Sweet Charity (The New Group at The Pershing Square Signature Center) Book by Neil Simon, Music by Cy Coleman, Lyrics by Dorothy Fields

Charity Hope Valentine, a name that reverberates with an almost saccharine optimism. Leave it to Neil Simon to give it to a character who is in a seamy, dead-end job as a ‘dance hostess’, who’s taken advantage of by every man she comes into contact with, who’s barely hanging on, yet remains almost stupidly upbeat.

Sutton Foster is absolutely luminous as Charity; you can’t take your eyes off of her, nor do you want to.  Ms. Foster plays Charity as an angel who knows that her halo is tarnished.  Charity’s naiveté is offset by an oddly street-smart way and you will not want to miss a single one of Ms. Foster’s wonderful, funny, poignant, pointed facial expressions as she sings, dances, stumbles and strives her way to a better life and a different future.

Add to that Ms. Foster’s gorgeous voice and the absolutely terrific staging and direction and this Sweet Charity is sweet, indeed.

Joel Perez shines in multiple roles, most memorably as Vittorio Vidal and Daddy Brubeck and Shuler Hensley is terrific as Oscar.

The all-female Sweet Charity Band reigns from on high and all those songs that you know the lyrics to make the time fly.

This show is a revival at its absolute finest-all you love about the original with that extra, extraordinary ‘something’.