Photo Flash: Irving, Phillips & Raines Begin A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC in St. Louis

Renowned actresses Amy Irving and Sian Phillips are appearing as the beautiful Desiree Armfeldt and Madame Armfeldt, her mother, with acclaimed baritone Ron Raines as Desiree's former lover, in Opera Theatre's new production of A Little Night Music directed and designed by Isaac Mizrahi. 

The production opened on Sunday, June 6 and continues for five more performances through June 17 as the third offering of the OTSL spring season.  Other casting, includes Christopher Herbert as Henrik Egerman, Amanda Squitieri as Anne Egerman, and Erin Holland as Charlotte Malcolm.

The St. Louis production marks Amy Irving's first appearance as Desiree, as well as designer Isaac Mizrahi's debut as a stage director.  Ms. Phillips has appeared previously as Madame Armfeldt, in the 1995 National Theatre production in London, for which she was nominated for an Olivier Award.  Mr. Raines has sung the role of Frederik Egerman previously with other opera companies and at Boston's Symphony Hall.

Highlights of actress Amy Irving's film career include Carrie, Yentl (for which she received an Oscar nomination), Crossing Delancey, and Deconstructing Harry; Broadway theater credits include The Coast of Utopia at Lincoln Center Theater, The Three Sisters at the Roundabout Theatre, and Heartbreak House at The Circle in the Square; off-Broadway credits include Ghosts at Classic Stage Company and The Road to Mecca at the Promenade Theater.  Sian Phillips was the villainess Livia in the acclaimed TV series I, Claudius, and Alec Guinness's unfaithful wife in the BBC's Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and Smiley's People; film credits include Becket (opposite Richard Burton and Peter O'Toole) and David Lynch's Dune.

Both actresses have had singing roles: Ms. Irving in films like Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Honeysuckle Rose, and Rumpelstiltskin; Ms. Phillips onstage in Pal Joey, Gigi, and her one-woman stage show, Marlene, a tribute to Marlene Dietrich on Broadway and in London's West End, where she also starred in Calendar Girls and appeared with Rufus Wainwright at the Old Vic. 

Ron Raines has been one of America's leading opera and musical theater performers since his early appearances at Opera Theatre Of Saint Louis, The Santa Fe Opera, and New York City Opera.  He has played leading roles in virtually every major American musical and operetta at well over thirty U.S. opera companies.  He was nominated for Emmy Awards in 2003, 2004, and 2006 as Alan Spaulding in The Guiding Light on CBS-TV.

In addition to A Little Night Music, Opera Theatre's spring season offers three other new productions: Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro, Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin, and the world premiere production of Peter Ash and Donald Sturrock's The Golden Ticket, based on Roald Dahl's beloved classic, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.  The season opens on Saturday, May 22 and continues for 28 performances through Sunday, June 27.

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Photos by Ken Howard