Sweet Charity, Josie Rourke’s farewell production at the Donmar Warehouse which stars Anne-Marie Duff as Charity and Arthur Darvill as Oscar, appears to have charmed the majority of our Mates, with a few reservations here and there. The musical continues until 8 June 2019.
Also in the cast are: Lizzy Connolly, Lauren Drew, Jo Eaton-Kent, Will Haswell, Charlotte Jaconelli, Stephen Kennedy, Debbie Kurup, Martin Marquez, Ryan Reid, Amy Ellen Richardson, Danielle Steers and Shaq Taylor.
Multiple guest actors continue to play the role of Daddy Brubeck including Shaq Taylor, Le Gateau Chocolat, Beverley Knight and Clive Rowe with further casting to be announced.
Sweet Charity is choreographed by the world-renowned Wayne McGregor, who reunites with Rourke after working on her debut film Mary Queen of Scots. Rourke returns to the music of Cy Coleman who wrote the score for her Olivier Award-winning production of City of Angels. The book is by Neil Simon and lyrics by Dorothy Fields.
Review highlights
Johnny Fox: Critical Mass – ★★★★
Johnny Fox: “This is as unconventional production of Sweet Charity as you’re likely to see. Set firmly in the art milieu of Andy Warhol’s Factory, it’s so perfectly, silver-foil-wrapped acid-tabbed 1967 it’s like you were actually there.”
Carole Woddis: “The casting of Anne-Marie Duff, not a natural hoofer but an actor most of us would associate with high emotion and tragedy is therefore a bold and brave one.”
Libby Purves: “By the time Arthur Darvill as her geeky beloved Oscar lets her down, every man in the audience and most of us women were helplessly, indignantly in love with the woman.”
Anne Cox: “Anne-Marie Duff makes an irrepressible and delightful dance hostess, who is looking for love, in Josie Rourke’s beguiling revival of Sweet Charity.”
Ian Foster: “Nowhere near enough charm in this Sweet Charity for my liking. Josie Rourke’s farewell to the Donmar Warehouse is grey rather than silver.”
Related
An editor, writer and critic, Lisa Martland is the founder of Vuelio top-ranked website
Musical Theatre Review which she set up in 2013. She has largely single-handedly developed it into one of the UK’s must-read sites for professionals and expert followers of the sector. In 2018, Lisa also joined the Terri Paddock Group, taking on the role of editor for both MyTheatreMates and our sister musical theatre site
Stage Faves. Formerly, she was deputy editor at The Stage Newspaper.
