Music by Cy Coleman, Lyrics by Dorothy Fields
SYNOPSIS AND CAST
Charity Hope Valentine is meeting her boyfriend in the park. When she romantically suggests he throw something into the beautiful lake for good luck, he catches her off guard, and throws her in and steals her purse. Charity is pulled out of the lake by a passer-by, and reports her misfortune to the police. At the ‘The Fan-Dango Ballroom’ where Charity works as a taxi-dancer, she explains to the sceptical girls how Charlie tried to save her in the park.
Walking in the street Charity is caught in the middle of a fight between Vittorio Vidal, the famous film star, and his mistress Ursala. Vidal takes Charity her into the Pompeii Club for but talks of Ursala the whole night. In all of the excitement, Charity faints and Vittorio brings her to his apartment, where she recovers. They are interrupted by Ursala, and Charity ends up hiding from Ursala in a closet-like armoire all night. Charity’s girlfriends at the dance hall are shocked that Charity did not receive a substantial monetary gift from Vittorio. The same night Charity goes to the YMCA to meet new people. She meets Oscar, a claustrophobic tax accountant in the elevator, who invites her to his Rhythm of Life Church. Afterwards, Oscar proposes another date. On the subway home, he tries to guess Charity’s job and thinks she is a bank teller and she lies that she is.
Charity meets Oscar and admits that she’s a dance hall hostess but he knows. He followed her one night and watched for an hour, he doesn’t care and wants to marry her. After a farewell party at the Ballroom, Charity and Oscar walk in the park when Oscar drops the bombshell – he can’t marry her – he just can’t forget that Charity had been a dance hall hostess and had been with other men. As they are walking through the park, Charity trying to save the relationship, Oscar trying to end it, Oscar makes his point by throwing Charity into the lake. As she pulls herself out of the water, a Good Fairy appears and says to Charity, “Tonight, it will all happen tonight.” Charity is again overcome by hope and optimism for finding her true love, until the Good Fairy turns around. There is a sign on the Fairy’s back which reads “THE GOOD FAIRY – tonight at 8 p.m. on CBS. Charity shrugs, and begins to dance, alone again as at the start. Three fluorescent signs appear in turn, reading: ‘And So She Lived’ … ‘Hopefully’ … ‘Ever After’.
Director: Benet Catty
Music Director: Clare Caddick
Choreographers: Benet Catty & Helen Guscott
CAST
| Charity Hope Valentine | Marianne Hare | |
| CHARITY’S FREINDS | ||
| Nicki | Fiona Weir | |
| Helene | Mary-Anne Roddy | |
| Betsy | Stephanie Smart | |
| HOSTESSES | ||
| Rachel Hughes | Louise King | |
| Lucy Martin | Gemma Melhuish | |
| Clare O’Dell | Kath Tooth | |
| CHARITY’S MEN | ||
| Charlie | Steve Wotton | |
| Vidal Vittorio | Barry Stephens | |
| Oscar Lindquist | Jonathan Storey | |
| CHARITY’S ACQUAINTANCES | ||
| Herman | Stephen Roe | |
| Ursula | Lissy Jones | |
| Daddy Brubeck | John Bohan | |
| THE PEOPLE OF NEW YORK | ||
| Hazel Channon | Hayley Meynem | Al Clogston |
| Anne Crockford | Dianne Norton | Hamish Norbrook |
| Sophie Darbyshire | Linda Pullinger | Kevin Quilty |
| Katherine Grimes | Penny Stone | Paul Sadler |
| Alice Hudson | Marion Stewart | Greg Shaw |
| Myra Keen | Linda Sutch | Steve Wotton |
| Pauleen Kenrick | Kerry Wenham |