American Theater Group Presents “A Little Night Music” Post-Performance Talk Back

(RAHWAY, NJ) — American Theater Group, a professional theater company in Central New Jersey, will present a talk back session following the Thursday, March 14, 2024 at 7:00pm performance of Stephen Sondheim’s A Little Night Music at Hamilton Stage in Rahway. Members of the cast and creative team will participate in the Q & A session, and all are welcome to attend. The cast is led by Two-time Tony Award-Nominee Kate Baldwin as Desiree Armfeldt, Graham Rowat as Fredrik Egerman (B’way: Dear Evan Hansen, Guys & Dolls) and American Idol Finalist Alyssa Wray as Petra.

The production runs March 7-10 at the Sieminski Theater in Basking Ridge and March 14-24 at Hamilton Stage in Rahway.  Rahway residents are invited to attend the Thursday, March 14th and March 21st performances for a special ticket price of $30. Those tickets can be reserved by calling the box office at 732-499-8226 or purchased at the door.

“We are thrilled to be back at the beautiful Hamilton Stage, where we first performed in 2012, and are pleased to offer this talk back session to help engage and enlighten the local community,” noted ATG’s Producing Artistic Director Jim Vagias.

A Little Night Music, with a score by Sondheim and a book by Hugh Wheeler, was awarded six 1973 Tony Awards including Best Musical and Best Original Score.  Based on Ingmar Bergman’s comedy of manners, Smiles of a Summer Night, it explores the tangled web of hidden (and not-so-hidden) affairs, desires and deceits and features one of Sondheim’s most cherished songs, Send in The Clowns.

Kate Baldwin starred as Irene Molloy opposite Bette Midler in the hit Broadway revival of Hello, Dolly!, for which she was nominated for the Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critic’s Circle awards. She originated the role of Sandra Bloom in Big Fish on Broadway and starred in Finian’s Rainbow, which drew Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critic’s Circle Award nominations.

The accomplished cast also includes Ruth Gottschall (B’way: Mary Poppins, The Music Man) as Madame Armfeldt; Benjamin H. Moore (B’way: Harmony) as Carl-Magnus; Jack Dossett (Parade/ATG) as Henrik; Abby Middleton (Parade/ATG) as Charlotte; RJ Christian (Parade/ATG) as Frid, Tara Rajan (The Sound of Music/Papermill Playhouse) as Fredrika and Lillie Langston as Anne.

Broadway veteran Hunter Foster who directed ATG’s highly successful 2023 production of Parade also directs A Little Night Music. Foster, an actor, writer and director, was named the 2018 “Director of the Year” by the Wall Street Journal for his productions of 42nd Street at the Bucks County Playhouse, and The Drowsy Chaperone at the Goodspeed Opera House. He directed The Other Josh Cohen Off-Broadway and has directed at regional theaters across the US. As an actor, his many Broadway credits include Little Shop of Horrors (Tony Nomination), Urinetown, The Producers, The Bridges of Madison County, Million Dollar Quartet, Les Miserables and Grease.

Performances at Hamilton Stage are at 7:00pm on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings and 2pm on Sundays. Tickets are available for purchase online or through the box office by calling 732-499-8226.  Hamilton Stage is located at 360 Hamilton Street in Rahway and is independently operated under the governance of Union County Performing Arts Center. The 199-seat theater was recently re-opened following a complete renovation.

A Little Night Music is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI.

American Theater Group (ATG) produces new and classic works primarily by American playwrights with an emphasis on the development of new works and the rediscovery of undeservedly neglected older ones. It also provides quality arts-in-education initiatives, including its annual DramaFest for students and its PlayLab program for BIPOC and queer playwrights. ATG programming is made possible in part by an American Rescue Plan Act grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to support general operating expenses in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Made possible by the Somerset County Cultural & Heritage Commission, a partner of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.