Last Chance To See 600 sq mi: Hidden
Missed Connections: Gefilte Fish...and "Chain Connections"
H-Town Rock
Rock Talk, Vol. IX
If her friends could see her now! As TLC's Trading Spaces bubbly host, Paige Davis, made her Houston debut (her first performance with the travelling show was last week in San Antonio) as "Charity Hope Valentine" in last night's Opening Night of Sweet Charity, we couldn't stop wondering,...would Vern have used that color on the walls? Frank, maybe, but Vern?
Being this was our first time seeing the Tony-Award winning musical, we weren't sure what to expect. However, we are suckers for a good song and dance number (heck, we're suckers for a mediocre one), so we packed our top hats and headed to the Hobby Center.
Early on in the first act, it was easy to see why the musical was awarded a Tony for "Best Choreography." Inventive dance ensembles such as "Rich Man's Frug", an Austin-Powers-mod-squad-meets-Lion-King-African-drum-circle, added depth to the simple story line. We found ourselves wanting the dialogue to end so we could see more dancing; excited when a black top hat and cane appeared for hopes of a big number...and we weren't disappointed as Davis skillfully performed the show's headlining number, "If My Friends Could See Me Now."
Halfway through the show, as we were bopping heads and tapping feet, enjoying the light-hearted story, we were pleasantly surprised by the hilarious introduction of Guy Adkins' Chaplin-esque portrayal of the neurotic claustrophobic accountant "Oscar Lindquist." The audience was laughing out loud at Adkins' physically-comedic performance of Lindquist trapped in an elevator. Pure comedy: a rare treat in a usually exaggerated dramatic musical.
Wanna know what our favorite number was? Follow the jump to keep reading. Duh.
The stand out number, unanimous to our party of two, was Act Two's "The Rhythm of Life" as Charity and Oscar visit the Rhythm of Life Church, a 70's psychedelic love fest sermon. The creative costumes and choreography had us waiting for the dancers to break out into "Aquarius!" at any moment. It was truly the most fun and Davis' and Adkins'
Our only reservation was a slight difficulty picturing sweet Southern Belle Davis as semi-trampy, non-virginal, Dancehall hostess Charity Hope Valentine, which made us curious if predecessor Brat Packer Molly Ringwald would have been a little more believable. But Davis' charm and dedication to the role won us over by the final scene.
Also notable was Bridget Berger as the experienced Fandango hostess "Nickie" in the burlesque-y "Hey Big Spender" and "There's Gotta Be Something Better Than This." We wouldn't be surprised to see her soon headlining as Roxy Hart, a role recently relinquished by Davis. You heard it here first, folks!
Sweet Charity is playing now through July 8th at the Hobby Center. Single Tickets start at $29 and can be purchased on the TUTS website.
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Too bad I missed it - sounds fun.