High school musical Sweet Charity explores dreams and consequences

Nowadays there are only two types of producers that mount large cast musicals – big-budget theatre companies and schools.

And this year Bellerose Composite high school is staging Sweet Charity, a romantic 60s saga about a dance hall hostess who runs her heart like a motel with men checking in and out.

Charity has a soft heart and golden personality, but her choice in men stinks. There’s the peacock-like Charlie, a jerk who steals her purse, followed by Victor, the fickle Italian movie star enamoured with his testosterone. And then she hooks up with Oscar, a shy, claustrophobic tax accountant, only to get dumped in a lake.

“I don’t believe Charity is a victim other than of her own creation. She sets herself up to be taken advantage of by these culpable men. She is capable, confident and determined, yet is willing to give up everything for the illusion of love,” says director Mark Samuels.

Although Neil Simon wrote the book, it’s not the most well-known or greatest musical ever written. The plot is pretty old-fashioned and the ever-hopeful heroine is almost a born-again virgin.

But the musical team of Cy Coleman (music) and Dorothy Coleman (lyrics) produced a great score of fizzy tunes including Big Spender, a champagne number that’s been sung or recorded by almost every noteworthy jazz artist on the continent.

In the 1966 original Broadway production, Bob Fosse choreographed and directed this award-winning production starring his wife and muse Gwen Verdon.

And although the Fosse choreography is not used in this show, Grade 12 student Miranda Holmes, a dancer in her own right, has put together more than a few sizzling moves.

Finding charismatic triple threat performers to carry the lead roles can sometimes be a challenge for high school musicals. However, Samuels believes Rachel Bokenfohr (Annie) has the chops to carry the plucky Charity.

“Rachel has a beautiful singing voice and we felt she could accentuate the character’s lovability. She can be seen as making big mistakes, but she’s also empathetic because she has such great compassion for others.”

And Duncan Letoski (Sound of Music) plays the flawed character, Oscar, a dweeby guy wants to be hip and accepted. But he just can’t get over the other men in Charity’s past.

“Duncan makes a good Oscar. The character is extremely nervous, but he also has a kind of warmth. The duality of wanting to be cool, but also being fragile is difficult to pull off. Duncan can play the warm innocent and tie it together with wanting to be cool.”

Cultural sensibilities have changed in the last 45 years, however people remain the same.

“Whether it’s the sixties or now, people still make crazy choices. This play is about a dream, a flawed dream and having to face the consequences, and how things don’t always turn out the way you hoped they would.