A Little Night Music revival

Cafe Society
1

I just saw this yesterday and was quite impressed. The cast features two big names: Catherine Zeta-Jones and Angela Lansbury. Also an interesting bit of casting is a newcomer to Broadway, Ramona Mallory, the daughter of the actress who originated the role she’s playing. She played Anne much more differently than her mother, making her more childlike and flighty.

This was a musical I was hoping to see come back to Broadway for quite some time, and I was excited to see the big-name cast members, especially Lansbury, whom I adore. I was not disappointed: The musical was fabulous, and the cast acted the hell out of it. Lansbury played the grand dame part with exceptional wit and fragility, while CZJ brought great humor to her role as Desiree Armfeldt. The actress playing Petra was wonderful as the saucy maid (I also saw her play “Dainty June” in Gypsy) and the actor playing Frederick also stood out, plus he had great chemistry with CZJ.

My few criticisms: The set design, though intentionally minimal, needed a little more attention. I wasn’t a big fan of the cast dragging pillows and blankets everywhere for seating. Also, the actor who played Henrik impressed me the least. I know the character is supposed to be sullen and cranky, but he came off as more annoying than sympathetic.

Other than those few points, I really enjoyed the show. “Send in the Clowns” was beautifully done. I used to hate that song, but it grew on me.

2

I saw this too and really enjoyed it. I agree with a lot of your points and also saw Leigh Ann Larkin as Dainty June. My one issue with her was the bizarre accent. But she was great, and I loved her “Miller’s Son” It nearly brought the house down the night I saw it.

I thought Zeta-Jones was terrific and had a lot of charisma. I also really liked the actress playing Charlotte. I thought she killed with some of the one liners she had. Her version of “Every Day a Little Death” was just gorgeous.

Landsbury was great, the crowd were just eating out of her hand. But the guy playing Henrik was not my cup of tea at all. He overacted, he shouted notes rather than singing them.

But I liked the minimal set.

3

I would love to see this production.

For what it’s worth, after listening to “Now, Later, Soon” and “You Must Meet My Wife,” I always thought of Anne as flighty and childlike.

4

I would really love to see this but I haven’t found any discounts yet and there’s no way I can justify $132 for one seat. :frowning:

5

Wow—the woman is 84 and still on Broadway!

6

My favorite production of this was back in the late 80s, when the New York City Opera did it. No big-name stars, but wonderful musicality and great sets and costumes.