A Little Night Music - 6.17.10

[Wishing Only Wounds]

Posted: 6/18/10 at 10:31am

So, as many of you know, last night (Thursday) I attended 'A Little Night Music'. Originally, I had no desire to go simply because I am not the biggest Sondheim fan (oh yeah, I said it. ) But, after the realization was presented to me that this very well may be the last time to see the legendary Angela Lansbury on stage, I came to the conclusion that not only would I be an unfaithful theatre fan but cheating myself out of a miraculous experience. I must say I enjoyed myself much more than I thought I would.

The full cast was on! I was in Mezzanine Row E, Seat 12. Fantastic seat.

Catherine Zeta-Jones was brilliant as Desiree Armfeldt, I truly respect her in a whole new light now. And, despite what she sounded like on the TONYS she was in top form last night. I really don't know what I can say about her, she was simply wonderful.

Angela Lansbury, where can I start? Just seeing her live on stage was enough to steal the show...but I guess I'll mention her character. She was fantastic and adorable as Madame Armfeldt, for most of her stage time I just wanted to go on stage and hug her. I don't really think anyone needs me to comment on her acting ability but her voice was in tip top shape last night, despite her recent sickness.

Alexander Hanson was divine as Fredrik Egerman and although I cannot speak from other who have played it, I felt he brought a lot of depth to it. Don't know what else to say.

Aaron Lazar... absolutely LOATHED his character (Count Carl-Magnus Malcolm), but he played it perfectly. The same can be said for Erin Davie who played his wife, Countless Charlotte Malcolm.'

Leigh Ann Larkin was one of the big stand outs for me. I loved her performance as Petra. And, I know there has been a lot of debating recently on the boards but Leigh Ann is most definitely a lead. Her line delivery had me dying throughout the show.

Hunter Ryan Herdlicka as Henrik Egerman...I'm thrilled that he found work right out of college and I'm sure he's a wonderful actor but something about his performance left a funny taste in my mouth. Weather it was how the role was written or how he interpreted it, I'm not really sure. For example, every time he sang, I laughed a little; not because he has a bad voice, it just seemed out of place (for a lack of better terms) for the songs, that way he was performing it.

Ramona Mallory was adorable as Anne Egerman. Lovely voice. Lovely line delivery... don't know what else to say.


Stephen Buntrock, Bradley Dean, Marisssa McGowan, Betsy Morgan, Jayne Paterson, Kevin David Thomas, and Keaton Whittaker were all fantastic in their roles.

I especially found Keaton, has Fredrika Armfeldt to be quite a stand out.

Overall, I did enjoy it. But, what seems to be with any Sondheim piece, I feel like I have a few things I have to put together after the fact...

While "Send In The Clowns" is a lovely metaphor, I just didn't find it fitting to sing about "Clowns" at that point in the show. Now yes, I may be being very close minded and I know it's not literal but I don't know... it struck me as odd.

Secondly, "The Miller's Son" ...who the hell is that? Gorgeous song and Leigh Ann sang it wonderfully, but who? Now, it is probably the simplest thing but it just didn't (and still hasn't) clicked for me.

So, now that I've probably embarrassed myself with idiot questions, the stage door:

I didn't wait around long being I had a train to catch but I caught Hunter and Ramona. I was in a horrible position so I missed quite a few people (I really wanted to tell Leigh Ann how I loved her performance) but I did get Ms. Zeta-Jones.

I kind of just held my playbill up in the air and she saw it, took it, and looked up at me; I said "you were fantastic" and then she stopped, looked right into my eyes and said "thank you."

You could tell she was genuinely grateful that someone complimented her performance rather than just bombard her with flashes, it made the whole (extremely hectic) stage door worth it.

The show as a whole: 4 out of 5 stars.

Updated On: 6/18/10 at 10:31 AM

[wonkit]

Posted: 6/18/10 at 10:48am

I am sure you have already read them, but there are several excellent threads on this site describing the clowns metaphor in "Send in the Clowns." If you remember that Desiree is an actress who has done a lot of classic roles and understands the "drama" going on in her own life at the moment, the theatrical metaphor works just fine, I think.

But I am glad you enjoyed the performance. I wish I were able to attend one more time before the cast change, but I am unfortunately not.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 6/18/10 at 11:09am

"While "Send In The Clowns" is a lovely metaphor, I just didn't find it fitting to sing about "Clowns" at that point in the show."

In the circus, when a disaster happens (such as an animal attacking a performer) the call goes up to "Send in the clowns". The purpose is that the clowns will take people's minds off the disaster. So that is what the metaphor is about. Desiree sees her relationship as a disaster and needs cheering up. (On a side note, isn't it interesting that in Song & Dance, Andrew Loyd-Webber also wrote a break up song "Tell Me On A Sunday" where one of the lines references being taken to a circus).

"Miller's Son" is a great song, but personally I think it's in the wrong place in the show. Basically Petra is a servant coming to the realization that she won't be marrying into a good situation, but rather a simple tradesman's son. She dreams of all the fun and frolic she should have before settling down, and realizes how quickly a person moves from young to old. But in the end she comes to a bitter realization that she will never get above her station. I think in some ways, it's echoing Charlotte's "Every Day A Little Death".

[Wishing Only Wounds]

Posted: 6/18/10 at 11:38am

Ah, thank you for the info about "Send In The Clowns." I simply didn't get the relevance of personifying clowns, now I do.

I get the message "Miller's Son" but it's the actual name "Miller" I don't get... does it have any relevance to the piece?

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 6/18/10 at 11:40am

Interesting, I've never seen or heard "The Miller's Son" played with any bitterness (I haven't seen this revival, so I don't know if that's where Nunn took it in his direction). The last production I worked on the director had Petra using the song to comment on the craziness of those around her, and how she's found just what she wants and needs with the miller's son/common man.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 6/18/10 at 11:43am

I have never thought that the song ends on a bitter tone.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 6/18/10 at 11:54am

Bitterness is my personal interpretation of the song. But maybe not bitterness, but a sad reality.

I don't read metaphor into Miller's Son, I think it's more wishful thinking.

Each verse goes to a higher station in life: tradesman, businessman, prince, but she ends up with the tradesman which I think signifies that her life is going to be difficult.

[tazber]

Posted: 6/18/10 at 11:58am

"I get the message "Miller's Son" but it's the actual name "Miller" I don't get... does it have any relevance to the piece?"

"Miller" isn't a name, it's a trade. She's marrying the son of a mill worker.

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 6/18/10 at 12:01pm

I agree with your review. I'm also not a Sondheim fan, and enjoyed this. Your review pretty much says exactly what I thought about this.

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 6/18/10 at 12:03pm

Actually, Sondheim wasn't referring to circus clowns, but rather theatrical ones--the funny players, as he explained in a 1990 interview:

"I get a lot of letters over the years asking what the title means and what the song's about; I never thought it would be in any way esoteric. I wanted to use theatrical imagery in the song, because she's an actress, but it's not supposed to be a 'circus'.... [I]t's a theater reference meaning 'if the show isn't going well, let's send in the clowns'; in other words, 'let's do the jokes.' I always want to know, when I'm writing a song, what the end is going to be, so 'Send in the Clowns' didn't settle in until I got the notion, 'Don't bother, they're here' which means that 'We are the fools.'"

In a 2008 interview, Sondheim further clarified:

"As I think of it now, the song could have been called 'Send in the Fools.' I knew I was writing a song in which Desirée is saying, 'aren't we foolish' or 'aren't we fools'? Well, a synonym for fools is clowns, but 'Send in the Fools' doesn't have the same ring to it."






Updated On: 6/18/10 at 12:03 PM

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 6/18/10 at 12:03pm

To me, the whole song is about getting the most out of life.

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 6/18/10 at 12:06pm

I think "The Miller's Son" is the exact opposite of bitter.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 6/18/10 at 12:06pm

Exuberant, even.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 6/18/10 at 12:12pm

I never understood that part about marrying the Prince of Whales.

I mean, Whales don't have Princes. (Do they?)

And even if they did, how could you marry him?

She should stick to Mrs. Miller's son.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 6/18/10 at 12:17pm

Miller's Son ends on a dissonant tone, that's why I believe the ending is not happy.

[bjh2114]

Posted: 6/18/10 at 12:22pm

I was there last night as well, for my 5th time. I have to say, the 3 times I saw Catherine before last night, I was absolutely in love with her. But last night she really didn't give a good show I thought. To be fair, you can tell that she is still really sick and having trouble breathing. They put all of the pauses from Send in the Clowns at the Tonys, and they slowed down the Glamorous Life by about 25%. It was nuts. Still a great production though. Angela was perfection, as always. There were MANY bumps in the road last night. Catherine dropped SEVERAL lines, and Alex messed up his first lyric in "It Would Have Been Wonderful".

I must say, though, I thought that Hunter blew everyone else out of the water last night as Henrik. I thought he was more solid than anyone else on stage last night (especially in Act 1). "Later" was the best it's ever been, in my opinion. I also thought he and Ramona really amped up the passion in Act 2, which was nice to see. I am excited to go back and see it a 6th time with Bernadette and Elaine, but I will truly miss Catherine and Angela.

[bjh2114]

Posted: 6/18/10 at 12:23pm

Oh, and for the record, I thought Leigh Ann was a mess last night. Like awful. Usually I like her, and Miller's Son sounded fine. But, she really hammed up the performance, which was just a little awkward, I thought.

[into_the_woods2]

Posted: 6/18/10 at 12:30pm

I think Petra relishes the fact that she will end up with the Miller's Son, because, I know this may sound very freudian and/or obvious, but Petra is a character who LOVES sex. There is no doubt in saying that a lot of the song is about status, but it's also about the pleasure she finds in being with ANY and all kinds of men...the fact that he's a miller's son doesn't mean that he isn't great in the sack. Sorry to be crude, but that is also partly what I think the song is about, and my theory seems backed up by Leah Ann's performance.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 6/18/10 at 12:40pm

So she actually has sex with the Whale Prince?

[into_the_woods2]

Posted: 6/18/10 at 12:43pm

No, but I think she imagines it would be great...do we agree that the song is mostly fantasizing?

[PalJoey]

Posted: 6/18/10 at 12:49pm

I still don't how Whales have princes.

Like this?

[Scripps2]

Posted: 6/18/10 at 1:13pm

"I think Petra relishes the fact that she will end up with the Miller's Son, because... ...Petra is a character who LOVES sex."

Exactly.

The Miller would have run a windmill whose sails, turning in the wind, would have operated the grindstones, which grind the grain into flour to make bread. His son would have had to sack up the grain and carry it to the bakers, so he probably would have been a big strapping lad with broad shoulders, strong arms and a low boredom threshold.

Bloody hell. I think I'd better get myself down to the windmill before Petra gets there...

[bluetuna]

Posted: 6/18/10 at 3:20pm

"'Miller's Son' is a great song, but personally I think it's in the wrong place in the show. Basically Petra is a servant coming to the realization that she won't be marrying into a good situation, but rather a simple tradesman's son. She dreams of all the fun and frolic she should have before settling down, and realizes how quickly a person moves from young to old. But in the end she comes to a bitter realization that she will never get above her station. I think in some ways, it's echoing Charlotte's 'Every Day A Little Death'."

That was always my interpretation, too. She comes to the realization that she will marry someone of a similar social class, and while she accepts this, as the dissonance at the end seems to indicate, this is a bitter acceptance.

[wonkit]

Posted: 6/18/10 at 3:57pm

Yes - as an earlier post stated, it really isn't circus clowns at all. I always think of Shakespeare's clowns - the fools in plays as varied as LEAR and TWELFTH NIGHT - persons hired to "cheer up" their employers but usually clever sensitive characters who have a lot of empathy for others. Especially when I hear someone like Dame Judi Dench sing the song, she is saying I've done the best I can and look where it got me; time to change the scene and let someone else lighten the tone.

[xoffender45]

Posted: 6/19/10 at 2:16am

Slightly off topic, but the entire cast was on tonight.
Dawn French was in the audience