Actress breaks foot during Chicago performance of `Sweet Charity' (Christina Applegate)

NEW YORK (AP) Christina Applegate, star of the Broadway-bound revival of ``Sweet Charity,'' broke her foot during a performance in Chicago and will be out of the musical through its Boston tryout engagement.

Applegate was injured during the opening moments of Friday's performance at the Cadillac Palace Theatre in downtown Chicago. She continued to play for about 20 minutes before the show was stopped. After a short delay, Applegate's understudy, Dylis Croman, took over the role, and the performance resumed.

She is expected to return to the musical by the time it starts preview performances April 4 in New York, John Barlow, a spokesman for the show, said Sunday. The musical is scheduled to open April 21 at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre.

``The entire `Charity' family wishes Christina a speedy recovery and looks forward to welcoming her back to the company when the show begins performances on Broadway,'' producer Barry Weissler said in a statement.

Applegate will be replaced for the Boston engagement of the show, March 18-March 27, by her standby, Charlotte d'Amboise, who currently is playing Roxie Hart in the Broadway company of ``Chicago.''

Applegate, best known for her role as the teenage tart on television's ``Married ... With Children,'' will be making her Broadway debut in the musical.

``Sweet Charity'' tells the story of Charity Hope Valentine, a goodhearted taxi dancer who always falls in love with the wrong man. The musical, which has a book by Neil Simon and a score by Cy Coleman and Dorothy Fields, was first done on Broadway in 1966 with Gwen Verdon in the title role. Shirley MacLaine starred in the 1969 film version. Dancer-choreographers Debbie Allen and then Ann Reinking were in the 20th-anniversary Broadway revival in 1986.

Christina Applegate has always had one of the finest sense of comedic timing on television. Honed to near perfection while playing Kelly Bundy on "Married.. With Children". A role she had made her own and has nicely grown out of.

Christina's earned her chops and it's great to see that she's branching out into different venues. That she injured her foot is part and parcel of working round the footights on stage. Plus Bob Fosse's trademark choreography has always been murder for dancers. Though I doubt that it will slow her down any.

Jack.

An okay Musical, with some amusing lyrics:

Daddy started out in San Francisco,
Tootin' on his trumpet loud and mean,
Suddenly a voice said, "Go forth Daddy,
Spread the picture on a wider screen."
And the voice said, "Brother, there's a million pigeons
Ready to be hooked on new religions.
Hit the road, Daddy, leave your common-law wife.
Spread the religion of The Rhythm Of Life."
And The Rhythm Of Life is a powerful beat,
Puts a tingle in your fingers and a tingle in your feet,
Rhythm in your bedroom,
Rhythm in the street,
Yes, The Rhythm Of Life is a powerful beat,
To feel The Rhythm Of Life,
To feel the powerful beat,
To feel the tingle in your fingers,
To feel the tingle in your feet,
Daddy, spread the gospel in Milwaukee,
Took his walkie talkie to Rocky Ridge,
Blew his way to Canton, then to Scranton,
Till he landed under the Manhattan Bridge.
Daddy was the new sensation, got himself a congregation,
Built up quite an operation down below.
With the pie-eyed piper blowing, while the muscatel was flowing,
All the cats were go, go, go-ing down below.
Daddy was the new sensation, got himself a congregation,
Built up quite an operation down below.
With the pie-eyed piper blowing, while the muscatel was flowing,
All the cats were go, go, go-ing down below.
Flip your wings and fly to Daddy,
Flip your wings and fly to Daddy,
Flip your wings and fly to Daddy,
Fly, fly, fly to Daddy,
Take a dive and swim to Daddy,
Take a dive and swim to Daddy,
Take a dive and swim to Daddy,
Swim, swim, swim to Daddy
Hit the floor and crawl to Daddy,
Hit the floor and crawl to Daddy,
Hit the floor and crawl to Daddy,
Crawl, crawl, crawl to Daddy,
And The Rhythm Of Life is a powerful beat,
Puts a tingle in your fingers and a tingle in your feet,
Rhythm in your bedroom,
Rhythm in the street,
Yes, The Rhythm Of Life is a powerful beat,
To feel The Rhythm Of Life,
To feel the powerful beat,
To feel the tingle in your fingers,
To feel the tingle in your feet,
To feel The Rhythm Of Life,
To feel the powerful beat,
To feel the tingle in your fingers,
To feel the tingle in your feet,
Flip your wings and fly to Daddy,
Take a dive and swim to Daddy,
Hit the floor and crawl to Daddy,
Daddy we got The Rhythm Of Life,
Of life, of life, of life.
Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!
Man!

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