Sutton Foster to lead SWEET CHARITY Off-Broadway Revival!

[IdinaBellFoster]

Had anyone heard anything about this? AMAZING news! Directed by Leigh Silverman and choreographed by Joshua Bergasse.

 

http://www.broadway.com/buzz/184885/sutton-foster-will-headline-sweet-charity-revival-for-new-group-full-off-broadway-season-announced/

 

 

 

 

[Kad]

The New Group is doing this? That's... so odd.

[ljay889]

Wasn't expecting this!  Not a big fan of hers, but she has the right personality for the role. 

[ljay889]

Sweet Charity is presented by The New Group in association with Kevin McCollum.

If they noted that, we know what it must mean...

[neonlightsxo]

Kad said: "The New Group is doing this? That's... so odd."

 

My thought exactly.

I see that Kevin is the commercial producer, but why the New Group? Why start Off Broadway for a revival of Sweet Charity?

[ljay889]

Well if they are looking to transfer it to Broadway, they are going to need a name for Oscar, Sutton isn't enough to sell a commercial production of Sweet Charity. They would need a NPH or Jim Parsons. 

[tazber]

If Sutton gets raves I could see it transferring without a Hollywood name.

 

That said, I'm sure they'd have no problem getting a name for Oscar.

 

Sutton is an amazing choice. God I love this show!

 

 

[Call_me_jorge]

^ it could come in through roundabout. Violet transferred to Broadway with sutton and she may not be a name, but she's a bigger name than what she was then. Younger is pretty popular.

[Kad]

The New Group regularly snags notable actors, so I doubt that'll be an issue.

It's just such an odd choice for the company, which purports to have a "a commitment to developing and producing powerful, contemporary theater" and whose production history is of plays by writers like David Rabe and Sam Shepard and Wallace Shawn.

And it's a small space. This will be a pretty reduced production.

 

[neonlightsxo]

Kad, I'm with you. It's a confusing match.

[Kad]

Call_me_jorge said: "^ it could come in through roundabout. Violet transferred to Broadway with sutton and she may not be a name, but she's a bigger name than what she was then. Younger is pretty popular."

Roundabout is not going to pick this production up unless there is an extenuating circumstance requiring them to fill a slot in their season and everyone's schedules aligned.

 

[ljay889]

Call_me_jorge said: "^ it could come in through roundabout. Violet transferred to Broadway with sutton and she may not be a name, but she's a bigger name than what she was then. Younger is pretty popular.

"

Kevin McCollum is a commercial producer. He isn't going to transfer a production to a non profit theater company. 

[tazber]

Maybe this is going to be the reboot of Sweet Charity...grittier and bare bones.

 

Suite Chariti

 

 

 

[Cupid Boy2]

On the New Group's site, they're already advertising,"Consider upgrading to a subscription to guarantee your seat to Sweet Charity."  And while they offer both 4 show and 3 show packages for potential subscribers, they are only offering Sweet Charity in the 4 show package. Perhaps they've hit a wall in reaching certain demographics, and this is their solution to expanding their audience.

[BroadwayConcierge]

I love me some Sutton Foster just as much as the next guy, but as I kept reading further into the breaking article...

[macnyc]

I don't know anything about the New Group, but it does seem to be a mismatch between the show and the size of the theater. Personally, I like Sutton Foster and would be happy to see this.

[wonderfulwizard11]

It is an odd choice for The New Group, but I think Sutton is perfect casting for the role. I don't know if I can think of any other major Broadway star who has all the necessary skills to be a great Charity. 

[Mr Roxy]

I like the score and all but why bother if you do not get the Fosse choreography . I saw the original production and the show would not be the same without it Sutton Foster notwithstanding

[smidge]

Roxy makes a good point. Almost went for a subscription package but will just hope for the single ticket on sale. Anyone know when individual tickets become available?

[darquegk]

Will Neil Simon be revising the book or doing a new final scene, as has become tradition?

[Mr Roxy]

Does Simon still even do this?  

[ljay889]

I'm not sure Sutton could handle the Fosse choreography. I don't think of her as a Gwen, Chita, or Ann Reinking. 

[AC126748]

Foster didn't seem to have any trouble with the complicated ANYTHING GOES choreography. She did way more complicated dancing than Patti did in the '87 revival, and did it with ease. The choreography changes are for artistic reasons, I would venture, rather than to accommodate her. 

It is a weird choice for this particular company, but as some others have said, I assume that this will not be a traditional paint by numbers revival. 

[wonderfulwizard11]

"I'm not sure Sutton could handle the Fosse choreography. I don't think of her as a Gwen, Chita, or Ann Reinking."

I'm confused by this statement. Even though both shows were largely tap-based, both of her Tonys were for dance-heavy shows and roles. While it remains to be seen if she has the Fosse sensibility (and we don't even know how it will be choreographed), it's not as though she couldn't handle it from a purely technical level. 

I also think of anyone working today, other than maybe Jane Krakowski, she's a pretty good successor to Gwen Verdon. I was recently re-reading the Wasson biography of Fosse, and the way Verdon is described in performance reminds me a lot of Sutton Foster. She has that kind of winning spirit and vulnerability that Verdon apparently brought to her roles, and that seems pretty ideal for Charity especially. On paper, it's certainly a much more ideal fit than Reno Sweeney, and if she could handle that, I feel like Charity will suit her well. 

[CindersGolightly]

I was really hoping Annaleigh Ashford would lead a revival as Charity, but Sutton will be spectacular, of course. She's 100% right for the role.