A Little Night Music: No Strings Attached- Page 2

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 12/18/09 at 11:38am

Is Angela still singing "what"? :)

[ljay889]

Posted: 12/18/09 at 1:26pm

I forgot to listen for that
She messed up my favorite part though - "too many people muddle sex....."

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 12/18/09 at 1:32pm

How DARE you notice that! You are a hater!

[ljay889]

Posted: 12/18/09 at 1:34pm

LOL!

[ljay889]

Posted: 12/19/09 at 1:34am

I forgot to mention. It IS very possible that Sondheim changed the Liaison lyric to "What happened to them?"

He changed a lyric in Later. "short and boring" is now "bland and boring."

[whatever2]

Posted: 12/19/09 at 9:36pm

ljay: saw this from the rear mezz today, and thought the seats and sightlines were just dandy. the pitch in the mezz at the kerr is very steep (precipitous, to judge from the old people stumbling and groping for seatbacks!), so really it's a clear shot to the stage even from Rows G and H. and the angle is not as acute as from the balcony.

[whatever2]

Posted: 12/19/09 at 9:36pm

ljay: saw this from the rear mezz today, and thought the seats and sightlines were just dandy. the pitch in the mezz at the kerr is very steep (precipitous, to judge from the old people stumbling and groping for seatbacks!), so really it's a clear shot to the stage even from Rows G and H. and the angle is not as acute as from the balcony.

[best12bars]

Posted: 12/19/09 at 10:04pm

The best part of "Later" is the subtext of Henrik talking about how everyone is putting him off until "later" while he takes out his frustrations clutching the cello. It's almost as if he is making love to it, grasping the curvy instrument between his legs, while he "vents" nervously about being told to wait.

Henrik isn't a cartoon. But he can be both sad and very funny getting laughs from all his frustration and brooding. If handled well, the song can be a real showpiece. But he isn't a "spaz," and the cello acts as his surrogate lover during that number. And what makes it funny is that he isn't even aware of this.

Do they even suggest that for the brief moments he plays the instrument in this revival, or is he just playing the cello because it's in the script?

Updated On: 12/19/09 at 10:04 PM

[AngusN]

Posted: 12/22/09 at 8:48am

I know I'm joining the debate late, but I really don't think CZJ works as Desiree; she's far too younthful and beautiful. How does this work? She is supposed to be older, so that we can see the contrast between her and Anne. Anne is youthful, giddy and excitable. Desiree, older, slightly bitter and cutting. To me, the show doesn't work if Desiree still looks youthfully beautiful.

[bjh2114]

Posted: 12/22/09 at 8:53am

Desiree is SUPPOSED to be beautiful. Her beauty is mentioned several times throughout the show. And yes, Desiree shouldn't look "young" but I do not think that Catherine comes across as 18. I think that she definitely looks like she's in her early 40s. Desiree isn't necessarily supposed to be bitter and cutting. The person who should have those characteristics is Charlotte, which Erin Davie fails at miserably.

[AngusN]

Posted: 12/22/09 at 9:00am

She doesn't look like she's in her 40s. Maybe without makeup. I know she's supposed to be beautiful, but not YOUTHFULLY beautiful. And she is is bitter and cutting on occasions: bitter and cutting in You Must Meet My Wife. Then sarcastic in Send in the Clowns.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 12/22/09 at 9:00am

Hopefully, they will augment the orchestra for the cast album.

There is nothing like the original however.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 12/22/09 at 9:22am

And she is is bitter and cutting on occasions: bitter and cutting in You Must Meet My Wife. Then sarcastic in Send in the Clowns.

No. And no.

[AngusN]

Posted: 12/22/09 at 9:28am

In your opinion PalJoey.

To me the crux of the show is Fredrik's dilemma:

Does he choose the older and experienced woman who realises this is her last shot at a solid relationship. Or does he opt for the young, excitable and dependable airhead?

If Anne and Desiree look similar in age, it doesn't work.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 12/22/09 at 9:32am

At least she's older than that fetus who played her in London!

[bjh2114]

Posted: 12/22/09 at 11:17am

Wait, you think Send in the Clowns is supposed to be sarcastic? I pity you.

EDIT TO ADD: If Anne and Desiree look similar in age, it doesn't work.
You can't be serious that you think Ramona Mallory and Catherine Zeta-Jones look remotely the same age. CZJ IS beautiful, but she does NOT look 20. Updated On: 12/22/09 at 11:17 AM

[PalJoey]

Posted: 12/22/09 at 11:28am

No one is arguing with your statement that the two characters are different ages.

It's that your use of the adjectives "bitter," "cutting" and "sarcastic" for the multiplicity of emotions in those two songs is woefully superficial.

[binau]

Posted: 12/22/09 at 3:04pm

"At least she's older than that fetus who played her in London!"

LOL.

(I know it seems like a waste of post, but I guess I'd like you to know that at least one person found your post funny :P).

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 12/22/09 at 3:13pm

Thanks. I always wondered how she could sing "losing my timing this late in my career" and be as young as she was.

[figaroindy]

Posted: 12/22/09 at 4:32pm

Have to agree with Joey above - Desiree's not bitter - rueful, perhaps, but not bitter...in fact, she tells Henrik to laugh at them all - she knows they're the clowns....she's willing to laugh at herself, really.

She's not sarcastic, that's her mother and Charlotte...she's dry, but not sarcastic. She has more sympathy for Henrik than anyone, and even for Frederik, who dumped her, she feels compassion.

Also, Anne is flighty - hardly dependable...and all that "excites" her is teasing Henrik....

All the cutting remarks come from Charlotte, not Desiree...the only person she's even vaguely cutting with is Frederik, and that's a closeness born of long-knowledge of each other...she's joking, even when she sounds mean.

Having played Fredrik, I doubt I'd have any feelings for a sarcastic, bitter, cutting woman...13 years later!
Updated On: 12/22/09 at 04:32 PM

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 12/22/09 at 4:46pm

When I played cello, I photocopied the Night Music score and that cello solo ain't easy (being a tenor, I always hoped to play Henrik one day, but productions of Night Music in Houston were few and far between).

On large stages, it is usually performed by the cellist in the pit while the performer mimes the action using and un-rosined bow so there is little to no sound emanating from the cello on stage heard by the audience, but the bow can still be used on the cello strings by the actor. But it still takes a lot of work to learn how to bow and finger believably and work out the timing. There are some common tell-tale signs string players can spot if an actor truly doesn't know how to play a string instrument, but a really good actor who takes the time to learn from a professional can fool the best of them.

[ljay889]

Posted: 12/22/09 at 5:24pm

Zeta-Jones' Clowns is NOT sarcastic. That's a horrible and false description. Her interpretation is a mixture of anger, regret, and sadness with a smile. It's not a copy of Johns' original version. And it's not a copy of Dench's "let me cry throughout the entire song" version. It's her own interpretation, but It is NOT sarcastic.

People will do anything they can to sh*t on this production, whether they've seen it or not.

Updated On: 12/22/09 at 05:24 PM

[PalJoey]

Posted: 12/22/09 at 5:36pm

And Dame Judi's "'Clowns is much more than a "let me cry throughout the entire song" version.

If all you saw were tears from Dame Judi, I suggest you watch her "Clowns" again.

As a matter of fact, I suggest you watch everything you possibly can of hers. She's as far from a "let me cry" actress as a Dame can get.

[ljay889]

Posted: 12/22/09 at 5:39pm

I love Dench's version. That wasn't a knock. She does cry throughout the entire song, and I love it.

The song allows for different interpretations. It seems if an actress doesn't perform it exactly like Johns did, people deem it "wrong" and unworthy.

I absolutely love Johns' and Dench's versions, but I am also open to different interpretations.
Updated On: 12/22/09 at 05:39 PM

[best12bars]

Posted: 12/22/09 at 10:01pm

"When I played cello, I photocopied the Night Music score and that cello solo ain't easy (being a tenor, I always hoped to play Henrik one day, but productions of Night Music in Houston were few and far between)."


Mister Matt---I was fortunate enough to play Henrik (a million years ago). I was on both a voice and viola scholarship at my university at the time (age 19), so I worked very diligently with the first chair cellist on all the bowings and fingerings. I matched her every step of the way. I even fooled friends, members of the orchestra, and a former conductor who knew me as a violist and thought I was actually playing. I was relieved to have pulled it off! There was a brief time early on in the rehearsal process where I considered actually playing. I discussed it with the director and musical director, and we ultimately decided that I could concentrate far better (and more effectively) on acting and singing the song if I wasn't learning to play the cello during the rehearsal process. Way too much to think about during that song. Plus the high B, while sitting down ... oy!

A challenging role, but one of my favorites ever.

Updated On: 12/22/09 at 10:01 PM