Even with much of the wit and charm of this score and story dead on arrival in the film version, A Little Night Music is a wonderful musical. I've never seen it on stage, nor had I seen the 1977 film before, so this is my first experience with it. I had heard some of the music before, but didn't know how it all fit into the story.
With the complexities of the score and the difficulties of Sondheim's music in general, I'm surprised so many non-singers were cast in this film--Diana Rigg and Elizabeth Taylor in particular. Hermoine Gingold, Len Cariou and Laurence Gittard are hold-overs from the Broadway debut from three years before the film.
"You Must Meet My Wife" must be one of the funniest songs of all time, and although Ms. Taylor plays it a bit too on the surface, it still works. Lesley-Anne Down is young enough and pretty enough, to make Anne's naivety work. Diana Rigg does well with characterization, but not with the music. Actually there isn't much of the singing that I really like, even Len Cariou.
There was a television version of this musical done in 1990. Is it available to rent?
A Little Night Music
Music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Book by Hugh Wheeler
1977 film directed by Harold Prince
Screenplay by Ingmar Bergman
Cast: Elizabeth Taylor, Len Cariou, Diana Rigg, Hermoine Gingold, Lesley-Anne Down, Christopher Guard, Laurence Gittard
With the complexities of the score and the difficulties of Sondheim's music in general, I'm surprised so many non-singers were cast in this film--Diana Rigg and Elizabeth Taylor in particular. Hermoine Gingold, Len Cariou and Laurence Gittard are hold-overs from the Broadway debut from three years before the film.
"You Must Meet My Wife" must be one of the funniest songs of all time, and although Ms. Taylor plays it a bit too on the surface, it still works. Lesley-Anne Down is young enough and pretty enough, to make Anne's naivety work. Diana Rigg does well with characterization, but not with the music. Actually there isn't much of the singing that I really like, even Len Cariou.
There was a television version of this musical done in 1990. Is it available to rent?
A Little Night Music
Music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Book by Hugh Wheeler
1977 film directed by Harold Prince
Screenplay by Ingmar Bergman
Cast: Elizabeth Taylor, Len Cariou, Diana Rigg, Hermoine Gingold, Lesley-Anne Down, Christopher Guard, Laurence Gittard
No comments:
Post a Comment