With Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music back on Broadway, and the legendary Elaine Stritch having joined the cast as Madame Armfeldt, the New York Times looks at the women to have taken on the iconic role; the Times also profiles the small London theater where this revival began. The San Jose Mercury News calls the cast album "extra-clear and intimate." The BBC Proms celebrates Sondheim's music this Saturday; The Times of London calls him "the man who has revolutionised the musical ... sardonic, jaded—and touched with genius."
With performances of Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler's A Little Night Music in full swing again on Broadway, and the legendary Elaine Stritch having joined the cast as Madame Armfeldt, the Sunday New York Times takes a look back at the actresses to have taken on the iconic role, not least Angela Lansbury, whose performance is captured on the Nonesuch Records / PS Classics recording of this first-ever Broadway revival of the piece released earlier this year. To read the piece, by Matthew Gurewitsch, titled "A Feline Matron, Catnip for Seasoned Actresses," visit nytimes.com.
Also in the Sunday Times, Patrick Healy profiles the Menier Chocolate Factory, the small theater company in London that first presented this revival of A Little Night Music, directed by Trevor Nunn and starring Lansbury and Catherine Zeta-Jones (her Desirée Armfeldt can also be heard on the new recording; Bernadette Peters has now taken on the role on Broadway). Nunn, among others, discusses the unique features of adapting musicals to the Chocolate Factory stage. That can also be found at nytimes.com.
---
On the West Coast, the San Jose Mercury News' Richard Scheinin marked the start of the Bay Area's Music@Menlo festival by recommended a selection of classical CDs. A noteworthy standout among the traditionally "classical" company is the Nonesuch Records / PS Classics cast album of A Little Night Music.
"There is such heart and refinement in Sondheim's great musical, such cynicism, longing, hope—and melody," writes Scheinin. He describes the new recording as "extra-clear and intimate" in contrast to earlier recordings. "Much of the stage dialogue is included; it all comes to life here." Read more at mercurynews.com.
---
Further to the classical world's appreciation of Sondheim's work, the BBC Proms, billed as "the world's greatest classical music festival," is presenting Sondheim at 80 at London's Royal Albert Hall this Saturday night. The concert, celebrating the composer's music and the occasion of his 80th birthday year, will be performed by the BBC Concert Orchestra, led by conductor David Charles Abell, and vocalists like Bryn Terfel, Maria Friedman, and Simon Russel Beale. On the program are works from throughout Sondheim's career, including A Little Night Music, The Frogs, Into the Woods, Sweeney Todd, and Company. The program will be broadcast live on BBC Radio 3 and on BBC Two starting at 8 PM. For more information, visit bbc.co.uk.
The Times of London has published a preview of the Sondheim Proms with an honest look at "the man who has revolutionised the musical." The piece, from writer Benedict Nightingale, is titled "Sardonic, jaded—and touched with genius," and is available to Times subscribers online at thetimes.co.uk.
- Log in to post comments
