Damian Humbley and Janie Dee braving the rain in A Little Night Music at Opera Holland Park, London. Pictures: Danny Kaan
A Little Night Music was performed at Opera Holland Park, London.
Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
What could possibly keep a dedicated Sondheimite away from an outdoor, summer evening production of A Little Night Music? A global pandemic? A very limited supply of tickets that sold out nearly instantly? An actual thunderstorm being unleashed on the unfortunate, exposed audience a few songs into Act I?
The sheer excitement of the theatre fans taking to their seats (and peering over perimeter fences) suggest it would take a lot more than biblical plagues. Having been deprived of theatre for so long, the lucky crowd were treated to a strikingly vivacious rehearsed reading of Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler’s enduring 1973 musical comedy.
A Little Night Music is the story of badly-matched Swedish couples engaging in the sorts of thrilling romantic liaisons we currently are all deprived of due to the pandemic – or at least that’s the excuse we tell ourselves. Despite featuring some of Sondheim’s most harmonically complex music and fiendishly intricate lyrics, and despite being composed almost entirely in waltz time (or variations thereof), the show’s humour and spiralling farce make it one of his most immediately accessible offerings.
All of which means it is the perfect summer evening show to reintroduce a hungry London audience to live theatre. Director Alastair Knights incorporated a good deal of movement into the production, making this performance much less formal a “rehearsed reading” than one might fear. The cast had delightful chemistry and adroitly transported us to their charming world. That they had had only a week to rehearse made their achievement particularly impressive.
Janie Dee starred as touring actress and single mother Desiree Armfeldt. As a producer of the show, Dee no doubt had the power to insist it was she who got to wear the most striking costume on the stage, but more likely the dazzling red dress was a canny character choice. The role was originally intended for a non-singer and as such it is not the most technically challenging vocally, but it does require a thoughtful performance to bring out the many nuances of Desiree. Dee did a masterful job of conveying the pride, regret, grit and wit that make the character so very fascinating.
Joanna Riding and Nadim Naaman
Ask any comedian: a large, bright, outdoor space with a distanced audience is the absolute worst possible environment for comedy. And yet, by the power of Knights’ direction and a brilliant cast, laughter pierced even the heaviest of rain showers. The superb Joanna Riding delivered the neglected countess Charlotte’s droll and cutting wisecracks to joyous effect, while allowing the character’s tragic core to bubble to the surface more than many actors in that role would dare. Her philandering yet jealous husband Carl-Magnus was played by Nadim Naaman who was as preposterous, foolish and brash as anyone could hope.
Damian Humbley played the male lead, Fredrik: an ageing lawyer who regrets marrying his trophy wife and attempts to reconnect with his old flame Desiree. Humbley sang with a rich and precise voice and managed to remain thoroughly charming throughout – which was no small task given the moral odiousness of some of his character’s actions.
It should come as no surprise that even with such excellent performances from the cast, one of the evening’s most magical moments was simply hearing the exquisite sound of the chamber ensemble. There was a slight but audible gasp as we remembered just how much we have missed live music. Musical director Alex Parker was near-superhuman throughout the evening, apparently resolving all manner of rain-induced technical issues alongside conducting the complex score absolutely beautifully.
As a result of the unusual wider context of this theatrical return, fourth wall-breaking winks during references to plagues and masks drew hearty chuckles, as did the playfully distanced choreography of the dance scene.
Most gloriously of all, Dee used the showstopping ballad ‘Send in the Clowns’ to decry the torrential weather alongside the bittersweet narrative beat for which it was written. Dee standing front and centre in her red dress – well outside the dry safety of the stage canopies – and putting her all into one of Sondheim’s most iconic songs while getting hit with the absolute worst of the evening’s rain is a moment the lucky audience will surely never forget.
Whatever lies this company told when they were 17 to incur the rain have been more than atoned for. The audience left sodden but exhilarated, and grateful for such an exquisite reminder of the marvellous communal experience that is live theatre.
Ian Bowkett
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