I saw Sweet Charity Thursday night in the Herschfeld Theatre (where I had previously seen and loved Wonderful Town with Donna Murphy).

And, as faithful Blogway Baby readers know, I've been following the epic saga of this revival -- from the excitement to the tragedy to the disappointment back to the excitement in this series of posts:

January 31: Valentines Day...a little late!

March 14: Sweet Charity's Christina Applegate Breaks Her Foot...

March 15: A Bit Worse Than We Thought...

March 23: I'm So Excited for Charlotte d'Amboise

March 26: Oh, For Crying Out Loud, I Really Wanted To See This...

March 30: I'm Officially Confused: Sweet Charity Is Coming to Broadway After All...

April 12: BROADWAY TICKETS: Sweet Charity

May 23: Neil Simon OKs Product Placement in Sweet Charity

I've heard tales of the creative team getting calls as they got off the plane from Chicago that the star had broken her foot and that the show wouldn't make it to Broadway.

I've heard tales of a tenacious and determined Christina Applegate wrestling the infamous Weisslers to the ground ("pinned ya!"). I've also read reviews which says although the score is brilliant, the book doesn't hold up after all this time.

I'm not even involved, and I found just following the tortured journey of this musical to the Great White Way exhausting...

Well I am happy to report that Sweet Charity was worth the wait! I LOVED IT!

Such great energy, such amazing music and I loved the book. I felt that it held up just fine, thank you.

In fact, the book is more believable than the movie. It's funny, touching, and it has tons of heart. Denis O'Hare as Oscar Lindquist is fabulous. His character appears so much more human and flawed, and less cruel than his movie counterpart. And the scene in the elevator is high-liarious!

My favorite numbers are the "Rich Man's Frug" and "The Rhythm of Life". The color, the costumes, the sets, and the dancing have so much energy.

Christina is great. She has a great stage presence and is uniquely compelling to watch. I know this sounds trite, but she really exudes that elusive "star quality".

She has excellent comic timing (but we knew that already). The scene where she is stuck in Vittorio's closet is brilliantly handled by Miss Applegate and Paul Schoeffler. And it's unbelievable that she is dancing up a storm with a broken (but healed?) foot. Now that's a super trouper!

The kids thought it was pretty cool that the voice of Pumba (Ernie Sabella) was singing "I Love To Cry At Weddings"!

Hey, I suddenly got a craving for some Gran Centenario tequila...wonder why?

I totally want to see it again! Hmm...but not tonight, I have to go to the Tonys! I'll be rooting for Sweet Charity in Best Musical Revival, Christina Applegate for Best Actress (Musical), and Wayne Cilento for Best Choreography.

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