Here is a sampling of what they had to say:
[Editor's note: The Star Tribune visited Sweet Charity twice during its Minneapolis run. Below are excerpts from both reviews.]
Rohan Preston of The Star Tribune February 13, 2005: "Though she has moments of fearlessness when her character seems to connect to something other than lip gloss, Applegate stays pretty and perky for much of the musical, serving cuteness instead of character. Her performance, under director Walter Bobbie, seems even more inert and Botox-stilled because it occurs in the midst of this sure-footed, adaptable-voiced and deft company. These singing and acting hoofers include quirkily funny co-star Denis O'Hare as oddball accountant Oscar Lindquist, stage goddess Solange Sandy as hot-to-trot mama Helene and Paul Schoeffler in a winning turn as bed-hopping Italian movie idol Vittorio. In fact, the company, supported by a 15-piece orchestra under the capable baton of conductor Gordon Lowry Harrell, gives this long-awaited revival of Charity something to sing about. The design elements are also fetching, with hot pink, red and tangerine dreams popping off many of Scott Pask's scenic designs and augmented by Brian MacDevitt's evocative lighting... Whatever Applegate's weaknesses and strengths, the show has other problems. Sweet Charity is of so many pieces—choreographically and in the narrative—it feels like a puzzle, albeit one with bold colors. Wayne Cilento's dances sometimes re-create some of the choreography of Bob Fosse, who choreographed and directed the first stage version in the 1960s. This homage, on 'Big Spender' and 'Rich Man's Frug,' for example, invites a comparison that does not favor this new version. At other times, the dances seem incongruously updated."
Rohan Preston of The Star Tribune February 22, 2005: "In its two-week run at the Orpheum Theatre, this musical revival evolved from something formulaic and lackluster into a spirited production, more viable for Broadway... Sunday night's closing performance revealed a production that has been dramaturgically tweaked and tightened, and whose performers evince more sass and confidence... Because the narrative line has been beefed up—and maybe director Walter Bobbie cracked his whip a little harder—the cast seemed to believe more in the show on its closing day. Star Christina Applegate, who plays the optimistic Charity Hope Valentine, went deeper into her character and as a result was much more credible. The company around her, which earlier had seemed to hold back like seasoned runners waiting for a laggard to catch up, let go with gusto. Denis O'Hare brought to mind Gene Wilder in his beautiful, funny turn as Oscar. And the company of women surrounding Applegate—including Solange Sandy and Natascia Diaz as wiser coworkers—shone without showing Applegate up. It's too bad that this last performance was not where Sweet Charity began in Minneapolis. Then again, it was a try-out."