Following their highly acclaimed production of Into the Woods, All Star Productions have returned to Ye Olde Rose and Crown Theatre with another of Sondheim’s creations, A Little Night Music. The show tells the tale of actress Desiree Armfeldt and the two men who love her: Fredrik Egerman and the Count Carl-Magnus Malcolm. The musical looks at marriage, desire, expectation, jealousy, façade and happiness.

Set in Sweden in 1900, recently married Anne and Fredrik Egerman go to the theatre for the evening. Whilst there, Fredrik is reunited with his past love Desiree. The lack of physical intimacy in his marriage teamed with the nostalgia of happy memories with Desiree leads to a sexual encounter between the pair. Upon discovering this, Desiree’s married lover Count Carl-Magnus Malcolm falls into a jealous rage and plots to end the affair between them. A weekend in a chateau in the country gathers together all parties, for what turns out to be a very drama-filled event.

I have to admit that the show is a slow starter, and does not hold attention well during the first few scenes. That being said, as the first act continues the energy of the piece increases with an exciting and high-spirited rendition of ‘A Weekend In The Country’ closing the first act. The singing is of a very high standard all round, and the company do not shy away from the difficult and often clashing harmony lines. As a company they produce a great sound and the four piece band is very skilled. The difficulty faced in a musical where many different overlapping harmony lines are teamed with fast-paced lyrics, is that often these lyrics are not clearly heard, meaning plotlines at times are difficult to follow. This could also be down to the use of no microphones, although in such an intimate space one feels it shouldn’t be necessary.

Sarah Waddell brings great maturity to her portrayal of Desiree Armfeldt, making her very easy to watch, but unfortunately her performance of ‘Send In The Clowns’ is a little disappointing. She does not quite manage to catch the feeling behind such a big number, a difficult task for a song performed so often and previously by some great musical theatre talents. Joshua Considine’s version of ‘Later’ is impressive as he accompanies himself on the double bass. A song sung by the young Henrik, it is full of anger and frustration as he tells how he is merely tolerated by those around him.

Yet ‘Every Day a Little Death’ is the highlight of the show, as are the two actresses that perform it. The dynamic between the girls playing Countess Charlotte Malcolm (Jamie Birkett) and Anne Egerman (Maria Coyne) creates many moments of both hilarity and emotion.

A Little Night Music is playing at Ye Olde Rose and Crown until 31 October. For more information and tickets, see the Ye Olde Rose and Crown website. Photo: David Ovenden.