Sweet Charity

The FAOS Spring production for 2011 was 'Sweet Charity'.

After 9 successful years as Director of the Christmas production, Andrew Carpenter directed his first spring musical for FAOS with Debbie Haines as Choreographer, Kerry Bishop as Musical Director with an exciting production of 'Sweet Charity'.

On 10th March 2012 Tom Carpenter represented the FAOS Society at the prestigious Somerset Fellowship of Drama David Beach Awards in Taunton where he picked up the individual 'Best Cameo' Award for his performance of Daddy Brubeck and then the 'Showstopper' Award on behalf of the Society as a whole for 'Rhythm of Life' which of course featured Tom as lead vocalist.  The superb choreography by Debbie Haines got a special mention in the Society winning this Award.

Sweet Charity is a musical with music by Cy Coleman & lyrics by Dorothy Fields.The original Broadway production was directed and choreographed by Bob Fosse and opened on January 29, 1966 at the Palace Theatre and ran for 608 performances.

The musical follows the adventures of Charity Hope Valentine, a taxi dancer at a dance hall called the "Fandango Ballroom" in New York City.

'Sweet Charity' is full of some of the best musical numbers ever written for theatre including Rhythm of Life, Big Spender, There's gotta be something better than this & If they could see me now.

Another such number is I'm a Brass Band, the number that features near the end of the show when Charity eventually finds real love - or so she thinks! It's a dream sequence that has allowed director Andrew Carpenter and Choreographer; Debbie Haines to really ‘go to town'. They are dressing the entire company as bandsmen and women and are asking the male ensemble to learn to play drums. If you are a fan of musical theatre it is along the lines of Before the Parade passes by from Hello Dolly or 76 Trombones from The Music Man. In other words it's one of those foot tapping feel good songs that has you humming it as you leave the theatre - and don't we need something like that right now?

To assist the FAOS, Captain Martyn Day, the Platoon Commander of the Somerset Army Cadet Force based in Frome, has kindly provided the drums and Olivia Dimery, daughter of Production Manager Anne Dimery and Frome Festival Creative Director Martin Dimery, has been putting the men through their paces in terms of teaching them to play the drums.

Please take a look at the gallery to see some of the drum rehearsal photos as well as publicity images.

If you are interested in participating in a future Show with the Society, please email us via the 'contact us' link.

Cast List

Charity Hope Valentine - Nicole Wooldridge
Helene - Vic May
Nickie - Joanne Plenty
Carmen - Emma Garrett
Betsy - Sophie Rozycka
Rosie - Lottie Ball
Herman - Kevin Withers
Ursula March - Claudia Pepler
Vittorio Vidal - Nevil Poole
Oscar Lindquist - Steve Huggins
Daddy Brubeck - Tom Carpenter
Two Assistants to Brubeck - Alex Williams & Davey Evans

Hostesses: Emma Garrett, Sophie Herbert, Kate Newbury, Alex Pugh, Sophie Rozycka, Kat Silvester, Poppy Sturgess and Ros Wilkinson

Dancers: Lottie Ball, Joni Carpenter, Karen Harley, Amy Morgan-Bell, Sarah Plenty and Clare Poole

Ladies Chorus: Debi Bishop, Heather Cox, Sue Crocker, Marie George, Cherry Hill, Heather Jones, Lisa Kendall, Annette Lee and Emily McGregor

Men's Chorus: Alan Didymus, Davey Evans, Paul Garbutt, Wayne Kelly, Richard Pugh, Andy Tawse, Nick White and Alex Williams

Guest Appearance: Gill Barnes, Shirley Copley and Lena Ring

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