A Civil War Buff Who Cooks? Night Music Star Stephen Buntrock Shares His Offstage Passions

As A Little Night Music’s gray-templed lawyer, Fredrik Egerman, Stephen R. Buntrock rekindles an old flame in Desiree Armfeldt, played by the legendary Bernadette Peters. When he’s not on stage spending a weekend in the country, the Broadway stalwart calls his dressing room at the Walter Kerr Theatre a home away from home. During a backstage visit with Broadway.com, Buntrock let us in on the loves that keep him going: his family (including actress wife Erin Dilly, on whom he dotes), friends and—who’d have guessed?—the Civil War. Check out his charming My Space answers below!

Photos by Jenny Anderson for Broadway.com


"These are my fall and Christmastime Cooking Light cookbooks. I choose two or three and read them on the train, then I keep them here and browse through them to choose Christmas Eve dinner. I love to cook. Last year I made five-cheese macaroni, a white chili with little individual cornbread cakes, and a zinfandel-braised brisket. All from my Cooking Lights!"


"The flower is just from last week: Elaine Stritch came up here right before my first show when I took over for Alex [Hanson] and gave this to me. It is one of the most incredible blooming roses I’ve ever seen. It’s been here a week, and I think it’s going to stay here."


"This picture of my wife [Broadway actress Erin Dilly] has been with me since right before we got married. It was the day she was trying on wedding dresses, and I think it is the best picture I’ve ever seen of her. I always keep it with me. If I became blind right now, that’s exactly how I would remember her."


"This is my birthday present from my girls, Haley Paige, Anna Louise and Catherine Caroline. We always vacation in Ludington on Lake Michigan. My oldest daughter Haley, who is 16, had this idea that she wanted a picture of the three of them for my birthday, so my brother-in-law took them out to the beach with the famous lighthouse, and he took these pictures. They came out absolutely stunning."


"This is my favorite Civil War character. His name is John Pelham, and he was an artillerist. I’m a huge Civil War buff, and a re-enactor. I know: I’m a freak! I have original art of his face but I thought it would be too big, so I brought in the book I’m reading about him. It’s one of my favorite books, and I re-read it every other year or so."