Sachem East's Sweet Charity Dazzles Crowd

When Sachem High School East's drama director Ken Dobbins wanted to do the musical Sweet Charity 10 years ago, the school board turned down his request.  The Neil Simon-Cy Coleman-Dorothy Fields show was deemed inappropriate for a presentation by high school students. 

Surely the material deals with dance hall hostesses and the word "virgin" pops up in the script several times in the second act.  Moreover, Bob Fosse's original choreography didn't exactly come off as wholesome as, say, The Nutcracker ballet.  To my mind, the problem wasn't so much with the material as it was with the ability to find a high school girl who could sing, dance and act the demanding title role.

A decade later, Dobbins received approval when he re-submitted his request to stage Sweet Charity and the result was not only a sensational production, but an incredibly brilliant performance by Heather Wadler as Charity Hope Valentine; a role that requires anyone who plays it to be front and center in eight full blown musical numbers.

Other musicals demand far less from their leading ladies: Dolly Levi only sings six songs and Maria in West Side Story does a mere five.  Heather Wadler not only lived up to the demands, she exceeded them.  She was astonishing with her high kicks and her clarion singing, to say nothing of the slapstick mime she performed while locked in a closet. She brought true poignancy of some of the most heartbreaking moments found in the script.  In short, she was absolutely grand in the part.

The rest of the cast also turned in admirable performances.  Tyler A. Boyle contributed some fine hilarity to the role of Oscar Lindquist, Charity's leading man.  He's an exceptional singer and his rendition of the title song was truly exemplary. 

Also, Dylan Garafian did some superb character acting as matinee idol Vittorio Vidal and negotiated the transitions between his chest and head voices beautifully when he sang the lovely "Too Many Tomorrows".  In the second act, this talented young man essayed a completely different role; that of Daddy Brubeck and brought the house down with an infectious rendition of "The Rhythm of Life."

Charity's two sidekicks, Nickie and Helene, were played by Katelyn Onufrey and Genevieve Diller, who not only delivered some of Simon's famous one-liners with finesse, but sang full-voiced renditions of "There's Gotta Be Something Better Than This" and "Baby, Dream Your Dreams."  They were marvelous.

Much of Bob Fosse's original choreography was adapted for this production by Miss Jean Sorbera. The minimalist approach to "Hey, Big Spender" proved the old adage that sometimes less is more.  It was a clever touch to have the marching band enter from the rear of the auditorium and surround the audience with sound during "I'm a Brass Band." The whole audience became a part of the moment.

Dan R. Lewis' sets and lighting evoked a wonderful atmosphere of the 60's and it has to be mentioned that the musical direction of Robin Macy was exceptionally good.  It was a genuine pleasure to hear the overture and all the orchestral music performed without the aid of microphones—something that's not found on Broadway these days.

Lastly, Mr. Ken Dobbins has to be commended for his skill in producing and directing the show.  He drew fine performances from his teenaged cast.  He did an excellent job and this production of Sweet Charity is one he and everyone involved in it can be extremely proud.

Sweet Charity is also being  performed April 16 and 17 at High School East.