The NEW Night Music at The Kerr Thread — Page 8

Its not really a question of agreeing or disagreeing, its a question of agreeing with Nunn's direction of the characters. There actually is no specific age given for Charlotte in the script so any sopposition about a rivalry based on age is personal interpretation of the role. If I were directing NIGHT MUSIC, would the age difference be something that I would explore - yes. But from a textual standpoint a rivalry based on age difference is not definitive.

^ I think Michael Bennett's last comment was directed at me...

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"READ, people. Read. And comprehend first. You're not, so far."

Don't be so conceited.

The first reasonable (in the truest sense of the word) post you've made is the 03:35 one.

By your own admission much of the others are rants.

Please post a similarly reasonable explanation of "Pouts of a Summer Night? Frowns of a Summer Night? Tears of a Summer Night?".

best12bars, if Charlotte is in her early 40's that would make her 20+ years older than her younger sister (who is Anne's age, 1. While I agree that Desiree, Frederik and possibly Carl-Magnus could be in their 40's or 50's, unless the script is changed Charlotte can't really be much older than mid-20's.

she could be a half sister. I agree that Charlotte probably isn't in her early 40s, but it's not impossible.

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Charlotte's sister has "renounced men, and is now teaching gymnastics at a school for a retarded girls in Bedelheim."

Something like that. I doubt she's 18, like Anne. Even if they did go to school together.

Hey, at least they have pretty trees in that photo.


And "Scripps" I don't owe you anything. So just turn it off. State your own opinion on the subject at hand, if you even have one. But quit policing mine.

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Updated On: 7/30/09 at 04:16 PM

There are numerous indications within the book that support the choice of a 40 year old Desiree. Anne describes her as "ravishingly beautiful", a comment that could only have occurred to a girl of 18 as recognition of a true sexual rival. You could argue that a woman of 50, however beautiful, could never seem a rival to a teenager.

Desiree has the supreme confidence of a woman still in her physical prime to reveal her naked body to Fredrik, the love of her life, within minutes of their first meeting in 14 years. I may be wrong, but I think most women in their late 40s or older would have very mixed feelings about doing such a thing (unless they are Madonna!).

Fredrik and Desiree's affair therefore took place when she was in her early twenties, which seems very believable to me, and obviously Fredrika can logistically be no older than 13.

Desiree and Fredrika have an very open, intimate relationship which suggests they are relatively close in age. Fredrika is certainly a precocious 13 year old, but I can believe a mother of 40 could talk as she does, not 50.

My main point is that lost love, regret and missed opportunities are as familiar to those at 40 as they are at 50. 40 is a very difficult age for both woman and men, where the perception of sexual appeal starts on a downward trajectory, the urgency to make everything right is greater than ever, and before it's too late and the hormones have called time on a woman's sexual and fertile viability.

I do feel that in the hurry to cast someone older that there are few WOMEN who can speak for the veracity of Desiree as a woman of 40. I speak as a woman in her 40s with some authority!

best12bars, I understand your point about age, and how you feel the modern audience won't relate to a 'younger' Desiree. I don't think that matters. If she finally lets her guard fall in that final scene with Fredrik, and in "Send In the Clowns", believably, it makes no difference whether she is 40 or 50. We relate to the fact she has lost her chance to retrieve her true love, and to live a "coherent" life with him and her - their - daughter.

I think it's a little naive to suggest that a modern audience can't *relate* to an early 20th century European drama (read Scandinavian, and thus Ibsen etc), and to accommodate to a woman of 40 at the time of "A Little Night Music". Many will easily sympathise with Desiree's situation and certainly not all of today's 40 year olds have recently-created families.

As far as I am aware, all Fredrik says in Act 2 is that he failed to sit through most of her performances during their time together. No-one is suggesting that he is the same age as Desiree. Fredrik I believe should be mid to late 40s, even 50, allowing that he was married before his affair with Desiree began. This would mean that his son was born, quite reasonably, in his late 20s.

The only line that Trevor Nunn changed to adapt Desiree to the age constraints was that she played "Hedda", not "Phaedra". In which case it is perfectly possible that she had an extremely successful stage career in her late 20s.

I wish Erin was playing Anne

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Age 40 is where Trevor Nunn's places his Desiree in London. Unless you have seen Hannah Waddingham's performance and feel it is not so (and I believe it is a performance that is very believably 40), there is no reason to place it at "35". But it is very clearly not "late 40s" or "50" and I cover this in my earlier post.

You know what? Just cast a 65 year old Desiree, and let's call it a day.

Lol, Besty, she's clearly losing her time very late in her career
People are really missing the point of Besty's posts. I wholeheartedly agree with him.
I'm with those who are wishing this somehow ends up being scrapped altogether, especially if Nunn is insisting so much on Waddingham whom I have zero interest in seeing tackle this role.

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So is getting back into your cop car and stopping the thread "police woman" routine.

It's that easy.

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