Marriott Theatre’s “A Little Night Music”/Photo: Justin Barbin

RECOMMENDED

How refreshing to see Marriott Theatre make a return to Stephen Sondheim. Not shows such as “West Side Story” or “Gypsy,” where Sondheim is only the lyricist, but a work with both music and lyrics by Sondheim.

Based on the Ingmar Bergman film “Smiles of a Summer Night,” “A Little Night Music” is as unique as Sondheim works go. It is more of an operetta than a musical, with its constant use of triple meter and waltz-like rhythms. Its optimistic and dreamlike sonorities and unabashed use of melody and counterpoint delightfully contrast and serve to soften its often bitingly cynical lyrics into humorous irony.

The singing of this show is an important element and tends to be at its most effective with trained voices rather than show voices. This is a cast of show voices—but with the exception of a rocky first number of the show on the night after its opening, few are over-singing. Diction is discernible and all are superb singing actors. That some seem to be miscast did not detour them from giving their all—and no doubt in time, all will settle more comfortably into their characterizations.

This is a no-frills production with sparse sets and costumes, which works wonderfully, as this is an intimate show and it is only the relationships that matter. Finding the right tone for them is a challenge—and on that score, director Nick Bowling gets everything right.

A nine-piece orchestra of skilled players, often doubling instruments, gives the sparkling score its due.

Onstage at Marriott Theatre, 10 Marriott Drive, Lincolnshire through August 9. Tickets available at: marriotttheatre.com