Sweet Charity Tickets

Tamzin Outhwaite stars in the latest musical to make the transition from Southwark’s Menier Chocolate Factory to the West End. It takes the form of “Sweet Charity”, the story of a down-on-her-luck dancer who hopes for a good relationship to come her way.

The show appears at the Haymarket Theatre from April 2010 and undoubtedly strives to mirror the success felt by the previous Menier Chocolate Factory hit “La Cage Aux Folles”, which ran at the Playhouse Theatre throughout 2009. That production saw Graham Norton and John Barrowman step onto the Playhouse stage and attract audiences from across the world.

With “Sweet Charity” they already have Tamzin Outhwaite amongst the cast members and she makes the transfer from the Southwark venue to Theatreland. The actress is best known for playing Melanie Owen from 1998 to 2002 in the hit BBC soap “EastEnders”, but since leaving the show has continued to appear in a range of programmes including “Hustle”, “Vital Signs”, “Paradox”, “Hotel Babylon” and “Backwaters”, plus the award-winning movie “Radio Cape Cod”. She has also cut her teeth on the stage and appeared in the West End’s “Boeing Boeing” at the Comedy Theatre.

“Sweet Charity” takes its cues from the script of a classic Italian movie entitled “Nights of the Cabiria” (1957), which saw the character of Cabiria suffer at the hands of love whilst working as a prostitute. When this was adapted into the American musical we know and love this character became Charity Hope Valentine and her occupation became a dancer at a New York dance hall, but her lack of luck in love remained very much intact.

The problem for Charity is that she is guileless and gullible, offering her heart to all the wrong men and inevitably suffering the consequences. After a series of misadventures only time will tell if she ever finds the romance she has dreamed of.

The musical features some iconic tunes from the famous American composer Cy Coleman, with the legendary “Hey, Big Spender” amongst them. Other songs include “Baby Dream Your Dream”, “The Rhythm of Life” and “There’s Gotta Be Something Better Than This”.

“Sweet Charity” makes its anticipated appearance at the Haymarket Theatre from Tuesday 4th May 2010 (previews from Friday 23rd April 2010) and continues until Saturday 8th January 2011.