Well done, Entertaining, Intelligent, Clever, Very ambitious
See it if You've never seen a production. This high-end community theatre version does the material justice, with an original visual twist; worth it.
Don't see it if You're more of a Sondheim stickler than Sondheim is; except for the weird director's choice to pantomime props, all is mostly well here.
Also Local sightings of Sondheim's Night Music are pretty rare & so it's a treat to find one not only financially accessible, but that stays true to the material. It’s a difficult, demanding & opulent score, and St Bart’s—in its 90th year the oldest community theatre in New York—manages to pull it off, even throwing in a visual Fosse-like twist with the Chorus that mostly works.
The company, for the most part comprised of amateurs in the purest sense, is a talented if mixed group, but handle the vocals. Taylor Vickers has a remarkably clear & strong soprano; Michael DeShields as Frederick is strong until the second act, where he hangs back; Heather Burgess is a wonderful, convincing presence onstage; Sarah Catherine Hook brings a lot of vocal punch & character to her Mrs. Nordstrom; Claire Hayner is striking in look & voice, stealing every scene she’s in with her layered Charlotte; & Merrill Vaughn’s Desirée is terrific, worldly & wise. It's a small & intimate Night, but go, support it.
RSS Feed