DAWN ZULUETA IN A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC

ATLANTIS PRODUCTIONS and director Bobby Garcia never disappoint. Their version of “A Little Night Music”, the award-winning Stephen Sondheim musical based on Ingmar Bergman’s classic film on love and second chances, “Smiles of a Summer Night”, is one of the best local adaptations of a Broadway musical we’ve seen. The whole cast delivers superb ensemble acting but Dawn Zulueta singing the play’s most famous song, “Send in the Clowns”, is a truly magical moment in theatre. She’s even better than Elizabeth Taylor in the film version of this musical. Talent manager Girlie Rodis says she’s also better than Catherine Zeta Jones in the Broadway version, which you can watch on youtube. No wonder she got a standing ovation. Dawn scored two triumphs this year, as she’s also magnificent as a mom searching for a missing daughter in Joel Lamangan’s “Sigwa”.

Dawn is Desiree Armfeldt, a stage actress who once had a liaison with lawyer Frederik Egerman, who’s now married to an 18-year old trophy wife, Anne, and doesn’t know that he has a daughter with Desiree, the 13-year old Frederika, who’s with Desiree’s mom, Madame Armfeldt. Frederik’s seminarian son, Henrik, is secretly in love with his stepmom. They all meet in the Armfeldt country home one weekend, along with Desiree’s new lover, Count Carl Magnus and his long suffering wife, Charlotte, plus the servants Petra and Frid. At the end of a romantic night in the Swedish summer’s perpetual twilight, all’s well that ends well with everyone getting his right partner.

Like we said, everyone in the cast shone: Nonie Buencamino as Frederik, Cris Villonco as Anne (such a delightful gem), Felix Rivera as Henrik, Jay Valencia Glorioso as Madame Armfeldt, Crystal Paras as Frederika, Jake Macapagal as Carl Magnus, Jenny Jamora as Charlotte, Alys Serdenia as Petra, Gabriel Santos as Frid and the five performers who expertly play the chorus that holds the musical together. By all means, see it and you won’t regret it. It’ll be on its last weekend so don’t miss it.

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