Melbourne Reviews

Heirlume’s production of Sweet Charity offers a fresh take on a classic musical.

The real highlight of this production is the two lead performances. 

Erica Wild as Charity Hope Valentine is effervescent, beautiful and captivating. They lead the show with aplomb, and make it easy to fall in love with and thoroughly root for Charity’s success – which is crucial to feel the impact of the story. Their vocals, acting and dancing were faultless, and particularly shone in ‘If My Friends Could See Me Now.’

Clancy Enchelmaier as Charlie/Vittorio/Oscar also delivered an exceptional performance. They portrayed each of these very distinct roles convincingly, proving their versatility and performance prowess.

This multiple casting is atypical, and one of several differences which offer a modern take on this iconic musical. With some non-traditional gender casting, and a cast of only 10 where most play multiple roles, this brought a freshness to the show.

The choreography was well executed by all performers. Stylistically it did Fosse justice, which is a credit to Jesse Matthews – a highlight was ‘Rich Man’s Frug.’ However, there were some moments it lacked cohesion and impact.

Some of this must also be put down to direction by Madison Lee, which faced a challenge in the small stage space. The set was used well on the whole, with the intimacy of the venue helping to amplify the impact of the story at times, for instance in ‘Big Spender’ when the dancers could come right up to audience members. At other times, the space constraints impeded the storytelling, especially in scene transitions.

Although the musical was written more than 60 years ago, there’s no doubt the story of Sweet Charity still has great relevance, and on the whole this production brought that out well. It’s an interesting exploration of the search for love, and both the immense resilience and vulnerability of women.

If you don’t know how the show ends, I won’t spoil it, but it happens quite suddenly and was impactfully done; one of those memorable theatrical moments where you can hear a pin drop in a room full of people. For me, the ending really affirms why this story has endured.