Talk about a messy dating pool.
The man that Charity Hope Valentine thinks she’s having a relationship with, and who she’s been carefully training to love her, turns out to be not that into her at all. In fact, he’s married.
As they stroll through Central Park, Charity’s beau abruptly throws her into the lake and runs off with her purse. The romance thief is the first of several duds to whom Charity (Shinah Hey), ever hopeful, entrusts her heart in the classic musical, “Sweet Charity.”
A dance hall hostess at the Fandango Ballroom in 1960s New York, Charity’s travails are getting an entertaining throwback treatment at Bloomington’s Artistry theater, where Laura Leffler’s energetic production opened Saturday with Hey in the lead.
Leffler and choreographer Abby Magalee owe a big debt to Bob Fosse, who choreographed and directed the original. Leffler has staged “Charity” “Chicago”-style, with Anita Ruth’s emotionally expressive 20-piece orchestra dominating at center stage. That leaves a small playing area for the actors and the minimal props.
Magalee has refreshed some of Fosse’s iconic dances, including “The Rich Man Frug,” which Beyonce nodded to in her “Get Me Bodied” music video. If you have seen Fosse’s original or things closer to it, like Ann Reinking’s “Fosse,” you might think the Artistry production feels like a knockoff. But Magalee brings verve to the numbers and dancer Aliya Grace stands out for her punch and slaying power in “Frug.”
While both the orchestra and the acting ensemble are big, the show almost feels like a solo work. That’s because Charity sings the bulk of the songs and delivers the lion’s share of the lines.
Thankfully, Hey is up to the task. Performing with blithe, effortless assurance, she rarely shows the work that she’s putting in. Her heartfelt singing and sincere acting gives Charity an inviting innocence. And Hey rounds out her winning performance with smooth dancing, including Rockettes-style high kicks that give the show some razzle-dazzle.
