Glenn Close as Desiree Armfeldt?- Page 2

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 4/27/04 at 11:38am

I think Blythe Danner would be an excellent Desiree with Christine Baranski as Charlotte. Michael Cerveris was an amazing Carl-Magnus in Chicago. I could also see Kelsey Grammer as Frederick. Henrik will be tough to cast, though. It would be nice if they could get a tenor who was a real cello player for a change (like me!). Ann and Henrik must be the toughest parts to play in the show. If not directed properly, they can come across as flat and one-note characters (I've seen it ahppen). The honest sincerity is the key to this pair. They could easily steal the show as much as Karl-Magnus and Charlotte if given the opportunity. The funny thing about this show, every time I've seen it, the scenes between Desiree and Frederick are often the slowest scenes that drag the show down. All the other characters seem to be much more interesting and entertaining. I love the show, but I would like to see a production in which Frederick and Desiree are just as funny and charming as the rest of the characters rather than simply being the characters burdened with the dramatic elements.

And I hate the quintet. Rarely are they ever used well. I know they have names in the program, but nothing in the show explains who they are or why they are there. They are always dressed as if attending a party and come and go like a Greek chorus commenting on the action or revealing thoughts, but I have always found them quite annoying and I want to simply get on with the story. If they were used in such a way to either be characters more integrated with the story, such as gossiping servants, then they would make more sense. Either that, or make they completely different from the rest of the cast, like Midsummer fairies or something. In one production, they were in shimmery makeup to look like porcelain music-box figures. A good idea, but they looked so creepy, it was more disturbing than effective.

[henry]

Posted: 4/27/04 at 11:40am

"I will go on record as saying the better a vocalist someone is, the worse their SEND IN THE CLOWNS sounds."

Hmmm. Judy Collins certainly did a nice version of it. It was a little impersonal, but that was due to her interpretation (or lack thereof), not the voice itself.

There was a time when Vanessa Redgrave would have been a fabulous Desiree.

[robbiej]

Posted: 4/27/04 at 12:36pm

Judy Collins' version is perfectly pleasant. Her voice has a natural vulnerability that adds much, even though there isn't much depth too it.

What about Susan Sarandon? Could she still do it? She looks great!

[nyctopone]

Posted: 4/27/04 at 12:52pm

I've always hated the Judy Collin's version. It's like nails down a blackboard. Also there is no depth, just whining.

[tpdc]

Posted: 4/27/04 at 2:53pm

I think Annette Benning is a great choice. In some of her films, she shows a unique flair for comedy that has a sexy, playful quality that would be great for Desiree. But would she move to NYC and do a long run? I wish she had done the KC version.

Natasha Richardson would make a good Desiree and the vocal demands are less than Sally Bowles and Liam Neeson could be Frederick and Vanessa Redgrave could be Madame Armfeldt. I'd rather see Richardson and Neeson in NIGHT MUSIC than in CAMELOT.

[lvpblues]

Posted: 4/27/04 at 5:30pm

A Little Night Music deserves a revival more than Camelot.

Annette Bening... that's a very intriguing choice... maybe with Christine Baranski as Charlotte? Ooh the possibilities are endless!

~Kevin

[robbiej]

Posted: 4/27/04 at 5:47pm

tpdc,

Actually...Ms. Richardson may already have a something very big on her plate for next season.

[MusicMan]

Posted: 4/27/04 at 6:01pm

Well, the liebeslieders' function in the show is clearly implied in their name: they create an atmosphere of heady romance, as in the Brahms concert piece, and, in addition, open up the story and create additional texture as ironic commentators on the action. Without them, there would have been less opportunities for musicalization in adapting the original screenplay to the stage.

Desiree, by the way, is hardly bitter but uses her wry sense of irony as a defense. Updated On: 4/27/04 at 06:01 PM

[lvpblues]

Posted: 4/27/04 at 6:13pm

Her sense of irony is a marvelous defense mechanism when she's rejected by Fredrik which leads to "Send in the Clowns". God I love this musical!!!

[Auggie27]

Posted: 4/27/04 at 6:25pm

Thanks, MusicMan. The quintet was key in the original, very fresh, and each member was distinct, in no way a choral block or a small chorus. Barbara Lang and Terri Ralston were both accomplished actresses, and I believe Prince felt strongly that the roles required dimension for the group to succeed as a whole. I don't think they have been cast as carefully ever since, so perhaps the device is less effective when the individual members are blandly interchangeable.

But Prince's attention to casting the first production should be studied. The show needs strong character actors, performers with emotional depth and comic skills. If Desiree is bitter or portrayed too darkly, the show is way off kilter. The woman is a lovable narcissist, as is her mother, in a way. They are not victims. I think there's a real mistake casting the role solely based on a perception of how "Clowns" will be performed. That number shows a side of Desiree NOT seen at any other time in the show. I remember how flat Virgina McKenna was in London. There's a danger in "playing the end" -- you know, making everything about setting up "Clowns." It's a rare glimpse into Desiree's heart, and self-awareness; earlier in the show, she's self-absorbed and hardly introspective.

Which brings us back to Glenn. HER being cast seems all about a wistful "Clowns." But having seen her spinsterish Nelly Forbush I am not confident she's an ingredient in a souffle.

Updated On: 4/27/04 at 06:25 PM

[Bobby457]

Posted: 4/27/04 at 7:59pm

I think Julie Andrews should come back and do Desiree...Judy Dench should play the mother....Or Angela Landsbury...shes been playing old ladies since she was in her 20's!

Updated On: 4/27/04 at 07:59 PM

[MusicMan]

Posted: 4/27/04 at 8:22pm

The shrewd casting of the liebeslieders in the original Broadway company has never been duplicated in any subsequent production I have seen in thirty years. Teri Ralston, Barbara Lang, Benjamin Ralston, et al., were either middle-aged or swiftly approaching it and exuded a sophisticated, European sensibility befitting a bittersweet and rueful tale of the follies of love. The liebeslieders are the voices of romantic and carnal EXPERIENCE. To cast them as pretty young things as they were in the original New York City Opera production (I did not see the Jeremy irons/Claire Bloom production last year) is to miss the point completely.

[MusicMan]

Posted: 4/27/04 at 8:23pm

For some reason, my message was posted twice so I am now replacing it with this lovely sentence. Updated On: 4/27/04 at 08:23 PM

Posted: 4/27/04 at 8:35pm

Glenn as Desiree? Boring

Maybe...

...Helen Mirren
...Diana Rigg
...Elizabeth Ashley
...Jennifer Saunders, LOL
...Joanna Lumley, for sure!
...hell, Meryl Streep would be 1,000 better than Glenn.

Just some ideas!

[alterego]

Posted: 4/28/04 at 10:12am

Helen Mirren would be brilliant as Desiree. Is anyone here familiar with the Original London Cast Album which starred Jean Simmons? Worth a listen to hear a bass Desiree sing Send In The Clowns.

[Auggie27]

Posted: 4/28/04 at 10:23am

The single most intriguing idea in this thread is Bobby's: Julie Andrews. She's older than Glenn, but this is one case where the age wouldn't matter. Julie would be elegant and have a light touch. And needless to say, would break our hearts with "Clowns." (Anyone remember the lovely idea of the early 90s? Audrey Hepburn? She was in talks, apparently, before she became ill.)

[twogaab2]

Posted: 4/28/04 at 10:29am

OK, I'm gonna play devil's advocate on a couple of points. I think that Close would make a very intriguing Desere. She is a VERY inventive actress-she tend to play different roles in different manners. Also, the role of Deseree was written for an actress-in the case of the original (Johns) an actress with a very limited vocal range, not much of a stretch for any actress who can approximate a pitch.

Also, I think Peters would make a lovely Desree. She has the requisite sparkle and wit for the role. Also, after seeing her in "Gypsy", I think she is ready for it.

As much as I would have adored to see Andrews as Deseree about 15 years ago, I think at this point of her career she would make a better Madame Armfelt. (However, I doubt you could ever convice her to come back to the stage in a supporting role)

Just may opinion, I may be wrong.

Updated On: 4/28/04 at 10:29 AM

[sparky310]

Posted: 4/28/04 at 1:13pm

YUK...GLENN CLOSE SHOULD NEVER EVER SING AGAIN..AT LEAST NOT IN PUBLIC..desiree armfeldt....either patty lupone, betty buckley or DONNA MURPHY

[tpdc]

Posted: 4/28/04 at 2:30pm

People who saw the original production have told me about the power of Clowns and the way Johns did it. All evening she had been playing a charming, sexy, selfish schemer and then when Frederik comes clean with her she responds with Clowns. The effect of seeing her reveal her true self and her real fears had the audience in tears and had them rooting for Desiree and Frederik to have a happy ending. Now it's the hit song that everyone is waiting to hear. But a good actress and director should be able to make it work nearly as well as Johns and Prince did.

[twogaab2]

Posted: 4/28/04 at 2:40pm

Johns was the only actress to play the song in an angry manner as if she was furious at herself.

This choice was riviting.

[Barihunk]

Posted: 4/28/04 at 2:49pm

Well, this thread is certainly proof that not only is Night Music ripe for revival but there are endless casting opportunities. Seems that all that's required is a strong lady to open it and it could run forever with a string of celebrity fill-ins a la Chicago... are Barry and Fran listening?

[lvpblues]

Posted: 5/1/04 at 8:42pm

Helen Mirren - interesting choice. Is Diana Rigg appropriate for Desiree? As Charlotte, she was one of the only redeeming qualities of that atrocious film adaptation with Liz.

I wonder if producers would ever consider Judi Dench.

~K

[Auggie27]

Posted: 5/1/04 at 8:49pm

Someone else who'd have the right Glynnis-esque blend:

Stockard Channing. No?