Rebecca Trehearn can hardly contain her excitement about performing in Sweet Charity at Nottingham Playhouse—the first musical the theatre has staged since 2006.
Trehearn, who won an Olivier Award in 2017 for best supporting actress in a musical as Julie in Show Boat, a Sheffield Theatres and New London Theatre production, said, “it’s been a while since I was involved in a big dance show so I’m really looking forward to the challenge.”
Sweet Charity is the story of a woman who meets Oscar in a broken-down lift. The musical comedy follows their blossoming romance and the struggles they face trying to find love and success in a cynical world.
Trehearn said, “I think Charity is one of the most fascinating characters in the musical theatre canon. She has this incredible wit, spark and resilience that go a long way towards hiding the fragility underneath.
“There's so much to unpick with her: we know nothing about her background, where she comes from, what led her to the Fandango ballroom. Getting to create all that for ourselves in the rehearsal room is one of the great joys of acting.”
She is also looking forward to working with Marc Elliott who plays Oscar.
“I screamed when I saw that he was doing it too because we’ve worked together before on City of Angels at the Donmar. I think he’s the most wonderful actor and he’s a wonderful human being. He’s so much fun and so warm and also quite naughty, so I think corpsing’s going to be a problem for us! But I can’t wait to work with him again.”
Elliott said Oscar was a “lovely, comedic” role. “He’s a bit of a geek and you can’t help but like him. It wasn’t just the part that drew me to the show—it was the fantastic writing and the brilliant people I get to work with. I’m really excited about working with Bill Buckhurst and Rebecca. She’s just brilliant and great fun.”
The rest of the cast comprises Cindy Belliot (Carmen), Jessica Buckby (Elaine), Danny Collins (Charlie), Louis Gaunt (Manfred), Emily Goodenough (Suzanne), Carly Mercedes Dyer (Helene), Sinead Long (Rosie), Emanuelle N’zuzi (Frenchy), Amy Ellen Richardson (Nickie), Carl Sanderson (Herman), Jeremy Secomb (Vittorio Vidal), Shaq Taylor (Daddy Brubeck) and Leah West (Ursula).
Book is by Neil Simon, music is by Cy Coleman and lyrics are by Dorothy Fields. Bill Buckhurst directs. Choreographer is Alistair Davis and designer is takis. Musical director is Caroline Humphris. Joshua Carr is lighting designer, Emma Laxton is sound designer and Kev McCurdy is fight director.
Sweet Charity runs at Nottingham Playhouse from Friday 31 August until Saturday 22 September.