Waddingham to star in 'Night Music'

Actress to play Desiree in Nunn's revival Thesp Hannah Waddingham, who has played the Lady of the Lake in "Monty Python's Spamalot" in London and on Broadway, will play Desiree in Trevor Nunn's upcoming Menier Chocolate Factory revival of "A Little Night Music." The production plays Nov. 22 to Mar. 8 with a Dec. 3 opening. Nunn's casting of 34-year-old Waddingham denotes a shift in emphasis for the Stephen Sondheim/Hugh Wheeler tuner. Glynis Johns was 49 when she created the role on Broadway in 1973 while Judi Dench was 60 when she played it in London's last revival at the National Theatre in 1995. The casting is closer to that of Ingmar Bergman's film "Smiles of a Summer Night," on which the tuner is based. Waddingham is... [read full story]