ARC’s July 2004 production was Sweet Charity – Book by Neil Simon; Lyrics by Dorothy Fields; Music by Cy Coleman. Some of the hits include Hey, Big Spender, The Rhythm of Life and If My Friends Could See Me Now.
Synopsis
SWEET CHARITY is a moving and funny look at the (mis)adventures of the gullible and guileless Charity Valentine. Charity is a dance hostess at the Fandango Ballroom, who always gives her heart and her dreams to the wrong man. Some of her misadventures include:
- A misguided relationship with a married man, whom she hopes will be her fiancé. One day while walking through the park Charity romantically suggests he throw something into the lake for good luck, he tricks her by throwing her in and stealing her purse, which contains her life savings. Poor Charity is pulled out of the lake by a passer-by, and reports her misfortune to the police.
- A night with the famous film star, Vittorio Vidal, who calls Charity’s girlfriends at the Fan-Dango ballroom to prove she is out with a celebrity. Just as Charity is about to make a move on Vittorio, Ursula, Vittorio’s mistress with whom he has been feuding, interrupts them and Charity ends up hiding from Ursala in a closet all night.
- Getting stuck in an elevator with a claustrophobic tax accountant named Oscar, who takes an interest in Charity, and invites her to his Rhythm of Life Church, which evolved from a jazz music group. For some unknown reason to Charity, Oscar thinks she is a bank teller. She likes this idea, so decides not to clarify what she really does for a living.
- When Charity quits her job and finally gets the nerve up to tell Oscar that she is a dance hall hostess, she is surprised to find out that he already knew the truth; he had followed her there one night and stayed to watch. Oscar proposes to her.
But will Charity live happily ever after?
Performance season
The performance season ran over two weeks including five performances:
- Saturday 3rd July at 2pm (Matinee) & 8pm
- Thursday 8th July at 8pm
- Friday 9th July at 8pm
- Saturday 10th July at 8pm
Cast
| Charity Hope Valentine | Laura Burzacott |
| Nickie | Melissa Ventura |
| Helene | Rebecca Gooley |
| Oscar Lindquist | Michael Gaté |
| Vittorio Vidal | Paul Odorisio |
| Ursula March | Meaghan Kominiarski |
| Herman | Luciano Parissi |
| Daddy Brubeck | Adrian Ventura/Stuart Ford (alternating) |
| Brubeck’s Assistant #1 | Stuart Ford/Adrian Ventura (alternating) |
| Brubeck’s Assistant #2 | Natalie Bocallini |
| Carmen | Sian Marvelley |
| Rosie | Kiloran Hiscock |
| Suzanne | Lara Ishkan |
| Frenchy | Catherine Sharples |
| Betsy | Melinda Savino |
| Elaine | Anita Marelic |
| Hostesses | Danielle D’Arro Daniella Li Rosi Tina Truong Laura Meese |
| Ensemble | Sofia Ciancia Rebecca Conwell Carli Jones Sara Lacey Amelia van Lint Karen Lister Cathy Patullo Matthew Spiteri Rhyce Allen Nicolaas Burgers Seb Dworkin Douglas English Marcus van Lint Michael Paul Chris Prendergast Frank Saladino Christopher Walsh |
Artistic Team
| Director | Andrew Jameson |
| Assistant Director | Kane McDonald |
| Musical Director | Lucas Burns |
| Assistant Musical Director | Sam Lee |
| Choreographer | Leigh Barker |
| Assistant Choreographer | Nadia Gianinotti |
Producers (ARC Committee)
| President | Seb Dworkin |
| Vice President | Catherine Sharples |
| Treasurer | Melissa Ventura |
| Secretary | John McTiernan |
| General Representatives | Nicolaas Burgers Melinda Savino Laura Meese Nicholas Compton |
Production Team
| Stage Manager | Jayne Lovelock |
| Assistant Stage Manager | Emma Leaver |
| Lighting Designer | Damien Calvert |
| Lighting Technician | Marty Accari |
| Follow-spot Operators | Stewart Richards Kesh Alponso |
| Sound Technician | Paul McKinnon |
| Lighting/Sound Crew | Bianca Vincent |
| Set Designers | Nicolaas Burgers Damien Calvert |
| Set Construction Manager | Stewart Richards |
| Graphic Designer | Stuart Ford |
| Costumes | Dachelle Fergusson Sara Lacey Amelia van Lint Karen Lister |
| Make-up Designer | Melinda Savino |
| Media Officer/Publicist | Carli Jones |
| Front of House Coordinator | Zoë Holloway |
| Props Manager | Vickie Zarifopoulos |
| Ticketing Secretary | Amelia van Lint |