Charlotte d'Amboise, Not Applegate, to Open Sweet Charity on Broadway

Tony Award nominated-actress Charlotte d'Amboise, not previously announced headliner Christina Applegate, will open Sweet Charity on Broadway. Applegate broke her foot during the Chicago tryout of the tuner and will not recover in time for the show's April 21 bow at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre. According to a production statement, the producers plan to put Applegate into the role upon her recovery.

"We're all in dispair and broken-hearted over Christina," producer Barry Weissler told Broadway.com. "On the other hand, thank goodness we have Charlotte, who's a true triple threat--she can act it, she can sing it, she can dance it, and she has that delicious wit that just emanates from her. My dream is that come April 21, Christina will be up on that stage, but if she's not, we're in good hands."

"Charity is my dream role," d'Amboise told Broadway.com. "It's a dream to do as a dancer and I think it perfectly fits my skills. There is nothing better."

A big theater favorite, D'Amboise is leaving the Broadway company of Chicago to appear in Sweet Charity. She has earned critical acclaim for her portrayal of Roxie Hart in both Chicago's national tour and on the Great White Way. For her performance in the show, d'Amboise nabbed the L.A. Drama Critics Circle Award, the L.A. Ovation Award and the Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Award. She won a Fred Astaire Award for her performance in the Broadway revival of Damn Yankees and earned a Tony nomination for Jerome Robbins' Broadway. Her other Broadway credits include Carrie, Song and Dance, Cats and Contact.

This Sweet Charity, with Applegate in the title role, began life in Minneapolis, where it ran from February 8 through February 20. The show was in the midst of its second pre-Broadway stop at Chicago's Cadillac Palace Theatre when Applegate was injured. She injured herself at the top of March 11 performance. In the opening scene, set in Central Park, Charity swings on a lamppost with glee. According to a production spokesperson, at this particular performance, Applegate heard her foot snap during this scene. A few scenes later, after the "Rich Man's Frug" dance number, it was determined that Applegate could not go on any longer and she went to an area hospital for examination. It was determined then that her foot was indeed broken.

Understudy Dylis Croman finished that performance and the rest of the musical's Chicago run, which ended on March 13. D'Amboise, who was hired to be the production's standby, flew to Chicago and watched the final two days of performances in the Windy City. She will start performances as Charity in Boston, where Sweet Charity is scheduled to play the Colonial Theatre from March 18 to March 27. Previews at the Al Hirschfeld then start April 4.

In addition to D'Amboise, the Boston and Broadway mountings of Sweet Charity are expected to star Denis O'Hare, Janine LaManna, Kyra Dacosta, Ernie Sabella, Paul Schoeffler, Rhett George and Shannon Lewis.