Yesterday’s blog blacked out as I was discussing A Little Night Music; so did I. It wasn’t a discussion, really, more of a memoir. (Everything I do seems to bring up a memoir these days.)

Where was I? ...picking up from yesterday when I was so rudely cut off...yes, A Little Night Music is an operetta. I cut my teeth on operettas. My father loved them. He bought seats so close to the stage (in the old Playhouse theatre in Winnipeg) that I had to move my knees to allow room for the violinist’s bow. Romberg, Friml, Franz Lehar, and Victor…who I thought wrote Teddy Bear’s picnic (I can hum it and it starts like this:

"If you go down in the woods today, you're sure of a big surprise / If you go down in the woods today, you'd better go in disguise / For every bear that ever there was will gather there for certain / Because today's the day the teddy bears have their picnic…”

But that was John Walter Bratton (January 21, 1867 – February 7, 1947), an American Tin Pan Alley composer and theatrical producer who became popular during the era known as the Gay Nineties. (Wikipedia)

Oh, yes, and Victor’s name was Herbert, a prolific American (born in Ireland, raised in Germany, 1859-1924). Does anyone remember “Naughty Marietta”?

Who wrote “Desert Song”? Oh, that was Sigmund Romberg.

Does anyone remember Nelson Eddy (“Alone”), or Jeanette McDonald? (“Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life”) who, I just discovered when I looked them up, had a long-term secret love affair The media were more discreet in those days.

Then there were Kathryn Grayson and Howard Keele, later stars of Hollywood musicals. sigh. MGM, as I remember, was the big studio specialising in them.

Ah well, times change.

I’m still thinking about A Little Night Music. Sondheim has graduated to the Vancouver Opera Company with a recent production of Pacific Overtures, and now this one at the Stratford Festival. Graduated isn’t the right word. But he has moved on to posterity and to a permanent place in your memory and mine. Listen to him. Read the lyrics.

Brilliant. (aka Wow)

blog yesterday blog tomorrow but never blog today

So here's yesterday's blog…before today is gone, too.

I went to Stratford again, and saw A Little Night Music, the only musical by Stephen Sondheim with a song that had a shelf life of its own: “Send in the Clowns” is his most performed and recorded song (400 to 600 recordings, depending on what list you look at). The role of Frederik Egerman was first played by Len Cariou, claimed in the program as a Stratford alumnus. He was, indeed, and an alumnus of mine, too. He had a role in the first adult play I had produced - on the stage of the Manitoba Theatre Centre (now Royal) - my adaptation of Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People (March 1963 - lo how the years pass!) When Bill and I saw Len play in New Y irk, we took him out for supper after the show and understood how he could manage to look so lean, handsome and virile in long johns; he ate oysters only and drank one Scotch. I thought of him when I saw Ben Carlson playing Egerman in the Stratford production in that union suit - not nearly as sexy as Len was. But I digress. The show was delightful. Sondheim is delightful. People still don’t entirely realise what he is doing. His lyrics are as witty as his music and reward close attention. I asked a woman at the end of my aisle as we were leaving if she enjoyed the show.

“Oh, yes,” she said, "It had a happy ending.”

It’s an operetta, after all.