Published Friday, May 11, 2001, in the Contra Costa Newspapers A big cast shines in 'A Little Night Music' By Pat Craig TIMES STAFF WRITER Focusing, wisely, on the Sondheim score, California Theatre Arts, working on the small Crossroads Theatre stage, presents a compact but remarkably striking revival of "A Little Night Music." Playing on and below the small Boulevard Way stage, the company didn't skimp on the cast -- 16 performers, often playing all at once on the stage, fill the remodeled Walnut Creek auditorium with some stunning singing. Choreography is kept to a minimum due to the size constraints of the stage, but the company is well able to deliver the message of Sondheim's musicalization of the Ingmar Bergman film "Smiles of a Summer Night." The show is basically a romantic intrigue dealing with three couples -- well, actually two couples and a couple of singles who add some spice to the romantic equation (although things are pretty spicy to begin with). It all starts when Fredrik Egerman (John Edward Clark), a middle-aged man, and his young bride, Anne Egerman (Stacy Sanders), attend a play featuring Desiree Armfeldt (Mellene Bruen), a former flame of Fred's. All has been going well for the married couple, though they have not consummated their relationship despite nearly a year's marriage. But after the show and Fredrik's seemingly renewed interest in Desiree, things begin to change. Fredrik's son, Henrik (David Judson), only a bit older than his wife, takes an increasingly active interest in his stepmom. Henrik is a seminary student, and so is feeling some guilt over his newly discovered urges, but circumstances are rapidly changing. Fredrik renews his interest in the actress, much to the dismay of her current flame, Count Carl-Magnus Malcolm (Edward Hightower), a pompous man of the world who tells his wife, Countess Charlotte (Bettina Devin), about the triangle. Just to complicate things further, Desiree invites Fredrik and the family to spend the weekend at her country home. Anne, who has discovered her hubby's dalliance, accepts anyway, convinced that her youth and beauty will prevail against Desiree's age and skill. The count gets wind of all this and decides that he and his family will also come to the weekend in the country. And from there, the various super-heated pairings permute toward at least somewhat happily ever after. All of this confusion is bound by the Sondheim score, which includes the usual array of ironic and wonderfully brittle tunes, such as "You Must Meet My Wife," along with the classic "Send in the Clowns," which, in the context of the play, takes on its own irony. The singing is quite superb, with excellent voices in the leading roles and an ensemble, led by a group including Marissa DeClercq, Dick Kellogg, Jennifer Jarosz, Michael Vetrovec and Jennifer Lynn Schwarz, doing some beautiful work on a number of the songs. Director Scott Fryer has made the most of the intimate setting, using both the ensemble and principals effectively and giving the piece a close-up feeling. Doug Ham's representational set also makes effective use of the space and adds to the illusion of life racing by in elaborate Swedish mansions and estates.   --------------- Address of original story: http://www.contracostatimes.com/timeout/columnists/craig/stories/x11night_20010511.htm (c) 2001 Contra Costa Newspapers