A Little Night Music- Page 3

[HorseTears]

Posted: 3/25/05 at 8:29pm

Let me just add my voice to the chorus of enthusiasm for the 2004 Los Angeles Opera production directed by Scott Ellis and choreographed by Susan Stroman. I'm new here, so you'll have to indulge my while I reminisce about this beautiful summer production. We are talking about a nearly flawless cast here...

Desiree (Judith Ivey)
Such genuine warmth and sensuality and great comic flare. I was prepared to start yawning when Send in the Clowns began. Instead, a song I must have heard thousands of times was delivered so perfectly that it became one of the most genuinely moving moments I've had in the theatre in a very long time.

Madame Armfeldt (Zoe Caldwell)
'Liaisons' was priceless. Such a gloriously deadpan performance. The audience adored her.

Fredrik Egerman (Victor Garber)
Wonderful as expected. Especially in 'It Would Have Been Wonderful' and 'Now/Soon/Later'

Carl-Magnus (Marc Kudisch)
The perfect buffoon and a tremendous voice.

Charlotte (Michele Pawk)
The part feels tailor made for Ms. Pawk. She just knows how to place every word, every lyric, every look perfectly. Riotously funny one second, devastatingly sad the next.


Anne (Laura Benanti)
What a gorgeous, lustrous soprano. Another perfectly cast actress. The singing was luminous and the performance was absolutely hilarious. After Caldwell and Pawk she got the most laughs.


Henrik (Danny Gurwin)
Lovely voice. The way his voice mimicked the cello towards the end of 'Later' was just priceless.


Petra(Jessica Boevers)
Perfectly captured Petra's clawing, conniving wickedness, but then, disappointingly, fell flat on 'Miller's Son'. For one thing her singing voice is just a bit too squeaky. The one (slight) disappointment in an otherwise brilliantly cast production.

[WISHIHADATONY]

Posted: 3/25/05 at 8:39pm

I saw Glynnis Johns and the original Broadway cast (at the time I knew her primarily as Mrs. Banks from MARY POPPINS).

I was very young but remember her performance as fragile, elegant and somewhat magical. I will never forget her sitting or was she kneeling? on a red couch of sorts singing what I believe was the last verse of SEND IN THE CLOWNS. There were tears streaming down her face and the memory of it still gives me goosebumps.

[got-a-light]

Posted: 3/25/05 at 8:52pm

judith ivey was amazing. i thought she was just stunt casting at first, but that thought was eliminated after about two seconds. ahhhhh send in the clowns... wow wow wow! i still get chills thinking about her rendition!

also kristen bell (veronica mars) was fredrika... very good!

and of course zoe caldwell!!

all perfection! wouldn't have changed a thing about the production... how can we get them all to do it again!
Updated On: 3/25/05 at 08:52 PM

[Eastwickian]

Posted: 3/29/05 at 9:48am

I was fortunate enough to see the National Theatres version with Judi Dench from the centre of the third row (thanks gran!). It was my first Sondheim, but didn't find it dull in the least - all of the performances were mesmerising and whole production was beautifully staged. Not really being into musicals at the time and only having seen Moby Dick, Cats and Joseph, I was most surprised when I burst into tears during Send in the Clowns, having had no idea that live theatre could actually do this to me.

That performance turned me into the theatre-going freak that I am today

[sparky310]

Posted: 3/29/05 at 9:50am

not me ..sorry i think Close is an enormously bad choice. the role needs someone a little less manly. with some feminine wiles.(sp) but again..only my opinion.

[Elphaba]

Posted: 3/29/05 at 9:58am

sadly I've only heard the music, from the OBC. Had I known it was in LA last year I would have RUN to LA.

[JBSinger]

Posted: 3/29/05 at 10:26am

Yes - total brilliance! Just listened to it again this weekend and am continually amazed at the quality of this show. Saw it at NYCO a couple seasons back with Juliet Stevenson and Jeremy Irons. He added such a spirited light touch to Frederick. The supporting cast was BWAY awesome (Kudish, Pawk, Gurwin, et al). Love to see it anytime, anywhere.

[MATheaterLover]

Posted: 3/29/05 at 10:41am

My DREAM "Night Music Cast" would be as follows -

Desiree Armfeldt - Meryl Streep (someone also suggested Annette Bening - if you've seen "Being Julia", you KNOW she'd knock this role out of the park)
Fredrik - Kevin Kline
Carl Magnus - Marc Kudisch
Charlotte - Michelle Pawk (people suggest her for Desiree...nah, this woman's got too much beautiful bitterness to waste on Desiree)
Anne - Laura Benanti
Mdme. Armfeldt - Angela Lansbury (someone could cover the matinees for her, if she needs a break)
Henrik - Michael Arden
Petra - Sutton Foster (its a smaller role for her, vocally I think she's got it and I think it'd be a nice piece of acting for her)

[robbiej]

Posted: 3/29/05 at 10:50am

MATheatreLover,

I have to say I love your cast. I would love to see Ms. Foster working with exceptional material. Perhaps she won't have to work as hard if she isn't trying to put over subpar work.

Arden is an excellent choice.

As for Lansbury, she spends the entire time in a wheelchair. Do we really need a standby??

[paradox_error]

Posted: 3/29/05 at 1:15pm

And I would love to see Victor Garber in it as well.

He is phenomenal!

[sparky310]

Posted: 3/29/05 at 2:03pm

i like your casting..except..i think marc kudisch wouldnt work.i like scott bakula.hes got that thing

[pattifan2]

Posted: 3/29/05 at 2:24pm

I'm with you on the National production, Eastwickian. Beautifully staged and sublime casting - Jo Riding can do no wrong and Judi Dench broke your heart with 'Send In The Clowns'. I love that cast recording more than any other.

[MusicMan]

Posted: 3/29/05 at 3:11pm

Bening would bring a delicious wit to the role, not to mention a youthful physical allure. Somehow I can't see people dueling over Streep at this point in her life, wonderful actress tho she may be.

[Adam Chris]

Posted: 3/29/05 at 3:11pm

I remember years ago A Little Night Music was played on PBS. It was not the movie version, but recorded from the stage. And from what I remember of it, it was absolutely wonderful. However, at that time I was not too familiar with Broadway so I can not remember who was in it or where it was filmed. (Actually I think the girl who played Little Red Ridding Hood in the Into The Woods video was also in this show too.) I have tried to find a copy of this show everwhere but nobody sells it!
Does anyone know where I can find a copy for myself?

Thanks,
Adam

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 3/29/05 at 7:50pm

The NYCO production of ALNM was broadcast once only on Live from Lincoln Center. If memory serves it was in the spring of 1991. I have a VHS of it and will fetch it out and verify the date. Sally Anne Howes was Desiree and Regina Resnick was Mme.Armfeldt. And yes, Danielle Ferland was Frederika. It more than made up for the inadequate film version, and a shame that it cannot be released for general sale. There was a great interview with Sondheim at Intermission and also an interview with the two leading ladies.

I understand Tony's comment that to the uninitiated it would be a challange to get through the first time especially if you were expecting more of a Broadway musical comedy style. I took a friend to se the Kennedy center production two summers ago and he found it an absolute delight!

Now a plea for help: Does anyone out there have the Judi Dench London cast CD and can run a copy for me? I have tried everywhere and even one dealer in Australia who said he could gte it, could not come up with a copy.