It's a perfect fit -- a musical comedy about a midsummer romance "in the country" staged in the park on a midsummer's evening. In addition, this orchestra and this show are a good match. Sondheim's score is in three-quarter time and variations of it, and the Philadelphia Orchestra has a long association with waltz music. Unfortunately we have to put up with bad amphitheater acoustics, with reverberations that make it difficult to hear Sondheim's exquisitely-crafted word play. Despite this, the music triumphs.
Paul Gemignani's connection with A Little Night Music goes back to 1973 -- he made his conducting debut during its original run -- and he leads an excellent cast and a half-size Philadelphia Orchestra in a lovely performance. The script is edited, and gaps ae filled in by the newly-written role of narrator, played here by Irene Worth, making her musical debut at the age of 85. She doubles as Madame Armfeldt and sings her one song, "Liasons," with as much character as Hermione Gingold, for whom it was written, and with lovelier sound. [Editor's Note: Irene Worth died on March 9, 2002.]
Michelle Pawk and John Dossett play Desiree and Fredric, the ex-lovers who meet again after many years, she "at last on the ground, [he] in mid-air." Pawk's portrayal is lovely and natural but too understated. Dossett looks and sounds ideal. Marc Kudisch is a revelation, the best Count Carl-Magnus I've ever seen, dashing and charismatic with a great baritone voice. Derin Altay (conductor Gemignani's wife) and Angela Robinson prove exceptionally vivid as the countess and the maid. Angela Gaylor as the virgin bride and Siri Howard as Desiree's daughter are fine. Since this performance was cast for singers, I expected Kevin Anderson, as Henrik, to knock us out with the high "c"s that are written for his part, but those notes weren't anything special and I was disappointed.
Jonathan Dokuchitz, as the butler, sang a number cut by Sondheim before the show premiered, "Silly People," a commentary on the actions of the other characters. One other song, "Ordinary People," was doubled in length for this production. Sondheim wrote one version for Broadway and another for the movie, and here they were neatly joined. BT McNicholl adapted the script and directed this semi-staged production.
The show has a new orchestration by Jonathan Tunick, enlarging the original 24-piece pit orchestra to 47: 30 strings, 7 winds, 6 trumpets, 2 percussion, plus harp and keyboard. Trumpet flourishes that serve as counterpoint in songs such as "The Glamourous Life" jump out at us, refreshingly, and the orchestra plays superbly, with fine precision during the complicated ensembles. We can't hear the lushness of the Philadelphia strings, however, because they're seated too far upstage and because they aren't amplified as much as the voices.
