IT WAS THE BIG FINALE to Act I of A Little Night Music, and all eyes were on the Countess Charlotte Malcolm. She took the spotlight at center stage and filled the room with her rich contralto. Anne Egerman stood upstage, flitting through Stephen Sondheim's lyrics in her lilting soprano.
This kind of scene was playing out at summer-stock theaters all over the country, with one key difference: a few hours before curtain, when actors in Williamstown or Stockbridge might have been gargling salt water or doing their vocal warm-ups, these two had been in the dining room of Quisisana Resort, refilling the wine glasses of their soon-to-be audience members and being greeted with shouts of "Break a leg!"
Sondheim himself once wrote that "you gotta get a gimmick," and at Quisisana, which sits on the shore of Kezar Lake in western Maine, the schtick is this: the staffers serving you dinner and making your bed are not merely waiters and housekeepers but also the stars of a rotation of musicals, operas, and performances staged on the property throughout the week. The cast members are largely twentysomethings, many fresh from BFA or MFA programs, while others are Quisi veterans further into their careers. During my visit, in addition to A Little Night Music, they would be performing Dirty Rotten Scoundrels; Shrek The Musical; and Snapshots, a Stephen Schwartz musical revue, among others.
Esta historia es de la edición June 2023 de Travel+Leisure US.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición June 2023 de Travel+Leisure US.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
OUR PORTUGUESE ADVENTURE
Small plates in Lisbon, fancy soaps in Porto, sandcastles on the beaches of the Algarve... Jessamine Chan and her family fall for a country with something for everyone.
Note Perfect
For centuries, the Italian town of Cremona has been home to the great instrument makers, and its streets continue to ring with music. For Julie Orringer, a family trip becomes a master class in the power of travel.
CREST of the WAVE
On France's rugged Basque Coast, old-school glamour meets shaggy surf culture-and creates an irresistible mix.
Turkish Delight
A major waterfront revitalization project in Istanbul is giving visitors-and locals-a reason to stroll and stay awhile.
Out of the Box
How an Austrian ski and spa town landed on the European art circuit.
Breaking Away
Finding solitude on a peaceful island in the Pacific Northwest.
Wrocław Reborn
After being decimated in World War II, this Polish city has risen from the ashes. On a quest for family roots, Laura Moser discovers a vital cultural crossroads.
It Takes a Village
In the canyons of northern Greece, the people of the Zagorohoria are cementing their home as a playground for outdoor enthusiasts. Eleni N. Gage shares their story.
Explore One of Europe's Coolest Capitals: Tallinn
AFTER EMERGING FROM the intense heat of the sauna, I ran across a wooden deck and plunged into the brisk Baltic Sea. The cold pierced my skin from the soles of my feet upward, like ice water blanching a steamed vegetable. When I surfaced, my travel companions, who'd just done the same, were laughing so hard they could barely stay afloat.
Restore Your Body and Mind in Kyoto
WHEN VICKY TSAI visited Kyoto for the first time in 2008, she booked what she thought would be a simple facial.