Omaha actress lands first lead role in Playhouse's 'Sweet Charity'

 1 comment(s)  
 E-mail Story
 Print Story
  Share

 digg it!
 Facebook
 del.icio.us
Seed Newsvine
Fark It
Reddit

Text Size: 

Tools Sponsor

By JEFF KORBELIK / GZO

For Theresa Fuchs, it was all or nothing.

Either the 24-year-old landed the title character in the Lincoln Community Playhouse production of “Sweet Charity” or she stayed home in Omaha.

“I don’t want come off snotty, but if I was going to drive to and from Omaha every night, I wanted to be Charity,” she said.

[+]Enlarge

Theresa Fuchs performs as Charity in the Bob Fosse musical "Sweet Charity," which opens Friday at the Lincoln Community Playhouse. (Heidi Hoffman)

Theresa Fuchs performs as Charity in the Bob Fosse musical "Sweet Charity," which opens Friday at the Lincoln Community Playhouse. (Heidi Hoffman)

Who can blame her, with the way gas prices continue to fluctuate?

Plus, she just started a new job as a wellness coordinator at the Immanuel AgeWell Center for Aging, so her plate was more than full.

But as fate would have it, she nailed her audition, and tonight she takes the stage as Charity Agnes Valentine, the lead in the Playhouse’s season opener.

“I’ve had a very easy time playing this character just because she’s so quirky and so very, very fun,” Fuchs said. “I’m able to bring my own personality into that.”

“Sweet Charity” is a 1960s musical based on Federico Fellini’s screenplay for “Nights of Cabiria.” It chronicles the adventures, or more appropriately, the misadventures of Charity as she searches for love in New York City.

Cy Coleman and Dorothy Fields teamed on the music and lyrics, respectively. Neil Simon wrote the book.

Bob Fosse directed and choreographed the 1966 Broadway production, which ran for 608 performances at the Palace Theatre. The musical earned 12 Tony Award nominations, with Fosse winning for his choreography.

The show makes its first appearance on the Playhouse stage, with Jason Weixelman directing and Courtney Piccoli handling the choreography.

“It’s been on the play reading committee’s list for several years, but never made the cut,” Weixelman said. “This year, the committee became excited about it. It’s a fun musical that people are familiar with.”

In addition to Fosse’s trademark choreography, “Sweet Charity” features several recognizable songs, including “Big Spender,” “If My Friends Could See Me Now” and “Dream Your Dream.”

“I hope it’s a show people will find themselves tapping their toes to by the end of it,” said Weixelman, Playhouse production coordinator who is directing his first musical at the theater. “It’s really a delightful show, and I think people will walk away happy.”

Fuchs, for one, is happy because she’s playing her first lead role. Her credits include supporting roles in “CATS,” “Crazy for You” and “Music Man” at Pinewood Bowl and “All Shook Up” at the Playhouse.

“After doing some research on the show, I knew this was the role for me … that I could really be challenged with it,” she said.

Indeed, Fuchs seems to be perfect for the role.

While at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where she graduated in May with a bachelor’s degree in exercise science and dietetics, she performed four years as a Scarlet & Cream singer.

“We would do 50 to 60 shows a year,” she said. “The amount of experience on stage is what’s really built my confidence.”

Weixelman calls Fuchs “a triple threat.”

“She can dance, she can sing and she can act,” he said.

Plus, the director also likes that Fuchs is a relatively new face and voice for Playhouse audiences to see and hear.

“It’s one of those things, where it’s her turn to get up there and really shine,” the director said.

Reach Jeff Korbelik at 473-7213 or jkorbelik@journalstar.com.