'A Little Night Music' lavishly revived in NYC

NEW YORK -- You could almost forget that Stephen Sondheim had a hand in "A Little Night Music," which is receiving a handsome revival at New York City Opera.\nAlmost -- but thankfully, not quite.\nWhat sets the show apart from the composer's other work is its accessibility. Neither its score nor its book (by Hugh Wheeler) push the envelope quite as hard as shows like "Company" or "Merrily We Roll Along," in which Sondheim was reaching to do no less than redefine the scope and structure of the Broadway musical.\nThe plot is linear, the characters not intellectual -- "Night Music" even has a happy, unambiguous ending.\nBut as City Opera's production makes clear, "Night Music" is still very much the work of America's greatest living composer-lyricist. Familiar themes surface in the lyrics: the difficulty of marriage, the fleetingness of youth. And who else could craft such glorious tongue-twisters as "It's a very short road/From the pinch and the punch/To the paunch and the pouch and the pension"? That's from "The Miller's Son," a darkly comic seize-the-day number.\nAbove all, there are Sondheim's transcendent melodies, thorny and idiosyncratic as ever. He composed all the show's music in three-quarter waltz time, to fit the high-society partying that makes up most of the plot.\nThe story follows three men and three women as they work their way through various romantic permutations -- both with each other and with their servants. Wheeler's book is literate and funny, matching the wit of Sondheim's lyrics at every turn.\nShort of a Broadway revival, City Opera's production (first seen in 1992) is as fully realized a version as you're likely to see. The acting and singing, by a starry cast that includes Claire Bloom and Jeremy Irons, range from average to superb. The sets and costumes -- by Michael Anania and Lindsay W. Davis, respectively -- colorfully evoke Sweden in the early 20th century.\nAnd the City Opera orchestra, conducted by Sondheim veteran Paul Gemignani, is larger and probably better than any ensemble you'd come across on Broadway. To hear the score receive such royal treatment is reason enough to see this production.\nIt's a pity, then, that the gargantuan New York State Theater nearly swallows the show. This is a house meant for iron lungs and scores of singers. The intimate "Night Music," which doesn't even have a full chorus, clearly belongs on a smaller stage.\nCast members with operatic voices, such as Marc Kudisch, contend fairly well with the cavernous space. Others, in their pursuit of audibility, sacrifice coherence. For example, Kristin Huxhold and Jessica Boevers -- both delightful actresses with fine voices -- resort to screaming during their musical numbers, turning some of Sondheim's intricate lyrics into mush.\nAs for the rest of the cast, their singing ability is inversely proportionate to their fame. Neither Bloom nor Irons, for example, can carry much of a tune. That's not a problem for Bloom, whose one number, "Liaisons," sounds fine half-spoken. But Irons has to sing often, so his shortcomings are more noticeable.\nStill, both stars' acting is so deft that you forgive their lack of musical talent. They are perfectly cast in their roles -- a dapper fop in Irons' case, a curmudgeonly but whip-smart grandmother in Bloom's.\nEven more impressive is the British actress Juliet Stevenson, in the central role of the actress-courtesan Desiree. She's a terrifically magnetic presence -- funny, sexy and charismatic.