New York City Opera Playbill

by Eric Myers

Marc Kudisch, who plays the role of the pompous, pathetic Carl-Magnus in this production, is one cast member who straddles the worlds of the opera house and the Broadway stage. He's made his mark as a leading man in such as Thoroughly Modern Millie, Bells Are Ringing, and High Society, but he is a classically-trained baritone who has not ruled out the possibility of taking on operatic repertoire in the future. "One of the reasons I love this part," he explains, "is that there are not many roles that are written this way any more. Sondheim is really the last bastion for baritones. He writes so well for that kind of voice and there's such joy for me in being able to sing this way. You hit that F at the end and hold it forever, and any well-trained baritone is going to really get off on that. Baritones usually can take a time-share up there, but it's not where we live."

It's not at all surprising that Kudisch's regular warm-up piece is Carl-Magnus's "In Praise of Women." "It sits in a nice, meaty, rich place in the voice," says Kudisch. "And what's great about that aria is that it goes from having a certain mercato to a real lyricism, and then back again, which is really nice. For me, it's that character's idea of romanticism. No one else's, of course!"

In Kudisch's estimate, A Little Night Music is an American opera. "Sondheim may not agree with me on that," he says, "but it is! Even in Sunday in the Park with George there are moments that are incredibly operatic. That's also why Sweeney is being done so successfully by opera companies. Although it has spoken dialogue, it's still not an operetta because it is not light fare."

Taken from a longer article on the new production of A Little Night Music.

Back to the Main Page