You have two more chances to catch the excellent Sondheim musical, A Little Night Music, with shows Friday and Saturday night in Huntington - and I have one last interview with the cast to share.
Let’s hear from the incredibly talented Mike Naglee, who (like his on-stage-in-this-show-wife Nora Ankrom, interviewed here) plays a character completely different from his real persona. Here’s he’s an evil, conniving cheater - where in real life he’s a heck of a great guy.
Here’s Mike:
Q: Tell us about the musical A Little Night Music.
Mike: At the turn of the 20th century, beautiful actress Desiree Armfeldt has two lovers. Hijinks ensue when both of those lovers simultaneously turn up at her family's estate for the weekend, with their wives and son in tow.
Q: What part do you play?
Mike: I play the boorish and insanely jealous Count Carl-Magnus Malcolm, one of Desiree's lovers. I've packed "everything I own that shoots" for my weekend in the country, and plan to dispose of my competition - by any means necessary.
Q: What's your background in theatre?
Mike: I graduated from MU's theatre program in 2003 and have been very active in Huntington's community theatre scene. I've been a member of the ARTS Resident Company since its inception in 2013.
Q: What's your favorite song in the show?
Mike: “A Weekend in the Country” is glorious, and the dinner scene is awkward in all the best ways.
Q: What's been the most challenging thing about the show?
Mike: Learning a Sondheim show in four weeks has definitely been difficult but, personally, my biggest challenge has been my character. His vocal range is a good bit lower than my usual fare, and it's been a nice tightrope walk to try to make him as thoroughly unpleasant as he needs to be without turning him into a parody.
Q: What makes this show so much fun?
Mike: Maybe it's the Downton Abbey withdrawal talking, but I love the time period. The music is technically complex, but fun to listen to. The characters are delightfully flawed, gorgeously costumed, and up to their necks in intrigue. The situations are comically tragic, the relationships ridiculously complex, and the resolution satisfyingly simple. It's a grand display of high society reduced into a little night music.
Thanks, Mike!
ARTS presents A Little Night Music by Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler at the Renaissance Theatre at 900 8th Street on Friday and Saturday, March 18 and 19 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15 for the show only, and $30 for dinner and the show. Call for reservation 304-733-2787.
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