Character guide
Helene
from Sweet Charity
Helene is a supporting character in Sweet Charity, Cy Coleman's 1966 musical, working alongside Charity as a fellow dance hall hostess at the Fandango Ballroom.
- Show
- Sweet Charity
- Broadway premiere
- 1966
- Role
- Supporting
- Music by
- Cy Coleman
Helene on stage vs screen
Broadway compared with the 1969 film
Thelma Oliver originated Helene on Broadway in 1966, opposite Helen Gallagher as Nickie. In Bob Fosse's 1969 film, Helene was played by Paula Kelly, with Chita Rivera as Nickie and Shirley MacLaine as Charity.
Helene and Nickie are Charity's fellow dance hall hostesses at the Fandango Ballroom. The stage score gives the pair There's Gotta Be Something Better Than This and Baby, Dream Your Dream, and the film keeps There's Gotta Be Something Better Than This and Big Spender in its lineup of numbers.
Who is Helene?
Helene works at the Fandango Ballroom with Charity and Nickie, forming the third member of the trio of dance hall hostesses whose friendship anchors much of the show. Like Nickie, she has a more guarded, streetwise outlook than Charity, shaped by years of disappointing men and dead end nights at the dance hall.
Helene's steady presence alongside Nickie gives Charity a support system even as her personal romantic hopes repeatedly fall through, underscoring the show's theme that friendship, more than any one romance, is what actually sustains its characters.
Helene's role in Sweet Charity
Helene is a supporting role featured prominently in the ensemble numbers Big Spender and There's Gotta Be Something Better Than This, both requiring tight vocal harmony and sharp, stylized movement in keeping with Bob Fosse's choreography. The part is written to work in close tandem with Nickie throughout the show.
Thelma Oliver originated the role on Broadway in 1966. Audiences remember Helene as one third of the show's tough, funny, ultimately tender portrait of women looking out for each other inside a world that treats them carelessly.
Helene: frequently asked questions
What show is Helene from?
Helene is a supporting character in Sweet Charity, which opened on Broadway in 1966.
Is Helene a lead or supporting role?
Helene is a supporting role, one of Charity's fellow dance hall hostesses.
Who wrote the music for Sweet Charity?
Cy Coleman composed the music for Sweet Charity, with lyrics by Dorothy Fields.
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