E-Mail This Article to a Friend Good-buy girl Christina Applegate to be sweet Charity BY SALLY CRAGIN

Consider previous incarnations of Charity Hope Valentine, the good-time girl looking for a big spender in the 1966 Broadway musical by Neil Simon, Cy Coleman, and Dorothy Fields based on Federico Fellini’s 1957 film Le notti di Cabiria/Nights of Cabiria. Sweetness isn’t necessarily the defining characteristic of Gwen Verdon, who originated the part for then-husband Bob Fosse, or of subsequent Charitys Shirley MacLaine (the 1969 movie) and Debbie Allen (the Tony-winning 1986 Broadway revival).

Yet TV star Christina Applegate, who spent 10 seasons on Fox’s Married . . . With Children, occasionally revealed an unexpected soft side to brash Kelly Bundy. Granted, vulnerability was hardly a theme of that show, but it’s a quality that Tony-winning choreographer Wayne Cilento recognized after working with the performer. She’ll star in a Broadway-bound revival of Sweet Charity that comes to the Colonial Theatre next Friday choreographed by Cilento and directed by Tony winner Walter Bobbie.

"She’s a different physical type from Gwen," Cilento explains over the phone from Toronto. "Gwen and Bob Fosse created the part together for Gwen, so it’s very vaudevillian — even Charlie Chaplin — for Charity. But Christina is a sweetheart and has more of a relaxed spirit in her movement. The sensibility she has is fresh and contemporary."

For Applegate, whom I spoke with over the phone back in December, before rehearsals began, starring in Sweet Charity is a childhood dream come true: "I idolized Bob Fosse since I was a kid." The role also marks a return to her roots as a student of voice, dance, and Broadway shows. "I thought that was how my life was supposed to end up." She giggles. "It took a detour for about — 15 years."

Applegate’s earliest ambition was to be an orphan in Annie. "When I was a kid, my mother took me to see everything, and on stage seemed like where I needed to be. The one thing I miss when I’m on a film set is the relationship with the audience. One of the great things about being on a sit-com is the marriage between you and them, and bringing them in."

Although her post-Married TV and film career was rolling nicely along (including a 2003 Emmy for a guest appearance on Friends), the actress craved a return to the stage. And she’s not the only attraction of this revival. The latest edition of Charity also features Tony winner Denis O’Hare and new songs by the late composer Cy Coleman. Of course, the signature crowd pleasers — "Hey Big Spender" and "If My Friends Could See Me Now" — remain in the score.

Long before rehearsals started, Applegate went to daily voice-training and movement classes and began preparing for the physical exertions of a song-and-dance show. "Diet-wise, I’ve been letting myself eat whatever I want to. I kind of wanted to come into it with a little more meat on my bones and not waste away." She laughs. "My idea of eating poorly is pizza once a month."

She’s also looked at some of the source material for the musical. "I watched Nights of Cabiria, which inspired Bob Fosse, and my insight into what he was going for is deeper." And when she considers the role, she finds dimensions she hadn’t anticipated. "On the outside, we see this woman who’s so hopeful and trusting and giving, but there’s such a deep sadness in her. Yet people fall in love with her. You can relate to someone who just wants to please everyone.

"For me, as I’m sure it was for Shirley, Gwen, and Debbie, it’s the core part of ourselves, the childlike innocent nature that just wants love without the other fuss. She’s a beautiful, tragic character but hopeful and strong at the same time."

Sweet Charity plays March 18 through 27 at the Colonial Theatre, 106 Boylston Street in the Theater District. Tickets are $37.50 to $87.50; call (617) 931-ARTS, or visit www.BroadwayAcrossAmerica.com, or drop in to the Colonial box office.