A Little Night Music

I think that if any sondheim show should be revived next, it should be ALNM. It is by far very mature work and a lot could be odne with it with the advances we've had in stage technology what with the woods and the trees moving and joining and creating spaces. It could even work well as a John Doyle piece, considering Henrik is already supposed to play an instrument.

Any thoughts?

okay, X on doyle, but the show still needs to be revived, eveyr other opera company in the world has done it already.

Definitely need some legitimate actors and just perform the hell out of it. Some clips of operas performing it on Youtube have led to extreme disappointment because the theatrical nature that this piece holds so well was very lost. I can envision such gorgeous sets and costumes being used and with a great cast, this should be revived next.

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I think it's not revived often because it really needs to be cast well. Desiree should have a European actress sensibility to her and there aren't many American actresses that can pull that off.

I also think that many of today's Broadway actors wouldn't be able to pull off the music. There has been a tendency lately for actors to use a rock belt voice. The voices for ALNM should be legit voices.

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I agree with those two cast members, they would be perfect and for Desiree I would love to see Bernadette Peters.

I think Bernadette could still pull off a smokin Desiree.
Keep Benanti away.

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The LA Opera production, which I saw, was almost perfectly cast:
Victor Garber - Frederick
Laura Benanti - Anne
Marc Kudisch - Carl-Magnus
Michele Pawk - Charlotte
Judith Ivey - Desiree
Zoe Caldwell - Madame Armfeldt
Danny Gurwin - Henrick
Jessica Boevers - Petra
Kristin Bell - Fredrika

It was as good as it sounds.

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Major NY revivals have been talked about many times (I wish I could have seen the LA production with Lois Nettleton as Desiree and Glynis Johns as Mme Armfeldt!), the last with Glenn Close attached as Desiree. But the show has had many wonderful productions at opera and theatre companies across the country (I saw a lovely regional production with April Shawhan as Desiree and Taina Elg as Mme Armfeldt) so it is far from neglected.

The film is a guilty pleasure of mine and "should have been wonderful." Prince is largely at fault ... as cinematic as his stage shows are, he is clunky with a camera.

The only reason the film got any financing at all (and from an Austrian film company) was because of Elizabeth Taylor's participation, who I always thought was an inspired choice for Desiree ... sadly, her weight gain during filming became quite a problem.

After the film was completed, it took quite a long time to find a distributor, if I remember correctly, with only schlockmeister Roger Corman willing to pick it up.

The film is being released on DVD this June ... I can finally retire my well-used laserdisc!

"Finally, much as I LOVE Bernadette, she's too old now. Desiree is only in her early-mid forties, and Bernadette is pushing 60. This is also why Glenn Close is no longer being considered."

Sally Ann Howes was 60 when she did it with NYCO, and her performance was pretty spectacular.

Coloring in the people in the tree takes all the fun away from knowing that they're there. I mean, they're not hidden or anything, but still...

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That LA opera cast sounds marvellous!

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Updated On: 3/6/07 at 10:07 AM

I DO love Laura Benanti, and I thought she was good in LA a couple of years ago. But I do think she is too old now.

Keep Stokes Mitchell AWAY.

Glenn Close could do it. And I'd see it with Bernadette.

Victor Garber and Marc Kudisch on the same stage? I wouldn't have paid any attention to the actual show...
Benanti sounds great singing "Soon" on the Wall to Wall-Sondheim album, but at 27 she hardly looks like an 18 year old blushing virgin bride.
There's been a couple of threads on the subject. I think one of the most competent suggestions made was Annette Benning. I personally would prefer to see Bernadette Peters in a show where she can show off her singing a bit more (and yes, she'd have made a brilliant Anne back in the days). Desiree is a role for an actress who can sing...how about Natasha Richardson?
Marin Mazzie would indeed make a great Charlotte but the role is too small for her.

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