More than four decades after its Broadway premiere, Stephen Sondheim’s A Little Night Music, remains entertaining and majestic. Under the direction of Judith Jarosz of Theater 2020 Productions, A Little Night Music, comes to life in 2016.
Set in Northern Europe, the musical takes you on a comical journey through the challenges of marriage, as well as the challenges of aging, infidelity and scheming.
Desirée, played by Lorinne Lampert, has tired of touring and wishes to rekindle the romance between her and her former (now married) lover, Fredrik Egerman. Hoping to reclaim his youth, Fredrik — a middle-aged lawyer, played by David Fuller, married a much younger woman by the name of Anne, played by Chloe Holgate. To make matters worse for Fredrik, their marriage has yet to be consummated. Desirée finds it amusing, we find out during their duet “You Must Meet My Wife.’’ Things get more complicated when we find out that Count Carl-Magnus Malcolm, who is carrying on an affair with Desirée is also married to Countess Charlotte.
The Countess, portrayed by Jessica Rose Futran, has to be my favorite character. Her sardonic wit makes you laugh throughout the entire musical, yet her vulnerability makes you empathize with her broken heart. As Act One ends with the song “A Weekend in the Country,’’ the characters prepare to put their scheming plans to action and all gets sorted in the country.
The cast’s voices are perfectly harmonious together, yet their solos are compelling and striking. My favorite solo, “The Miller’s Son,’’ comes from Elyse Beyer in her portrayal of Petra. She is young and open with her sexuality. You can’t help but to admire her provocative and feminist attitude.
Love, desire, marriage and second chances seem to be at the heart of the musical. The cast delivers the persuasive, yet moving lyrics drafted by Stephen Sondheim with such ease and candor. The story is compelling, sincere, humorous, and encompasses everything musical should be.
Twisted Talk: Have you ever seen a production of A Little Night Music? Have you been to a Theater 2020 show before? Discuss below!
