Magnificent acting, glorious singing in A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC @ FPAC
Reviewed by Linda Eisenstein
WHY YOU SHOULD GO: You aren’t likely to see a better-acted version of Stephen Sondheim’s musical theater masterpiece than Fred Sternfeld’s Fairmount Performing Arts Center (FPAC) production. Sternfeld says he had his actors work on the songs as though they were monologues, and the depth shows. Tracee Patterson’s brilliant “Send In the Clowns” is incredibly moving, as is Katherine DeBoer’s “Every Day A Little Death.”
LOCAL SUPERSTARS: The indomitably regal Dorothy Silver makes you believe she has numbered kings and counts among her conquests. Tracee Patterson has the charisma, charm, and beauty to be credible as the famous actress Desiree, along with sharing impeccable comic timing with Oberlin College professor Matthew Wright, who plays her middle-aged swain.
ONLY IN CLEVELAND: The opera trained voices among the “backup” Quintet make their music incredibly lush, starting with former Broadway actor/singer William Clarence Marshall III – each of the 5 is strong enough to be a headliner.
NEW VENUE: FPAC is using the comfortable auditorium in the Mayfield Village Civic building, a former church just off I-271 @ Wilson Mills & SOM Center.
FPAC site for tix: http://FairmountCenter.org.
From Cool Cleveland correspondent Linda Eisenstein, lindaeisensteinATyahoo.com.