A Littler Night Music

I had a fabulous trip this Tuesday to Tanglewood with friends I hadn't seen in awhile. The evening was beautiful, though it smiled only twice. The occasion? The Boston Pops Concert production of A Little Night Music with Christine Ebersole, Ron Raines and Mary Louise Wilson Bobbie Steinbach. Steinbach stepped in for Wilson, who apparently had scheduling conflicts the day before the Boston performance. (So much for the Grey Gardens gimmick.

The score remains among Sondheim's best and was extraordinarily well performed by the Pops orchestra. The book was nicely edited to capture the sting and humor. So, it felt like Night Music should feel. The staging was largely non-existent. The members of the quintet would bring a chair to center stage when necessary and a chaise was used a couple of times for Desiree. So, the effectiveness of the piece rested largely on the shoulders of the cast, and they were up to the challenge of performing Night Music in the shed at Tanglewood...mostly.

A word on Ebersole in a moment. Ron Raines was a terrific Frederick. He was vocally crisp and his acting was strong. Steinbach was also exceptional, and the circumstances of her appearance endeared her to the audience. Her history with Madame Armfeldt also allowed her to be the only person off book the entire evening. The rest of the company came largely from the Tanglewood company and represented the pops well. Katherine Growden (Charlotte) and Rebecca Jo Loeb (Petra) were particular standouts, but there wasn't a weak link in the bunch.

And what of Ms. Ebersole? If I'm to be totally honest, I can only say mixed. I must admit I had high expectation. I am a huge fan, and I thought the casting was perfect. (My drive was far longer than the performance.) I think her first act was shaky and somewhat unfortunate. Everyone in the cast was off-book for the musical numbers and relied on the scripts for the book scenes to varying degrees. Ebersole needed the script throughout, even for the lyrics. This was hugely problematic for "You Must Meet My Wife," and the overall effect was that she was less prepared than her colleagues on stage. Things improved in the second act, and she ended the show with perhaps the most profound "Send in the Clowns" I've ever heard. It was breathtaking. All could be forgiven/ The audience was riveted, the applause thunderous and well deserved. The last 15 minutes of the show were as perfect as any performance of "A Little Night Music" I have ever seen.

Keith Lockhart conducted the Pops to a thrilling conclusion. He made a great argument for the timelessness of the piece and for bringing musical theater to the canon of pops orchestras.