This saucy show has plenty of punch for Sondheim fans.
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| Photo by Dan Norman |
When you hear the “great” names of creators of musical theater, the list tends to be pretty short. Rogers and Hammerstein are up there, to be sure. Leonard Bernstein makes the cut. Andrew Lloyd Weber, but of course. Cole Porter, George Gershwin and Irving Berlin are all contenders. A hot case could be made for adding Lin-Manuel Miranda these days, despite his young age. And then there’s Stephen Sondheim.
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| Photo by Dan Norman |
Defiantly riding headfirst against the river of generally treacle-y smash successes made by the men mentioned above, Sondheim stands alone with his freaky sense of humor and genuine love of the macabre. Controversial, fearless and unabashedly strange, Sondheim defies easy categorization and remains a singularly enigmatic figure in the history of theater.
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| Photo by Dan Norman |
What does that mean for the rest of us? That the work of Steven Sondheim tends to be an acquired taste, and I’m not certain yet if I’ve attained the status of a Sondheim connoisseur. From a technical perspective his scores are complex, creative and even brilliant, constantly re-interpreting musical possibilities and pushing boundaries. Melodically this means they can suffer a bit for me (at least in terms of hum-along tunes), and combined with his truly singular subject matter they tend to wander a bit far off the path for my tastes. Still, there is a robust Sondheim fan club out there, and his musicals still tend to be top sellers on local stages. West Side Story, Gypsy, Sweeney Todd, Assassins, Into the Woods and Sunday in the Park With George have all made appearances on #tctheater stages in the last few years, and now we have A Little Night Music to add to the collection thanks once again to Theater Latte Da.
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| Photo by Dan Norman |
Although according to the excellent program this is based on Ingmar Bergman’s film Smiles of a Summer Night, it actually reminded me a lot of Oscar Wilde’s play The Importance of Being Earnest. A Little Night Music follows the most complex of love knots. Desirée Armfeldt is a popular play actor and the toast of Sweden, who is known almost as much for her many lovers as she is for her work on-stage. Her former lover Fredrik Egerman decides to attend her latest play with his young, virginal wife Anne, and finds himself swept up in love of Desirée all over again. Anne fumes with jealousy but finds plenty of fun flirting with her stepson Henrik, who is much closer in age (and desire) to her. Desirée’s lover Count Carl-Magnus Malcolm is filled with violent jealousy when he learns of her assignation with Fredrik; his wife Countess Charlotte Malcolm is filled with equal furor over his lack of care for his own wife, compared to his mistress. Through this tangled web we see many schemes emerge to win former loves back, flee with new lovers, and re-discover old flames. It’s a complicated plot that unravels neatly by the end, but pay attention – it’s easy to miss a connection if you blink too slowly.
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| Photo by Dan Norman |
Sally Wingert is the show’s draw as Desirée, and while I loved her characteristic witty timing, this wasn’t my favorite role for her. I did quite enjoy Mark Benninghofen as Fredrik, her romantic foil; his rich voice grew as the show developed, and he was very well paired with Wingert’s characterization. Thank goodness for Britta Ollmann and Bradley Greenwald as servants Petra and Frid, respectively; they are the heart of the music of this show, and their beautiful voices provide a strong foundation on which the rest of the cast builds. Susan Hofflander is hilarious as Desirée’s mother Madame Leonora Armfeldt; her perfect comedic timing was just the lighter tone the show needs. And I really enjoyed Grace Chermak and Riley McNutt’s chemistry as Anne and Henrik Egerman. They play the age dynamic really well and have some charmingly youthful moments that kept the show feeling fresh.
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| Photo by Dan Norman |
An honest disclaimer: this was not my favorite musical. The first act especially dragged for me, and while I saw the full picture by the end of the play, it just wasn’t my favorite.
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| Photo by Dan Norman |
I disclaim that because I want to focus instead on the fact that I think this production was excellently acted and produced. Not everything is going to suit my preferences, but that doesn’t mean the quality was lacking – and this is a case of an excellently produced show that just wasn’t for me. Theater Latte Da always does a great job with musicals, and their treatment of A Little Night Music is no different. The stage opens on a sepia-toned set design from Joel Sass; as the show progresses it gains a bit more color (much like a Wizard of Oz effect), and the detailed period costumes from Rich Hamson, paired with the vibrant hair and wig design from Paul Bigot, shine on stage. The lighting design by Marcus Dilliard, who was the 2018 Twin Cities Theater Blogger’s choice for best lighting designer, is excellent as always and really makes the most of that detailed set. And the sound mixing by C. Andrew Mayer allows us to hear every one of Sondheim’s complicated lyrics. Combined with the live band on-stage, led by Jason Hansen, we get the feel we are on a series of Edith Wharton-eqsue lavish estates, and it keeps the wealthy aura of the play fully engaged.
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| Photo by Dan Norman |
The audience seemed delighted in this considered rendition of A Little Night Music. Patrons next to me gossiped about the action on stage throughout the show as if it was the latest episode of Real Housewives, and at some level or some point in time, isn’t that what A Little Night Music really is? A dark (but not Sondheim’s darkest) farce about the fallibility of relationships, the difference between relationships you should have and relationships you want to have, and a meditation on marriage, A Little Night Music has all the salacious gossip you could ever want to see in a musical. Even though the subject wasn’t my favorite, I can attest that the quality of this production is impeccable, and Sondheim fans are sure to love this rendition of the show. It’s a great way to escape our current polar vortex and worth a visit for Theater Latte Da’s perennially excellent execution. For more information or to buy tickets, click on this link.
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| Photo by Dan Norman |