SummerStar Theatre offers ‘A Little Night Music'

MIDDLETOWN — SummerStar Theatre at SUNY Orange will present “A Little Night Music” during six performances in June, reprising the Tony Award-winning musical featuring the compositions of Stephen Sondheim. Originally presented at the Shubert Theatre on Broadway in 1973, the play takes its story from Ingmar Bergman’s film “Smiles of a Summer Night” (1955). Although set in turn-of-the-century Sweden, Sondheim’s music explores some surprisingly contemporary themes. It contains what has become one of Sondheim’s best-known songs, “Send in the Clowns.” The score magnifies the tensions created when an assortment of mismatched lovers spend a weekend together in the country. The plot is filled with complicated twists and turns featuring a lawyer, his son, his young wife, an old flame, and a nobleman. Lawyer Fredrik Egerman has married a woman many years his junior. After six months of marriage, his wife remains a virgin. Frustrated, Egerman turns to an old flame, the actress Desiree Armfeldt. As chance would have it, Desiree is involved with an officer and nobleman, Count Carl-Magnus Malcolm, whose wife happens to be a friend of Egerman’s young wife. Complicating matters, Egerman’s young son from a previous marriage, Henrik, is enamored of his father’s new wife. Henrik’s problems are heightened by the fact that he is a student in a Lutheran seminary and is having a difficult time reconciling his sexual desires with his faith. Things come to a head when Desiree invites everyone to a weekend outing. Chaos and merriment, tears and recriminations, duels and seductions ensue. Friday and Saturday performances will be held at 8 p.m., June 8 to 9 and 15 to 16, with Sunday shows at 3 p.m. on June 10 and 17. All performances will be in the Orange Hall Theatre, located in Orange Hall on the college’s Middletown campus. Now in its eighth season, SummerStar presents Broadway and off-Broadway plays with community members in all facets of production. Max Schaefer is the director, Kevin Scott is musical director, Nancy DeMilio Scott is vocal director, Jill Carroll is choreographer, and costume designer is Susan Watson, scene designer is Peter Galipeau. Tickets are $20 for general admission; $15 for senior citizens, faculty, staff and alumni; and $12 for students. Active-duty military personnel will be admitted free. Group rates are available. Call 343-4789 for more information or reservations. For more information about SummerStar Theatre, call 341-4790 or visit www.summerstartheatre.org.