Applegate pulls 'Sweet Charity' from ashes

NEW YORK, March 30 (UPI) -- Injured star Christina Applegate persuaded producers to go ahead with the $7.5 million Broadway revival of "Sweet Charity" despite weak reviews by critics.

Applegate, who fractured her foot during a March 11 trial run in Chicago, convinced producers including Barry Weissler with her "passionate and compelling case" during weekend phone calls to rescind the cancellation of the Broadway show, he told the New York Times.

Producers, including Clear Channel Communications, had pulled the plug because of the weak reviews "Sweet Charity" received during its run that began March 23 in Boston, although Charlotte d'Amboise won praise as Applegate's stand-in.

Weissler said Applegate is to rejoin the cast April 18. Opening night in the $7.5 million production at Broadway's Al Hirschfeld Theater was delayed until May 4, the last day a new show can be eligible for the Tony Awards.