March 6, 2014
Before†Chicago†there was†Sweet†Charity! Combining the inspiration of Bob Fosse and the hilarity of†Neil Simon, Boebe Productions will present the beloved musical Sweet Charity at the Whatley Center for the Performing Arts at Northeast Texas Community College on Saturday, March 22 at 7:30 p.m.
† † † †The show, sponsored by Texas Heritage National Bank, features music†by Cy Coleman, lyrics by Dorothy†Fields†and†book by Neil Simon.†Sweet Charity†was Directed and choreographed†for Broadway by Bob Fosse,†starring his wife and famous redheaded muse Gwen Verdon†alongside John†McMartin. The musical†is based on Federico Fellini's†screenplay for†Nights of Cabiria. However, where Fellini's black-and-white†Italian film concerns the romantic ups-and-downs of an ever-hopeful prostitute,†in the musical the central character is a dancer-for-hire at a Times Square†dance hall.
† † † †The musical premiered on Broadway†in 1966, where it was†nominated for 12 Tony Awards, and also ran in the West†End†as well†as having revivals and international productions.
† † † †"Sweet Charity†is a classic musical with memorable songs that will have you humming tunes for days. This is a great chance to see a Broadway-style performance right here in Northeast Texas," Carolyn Franks, Director of the Whatley Center, said.
† † † †In the production, lead character Charity†Valentine is the eternal optimist. While working at the seedy Fan-Dango ballroom,†where the motto is ?Hey Big Spender?, she often thinks that ?There†Must Be Something Better Than This?. Finally, she seems to have met a†decent fellow in Oscar and experiences wonderful things (?If My Friends†Could See Me Now!?) Trying to hide her true profession, she lies to him†and tells him that she works in a bank. Soon, Oscar asks Charity to marry him.
† † † †Unfortunately, Oscar discovers Charity?s real profession and backs out of the†marriage. Nevertheless, Charity continues to remain hopeful that good things†will happen in her life. With show-stopping production numbers, this show is†sure to be a crowd pleaser.
† † † †Boebe†Productions, established in 1994, has produced famous shows like†Grease, Buddy?The†Buddy Holly Story, 42nd Street, Hairspray, Footloose and Cabaret for venues around the country.
† † † †Tickets for the Whatley Center performance are $30 for adults and $10 for students with a current school ID. This show is included in season ticket packages. Call 903-434-8181 to order tickets. The Whatley Center box office will be closed March 10-14 for spring break. If you would like to reserve seats during this time, please leave a message with your name, contact information and the number of tickets you would like to purchase and a staff member will get back to you when they return. To learn more about this an other upcoming performances, visit†www.ntcc.edu/whatley.
