So what's Morris Panych doing with a romantic piece like A Little Night Music?

Making it sing and dance, of course.

Known for his gutsy, sometimes quirky interpretations of theatre works, Panych isn't surprised when he learns people worried how he would see Stephen Sondheim's waltz-time musical.

"There's no worry about that," he says with a grin. "Romance is engendered in it. It's layered right in. I want to find the real heart of the piece, to open up the dark side. And certainly there is one."

Panych thinks Sondheim's musical treatment of Ingmar Bergman's Smiles Of A Summer Night has a rich and erotic heart.

"There's dark and confusing sexuality here, repression and rebellion. I hope people feel liberated by the experience of seeing this production."

An edgy playwright as well as a first-rate director, Panych is known for startling takes on commonplace plays. His direction of Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit found interesting darkness, for instance. So did his Hotel Peccadillo for Shaw Festival, a darkly erotic and very funny take on the comedy of Georges Feydeau.

"There are boundaries here, of course," Panych says. "You can't tug things off the track. And I love doing Night Music in the intimate Court House space. It's up close and personal."

Panych loves the way fantasy and reality merge in Sondheim's lushly driven musical.

"I love musicals," he says. "I did Sweeney Todd and She Loves Me and I felt such a rush, such a wonderful high. I've also written three musicals with my partner, Ken MacDonald."

Once a classical music fan, Panych turned to musical theatre when MacDonald introduced him to the genre.

"I got the bug. There's such a metronome ticking away. Even in the spoken text you can hear that tick sweeping you on."

Panych thinks you don't have to be a Sondheim aficionado to like his work. He sees A Little Night Music as the most tuneful of the composer's works.

"And don't be accusing me of putting weird elements in," he says. "If it's weird, believe me, it's already in the show. In the lyrics. In the text."

Unbothered by the fact some people accuse him of "Panychizing" everything he tackles, the handsome revolutionary confesses he takes such "criticism" as a compliment.

"I have a particular style," he admits. "As an artist, you can't hide. If I choose to confront the dark and sexual side of things, that's OK. You can't work from a neutral position.

"I see almost Spring Awakening moments in Night Music," he says, referring to the Wedekind play about repressed sexuality and youth.

"I'm really exploring the young girl's story here. It's about how much she needs her mother and father. For me, there's great satisfaction in exploring that. I take pleasure in uncovering real passion."

Gary Smith has written on theatre and dance for The Hamilton Spectator for more than 25 years.

Showtime

Who: Morris Panych

What: A Little Night Music

Where: Court House Theatre, Shaw Festival,

Niagara-on-the-Lake

When: Now through Oct. 4 in repertory

Tickets: 1-800-511-7429