BCC drama triumphs

Written by: Ashley Ann
BCC’s drama department has always had a habit of putting on great shows, and the latest endeavor of Stephen Sondheim’s “A Little Night Music” was no exception. Performed in the Stop Gap theatre, the close quarters that the audience shares with the actors certainly adds a sense of intimacy to the venture. The play is based off the Swedish film “Smiles of a Summer Night,” directed by Ingmar Bergman, and was adapted by Sondheim 18 years after the film’s release in 1955, making its debut on Broadway in 1973. The musical has enjoyed much success over the past 35 years, with its most well-known song, “Send In the Clowns,” achieving massive popularity through the renditions of well-known singers such as Frank Sinatra. Sondheim’s musicals are meticulously crafted, from the witty dialogue to the intricate music, and BCC’s rendition of “A Little Night Music” was a joy to watch, with enough plot twists to keep blood pressure high and enough charisma and tenderness from the actors to keep the audience embroiled in their plots. At first, it is simply the tale of Fredrik Egerman (Justin Reeves), a middle-aged lawyer, and his young, ditzy wife Anne (Christina Marie), who is, eleven months into their marriage, still a virgin. However, the foreboding sense of future complications is already settling in when the audience realizes that Fredrik’s son, Henrik (Stefano Langone) is, coincidentally, just about Anne’s age and is living with them during the duration of the play, having come home from a seminary school for a break. To complete the household, there’s Petra (Cady Smola), the sultry maid, and she enjoys getting a rise out of the God-fearing Henrik almost as much as Anne does