MUSKET's latest production brings a little taste of Manhattan in the 1960s to Ann Arbor. Having decided to tackle Neil Simon's musical "Sweet Charity," the cast and crew took on a project of epic proportions. Described as a "sweet, sexy fairy tale" by producer Marc Kamler, the show follows the adventures and misadventures of dancer Charity Valentine. Her quest is for love, something director Eric Jackson feels the audience will be able to relate to. "We all want to be loved, we all want to be accepted in one shape or another. We've all experienced what Charity experiences and goes through in this production," Jackson said.
The show was also originally made famous by Bob Fosse's choreography, which has gained new popularity on Broadway due to shows such as "Chicago" and "Fosse." Jackson has tried to stay true to this original choreography and maintain what he calls the
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| Courtesy of Marc Kamler From left, Jen Guerra, Abby Adair and Dara Seitzman add sizzle to "Sweet Charity." |
"The style is very unique and very '60s," said Abby Adair, who plays Charity Valentine in the production. Audience members may associate some of the dance moves with those seen in the Austin Powers movies, yet the style was originally Fosse's, not Mike Myers'.
Although this is not his first attempt at directing, this is Jackson's first chance at directing a musical on such a large scale. Currently a senior in the School of Music, Jackson has also worked on Basement Arts productions as well as playing the narrator in a University production of "Into the Woods." On making the move from actor to director, Jackson commented, "I've always wanted to be on the other side of the table, and I've gotten to learn so much.
"It's difficult. It's a whole different animal, a musical is, incorporating and collaborating with a musical director and choreographer. But it makes you realize how special every person is in theatre because every person is so important to make the whole thing work."
For Adair, the opportunity to play Charity Valentine is very exciting. Although very busy academically and extracurricularly, Adair felt she could not pass up the chance to participate in this production. "Ever since I was a little girl I dreamed of playing this role. It's like a dream come true for me," said Adair. Adair has also had little difficulty getting into the role of Charity.
"I relate to the character really well so I felt more comfortable at the get-go with this character," she said. The greatest challenge for Adair has been maintaining the stamina necessary for her role. Singing and dancing her way through the show, Adair is in almost every scene with hardly a chance to catch a quick break in between entrances.
Production of this entirely student-run show has been relatively uneventful, although scheduling rehearsals to accomodate the 30-member cast was difficult. Since "Sweet Charity" is a MUSKET production, students outside of the music, musical theatre and theatre departments have had the chance to participate. The cast has several musical theatre majors, but also contains a large number of LS&A students as well as some Engineering students.
"It's a wonderful chance for people within the performance schools - theatre, musical theatre - and also outside the schools to be able to do this," said Jackson.
In addition to getting to see such well known numbers as "Big Spender," "If They Could See Me Now" and "Rhythm of Life" performed, audiences will have the option of seeing the a cappella group Amazin' Blue perform at the Sunday matinee. Both cast and crew seem extremely excited about "Sweet Charity" and hope the performance will contain a great deal of heart and soul. "It's been a collaborative effort, not just from the artistic staff but it's been the artistic staff and the cast, working together to create what 'Sweet Charity' is going to be," said Kamler.
11-18-99
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