Word: chorused
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...more ordinary. Rigg is wonderful in quiet moments but awkward in striving for the unchained melodrama that Zoe Caldwell achieved in a 1982 revival. The balance of the cast, also from London, is workmanlike, save for Nuala Willis, whose keening songs redeem that most archaic of theatrical ploys, the chorus. The set, a vast wall of rusted metal panels that bang like thunder and tumble away at key moments, is effective but excessive, a tacit confession of shaky faith in the power of the play's words. That doubt is foolish. Medea is the greatest role ever written...
...example, the chorus of fairies does not appear convincingly attentive to the Fairy Queen. Perhaps they are thinking about that handsome woodland sprite they just met the other day, or are preoccupied by an itch on one or their wings. When they do make faces of exaggerated wonder, these changes of expression lack fluency. As a result, the fairies, supposedly spontaneous and playful, instead appear a bit stiff and their gestures somewhat perfunctory...
...fairies revive themselves nicely for the singing and dancing. The chorus of lords too, seem to be enjoying themselves more while striding around, despite their expressions of aristocratic displeasure. The chorus voices support each other and blend well, bringing out the harmonies and comic flourishes in Sullivan's score...
There are unquestionably many limitations inherent in musicals. They come off as the performance art of drama; legitimately disrespected because of their artistic fluff, but persistently attempted because they are fun to perform. A little Night Music looks like fun for the chorus who ham up a good farce, but mysteriously the main singers play unconvincingly with dramatic pathos to convey the piece's darker strains. The musical struggles between glib and somber moods, the latter superfluous and unsuited to this piece, creating stylistic tension that director Carolyn Rendell never succeeds in reconciling...
Singing, instead of speaking, about emotions and situations actually better conveyed the intended mood of this piece. The consistently frivolous chorus, played with great flamboyance, brings the lighter mood back into play. Everyone succeeds in putting great fun into the flouncy pop score by Stephen Sondheim. His lyrics and expression are what the hardcore thespian would disparagingly lable witty; they nevertheless succeed in drawing the players up from their dramatic doldrums. But while de Lima and Upton stand out with rich, impressive voices, several other performances are inconsistent with their standard, preventing the music from carrying the production...