fresh new reimagining for Brisbane audiences”.
“I’m so thrilled to be part of it,” Hunter enthuses. “If people know anything about Cameron’s work, they know it will be a spectacle. There will be no stone unturned. He will wring out everything he can. He’s a performer, choreographer and director, having done Singin’ in the Rain for Prospero Arts.”
The story sees Charity falling in love with Vittorio, who’s played by stage and screen veteran Simon Burke, fresh from appearing in Wicked. Hunter is thrilled to be meeting a childhood hero, saying: “I used to watch Simon on Playschool growing up. It’s pretty insane that I get to work with him. He messaged me on Instagram and said someone he knows said to him that we were going to be great friends.”
Hip cat Daddy Brubeck will be acted by Sean Sinclair while unassuming insurance salesman Oscar, who falls for Charity, is played by Jake Speer. There will be plenty of other talented pros on stage, too.
The musical has such an interesting pedigree of creators. The prodigious playwright Neil Simon wrote the book for the stage version, based on a script called Nights of Cabiria by legendary Italian director Federico Fellini, with Tullio Pinnelli and Ennio Flaiano. Music is by Cy Coleman with lyrics by Dorothy Field. Bob Fosse choreographed and directed the Broadway and film versions.
Despite the musical being nominated for nine Tony Awards in 1966 and winning for choreography, the movie wasn’t received as well. But its songs, which include The Rhythm of Life by Davis Jr., MacLaine singing If They Could See Me Now and the ensemble of dance hostesses drolly singing Hey, Big Spender, have endured and become much loved. Audiences are in for a treat.
Sweet Charity, Concert Hall, QPAC, December 11-14.