Thoughts On Patti LuPone Revival Of Little Night Music- Page 3

[keen on kean]

Posted: 1/8/07 at 10:34pm

D2 - now that you mention it, there is already one character carrying around a cello!

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 1/8/07 at 10:35pm

Wow, Elaine Paige has been playing Norma Desmond a little too long...

And the more I think about it, the more absolutely absurd I think it is for Desiree to be played by a woman much over 45. She has a twelve or thirteen year old daughter. In turn of the century Europe, for a woman to successfully give birth after the age of 40 would be a pretty big deal. For Desiree to have given birth at 47 would have been such a monumentally big deal, it would be virtually impossible for the fact to not be a major discussion point in the play.

Yes, Desiree could only have given birth at aged 47 if ALNM was written by Ibsen or Strindberg...


As far as John Doyle goes: thought I'm not particularly anxious to see another of his instrument concept productions on Broadway with a Sondheim musical, A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC makes about the most sense for that concept of any Sondheim show. One of the characters actually plays a Cello, and the chorus, in a way, already act as an orchestra vocally - "singing" the overture etc.

Updated On: 1/8/07 at 10:35 PM

[D2]

Posted: 1/8/07 at 10:38pm

I know - I've played Henrik (and that damned cello) But that part is organic to the piece, and if I remember correctly was part of the original source material.

Fun part, though - I had the time of my life in that show.

[HorseTears]

Posted: 1/9/07 at 12:44am

MICHAEL BENNETT: Annette Bening is an inspired choice. The woman is absolutely radiant. She has that warmth needed for this role, but definitely has an edge as well. I'm sure we all remember Hal Prince's description of ALNM's tone being something like "whipped cream with razor blades." Bening can totally personify that description.

Now, I must say, I don't consider myself to be a violent person, but if John Doyle were to just...disappear, I wouldn't mind. Not at all. Too bad this isn't South America in the 70s.

[nobodyhome]

Posted: 1/9/07 at 1:11am

There were reports that Bening had been offered the role in both the Kennedy Center production and the last City Opera revival.

In Smiles of a Summer Night, Henrik plays the piano.

According to the Banfield book, Sondheim had at one time considered having instruments to be associated with other characters, in addition to Henrik and Fredrika, but it's not clear if this meant that more characters were to be "playing" instruments.

I didn't much like the City Opera production as it was telecast, although it did have a good performance from George Lee Andrews (who had played Fredrik in the national tour of the original production) and a skilled, workmanlike performance from the too-old Sally Ann Howes, admirable though not inspired.

My memory is that at the time Howes said in an interview that she had been asked to replace Jean Simmons in the 1975 London production, but had turned it down because she didn't get the character. But now, she said, she was the right age and she understood the character. Sigh.

Anyway, when City Opera revived the production a few years ago, I thought it was much better, at least by the final performance of the run. In fact, with a bit more rehearsal and a few tweaks, I would have been happy to see that production move to Broadway. Juliet Stevenson (an age-appropriate Desiree for a change) and Jeremy Irons were excellent, even if it would have been nice to have a vocally stronger Fredrik, and the supporting cast was also excellent, except for Claire Bloom, who came off as too young for Madame Armfeldt in both appearance and acting.

Then when the production was done in Los Angeles the following year with a cast headed by Judith Ivey, Victor Garber, and Zoe Caldwell, it was particulary well received.

[sicetergo]

Posted: 1/9/07 at 3:35am

"Sondheim had at one time considered having instruments to be associated with other characters, in addition to Henrik and Fredrika, but it's not clear if this meant that more characters were to be "playing" instruments."

Recently Stephen Sondheim said that"when I started to write it[ALNM],I actually associated each character with an instrument. It came about from the fact that Henrik is associated with a cello....I couldn't work it out ..but I always thought of it that way and I would think that would probably be a cinch, and in fact John [Doyle] would like to do it, and I think, in fact, he may!"

Apropos age - I think on stage it is easier for audiences to suspend their disbelief and allow an older actress to play the part - Judi Dench and Dorothy Tutin were perhaps too old for the part but they played the part sublimely. I'm not sure that I could say the same for Elaine Paige - who regardless of age - is just not right...Sally in Follies, perhaps....

Posted: 1/9/07 at 9:32am

"I'm praying ALNM gets a second wind on Broadway! I would LOVE for it to be revived. Patti would be a key choice, and she'd tear the roooooof off (insert theatre here) with "Send in the Clowns" --"

Send in the Clowns isn't exactly a roof-tearing-off type of song (maybe you were thinking of "Be a Clown") and let's hope the role of Desiree is given to someone with a lot more class than Patti LuPone.

[ahmelie]

Posted: 1/9/07 at 10:10am

There's some videos of Patti doing ANLM at Rivinia in the site whose name I dare not speak, I was pleasently surprised, since I don't think it's the greatest role for her. Of course she's fab on You Must Meet My Wife, and her Send In the Clowns is good. I don't think she'd be awful, but there are other women who I'd like to see play Desiree.

And please don't let the reduced musicians thing come near this? That score is too large and beautiful to be touched, Sweeney had a large orchestra, but it wasn't as "pretty" as ANLM and it's more scary, an aspect only enhanced by the claustrophobia of the actor/musician thing. Company has a smaller orchestra. But as for ALNM? Please no. I'd like to see Doyle direct it, but not with that concept.