RON RAINES & LESLIE UGGAMS STAR IN
A Little Night Music
November 14-22, 2009
At the Detroit Opera House

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DETROIT, Michigan, October 14, 2009... Stephen Sondheim’s Tony Award-winning musical A Little Night Music returns to Michigan Opera Theatre for the first time in over 25 years, starring Emmy Award nominated vocalist and Guiding Light actor Ron Raines and Tony and Emmy Award-winning Broadway star Leslie Uggams. The Broadway musical will be presented in five performances at the Detroit Opera House November 14-22, 2009.

The appeal of A Little Night Music is continual. This Broadway blockbuster won six Tony Awards and six Drama Desk Awards during its opening season and features the hit ballad “Send in the Clowns.” Since its award-winning opening in 1973, it has gone on to be revived repeatedly throughout the U.S, the U.K., and on tour. In 1978 a film version was produced by New World Pictures starring Elizabeth Taylor. Notably, the musical will be revived again on Broadway in November 2009.

Starring in the role of Desiree Armfeldt is Leslie Uggams, making her MOT debut. Best known for her portrayal of “Kizzy” in the Alex Haley TV series Roots, the Tony and Emmy Award-winning actress and singer has captivated stage, screen, and television audiences since her debut at age six. She won recent critical acclaim for her performances as Lena Horne in Stormy Weather in Pasadena, California. Ron Raines, cast as Fredrik Egerman, is well known to theater audiences around the country as one of America’s leading musical theater performers, most recently starring on Broadway as Billy Flynn in Chicago. He made his MOT debut in 1976 in the world premiere of Washington Square and last appeared with MOT for the gala opening of the Detroit Opera House in 1996. Raines joined the cast of the popular CBS-TV daytime series Guiding Light in 1994 and for his work on the show, was nominated for an Emmy Award in 2003, 2004 and 2006.

Rounding out the cast in a series of MOT debuts are Edward Watts playing Count Carl Magnus Malcolm, who has performed leading roles in Phantom, Sound of Music, Annie Get Your Gun, Beauty and the Beast, Guys and Dolls, The Music Man and Camelot. Broadway veteran Lisa Vroman will play the role of Charlotte Malcolm, after having appeared in many well-known Broadway roles, including Christine Daaé in The Phantom of the Opera, Marian in The Music Man, and Johanna in Sweeney Todd.

Appearing in the role of Madame Armfeldt is Bobbie Steinbach, known throughout the country for her extensive work in theater and for winning the Elliot Norton Award (Boston’s version of the Tony Awards) for Outstanding Actress. MOT Assistant Music Director Suzanne Mallare Acton will conduct and Dona Vaughn, who last directed The Abduction from the Seraglio at MOT in 2007, will stage the production.

Set in early twentieth century Sweden, the plot revolves around successful lawyer Fredrik Egerman, who is in an unconsummated marriage with his teenage wife, Anne. Feeling a bit edgy, he rekindles an affair with an old flame, actress Desiree Armfeldt, who herself is having an affair with married military officer Count Carl Magnus Malcolm. Complicating matters is Fredrik’s teenage son, Henrik, who is in love with his young stepmother. The play culminates in a weekend at a country estate where, despite an attempted suicide and a duel, love triumphs.

TICKETS for Michigan Opera Theatre’s production of A Little Night Music at the magnificent Detroit Opera House range from $29-$121. Tickets for the performances are available at the Detroit Opera House ticket office (1526 Broadway, Detroit, 48226), by phone at (313) 237-SING (7464) and online at www.MichiganOpera.org. Tickets are also available at all TicketMaster outlets, by phone at (248) 645-6666 or online at www.TicketMaster.com.

Contact

Rebekah Johnson
(313) 237-3403
rjohnson@motopera.org

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