How appropriate for Act I to end with A Weekend in the Country for our weekend in the country. It's really extraordinary how Barrington Stage Company has grown and thrived over the last 28 years, making Pittsfield, MA a regional theater destination, so much so that we saw Norm Lewis in the audience! It wasn't sold out, but definitely a majority of the seats were occupied. The Boyd-Quinson stage was actually pretty large and the they got some big names in the cast. The 7-piece orchestra was admittedly a little thin. And I think it's not Sondheim's best music. I love the complex counterpoint but it's not especially melodic or hummable. Typical Sondheim, criticism, I know, but after Company and Into the Woods this year, this is definitely the inferior music. It is certainly more challenging to follow and appreciate than Into the Woods. Of course, there is the iconic Send in the Clowns and that scene was brilliantly acted by Emily Skinner. But other than that, I wasn't really into the other songs. The Miller's Son is good, I guess, but doesn't really fit there after Send in the Clowns, sung by a minor character. The opening is a dance, rather than a song, which was kind of surprising. When the chorus sings, it's pretty difficult to make out the lyrics. And of course, near impossible to catch all the lyrics in the counterpoint when they're singing over each other. But I don't doubt Sondheim's brilliance. The story is adapted from a Bergman film, a sex comedy recalling a Shakespearean comedy of shuffling partners. It works on stage and though it took a little while for the plot to get going, by the time we got to Act II with all the players in place, it was a good time.
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