Date: Fri 28-Jun-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: SHANNO

Illustration: C

Location: A-8

Quick Words:

Musicals-Richter-Sweet-Charity

Full Text:

(rev "Sweet Charity" @Musicals at Richter, 6/28/96)

Theatre Review-

Summer Returns & Musicals At Richter Offers A Fine Opener

By Julie Stern

DANBURY - It is the end of June: time to cut the grass every week, the kids

are out of school and one of the most wonderful traditions of summer has come

around again... Musicals at Richters has opened its season with a production

of Sweet Charity .

This wistful fable of a foolish taxi dancer who craves true love represents an

unusual mixture of creative styles: the book is by Neil Simon based on a

screenplay by Federico Fellini, and the original Broadway production was

conceived, staged and choreographed by Bob Fosse.

Each man has left his distinctive stamp on the production, from the witty

dialogue that marks the farcical confrontations between Charity and the men in

her life, to the surreal visions of the seedy night life of a big city, to the

jazzy chorus numbers that light up the stage with their energy and tension.

This is not a show known for its musical score. Apart from "Hey Big Spender,"

there are not a lot of songs you would recognize if you have never seen it,

and it is not going to make you rush out to buy the CD. Rather, Charity is a

visual treat, especially in the capable hands of director Tom Cochrane, a

longtime Richter veteran who is now the company's overall artistic director as

well.

Using an ensemble of a dozen minor players in constantly changing costumes,

Cochrane creates a kaleidoscopic melange of distinctive urban situations: a

crowd excited by the prospect of a drowning; a tribe of doped-up hippies

camped under a bridge; the 92nd Street Y, offering highly intellectualized

culture to lonely strangers looking to meet someone; riders on a rush hour

subway; and of course, the customers and dancers at the Fan-Dango Ballroom,

where Charity and her fellow "hostesses" compete for clients and dream of

someday acquiring the skills that will lead to prestige jobs such as

receptionist, hat check girl or assistant dental technician.

As Sweet Charity Hope Valentine, a bimbo with a tattoo on her arm and a heart

of gold, Stephanie J. Varanelli gives a spirited portrayal of an airhead so

good-natured she lets people treat her like a doormat and then remembers them

kindly.

Tony Dadamo has the more challenging assignment of playing all three of the

men in her life; the loutish Charlie who steals her purse and shoves her in

the river; the unctuous Latin film star Vittorio Vidal, who uses her as a

cat's paw to regain his girlfriend; and the neurotically shy accountant, Oscar

Lindquist, who seems to offer the promise of true love at last, after he and

Charity are trapped in an elevator together.

Adjusting his voice, and body language as well, Dadamo succeeds in creating

three distinct characters and providing the dramatic interest that transcends

the essential silliness of the story.

Two other cast members worth mentioning individually are Mariclare Lawson and

Alyson Mayne as the feistiest of the Fandango dancers who sing several musical

numbers together lamenting the plight of their profession.

But it is the ensemble, in its various permutations, what makes the show fun.

Above all, it is Cochrane's effective direction that keeps its hard edges and

dark sides in focus even as he makes the audience laugh.

Richter is a local treasure for those who know about it. Tucked up behind the

golf course at Richter Park, it is the region's only outdoor musical theatre,

where families can bring a picnic supper to enjoy before the show and then sit

back and watch the performance.

If you haven't yet been, the most surprising thing about Musicals at Richter

is the intimacy of the place. This is not a huge expanse like Tanglewood or

Central Park's Delacourt Theater. Instead, it is a small stage like you used

to see at summer camp, surrounded by an intimate grouping of plastic chairs -

perhaps six rows deep.

With an eleven-piece live orchestra, top quality sound and lighting and a

serviceable set designed by Cochrane himself, Sweet Charity is a fine way to

start the season, and well worth a trip to Aunt Hack Estates.

Additional info? Performances by Musicals at Richter are Thursday through

Sunday evenings at 8:30 pm (no Sunday performances the final week of each

show), with the lawn opening at 7:15 pm for picnics. Tickets are $10 to $14.

Call 748-MUSE for details.