More information than you probably want to know, but I can't give up my "Broadway
Mama" title just yet. ;-)
Hugs,
Ashara
A Little Night Music
Music & Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim
Book: Hugh Wheeler
Based on the Ingmar Bergman film Smiles of a Summer Night, Stephen Sondheim's A Little
Night Music tells the story of middle-aged Fredrik Egerman and his teenage bride,
Anne, with whom he has never had sexual relations in spite of the fact that they have
been married for eleven months. The couple lives in the same house with Fredrik's son
Henrik, a seminary student one year older than Anne. The lack of intimacy aside,
things seem to be going tolerably well for the couple until they attend a comedy at
the theatre that features Desirie Armfeldt, an actress with whom Fredrik once had an
affair. Although Anne can't stomach the thought of sleeping with Fredrik, she doesn't
like the thought of any other woman performing that particular service for her husband
either, and when she notices Desirie making eyes at Fredrik, she demands to be taken
home immediately.
Once home, however, Fredrik can't stop thinking of his former lover, and when he goes
to visit her, his eleven months of forced celibacy get the best of him, and he is soon
in bed with the actress. No sooner have they done the deed, however, than they are
interrupted by Count Carl-Magnus Malcolm, a married man with whom Desirie is having an
affair. Malcolm is a self-proclaimed man of the world and knows how these things work,
but the situation grows more complicated the next morning when the Count baldly
relates the evening's events to his wife Charlotte who's little sister happens to be a
girlhood friend of Anne's. Later, when the Count drifts to sleep, Charlotte decides to
tip Anne off about Fredrik's activities. Meanwhile, however, Desirie has issued an
invitation to Fredrik and his family to spend a weekend with her at her country
estate. In spite of what she now knows, Anne decides to accept the invitation looking
as young as possible so as to shame Desirie back behind he!
r wrinkles. When Malcolm learns
of the invitation, he announces that he and Charlotte will attend as well, invited or
not, as he is detemined not to lose his mistress. Once all of the players arrive at
the isolated estate, the stage is set for a sexually-charged weekend of thinly veiled
accusations and unexpected revelations.
A Little Night Music opened at the Shubert Theatre on February 25, 1973 with a cast
that featured Glynis Johns (Desirie), Len Cariou (Fredrik), Victoria Mallory (Anne),
Laurence Guittard (Carl-Magnus), and Patricia Elliott (Charlotte). The production ran
for 600 performances and went on to win five Tony Awards including "Best Musical,"
"Best Music and Lyrics," "Best Book," "Best Actress in a Musical" (Glynis Johns), and
"Best Supporting Actress in a Musical" (Patricia Elliott). The 1978 film version
featured Elizabeth Taylor and Len Cariou.
