Sweet Charity is set in nineteen scenes covering fourteen locations, with the action moving quickly from scene to scene. Some of these scenes take place in Charity's mind and dreams.

Given these factors, a naturalistic design is difficult to achieve and cumbersome to use. So the stage and set are black and as close to invisible as possible.

The entire set and the false arches are covered in black cloth which conceal lights and illuminated signs. These effects lights and a number of flown elements constitute the various locations including, a (fairly seedy) dance hall, a very groovy UV-lit night club, a film star's bedroom and a psychedelic church.

To add to the design challenge, two scenes feature Charity and Oscar stuck in an elevator and another scene has them stranded in mid air on a fair-ground ride.

Other shows with director Robert Jarman: St Valentine's Peak and with the same production team: Guys and Dolls Anything Goes Click for a Stage plan. Click for an overview. Performance pictures