Sweet Charity at West Valley Light Opera

We were lucky enough to catch the great production of Sweet Charity at West Valley Light Opera down in Saratoga CA this Saturday. While I'm familiar with most of the songs (like, Hey Big Spender!), I'd never managed to see the show before.

One thing that really stood out to me in this show was the ensemble! Each and every one of them were able to dance, sing and act! When they were on stage, they were in the scene - never just standing there.

Katie O'Bryon was amazing as Charity, getting you immediately on her side, no matter how bad her choices were. She was hysterical - especially in the Vittorio Vidal's Apartment scene - the portions where she was in the closet (which, very cooly, we could see into through a scrim) had me laughing myself silly.

My friend, Michael Carey, was charming, sweet and endearing as Charity's first "sensible" love interest, Oscar. His chemistry with O'Bryon, particularly in the Coney Island and Barney's Chile Hacienda scenes, was delightful.

Other standout performances were seen from ensemble members Ian Teter (loved him as door man for Club Pompei & in Rhythm of Life Church) and Valerie Valenzuela (fantastic dancer & super cute Fairy), Marcie Marshall (Ursula), Patty Reinhart (Nickie), and Brittany Blankenship (Helene).

This only runs for one more weekend, so please be sure to check it out!