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<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;
text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-family:Palatino-Roman;mso-fareast-font-family:
"Times New Roman"">Silver, Patterson, Wright and Sondheim—A LITTLE LIGHT MUSIC
at FPAC</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;
text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:Palatino-Roman;mso-fareast-font-family:
"Times New Roman""> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;
text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:Palatino-Roman;mso-fareast-font-family:
"Times New Roman"">Roy Berko</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;
text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:Palatino-Roman;mso-fareast-font-family:
"Times New Roman""> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;
text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:Palatino-Roman;mso-fareast-font-family:
"Times New Roman"">(Member, American Theatre Critics Association)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;
text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:Palatino-Roman;mso-fareast-font-family:
"Times New Roman""> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;
text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:Palatino-Roman;mso-fareast-font-family:
"Times New Roman"">--THE TIMES NEWSPAPERS--</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;
text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:Palatino-Roman;mso-fareast-font-family:
"Times New Roman""> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;
text-autospace:none"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span style="font-family:Palatino-Italic;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">Lorain
County Times--Westlaker Times--Lakewood News Times--Olmsted-Fairview Times</span></i><span style="font-family:Palatino-Roman;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;
text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:Palatino-Roman;mso-fareast-font-family:
"Times New Roman""> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;
text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:Palatino-Roman;mso-fareast-font-family:
"Times New Roman"">--Cool Cleveland.com—</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;
text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:Palatino-Roman;mso-fareast-font-family:
"Times New Roman""> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;
text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:Palatino-Roman;mso-fareast-font-family:
"Times New Roman"">Some theatre goers have a love-hate relationship with
Stephen Sondheim.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>His music is
often beautiful, but complicated to play and sing.<span style="mso-spacerun:
yes"> </span>His lyrics often have hidden meanings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>His plots usually are not the escapist
surface level tales from which musical comedy is made.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>With few exceptions, his style is
sophisticated and most appealing to theatre-wise audiences.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC, a production of
which is now on stage at Fairmount Performing Arts Conservatory (FPAC) is no
exception, but in the hands of director Fred Sternfeld, it gets an audience-friendly
approach.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;
text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:Palatino;mso-fareast-font-family:
"Times New Roman""> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;
text-autospace:none"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Palatino;
mso-bidi-font-family:Arial">Inspired by an Ingmar Bergman film, <span style="text-transform:uppercase">Smiles of a Summer Night</span>, LITTLE NIGHT
MUSIC </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Palatino;
mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica">opened on Broadway in 1973, and ran for <span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>601 performances. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It was directed by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Prince"><span style="color:windowtext;
text-decoration:none;text-underline:none">Harold Prince</span></a> and had a
cast which included <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glynis_Johns"><span style="color:windowtext;text-decoration:none;text-underline:none">Glynis Johns</span></a>
and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermione_Gingold"><span style="color:windowtext;text-decoration:none;text-underline:none">Hermione
Gingold</span></a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The script has
experienced several revivals and was made into a film staring Elizabeth Taylor.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;
text-autospace:none"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Palatino;
mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;
text-autospace:none"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Palatino;
mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica">The beautiful score includes <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Night Waltz</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:
normal">Now/Later/Soon</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Remember</i>,
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">A Weekend in the Country</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">The Sun Won’t Set</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">It Would Have Been Wonderful</i>.</span><span style="font-family:Palatino;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman""></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;
text-autospace:none"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Palatino;
mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;
text-autospace:none"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Palatino;
mso-bidi-font-family:Arial">A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC is set in 1900 Sweden.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It is a romp focusing on the sexual
dalliances of some obviously badly matched couples.<span style="mso-spacerun:
yes"> </span>The result is a series of<span style="mso-spacerun:
yes"> </span>love triangles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>It is these triangles that gave Sondheim the idea of writing the entire
score in ¾ time, thus creating a series of waltz movements that carry over not
only in the sound of the music but in the dialogue and lyrics.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;
text-autospace:none"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Palatino;
mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;
text-autospace:none"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Palatino;
mso-bidi-font-family:Arial">The poorly matched couples include an 18-year-old
self-absorbed virgin (Anne) <span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>who is
married to a<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>50-something lawyer
(Frederick), who is still in love with an actress (Desiree) with whom he unknowingly
has a daughter (Fredericka). Complicating matters is that his uptight teenage
son (Henrik) is in love with Fredrik’s wife.<span style="mso-spacerun:
yes"> </span>Then there is the affair between Desiree and Count
Magnus-Malcolm, who has a wife (Charlotte), who decides to make her husband
jealous by pursing Frederick.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>A
maid, who is Henrik’s lover, and a butler are also having a romp in the
hay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Sound complicated?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Actually, on stage it isn’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>First, the characters are clearly
identified, the alliances easy to follow, and the Liebesslider Singers act as
our Greek chorus to guide us through the experience and help bring order to
mismatched lovers while helping them find the right mate.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;
text-autospace:none"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Palatino;
mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;
text-autospace:none"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Palatino;
mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica">The FPAC production, under the direction of Fred
Sternfeld, has charm and humor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>The cast mainly has fine voices and the character development is
generally clear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Even the
technical elements are finely tuned.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;
text-autospace:none"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Palatino;
mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;
text-autospace:none"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Palatino;
mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica">Doing Sondheim is not an easy task. </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Palatino;mso-bidi-font-family:
Arial">As a performer said, “Just to understand Sondheim has been a good
challenge, just figuring out what it means. There’s a lot of hidden depth
in his work. There’s a little laughter, a little tears, a whole gamut of
emotions.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Sternfeld and his cast
get the meaning and open up the audience to those ideas.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;
text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:Palatino-Roman;mso-fareast-font-family:
"Times New Roman""> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;
text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:Palatino-Roman;mso-fareast-font-family:
"Times New Roman"">The lead performers are sound, performance and picture
perfect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Dorothy Silver, the grand
dame of Cleveland theatre, is endearing as Madame Armfeldt, Desiree’s mother,
and the spinner of wondrous tales. <span style="mso-spacerun:
yes"> </span>Silver sing-talks her songs with fidelity and attention to
creating meanings from the words with a musical undertow.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;
text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:Palatino-Roman;mso-fareast-font-family:
"Times New Roman""> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;
text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:Palatino-Roman;mso-fareast-font-family:
"Times New Roman"">It’s worth going to the see the production if for no other
reason than to hear Tracee Patterson’s rendition of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:
normal">Bring in the Clowns</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>Patterson gives just the right serious yet playful interpretation to Desiree.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;
text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:Palatino-Roman;mso-fareast-font-family:
"Times New Roman""> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;
text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:Palatino-Roman;mso-fareast-font-family:
"Times New Roman"">Matthew Wright is well cast as Frederick, the lawyer going
through middle age crisis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He is
properly conflicted as a man in a sunrise-sunset relationship who is still in
love with a woman from his past.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>Wright has a fine singing voice.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;
text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:Palatino-Roman;mso-fareast-font-family:
"Times New Roman""> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;
text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:Palatino-Roman;mso-fareast-font-family:
"Times New Roman"">William Clarence Marshall, Claire Connelly, Bernadette
Hisey, Justin Williamson and Lydia Hall, the Liebeslieder (love song) Singers,
not only have well-trained voices but carry their acting roles with ease. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;
text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:Palatino-Roman;mso-fareast-font-family:
"Times New Roman""> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;
text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:Palatino-Roman;mso-fareast-font-family:
"Times New Roman"">Natalie Green is delightful as Petra, a free-spirited young
lady who dreams of love in the well sung, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">The
Miller’s Son</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Katherine DeBoer
is excellent as Charlotte Malcolm.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;
text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:Palatino-Roman;mso-fareast-font-family:
"Times New Roman""> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;
text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:Palatino-Roman;mso-fareast-font-family:
"Times New Roman"">Though some of the supporting performers have difficulty in
creating realistic characters, the strength of the leads and the quality of the
singing make those weaknesses fade.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;
text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:Palatino-Roman;mso-fareast-font-family:
"Times New Roman""> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;
text-autospace:none"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Palatino;
mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica">The play’s title is an English translation of
the German name for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolfgang_Amadeus_Mozart"><span style="color:windowtext;text-decoration:none;text-underline:none">Mozart</span></a>'s
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eine_kleine_Nachtmusik"><span style="color:windowtext;text-decoration:none;text-underline:none">Serenade No.
13 for strings in G major</span></a>, <i>Eine kleine Nachtmusik</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Scenic designer Trad Burns has taken this
theme and created the set by constructing walls covered with musical notes of
Mozart’s score.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It is a perfect
backdrop for the goings on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Craig
Tucker’s costume designs and execution are era right and beautiful in
detail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Benjamin Gantoe’s warm
lighting helps create the perfect love moods.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;
text-autospace:none"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Palatino;
mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;
text-autospace:none"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Palatino;
mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica">David Williams’ orchestra plays well,
especially considering that shortly before opening night curtain, the violin
player broke her wrist and had to be replaced.<span style="mso-spacerun:
yes"> </span>Yes, the old adage, the show must go on, was in force.</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Palatino;mso-bidi-font-family:
Arial"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;
text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:Palatino-Roman;mso-fareast-font-family:
"Times New Roman""> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none"><i><span style="font-family:Palatino;mso-fareast-font-family:
"Times New Roman"">CAPSULE JUDGEMENT: The FAPC production, under the
creative direction of Fred Sternfeld, makes for a wonderful theatrical
experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Go see!</span></i><span style="font-family:Palatino;mso-fareast-font-family:
"Times New Roman""> <br></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family:Palatino;mso-fareast-font-family:
"Times New Roman"">A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC runs through November 13 at the
Mayfield Village Civic Center, at the corner of Wilson Mills and SOM Center
Roads in Mayfield Village. For tickets call 440-338-3171. For more
information about the play go to <a href="http://www.fairmountcener.org/facpresents.html">www.fairmountcener.org/facpresents.html</a>. </span><span style="font-family:Palatino"></span></p>