Reviews – Sweet Charity
6 May 2025INNOVATIVE. MEMORABLE. EXCEPTIONAL.
UBERTALENTED. MESMERISING. SHOWSTOPPER.
CAREFULLY CONSIDERED. MASTERED. TRIUMPH!!
The reviews are in, and Sweet Charity is a hit!
“Sweet Charity is not your usual light weight musical… Free-Rain Theatre has taken on a colossus of the American Musical and come up trumps. Every aspect of the production currently playing at The Q Theatre in Queanbeyan deserves gold star rating…. exceptional production.”
“An ubertalented company of actors, singers, dancers and musicians does the creators of the musical proud. There is not one weak link in a production that transports you through every occasion of Charity’s used and abused life.”
“Joshua Kirk’s Oscar Lindquist is a masterclass in comedic acting… Kirk captures the nuance of Oscar’s dilemma in a final scene that portrays the entrenched prejudices of the conventional male. Simon’s writing has the power to make you laugh one moment and cry the next.”
“Free Rain has scored a triumph in casting Amy Orman as Charity. Her performance lights up the stage… Orman is a triple threat performer. She sings, dances and acts brilliantly”
Peter Wilkins, Canberra Critics Circle
“(Sweet Charity) is a retro delight… a production that’s stylish, clever and… a bright vehicle for new-to-Canberra-stages Amy Orman… (who) is stage centre for 90% of the action, and absolutely owns the stage with confidence, charm and adorability – you take her to your heart in the first five minutes and never lose interest in her for the next two and a half hours of stage time.”
“Teaming with Orman is a talented supporting cast… This is a fun, fresh vehicle that serves an iconic score and a well-known show with charm, wit, spectacle and generous dollops of emotion. It’s a great, sophisticated, clever night out.”
Simon Tolhurst, That Guy Who Watches Canberra Theatre
“Director, Joel Horwood has assembled an outstanding cast headed by Amy Orman as Charity Hope Valentine. Orman brings impressive overseas professional experience to the role which demands triple threat expertise to capture the vulnerability and indomitable spirit of the girl who, in her search for love, wears her heart on her sleeve, quite literally, in the form of a love-heart tattoo… Orman has these qualities in spades, which she demonstrates in a star performance, singing and dancing up a storm.”
“Vanessa Valois, unrecognisable as Charity’s friend Nickie, and Joshua Kirk as Charity’s neurotic beau, Oscar, both offer pitch-perfect characterisations.”
“…choreographer James Tolhurst-Close (creates) a series of spectacular production numbers that cleverly respect the original Fosse legacy of the show while stamping them with his own creativity.”
“With this innovative realisation of a challenging musical, Free Rain Theatre have achieved a production that is not only entertaining, but also an exciting showcase for the depth of musical theatre talent currently on show in the Canberra region.”
Bill Stephens, Canberra CityNews
“The marathon role of Charity is played with exuberance and skill by Amy Orman. Her comic timing and the warmth she gives this slightly pathetic character makes her the star of this very strong cast.”
Playing Charity’s friends at the Fandango, Vanessa Valois as Nickie and Kristy Griffin as Helene, both give very strong, funny and gritty performances. The song, ‘There’s Gotta Be Something Better Than This’, performed by Charity, Nickie and Helene is yet another showstopper. Valois and Griffin also excel in their funny duet, ‘Baby, Dream Your Dream’. “
“You need to be a strong dancer to be in this show and everyone on that stage certainly is. Choreographer, James Tolhurst-Close honours the spirit of Bob Fosse but gives the dances his own unique choreographic design that suits the show perfectly.”
“The Director Joel Horwood keeps the show moving at a fast pace, ensures that the characters have depth and, above all, has produced an entertainment that is edgy, funny and memorable.”
Len Power, Canberra Critics Circle
“At its centre and wonderfully dominating the show is Amy Orman as the somewhat naive but ever hopeful Charity, belting out song after song as she tells her story… You’ll know a lot of the songs and they are given a wholehearted performance by a strong cast… It’s a show driven by the central character but it also depends very much upon teamwork and the capacity of members of the team to step briefly into sharp cameos. This cast rises to the challenges.”
Alanna McLean, Canberra Critics Circle
“The choreography by James Tolhurst-Close is a delight – simply perfect for the music and its era, with acknowledgments to the style and mannerisms of Bob Fosse while using the gifts of the chorus members…
* Amy Orman is great as Charity, giving her everything to the performance.
* Vanessa Valois as Nickie and Kristy Griffin as Helene are sparkling in their acting and singing, with dry wit and a sense of reality to counterbalance Charity’s castles in the air.
* Joshua Kirk plays Oscar, bringing depth to his character, and a voice that complements Charity’s.
* Katie Lis carries off brilliantly the role of the mesmerising ‘church’ leader Daddy Brubeck.
“… an utter triumph in every sense. directed with pin-point precision, it is an assembly of Canberra’s finest…”
“…this show is perfectly cast, from top to bottom.”
“…some truly breathtaking moments in which the show moves on an transcendent level: it is absurd just how fantastic this show’s movement is”
“Callum Tolhurst-Close and his splendiferous band… pump out tune after tune with panache and style.”
“(Director) Horwood also casts my favourite spell in their attention to cast; everyone, at any given moment, is doing something that contributes to the feel of scenes. It’s a privilege to see.”
Reviews & Such, John Whinfield