Photo Flash: Isaac Mizrahi's A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC — Page 2

I thought astro turf on the patio was A Chorus Line and not A Little Night Music.

I still haven't got over the black brick dungeon that the Egermans lived in in the Paris production - they'll be able to re-use the set when they do Sweeney Todd next year.

This production looks just as abstract.

In fact I don't think I can remember seeing a production of A Little Night Music that was entirely satisfactory in terms of design.

The trees on the set remind me a little of the recent Fiddler revival.

I like how lush the set of this production looks...not so sure about Henrik's costume, however.

It's a pretty set, but rolling a wheelchair through fake grass must blow. I also think Anne looks old, but so does Henrik so I guess it doesn't matter. Amy looks stunning.

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One review stated that the sound design was awful. Sorry to tell you.

A Little Night Music," while frequently enjoyable, is not quite there, primarily due to less-than-optimal casting in a crucial role and poor sound design.

The miking was an issue in more serious ways. Although it is, as general director Timothy O'Leary says, standard performance practice in Sondheim's music, it works best when it's so subtle that you can't really be sure whether it's there at all. Michael Ferguson's sound design was blatant and distracting. There were many balance problems, and occasional overtones when two mikes got too close together.

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/entertainment/reviews.nsf/stage/story/9A630C06EAC7B85A8625773B0078A327?OpenDocument

Updated On: 6/8/10 at 09:35 PM

The girl playing Anne looks older than Amy Irving. That's not good.

Since Opera Theatre of St. Louis rarely uses body mics I'm not surprised that there are sound issues.

Wow, this looks fantastic.

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That's Joanna Riding who was probably closer to thirty when she did it. Riding gave one of the greatest musical performances I've ever seen as Julie Jordan in CAROUSEL at the NT for which she won the Oliver Award.

Joanna Riding was by far the best acted Anne I've ever seen or heard - her performance was quite literally a revelation. In fact the best things about the NT's ALNM were the female performances of Dench, Phillips, Hodge and Riding.

That footage is exactly as I remember the design: bare.

The stage looked like Mentmore Towers after the auction.

"a barren land with a glamorous coat?"

That could describe Desiree's dilemma but I don't think it can be extended to a metaphor for the whole show.

I love the Olivier theatre too and all that can achieved within it, say for example with The Wind in the Willows. But when I look at that footage I don't see the Egerman's house, Desiree's theatre or Madame Armfeldt's chateaux. I just see the Olivier's huge drum revolve.

A little much I would say.

Houston Grand Opera has just announced they'll be doing this version from March 7-23, 2014. They're presenting it in the Cullen Theater (1,039 seats) instead of the Brown Theater (2,149 seats) at the The Wortham Theater Center. I'm glad to see it's going on the smaller stage because from the looks of these pictures, it would have been swallowed up in the Brown. But... the Cullen has such a tiny orchestra pit. They must not be doing this show with an orchestra larger than about 17 people.

Cast
Desiree Armfeldt - Elizabeth Futral
Fredrik Egerman - Chad Shelton
Madame Armfeldt - Joyce Castle
Count Carl-Magnus - Mark Diamond
Petra - Alicia Gianni

Creative Team
Conductor - Eric Melear - Mr. and Mrs. Albert B. Alkek Chair
Original Production - Isaac Mizrahi
Director - Matthew Ozawa
Set and Costume Designer - Isaac Mizrahi
Lighting Designer - Brian Nason

A Little Night Music at Houston Grand Opera