EVERYMAN THEATRE: SWEET CHARITY | STAGE REVIEW
Everyman Open Air Theatre Festival, Sophia Gardens, Cardiff, Wed 8 July
Sitting at the open air venue on a beautiful summer’s evening as the sirens and unrehearsed singing quietly played out their own performance behind the trees, we waited for the musical to begin. Of the swathes of people milling around Cathedral Road and down the tree shaded walk to Sophia Gardens, we seemed to be the only two not coming back from the cricket, or drunk. The latter being far more of a disappointment than the former.
As you would expect from a musical about the salvation of love, the forlorn hope of finding it and a woman called Charity Hope Valentine – who always seems to pick men who steal her things and make her miserable – it was a predominantly female audience. Not that it is indicative of the general female experience of love, of course, but like reading an agony aunt page, it makes you feel better, and brings women together under the common bond of asking too much and getting too little.
In true Everyman style the first act didn’t fail to disappoint, we were ‘hit for six’ (I phoned a friend for that one) with brilliant routines and great acting, with a little help from a superb score and script. You could feel the joy in the audience and cast who, yet again, gave the impression of having a good time and being exceptional entertainers. The choreography was fun and funny in all the right ways. It’s far more interesting watching big dance scenes when the performers are varied in ages, behaviours and physical language. It makes everything far more believable when not everyone on stage looks like they’ve been made-up and sucked-in until they look rather disappointingly the same. Non-speaking parts don’t leave much scope for grabbing the audience’s attention, but when you have a collection of possibly the most random and interesting looking people one could hope to see on stage, you can’t help but believe in what they are showing you and by believing, you are submersed in the action.
The second half was enjoyable, but a little less tight and some of the choreography could have been a little more structured in places. Again the singing from all the cast was excellent, as was the acting. The end was rather abrupt, it felt a little bit like we had run out of time, and unless we packed up and got out of the park quickly, a warden might arrive and pack us off to wherever late night theatre goers who have missed their curfew get taken, hopefully the bar but probably into the hands of half-conscious cricket supporters. I have never seen the musical and have saved watching the film until after writing this review, but if that is how it ends then I demand a sequel, or a rerun, and I’d watch it all over again with pleasure just to find out.
words NIA STRONG
Sweet Charity, Everyman Open Air Theatre Festival Sophia Gardens, Cardiff, until Sat 18 July. Tickets: £6-£16. Info: www.everymanfestival.co.uk