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'A Little Night Music' smiles on Motown
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Leslie Uggams creates a little night music for Motown at MOT.
Several remarkable things happened at the Detroit Opera House Saturday night.
The first took place when Michigan Opera Theatre director David DiChiera took the stage before the opening of Stephen Sondheim’s A Little Night Music. He made a point of thanking Ford Motor Company for its unswerving Fall Season sponsorship even in these dire times, and was rewarded with enthusiastic applause. We may have been reading too much into this, but it seemed that the audience was applauding Ford not only for their years of generosity, but also for holding out as a beacon of hope for our beleaguered state. People were cheering Ford the way they cheer for their high school football team. (More applause followed the onstage appearance of a vintage 1912 Ford Model T Touring car and a 1910 Hudson 20 Roadster -- further proof that this is the Motor City, after all, and we love our cars, classic or otherwise.)
DiChiera also noted that, although the Tony Award-winning musical premiered on Broadway in 1973, its first appearance at a major American opera house didn’t take place until MOT brought it here in 1983, after which A Little Night Music became accepted fare for the national opera circuit. This brought more applause from the audience at this affirmation of Detroit as part of the performing arts avant garde.
Of course, the most remarkable thing to happen Saturday night was this thoroughly enjoyable production of A Little Night Music. The MOT production showcases the talents of Ron Raines and Leslie Uggams, and they both lived up to their star billing – playing the lyrics for all the humor, pathos and irony that are vintage Sondheim. Ron Raines seems to channel Howard Keel in his ability to belt out the most challenging music while squeezing every ounce of humor from the scene. He manages to make good on the plotline that an 18-year old girl would choose to marry him – which is surely a testament to this Broadway actor’s personal charm.
As for Ms. Uggams, it was a quick journey from ‘How can she look so good?’ to ‘How can she sound this good?’ She dashed off Send in the Clowns, in a lovely, disarming manner that somehow made it seem more like a spontaneous, relevant commentary on the human condition than the ‘big number’ that the audience was waiting for. (BTW – if you’ve always wondered what the song is ‘about,’ be sure to see this production – Ms. Uggams’ rendering makes it all clear.)
The show itself was remarkable on a number of levels. The cast was wonderful. The conclusion of each number brought not only applause but a satisfied hum from the audience. Lindsay Rider, as the maid Petra, knocked the audience out with her rendition of The Miller’s Son, which jumped back and forth between sweetly tender and full-throated sexy, seemingly without effort.
In the musical's opening scene, the aging Madame explains to her granddaughter that if she watches, she’ll see the summer night smile three times – ‘First, for the young, who know nothing; second, for the fools, who know too little; and, third, for the old, who know too much.’ Attend this production, and you may also see the night smile three times – First, for the members of the company, who perform brilliantly; second, for the members of the audience, who aren’t afraid to express their enthusiasm; and third, for the city of Detroit, which continually surprises us with world-caliber performing arts experiences.
A Little Night Music runs through November 22, 2009 at the Detroit Opera House. Tickets are available by phone at 313.237.7464, online, or through Ticketmaster.
Here's a clip from an MOT rehearsal.
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