Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow: Charity to Close on December 31
in Sweet Charity
(Photo © Paul Kolnik)
The Broadway revival of Sweet Charity will close at the Al Hirschfeld Theater on December 31, with no replacement for star Christina Applegate having been signed. As of that date, the show will will have played 279 performances and 25 previews.
The production opened on Broadway on May 4 after a troubled Boston tryout run during which Applegate broke her foot. Sweet Charity received three Tony nominations, including Best Revival of a Musical, Best Choreography, and Best Actress for Applegate. Co-star Denis O’Hare won a Drama Desk Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical.
In his TheaterMania review of the show, David Finkle wrote: “The blonde, apple-cheeked Applegate keeps up with Charity every quick-step of the way. The boob-tube import has a chirrupy singing and speaking voice, long legs for lithe terpsichoring, a light-hearted sense of comedy, and a figure to set orchestras playing.”
While no new tenant has officially been announced for the Hirschfeld, a likely candidate is the new musical The Wedding Singer, which has already announced a Broadway opening date of April 27. That show, starring Stephen Lynch and Laura Benanti, will begin a pre-Broadway tryout run in Seattle at the end of January.
