Sondheim's musical plays at 185 Nassau

"The summer night smiles. Three times," says Madame Armfeldt (Bibiane Choi '03) near the beginning of Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler's 1973 musical, "A Little Night Music," now playing in the Matthews Acting Studio at 185 Nassau in a production directed by Matthew Ferraro '00. Whether the night actually does smile is debatable, but one thing is certain — by the end of this play, the audience is smiling.

Inspired by Ingmar Bergman's film "Smiles of a Summer Night," "A Little Night Music" follows the relationships of a number of mismatched couples and their associates. Chief among these are middle-aged lawyer Fredrik Egerman (Ferraro), Anne (Jessica Zayas '00), his 18-year-old wife of 11 months — who is still a virgin — and his 19-year-old son Henrik (Chris Asplund '03).

Also central to the plot are Desiree Armfeldt (Amanda Whitehead '00) — Fredrik's former mistress — and her mother (Choi) and daughter Fredrika (Marnie Podos '03) and Desiree's current lover, Count Malcolm (Patrick Walders) and his wife Charlotte (Devin Sidell '02). Rounding out the action are the servants, Frid (Chris Osander) and Petra (Melissa Poulos '02) and five Liedersingers (Rakesh Satyal '02, Maia Wright '00, Cristy Lytal '01, Graeme Ramshaw '02 and Marguerite Durant) who act as a Greek chorus and comment on the action.

Ferraro, a literature and theater concentrator in the English department, directed "A Little Night Music" as his thesis production, and the enormous amount of energy and time he, his cast, and his production staff put into the show has yielded impressive results. From a musical that can sometimes appear as a bitter condemnation of marriage and love in general, Ferraro has created a joyous dream world, in which the audience becomes totally immersed for the two-and-a-half hours of the show (don't worry, they fly by).

The Matthews Acting Studio has been transformed by Ferraro and Allie Tepper '01's set into a vast blue panorama, its proportions exaggerated by floor-to-ceiling blue and purple drapes and the forced perspective of the blue paneled floor. This space serves as all of the show's varied locations, only needing such minor touches as a few chairs or a bed to transform from a theatrical dressing room to the grounds of an elegant garden estate.

Jeanne Woon '01 and Catherine Cann's costumes are perfect — down to the period underwear — and ideally suited to each character. From flirtatious Anne's ruffled dresses to Fredrika's prim sailor suits to divinity student Henrik's somber jackets, the characters' personalities are mirrored in their clothes.

The orchestra, conducted by Matt Lembo '02, is one of the best on campus in recent memory. Placed in the balcony of the studio, the sound floods over the audience — making the sense of immersion even more total — without drowning out the actors on stage.

And the actors are, for the most part, remarkable. Though some of their singing voices are weaker than one might desire, they make up for this deficiency with their expression and timing. One of the great joys of this production is the diction of the performers. The audience can hear every word of Sondheim's brilliant lyrics. Such fabulous articulation is rare even on Broadway, and it is a true pleasure to enjoy the wit of the songs, rather than just the general sound.

From the moment she storms onto stage, bellowing for a stage manager, Whitehead's Desiree controls the action. Deceiving her lover, arguing with her mother and sharing confidences with her young daughter, she is truly engaging. Her rendition of the musical standard "Send in the Clowns" nearly brings tears to the eyes.

Choi likewise gives a powerful performance as Madame Armfeldt. The freshman's ability to portray a very old woman with such authority is uncanny. Her song, "Liaisons," in which she recounts the infamous events of her youth, is one of the evening's highlights. This number also features effective use of a two-way mirror, in large part thanks to James Streeter's elegantly simple lighting.

Ferraro's Fredrik and Zayas' Anne are perfectly mismatched. When she sits on his knee and recounts how he used to tell her fairy tales — innocently exclaiming, "Then you were 'Uncle Fredrik,' and now you're my husband. Isn't that amusing?" — the audience shudders at the incompatibility of the two. The fact that Anne is so clearly more suited for Henrik than for his father allows the partner-swapping at the show's conclusion to ring true, rather than just serving to tie up the plot's loose ends.

As the tyrannical Count Malcolm and his long-suffering wife Charlotte, Walders and Sidell are hilarious. Their portrayals at times verge on caricature but always manage to avoid cartoonishness, and thus remain realistic and touching as well as funny. The audience laughs at these characters but also understands where they are coming from.

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The five Liedersingers are the perfect complement to the action of "A Little Night Music." Rather than mere ciphers, they are fully embodied characters, each with an individual personality. And they keep these personalities not only in their songs and lines, but also when they are doing such mundane things as scene changes.

Ferraro also flawlessly works scene changes into the fabric of the show, so the action never pauses, even for a second. These smooth transitions mark a strong contrast to the halting and awkward ones in many campus productions.

Sondheim is often criticized for the lack of melody in his musicals. This criticism could easily be applied to most of "A Little Night Music," with the exception of the energetic and catchy Act I finale, "A Weekend in the Country." Despite the lack of easily hummable music, however, this production is a true crowd pleaser. With its even balance of comedy, romance and sarcasm, it is the ideal theatrical experience with which to complete a weekend at Princeton.

"A Little Night Music" will be performed tonight, tomorrow and Saturday at 8 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. in the Matthews Acting Studio, 185 Nassau. Call (609) 258-3637 for reservations.