Connecticut. DC. And now Massachusetts. These are the places we’ve gone to see Kate Baldwin in shows. The most recent was our trip to Pittsfield, MA to see A Little Night Music in the Berkshires. We brought along our friends Robbie and Alex and had a musical theatre sing-along all the way (some CD selections: Side Show, Legally Blonde, Andrea McArdle: On Broadway). We chose to make the trip in one day. It’s a beautiful and pretty easy drive through the Hudson Valley from New York to Pittsfield. If you have a chance, you should definitely head out there and maybe make a weekend of it! Pittsfield is a cute little town with old buildings, coffee shops, and a lot of theatres.
This production of A Little Night Music is presented by The Berkshire Theatre Group. We saw the most recent Broadway revival (both casts). Emily barely remembered it, and Patty remembered it being slow and long. This production, however, was much lighter and moved quickly. Kate (serving Mother-in-Ragtime Realness) was both hilarious and heartbreaking as Charlotte. A feat made more impressive given she had to play against her talented husband Graham Rowat, here playing the awful rogue Count. The rest of the cast was fantastic, especially Matt Dengler as Henrick and the great Penny Fuller as Madam Armfeldt. Her last scene was beautiful and highlighted the great direction of Ethan Heard. Night Music may not be our favorite Steven Sondhiem show, but it has a beautiful score, and we would travel pretty much anywhere to hear Kate Baldwin sing it.
A Little Night Music only runs through July 19th, so get your tickets now! It’s a great reason to get out of the city, breathe in some mountain air, and watch some fantastic musical theatre. If you can’t make it out, check out all the other shows The Berkshire Theatre Group is producing, including a children’s production of Suessical. We just may have another mountain road trip in our future. For tickets and information, visit www.berkshiretheatregroup.org.