Charlotte Sweet in Concert
Feinstein’s/54 Below, NYC, February 27, 2018
Reviewed by Marilyn Lester for Cabaret Scenes
Charlotte Sweet, a pastiche of late Victorian operetta meets music hall (think of Gilbert and Sullivan, Basil Hood, Edward German, and Sydney Grundy), had its well-deserved revival in concert, featuring a cast of wonderfully talented actors. Charlotte Sweet is entirely sung and, although the abridged libretto was sometimes difficult to follow, enough of the plot emerged to make sense. The story follows the beleaguered Charlotte Sweet, who possesses one of the highest and most beautiful voices in the world.
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But, because of her father’s debts, she’s forced to join Barnaby Bugaboo’s Circus of Voices, a troupe of vocalists with a variety of freak singing abilities, including low-voiced Katinka Bugaboo, fast-voiced Harry Host, bubble-voiced Cecily Macintosh, and Skitzy Scofield with dual personalities and the voices that go with them. Adrienne Eller as Charlotte, Robert Cuccioli as Barnaby, and Eddie Korbich as Harry led a fine ensemble who executed the challenging vocals admirably, especially considering the limited rehearsal time allotted.
Music by the late Gerald Jay Markoe is delightfully pleasant, but takes a back seat to the clever book and lyrics of Michael Colby (who was in the house and who adapted the libretto for this concert version). Also note the original 1982 cast album of Charlotte Sweet is currently available at online outlets. Colby cites John Latouche, E.Y. Harburg, and Lorenz Hart as influences on his work, but he also can take his place with the ingenious and facile wordsmith W.
S. Gilbert. Colby’s lyrics range from the conventional to the imaginative (such as “sunset” rhymed to “one set”).
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He sometimes brushes against a false lyric, but never quite embraces the device. His lyrics succeed in driving the story forward, with laughs and a great deal of fun. And he accomplishes these ends without allowing Charlotte Sweet to ever fall into the pit of parody.
Other players in the cast were: Sandy Rosenberg as Katinka Bugaboo, Michael McCoy as Bob Sweet, Alli Mauzey as Skitzy Scofield, Justin Chevalier as Ludlow Ladd, and Bethe Austin as Cecily Macintosh. Music director and pianist was James Horan. Steven Carl McCasland directed.
