Sweet Charity to Close in Boston; Broadway Engagement Scotched
By Robert Simonson
25 Mar 2005
The Broadway-bound production of Sweet Charity is bound for Broadway no more. Producers announced the revival would close with its final performance in Boston March 27.
Charlotte d'Amboise will be the last actress to perform the title role in the production. She began her surprise bout on March 18, subbing for Christina Applegate, who broke her foot during one of the final shows of the recent Chicago stand.
"The Sweet Charity company is one of the most gifted and talented group of
individuals I've ever had the privilege of working with. I know I speak on
behalf of my partners when I say how deeply proud we are of everyone who
worked on this production. However, our weak sales on the road and in New
York have left us with little choice other than to make the painful but
fiscally responsible decision to close the production in Boston," said producer Barry Weissler in a statement.
The show was to have begun previews at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre April 4 and officially opened on Broadway April 21.
The decision is a sudden one. In the March 25 issue of The New York Post, Weissler insisted that he would bring the show to New York. "Of course we're bringing it in. Why would we not? At the end of the day, the public will decide whether we are a success or a failure."
Charlotte d'Amboise was standby to original star Christina Applegate until recently. Applegate broke her foot during the March 11 performance in Chicago, two days before that second of three out-of-town engagements ended at the Cadillac Palace Theatre. Understudy Dylis Croman stepped in March 11-13. Soon after, it was announced that the show would arrive in Boston with Tony Award nominee d'Amboise in the title role March 18-27, at the Colonial Theatre.
Also joining the cast in Boston were the Helen and Nickie of Kyra DaCosta and Janine LaManna. The two thespians were brought in to replace Solange Sandy and Natascia Diaz, respectively, shortly after the Chicago run wrapped up. They play Charity's best pals, who commiserate with Charity that "there's gotta be something better than this."
Boston is the third and last pre-Broadway tryout town for the Walter Bobbie-directed musical. The show spent Feb. 8-20 in Minneapolis, and then moved on to Chicago on Feb. 24.
Applegate, the star of TV's "Married...with Children" and Hollywood's "Anchorman," is a major part of the show's marketing: Her wide-eyed likeness appears on the marquee of the Hirschfeld, and in print ads.
The creative team for Sweet Charity comprises Walter Bobbie (director), Wayne Cilento (choreographer), Scott Pask (set designer), William Ivey Long (costume design), Brian MacDevitt (lighting designer), Peter Hylenski (sound designer), Gordon Lowry Harrell (music director) and Don Sebesky (orchestrator).
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