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THEATER REVIEW Review: Leading lady in Camelot's 'Sweet Charity' carries the show Comment By Jeffrey Gillespie For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By Jeffrey Gillespie For the Tidings Posted Mar. 20, 2016 at 5:44 PM By Jeffrey Gillespie For the Tidings Posted Mar. 20, 2016 at 5:44 PM » Social News It would be difficult to inflict any serious damage on the work of Neil Simon, that illustrious wellspring from which emerged such quintessential New York fare as "Barefoot in the Park" (1963), "The Odd Couple"(1965), and "The Goodbye Girl" (1977). The vaunted New York playwright has been the toast of Broadway, with few flops, for over 50 years. "Sweet Charity," that classic musical about a sassy call-girl in search of love, made its Broadway premiere in 1966, and has been beloved of theater patrons ever since. Camelot Theatre's take on this legendary show is fun, fresh, and — thanks to some deft choreography — keeps the audience engaged and whooping through two and a half hours of sauciness. In the lead role as Charity Hope Valentine, an archetypal city hustler with a heart of gold, Sarah Gore bursts onto the stage in the opening moments of the show like some hybrid incarnation of Cruella De Vil and Betty Boop. Gore, decked out in a blonde bob and various ritzy costumes, is a star. She is the platinum-coiffed punctuation point at the end of every song, act and interaction as the show progresses. The audience should rightly be astonished at the physical stamina of this young actor, who barrels through song after song, dance number after dance number, without any visible signs of fatigue. The role is an emotionally demanding one, too, and Gore delivers. From the opening scene, where her unmatched enthusiasm for the first rogue male of the production lands her, literally, in the lake, through to the various twists and turns of the plot, Gore's Charity takes her knocks, and rebounds, with a brand of moxie that really carries the show. This is not to say that the ensemble is in any way lacking. The working girls of the Fan-Dango Ballroom, played by numerous Camelot regulars, are as catty, sassy, and sexy as you could want them to be. Sequined and seductive, the girls play off of each other ferociously in their various attempts to entice men away from the competition. This line-up of scorching floozies finally turns the charm all the way up for a starstruck audience, with a truly memorable rendition of "Big Spender". Particular standout moments come from Haley Forsyth as Helene and Rebecca K. Campbell as Nickie; two hard-boiled but caring New York girls who provide Charity with some empathetic (if misguided) comfort as she rockets through her batty routine. Grace Peets (last seen at Camelot as the prim and virginal Laurey in "Oklahoma!") has apparently moved to Manhattan and metamorphosed into a pouting sex goddess — as sizzling as a New York strip-steak. Curly McLain would have had a stroke. David King Gabriel does his usual standout work, and carries a lot of water for Camelot — in this show, he plays two hilariously conflicting roles, the first and best of which is as Vittorio Vidal, a famous actor. Vidal is all greasy charm and silky attire....King Gabriel plays him as a sort of Neapolitan Vincent Price, a deliciously obsequious, serial womanizer in a dysfunctional love affair with a borderline narcissist named Ursula (embodied with sickening accuracy by Holly Nienhaus). Erny Rosales as Herman, the owner of the Fan-Dango, does a great job within his limited role. Billed as a tenor, his last song in the production is a showstopper; Rosales has the comedic capacity to nail down a side-splitting falsetto number that had the crowd roaring. Alex Boyles is excellent as Oscar, the supposedly harmless straight man to Charity's erratic ingenue. Overall, the show is a darling and bittersweet night at the theater, and patrons who are not familiar with the storyline will find it surprising and touching. Livia Genise has directed another skilfully staged, well-presented gem to add to the Camelot crown. It's worth seeing, and Gore's performance alone is well worth the price of admission. Spend a night with "Sweet Charity." —Ashland resident Jeffrey Gillespie is a Tidings columnist and freelance writer. Email him at gillespie.jeffrey @gmail.com. By Jeffrey Gillespie For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By Jeffrey Gillespie For the Tidings Posted Mar. 20, 2016 at 5:44 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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