The Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler musical will be directed by TheatreZone’s founding artistic director, Mark Danni
Naples, FL (November 28, 2022) — TheatreZone kicks off 2023 with the six-time Tony Award- winning Stephen Sondheim musical A Little Night Music. The production opens on Thursday, January 12, 2023 at 7:30 p.m. and runs for two weeks.
“A Little Night Music is a musical celebration and lament of romance and regret, perfectly expressed in the song at the heart of the show, Sondheim’s haunting ‘Send in the Clowns’,” said TheatreZone’s founder and artistic director, Mark Danni.
With lyrics and music by Sondheim and book by Hugh Wheeler, A Little Night Music is based on Ingmar Bergman’s 1955 film, Smiles of a Summer Night. Set in early twentieth-century Sweden, the story depicts an evening of sexual musical chairs on the longest night of the year. The original production debuted on Broadway in 1973, ran for more than 600 performances and won the 1973 Tony Award for best musical. Sondheim won a record-setting fourth consecutive Tony Award in 1973 for the season’s best score.
A Little Night Music is the seventh Sondheim musical Mark Danni has directed at TheatreZone. The show will be choreographed by TheatreZone co-founder Karen Molar Danni, with music direction by Charles Fornara. Mark Danni conducted A Little Night Music at the Signature Theatre in Arlington, Va., in 1998.
The cast features Larry Alexander as the successful, widowed, middle-aged lawyer Fredrik Egerman, married to 18-year-old Anne who doesn’t want to press his sexual advances, but is growing restless. TheatreZone co-founder, “triple threat” singer/actress/dancer Karen Danni, will play the female lead Desireé Armfeldt — the most complicated person in the play.
“The character of Desiree lets an actress explore the mindset and feelings of a woman trying to grasp the fact that time is passing her by. Not only is she concerned about her career as she ages, but also about the choices she made in her personal life, her relationships, companionship, and love,” commented Karen Danni.
The production reunites actors Larry Alexander and Karen Danni for a seventh TheatreZone production. In A Little Night Music, they are paired as a couple who try to reignite a long-ago romance despite their current partnerships.
“There’s not another person in the world I’d rather work with on stage than Larry. He is so giving as an actor and is always open to new ideas and trying new things. It’s always a pleasure having him as my leading man,” said Karen Danni.
Longtime TheatreZone music director, Charles Fornara, will conduct an eight-piece orchestra featuring viola, piano, cello, clarinet, bassoon, flute, oboe, English horn, bass clarinet, piccolo, and alto flute.
TheatreZone’s 12 performances of A Little Night Music are staged at 7:30 p.m. on January 12-15 and 19-22, and at 2:00 p.m. on January 14-15 and 21-22.
Tickets range from $50 to $85, depending on choice of seat.
For tickets and information, visit www.Theatre.Zone or call the box office at 888-966-3352.
TheatreZone, celebrating its 18th season in 2022-2023, stages its musical productions in the 250-seat G&L Theatre conveniently located in Naples at 13275 Livingston Road, between Pine Ridge and Vanderbilt Beach Roads, in a dedicated building nestled within the campus of the Community School of Naples.
TheatreZone’s contract with the Actors’ Equity Association ensures access to the best actors, singers, dancers, musicians, and stage management professionals from throughout the country. The nonprofit, 501(c)(3) was established in 2005 by Mark Danni and Karen Molnar Danni, who have both enjoyed successful careers on Broadway and Off-Broadway.
TheatreZone is located at 13275 Livingston Road, Naples. For the lineup of shows and concerts and to book tickets, visit www.Theatre.Zone or call the box office at 888-966-3352, ext. 1.
