A Little Night Music is a stylish celebration of romantic love, essentially a fairy tale for adults, set in the enchanted birch grove of Sweden at the turn of the century, inhabited by leisure-class people, whose most pressing problems revolve around their past, present and future affairs of the heart.

One by one, a Quintet (Paul Harrison, Merlyn Quaife, Vivien Hamilton, Shaun Murphy, Jeannie Marsh) gathers in front of the curtain, blending their voices in song OVERTURE.

As the curtain rises, elegantly dressed couples dance through a sylvan setting NIGHT WALTZ,presaging the romantic flirtations and frustrations to come.

The waltzers exit, and the ageing Madame Armfeldt (Ruth Cracknell), a woman who has numbered kings amongst her lovers, alerts her granddaughter Fredrika (Andrea McEwan) to watch for the summer night to smile."it smiles three times, "she says, "first for the young, who know nothing; second for the fools, who know too little; and, third, for the old who know too much."

Attention shifts to the home of Fredik Egerman (John O'May), a widowed lawyer who has recently married Anne, a young girl of 18 (Lisa McCune).Fredrik's son by a previous marriage, Henrik (Tim Rogers) is a somber 20-year old divinity student who plays the cello in moments of stress.Fredrik arrives with tickets for the theatre: he is taking Anne(still a virgin after 11 months of marriage) to see "the one and only" Desirée Armfeldt.As he prepares for his afternoon nap, and Anne chatters away, Fredrik muses on some of the problems encounted in his new marriage NOW.In the parlor, son Henrik is being flirted by the less-than-virginal maid, Petra (Christen O'Leary).He clumsily tries to unbutton her blouse.Petra, merly amused, tells him, as she leaves the room, "Later.You'll soon get the knack of it."Frustrated, as usual, Henrik grabs his cello LATER .

Back in the bedroom, Anne promises Fredrik to become his bride in deed, as well as in fact SOON.Henrik continues complaining LATER.Fredrik, asleep and obviously enjoying some vivid dream NOW, utters a heartfelt "Desirée."Anne stares at him startled.

Desirée Armfeldt (Helen Morse), the beguiling actress who was once Fredrik's mistress, enters her dressing room at the theatre, ironically extolling the joys of life on the road THE GLAMOROUS LIFE, with comments by the Quintet and her disaproving mother, Madame Armfeldt.

Fredrick and Anne arrive at the theatre that evening, Anne clearly suspicious after Fredrik's nap-time slip of the tongue.Desirée makes her entrance, and spots Fredrik immediately.The Quintet comments on romantic recollections REMEMBER?

Desirée plays directly to Fredrik, upsetting Anne so much she rushes out of the theatre.Fredrik takes his wife home and puts her to bed, while he goes "out for a breath of fresh air".Naturally,his stroll takes him directly to Desirée's rooms, to meet her for the first time in 14 years.Desirée welcomes him warmly and lends a not-quite-sympathetic ear to Fredrik's praise of Anne YOU MUST MEET MY WIFE. He tries to revive their relationship, and Desirée happily accepts with "Of course, darling,what are old friends for?".Off they go to the bedroom.Madame Armfeldt, the grande dame of a more refined era, who has been "tidy enough to aquire a sizable mansion, "emerges from the theatrical shadows to lament the current lack of delicacy in the artof love LIASONS .

Fredrik and Desirée are disturbed by by the unexpected arrival of Desirée's current lover, a wildly jealous dragoon named Count Carl-Magnus Malcom (Greg Stone).Fredrik and Desirée quickly concoct a feeble story about legal papers and falling into a hip bath, to assure the Count that the situation is quite innocent.The Count sends Fredrik on his way in a night shirt, and tries to assess the situation IN THE PRAISE OF WOMAN

In the morning, the Count returns to his long suffering wife, Charlotte, (Pamela Rabe), suggesting that she might enlighten Anne about her husband's late-night activities.Charlotte promptly goes to inform Anne of Fredrik's infidelity and to commiserate with her about their mutual matrimonial problems EVERY DAY A LITTLE DEATH .

Desirée goes to the country to visit her mother and daughter, and to arrange for her mother to invite lawyer Eagerman and his family out for the weekend, hoping to snare Fredrik back for herself.The invitation is sent, and Anne, after consulting with Charlotte, decides to accept.TheCount, hearing of the weekend, decides that he and Charlotte should also make an appearance, uninvited A WEEKEND IN THE COUNTRY .

When all the guests, invited and uninvited have arrived at Madame Armfeldt's splendid chateau, the Quintet sets the tone for the magical white night THE SUN WON'T SET, and Fredrik and the Count contemplate how things might have turned out differently with Desirée IT WOULD HAVE BEEN WONDERFUL .

As the guests assemble for the candlelight feast in the formal dining room, the Quintet drifts in and out PERPETUAL ANTICIPATION.The dinner turns into a verbal sparring session, and ends with a furiously upse Henrik smashing his goblet in disgust and running from the room.The other guests scatter throughout the estate.

Fredrik makes his way to Desirée's bedroom, where she reveals her true reason for inviting him-her hope that they might be able to revive their love permanately.But Fredrik, unable to give up his child like bride, waks out, leaving Desirée alone SEND IN THE CLOWNS.

Meanwhile Anne and Fredrika scour the grounds for Henrik.Anne finally finds him as he is suicidally rigging up a noose.Realizing that it is Henrik she loves, not"poor old Fredrik, "Anne decides to run off with him.

Petra, the maid, having made love with Madame Armfeldt's Butler, Frid (Kyle Wright), expresses her sense of romance in terms of the practical and real THE MILLER'S SON.

Fredrik finds himself being consoled by Charlotte about the loss of his son and wife.The Count spots Fredrik and Charlotte embracing.He storms out of the house to challenge Fredrik to a game of Russian roulette.They go off to the summer pavillion, a shot is heard, and the Count returns with Fredrik over his shoulder.Fredrik has "merely grazed his ear."The Count orders Charlotte to pack their bags.At last, Desirée and Fredrik realize that they are meant to be together (Reprise of SEND IN THE CLOWNS) .

The comedy ended, Madame Armfeldt tells her granddaughter that the night has already smiled twice, once for the young, and once for the fools."The smile for the fools was particulary broad tonight."To the accompaniment of the the NIGHT WALTZ, the lovers dance through the silver birches as the night down for the third and final time FINALE

LINKS

Act 1 & 2

Story Line

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