Scott Farris, who has been spending much of the past few years directing several global productions of "Chicago," also directed the national tour of "Sweet Charity."
Prior to officially opening the tour in San Diego, the cast and crew spent a few days in Boise, where the "tech" rehearsals were held, along with a couple of performances to see how it worked with a live audience.
"The audiences seem to like it," Farris said by phone from London, where he was tweaking a West End production of "Chicago." "It's a piece that doesn't jump out at you and needs a very specific cast — and it doesn't exactly have a happy ending.
"The script (for the new Broadway revival) was a rewrite from the original 1966 version, with some adjustments for modern sensitivity. It's more modernized, but it's essentially the same story. All of the songs are there, and maybe the show is a little tighter than the original version."
Farris said he has family in Portland, Ore., where he went to check out "Sweet Charity" on the road a couple of weeks ago. "My nephews and nieces were amazed by the number of songs they'd heard before and were impressed to find the source of those songs."
Those songs include "Big Spender," "If My Friends Could See Me Now" and "I'm a Brass Band."
Farris said his 16-year-old daughter, who is now studying theater in New York City, recently saw "The Breakfast Club" and was excited to meet Molly Ringwald.
He and his daughter recently moved back to the United States from Sweden. "My wife died from breast cancer about six years ago. My daughter and I have grown stronger and closer because of that. My wife was Swedish, and I wanted her to have a more stable environment with her mother's family. Now that she's 16, this seemed like a good time to move back."
Farris has directed such Las Vegas spectacles as "EFX" with Michael Crawford and the "Siegfried and Roy" show. "But musicals were my first love."
He's directed several regional-theater productions, as well as Robert Goulet's national tour of "South Pacific," and he has traveled all over the world directing "Chicago."
"I am truly proud of 'Sweet Charity' and the audiences are enjoying it," he said. "Molly works her tail off."
E-mail: ivan@desnews.com