No. 31. “There’s Gotta Be Something Better Than This”
SWEET CHARITY (1966). By Cy Coleman (music), Dorothy Fields (lyrics), and Neil Simon (book). Based on the screenplay NIGHTS OF CABIRIA by Federico Fellini.
It’s 1966, and you’re nearing the end of Sweet Charity’s first act. The evening thus far has been stylish and sexy, dominated by the unmistakable staging of Bob Fosse and a score by Cy Coleman and Dorothy Fields that matches his freak. The show also marks the triumphant return to stage of Gwen Verdon, Fosse’s wife and muse. She plays the titular Charity Hope Valentine, a taxi dancer1 who maintains a sunny optimism despite perpetual heartbreaks. The musical opens with a lover pushing Charity off a bridge and stealing her purse. That’s followed by caper that starts with a movie star with a jealous girlfriend and ends with Charity exhaling a cigarette into a garment bag while trapped in a closet. Charity recounts her tale to Nickie and Helene, her fellow dance hall hostesses, and they dream of alternate futures. (“There’s Gotta Be Something Better Than This”)
Bob Fosse began as a Hollywood dancer who shifted to Broadway choreography beginning with 1954’s The Pajama Game. By 1966, he had married Gwen Verdon and successfully transitioned to being a fully fledged Director-Choreographer. But neither he nor Verdon were able to match their 1950s successes in the first half of the 60s. With Sweet Charity, Fosse became a true Broadway auteur, with the entire production, from writing to staging to design, a product of his specific vision. At the center of this vision was Verdon—she was the ideal interpreter of Fosse’s movement, and Charity was the ultimate showcase of her talents. She rarely leaves the stage, and almost every scene is an opportunity for her to ingratiate herself to the audience, either because she’s leading a showstopping routine, revealing her vulnerability in a bittersweet solo, or reacting comically to the events around her.
For the Charity writing team, Fosse turned to America’s most commercially successful playwright, Neil Simon, and composer Cy Coleman, both of whom worked with Fosse on the modestly successful 1962 musical Little Me. Coleman had previously collaborated, somewhat unhappily, with lyricist Carolyn Leigh, and opted to forge a new partnership with Dorothy Fields (who, incidentally, had written lyrics and contributed to the book for Broadway’s most recent Fosse/Verdon joint, 1959’s Redhead). Fields’ witty, sophisticated lyrics proved a perfect match for Coleman’s urbane music that could be jazzy and sultry or celebratory in classic Broadway style. The partnership sadly only produced one more Broadway musical before Field’s death. But Charitylaunched Coleman into the upper echelon of Broadway composers, and he became one of the few Golden Age writers to find continued success in the 80s and 90s.
Recommended Recording: ”There’s Gotta Be Something Better Than This,” Sweet Charity (1966 Original Broadway Cast)
There are at least two songs from …Charity that are much more familiar than this number. But there is a method to my madness. (1) I wanted something that, at least musically, gave a sense of the extent of dance in the show. (2) I wanted to highlight Coleman’s musical range and Fields’ lyrical dexterity. (3) I needed to showcase Gwen Verdon. Even though Charity gets relatively little to sing in this number—just a brief final refrain before the dance break—you can sense the depth of humanity in her voice. Helen Gallagher (Nickie) and Thelma Oliver (Helene) get to have a lot of fun with their respective verses, and the latter’s reading of “check your pants” will stay with you forever. These comedic verses exemplify Fields’ wit and ability to write for distinct characters. And the driving, rhythmic score captures their excitement and frustration, while also tying together a memorable chorus, character-driven solos, and a particularly satisfying dance break.
Alternate Performances
Sweet Charity has received ~15 cast recordings, including Dutch, French, German, and Italian casts and a 1994 studio recording of the complete score. Sutton Foster led a 2016 Off-Broadway revival that did not get recorded. Debbie Allen led an acclaimed 1986 revival that was Fosse’s last Broadway production. Its recording is finally available on streaming services.
1967 Original London Cast - Juliet Prowse led the London Sweet Charity and eventually played the role to great success in Las Vegas as well. She’s perhaps a better—or at least more traditionally pleasing—vocalist than Verdon, if not as distinctive, and the recording captures the spirit of the material and the era So if the warble in Verdon’s voice is a bit much for you, this is worth seeking out.
1969 Film - Although Fosse had a career in Hollywood before he ever came to Broadway, Sweet Charity marked his debut as a film director. The movie did not simply restage the theatrical production. While much of the choreography remains, the piece is clearly reconceived for film, with stylish montages and sequences that walk the line between literal and surreal. Shirley MacLaine starred, with Verdon on set to coach her through the role. It was not well received at the time, but it’s a rather spectacular debut and “There’s Gotta Be Something Better Than This” is the best synthesis of Fosse’s visions as a stage and film director. It’s worth all 6 minutes and 18 seconds. (Having Chita Rivera and Paula Kelly—who appeared in the London production—as Nickie and Helene is a tremendous added bonus.)
2005 Broadway Revival - The late 1990s saw a massive resurgence of interest in Fosse, following hit revivals of Cabaret, and Chicago, and the retrospective revue, Fosse. So a revival of Charity was perhaps inevitable. After years of rumored casting—Jenna Elfman and Marisa Tomei were each at one point attached—a pre-Broadway tour launched starring TV’s Christina Applegate, directed by Chicago’s Walter Bobbie, and choreographed by Wayne Cilento (an original cast member of A Chorus Line who choreographed Wicked and hasn’t really needed to work since). When Applegate broke her foot on the pre-Broadway tour, the production almost died on the road until Applegate put her own money into the show to keep it afloat. It opened with a whimper—neither Bobbie nor Cilento had a vision that could match Fosse’s concept—but Applegate is really quite endearing on the cast recording.
Is it Covered by The Rat Pack, Audra McDonald, or Glee?
Rat Pack - Sammy Davis Jr. appears in the movie version of Sweet Charity as Big Daddy, the leader of a counter-culture “church” that Charity and her beau, Oscar, visit in act 2 (because Oscar belongs to a “church of the month club”). The scene is very much of its time, and quite silly (in ways that are both intentional and unintentional). But the song that grows out of it, “The Rhythm of Life” is an absolute banger. Davis Jr. has also recorded other two other …Charity songs, “I’m a Brass Band” and “If My Friends Could See Me Now.”
Glee- “Big Spender,” Sweet Charity’s most enduring hit, appears on two episodes of Glee. In season 1, episode 19 (“Dream On”) an unnamed character sings it at a Les Miserables audition. In season 3, episode 1 (“The Purple Piano Project”), Sugar Motta, the untalented daughter of the local piano magnate, uses it for her (unsuccessful) audition to join New Directions.
In the Wings
I didn’t intend for last week to be an off week, but here we are. I should be on track to drop song no. 32 next week. But we’re also into The Holiday Madness, so we’re just gonna have to see. Until then, here’s a fun video that showcases various different endings Sweet Charity has had through the years (including some really nice scene work from Christina Applegate). Also, this 2017 Seth Rudetsky column has a fun anecdote about Chita Rivera filming “…Better Than This” for the movie. (The anecdote starts halfway down the page.)
Catch up with all the songs to date!
Taxi dancers worked in dance halls. Men would buy ten-cent tickets that could be redeemed for a dance with one of the “hostesses” for the duration of one song. The women would earn commission based on the number tickets they received.