A stellar company of Broadway actors — led by Tony and Olivier Award winner Patti LuPone — will headline a concert version of A Little Night Music at the Ravinia Festival from Aug. 22 to Aug. 24.
LuPone, who recently left the Broadway revival of Noises Off, will star as Desirée Armfeldt in the Stephen Sondheim musical; the role will allow LuPone to perform what is, perhaps, Sondheim's best-known song, "Send in the Clowns."
LuPone will be joined by George Hearn, a Tony winner for his work in La Cage aux Folles, who will portray Fredrik Egerman; and Zoe Caldwell, who was last on Broadway as Maria Callas in Terrence McNally's Master Class (LuPone eventually succeeded her in the Tony-winning drama) will play Madame Armfeldt. The cast also boasts Thoroughly Modern Millie's Marc Kudisch as Count Carl-Magnus Malcolm, former Capeman star Sara Ramirez as Petra, John McVeigh as Henrik Egerman, Hollis Resnik as Countess Charlotte Malcolm and Johanna McKenzie Miller as Anne Egerman.
The Stephen Sondheim work, which nabbed the 1973 Tony Award for Best Musical, is part of the annual Ravinia Festival at the acclaimed Illinois theatre and continues the Festival's five-year salute to the legendary composer. The production, which will be helmed by A Class Act's Lonny Price, will play Aug. 22, 23 and 24 at 8 PM. Grant Gershon will conduct the orchestra. A pre-concert discussion with Welz Kauffman, Hollis Resnik, Johanna McKenzie Miller and George Hearn will be held on Aug. 22 from 7 to 7:30 PM at the Martin Theatre.
A Little Night Music originally opened at Broadway's Shubert Theatre on Feb. 25, 1973, with a cast that included Glynis Johns as Desiree, Len Cariou as Fredrik, Hermione Gingold as Madame Armfeldt and Laurence Guittard as Count Carl-Magnus Malcolm. The Sondheim score features such tunes as "Send in the Clowns," "Every Day a Little Death," "The Miller's Son" and "A Weekend in the Country." A production of Night Music starring Blair Brown, Randy Graff and Barbara Bryne is currently playing the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts through Aug. 25. The Hugh Wheeler-Sondheim musical will play the Ravinia Festival's 3,300 seat Pavilion Theatre, which is located in Highland Park, IL. Tickets range from $10 (lawn seats) to $75 and may be purchased by calling the theatre's box office at (847) 266-5100. For more information, go to www.ravinia.org.
