'Night Music' sings of sexuality

When we hear tales of relationships from the turn of the century, most of us do not expect these stories to be filled with modern themes such as sexual frustration or midlife crises.

Yet as Stephen Sondheim's "A Little Night Music" comes to the University this weekend, the audience discovers that perhaps fewer differences exist between the liaisons of the late 19th and 20th centuries than it initially believed.

Sondheim's show, set in fin-de-siècle Sweden, is filled with elegant, sensual waltzes that evoke the period of the piece, said musical director Grant Wenaus. The waltzes compliment the singing style of the musical, Wenaus said, which is also supposed to bring the romantic, opulent feeling of the turn of the century to the audience. This is appropriate because the musical is, at heart, a work about romance and the complexity of relationships.

The show has a rather small cast compared to many other musicals, boasting only 18 speaking roles. Yet according to Musical Theatre junior Alexander C. Gemignani, this number is perfect due to the Mendelssohn Theatre's space constraints.

"The Mendelssohn cannot handle that many people on stage," Gemignani said. "Because of the size of the backstage and the dressing rooms, we could not handle more than 15 or 20 people."

In addition to the small stage area, Wenaus said the size of the pit orchestra also limited him to selecting only seven other musicians besides himself to play in the show.

One of the primary relationships of the musical is that of Fredrik Egerman, a lawyer, and Desirée Armfeldt, a stage actress. Once lovers, these middle-aged members of the upper class have now gone their separate ways in life. Yet, at the beginning of the musical, they find their paths cross again at one of Desirée's theatre performances.

When the two meet afterward backstage, Fredrik and Desirée find that their lives are not as simple as they once were. Desirée is now involved with another man, Count Carl-Magnus Malcolm, and Fredrik is currently married to a girl, Anne, who is two years younger than his son, Henrik.

Neither Desirée nor Fredrik are satisfied with their current partners. After 11 months of marriage, Anne still remains a virgin. This, according to Gemignani, the actor who plays Fredrik, causes the lawyer great sexual frustration.

"Fredrik wants Anne so badly yet it is difficult for him to approach her," Gemignani said. "Even if she wanted to have sex, he wouldn't know where to start."

Desirée is also experiencing disappointment, albeit not sexual. She is nearing the end of her career, said Patti Lavery, the Musical Theatre senior who is portraying the actress, and beginning to feel her age.

"Before she wasn't ready to settle down and be a family wife or mother," Lavery said. "But now the crowds are getting smaller, the theatres aren't as glamorous as they used to be."

It is not surprising then that Desirée reaches out to Fredrik when she sees him at her performance, hoping to rekindle their once-passionate relationship. Fredrik concedes to her wishes but goes crawling back to Anne afterward, still overcome with desire for his child bride.

The musical unfolds from the couple's fling, yet the relationships between the pairs never cease to becomplex. Be it in the backstage of a theatre or in front of Desirées mother's immense country mansion, we are constantly exposed to characters with great depth and personality. Sondheim never strays from this theme, holding true to reality until the very end of the musical.

10-13-99