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‘80s teen queen Molly Ringwald heads to Atlanta as an accomplished 39-year-old stage actress, but she recognizes her gay fans and never forgets her days playing strong-willed outsiders in films like ‘Pretty in Pink’ (inset).
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‘Sweet Charity’
Fox Theatre
660 Peachtree St.
March 20-25
404-817-8700 |
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HOME > COMMUNITY > OUT IN ATLANTA
By: JIM FARMER
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When Molly Ringwald makes her Atlanta debut next week in Broadway In Atlanta’s touring version of the musical “Sweet Charity,” she is likely to make a lot of jaws drop.
The actress — long an icon to misunderstood teens of the ‘80s and permanently ingrained into our memories from her acclaimed roles in the John Hughes movies “Pretty in Pink,” “The Breakfast Club” and “Sixteen Candles” — is all grown up and long ago put the days of adolescent angst behind her.
“Sweet Charity” is the story of Charity Hope Valentine, who works as a for-hire dance hall hostess and has a penchant for falling in love with the wrong men.
Now at 39, Ringwald remembers watching the movie version of the musical when she was only 10, and the character always stayed with her, she tells Southern Voice.
“I think it’s a great role,” Ringwald says. “I remember being intrigued from the moment I saw her. When I was approached about doing ‘Sweet Charity’ not long ago, I was very interested.”
Charity has been played by many actresses who made the role their own, including Gwen Verdon in the original 1966 Broadway production, helmed by legendary Bob Fosse.
Juliet Prowse did a 1967 West End production, and Debbie Allen played the character in a 1986 Broadway revival. The last Broadway go-around was in 2005, with Christina Applegate headlining a version that was nominated for several Tony Awards. Shirley MacLaine starred in the 1969 film version that also featured Chita Rivera.
Ringwald says that each actress’ take should be unique, and promises her Charity will follow suit.
“I think whoever does it brings some of themselves into the role. A lot of what I bring is me,” the actress says. “The important thing for me is to make her real. Charity can be broad. She can make her jokes, but she is ultimately this heartbreaking, wonderful character.”
The touring version features some minor tweaks from the 2005 Broadway production, but Ringwald says that four decades after its debut, “Sweet Charity” still holds up.
“The music is so very good,” she says. “It also has that great Bob Fosse style,” Ringwald says of the late director/choreographer. “He had such a great influence; his style is very much present even today.”
The score includes the standards “If My Friends Could See Me Now” and “Where Am I Going?,” as well as one of the signature numbers in Broadway musical history, “Big Spender.”
As a teenager in the ‘80s, Ringwald shot to fame in the film trio “Sixteen Candles,” “The Breakfast Club” and “Pretty in Pink.” Overnight, she became a teen queen and the one of the most bankable actresses in Hollywood. She was perennially lumped together with other actors and actresses from the era as part of the “Brat Pack.” E! Network recently called her the number one teen actress of all time.
Ringwald has long been considered a gay and lesbian icon because of her roles as outsiders in the John Hughes films, and she says she realizes that she has a legion of gay fans based on the work she did as a teen.
“I am aware of it, but honestly I don’t know the exact reason why,” she says. “I do know that I am very happy and flattered to be so popular in the community.”
Her popularity was never more present than in “Pretty in Pink,” where her fashionable but poor character Andie Walsh came from — quite literally —the wrong side of the tracks. While Andie was heterosexual, her feelings could have been those of any gay or lesbian teenager, on the outside looking in, loving the wrong person.
But Ringwald theorizes that “Pretty in Pink” may appeal particularly to gay men because of the character of Duckie (Jon Cryer, now on CBS’ “Two and a Half Men”), who is in love with her character.
“I think that Duckie might have gone on to be gay,” Ringwald laughs. “He seems like the kind of character who loves this girl, loves her so much when he is in high school, but then 10 years later he is happily living with another guy and owning an interior design business.”
But moving beyond her most famous work wasn’t nearly as easy as Ringwald grew into her 20s and 30s. She continued to ...
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