A stunning ensemble impresses in 'Sweet Charity'

With a contagiously cheerful hopeless romantic, world-wearied dance hall girls, and the seedier side of the city, Germantown Academy enraptured with its impressive production of the offbeat, comical musical Sweet Charity.

Set in the sordid dance halls of the seamy underbelly of New York, Sweet Charity looms together a rousing piece about struggle, failure, and hope in spite of it all. Premiered in 1966, the musical takes a big cue from its original director, the famous and infamous Bob Fosse, whose well-known hands are omnipresent in the show. Charity Hope Valentine is a girl whose hopes are as grand as her name, but a series of romantic mishaps and unfortunate circumstances have landed her employed at the squalid Fandango dance hall where the girls are commodities and optimisms are dashed. But with a circle of sassy friends, a histrionic Italian movie star, and a neurotic romantic interest, things are looking up, or are they?

The stunning, large ensemble engaged in the demanding, dance-heavy show with overflowing energy and tackled the musical splendidly. With truly awe-inspiring skill, the troupe executed complex, Fosse-inspired dance routines with perfect synchronicity and seamless motions. From funny to dark, the ensemble excelled at all.

Michelle Geosits embodied faultlessly the eternally jovial advocate of love Charity. With lovely melodious vocals, she tackled the difficult dancing with the utmost zeal and skill, exuding the enthusiasm so fitting of her character. Andrew Deck acted superbly as Charity's phobic, over-worried paramour Oscar. His affected mannerisms of anxiety and nervousness were truly a sight to behold.

The duo of sassy, fiery dance hall girls Nickie and Helene, played by the excellent Nicki Sadeghipour and Erica Nicole Rothman, charmed in both their wondrous singing prowess and acting, conveying both the hardened exterior of their characters as well as a vulnerable softer side. The waning actor Vittorio, played by the magnetic Erik Rogers, was hilarious with his exaggerated and melodramatic gestures.

The modern, luminescent backdrop brilliantly colored in electric blues and shocking pinks perfectly set the tone for the vibrantly quirky show. The orchestra, cleverly set up on a balcony upstage, emitted cool, brass-laden jazz. Lighting was impressive in conveying the often dark moods, and the stage crew was flawless in their invisibility.

With a stunning, energetic cast, the fickle finger of fate smiled upon Germantown Academy's Belfry Club, who put on a splendid, glamorous show.