South Bay Musical Theatre Announces Cast And Creative Team For A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC, January 27 – February 17

A half-century after its triumphant Broadway debut, South Bay Musical Theatre will present the timeless classic A Little Night Music, featuring haunting and humorous music by the late great Stephen Sondheim, with a book by Hugh Wheeler.

This enchanting musical, based on Ingmar Bergman's film Smiles of a Summer Night, promises to captivate Silicon Valley audiences with its sophisticated humor, rich storytelling, and a complex score set entirely in variations of waltz time.

When A Little Night Music first graced Broadway in 1973, it received critical acclaim and took home an impressive six Tony Awards out of a dozen nominations. In addition to the top prize of "Best Musical," the show won "Best Book" by Hugh Wheeler, "Best Costuming" by Florence Klotz, and "Best Score" by Sondheim, completing a three-years-in-a-row hat trick that began with his wins in 1971 and 1972 for Company and Follies, respectively.

"A Little Night Music may be my favorite piece of musical theatre," says SBMT's Artistic Director Walter M. Mayes, who is heading up this 50th anniversary revival. "I first did it in college in 1981, and I have had a life-long love affair with it." Mayes isn't the only one who feels that way. One hundred thirty local actors auditioned for parts in the show, and Mayes says he could have easily cast it twice from that pool of impressive talent.

"It's beyond my wildest dreams," he continued. "Although this show has lots of moments of frivolity and beautiful, waltz-inspired music, its true power is its ability to understand the human heart."

Set in 1908 Sweden, A Little Night Music explores the tangled web of affairs centered around the actress Désirée Armfeldt and the men who love her: the lawyer Fredrik Egerman and Count Carl-Magnus Malcolm. The estranged lovers' passion rekindles when the traveling actress performs in Fredrik's town. This strikes a flurry of jealousy and suspicion between Désirée; Fredrik; Fredrik's wife, Anne; Désirée's current lover, the Count; and the Count's wife, Charlotte. Both men-as well as their jealous wives-join Désirée and her family for a weekend in the country at Désirée's mother's estate. With everyone in one place, infinite possibilities of new romances and second chances bring endless surprises.

SBMT has assembled a stellar lineup of local talent to breathe life into the show's iconic characters. Jennifer Cuevas (who co-directed the company's fall production of Rent) plays Désirée, while Michael Rhone plays her former lover, Fredrik. Judith Miller is featured as the aged former courtesan, Madame Armfeldt, while Julien Gussman (Anne), Ryan Liu (Henrik), Elle Levkovich (Fredrika), Dana Cordelia Morgan (Charlotte), Nick Mandracchia (Carl-Magnus), and Alea Selburn (Petra) portray a potpourri of intertwined characters in this adult-themed comedy.

Rounding out the cast of characters is a dynamic ensemble, many of whom are doubling or tripling as understudies on top of their primary roles. These actors include Kama Belloni, Elyse Cook, Athena Hart, Barbara Heninger, Lizzie Izyumin, Joey McDaniel, David Mister, Sasha Motalygo, Lucy Nino, Aishy Panwar, Paul Rose-Teter, Stephen Sammonds, Mariel Temesi, Mark Wong, and Qian Zhang.

Of course, a top-notch cast requires a top-notch production staff, and Mayes culled through his address book and called in some favors to recruit the "absolute best Bay Area leadership team" he could find. They include Ruiran Xun (Music Director), Francesca Cipponeri (Choreographer), Anita Hsiung Carey (Vocal Director), Nique Eagen (Assistant Director), Patti Reed (Supervising Production Manager), Karyn Morton (Production Manager), Chris Beer (Technical Director), Casey Keys (Stage Manager) and Quentin Tepliuk (Assistant Stage Manager).

The design staff-responsible for transporting us to 1900s Sweden-consists of Kathleen O'Brien (Costumes), Gwyneth Price Panos (Hair & Makeup), Sasha Motalygo (Assistant Hair and Makeup), Ed Hunter (Lighting), Brett Carlson (Sets), Elliott Orr (Sound), Jay Steele (Props), and Don Nguyen (Projections), along with the invaluable assistance of Richard Cartwright (Master Carpenter) and Peter Bullen (Sound Engineer).

One of the highlights of the musical is the hauntingly beautiful ballad "Send in the Clowns." Sondheim's most famous and beloved melody-and the only one of his acclaimed compositions to become a certified pop hit-this poignant song is a masterpiece in itself, exploring themes of regret and the passage of time. It has been recorded over 900 times by such renowned artists as Frank Sinatra, Judy Collins, and Barbra Streisand, and its inclusion in A Little Night Music adds a layer of emotional depth that resonates long after the final curtain falls.

Don't miss the chance to be part of this extraordinary celebration of Sondheim's genius. South Bay Musical Theatre's production of A Little Night Music will run from January 27 to February 17, 2024, at the Saratoga Civic Theater, 13777 Fruitvale Ave., Saratoga, CA. Tickets are available now at www.SouthBayMT.com or by contacting the box office at 408-266-4734.

This production of A Little Night Music is licensed by Music Theatre International.

South Bay Musical Theatre (SBMT) was founded in 1963 and is now in its 61st year of providing Noteworthy Entertainment to Bay Area audiences as a non-profit organization. For more information or to obtain tickets online, visit their website at www.SouthBayMT.com.

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