A Little Night Music
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A Waltz Through Love: A Little Night Music on the West End
The West End has a storied tradition of embracing sophisticated musicals, and few shine as brightly as Stephen Sondheim’s A Little Night Music. This elegant, bittersweet comedy, with a book by Hugh Wheeler and Sondheim’s masterful score, premiered at London’s Adelphi Theatre on April 15, 1975, following its acclaimed Broadway run. Inspired by Ingmar Bergman’s film Smiles of a Summer Night, the musical weaves a tapestry of romantic entanglements set to a lilting waltz, offering West End audiences a blend of wit, melancholy, and musical brilliance that has kept it a cherished classic through multiple revivals.
Origins and Inspiration
A Little Night Music emerged from Sondheim’s collaboration with Wheeler and director Harold Prince, who sought to craft a musical with European flair after the urban grit of Company. Bergman’s 1955 film provided the blueprint: a turn-of-the-century Swedish tale of lovers, fools, and midsummer magic. Sondheim infused the story with a score composed almost entirely in waltz time a nod to the elegance of Ravel and the operatic sweep of operetta while Wheeler’s book sharpened the comedy and pathos of the original.
The musical debuted on Broadway in 1973, winning six Tony Awards, including Best Musical, before crossing the Atlantic. Its West End premiere, directed by Prince with choreography by Patricia Birch, starred Jean Simmons as Desirée Armfeldt, Joss Ackland as Fredrik Egerman, and Hermione Gingold as Madame Armfeldt, bringing a distinctly British polish to the Scandinavian setting.
The Plot: A Midsummer Maze
Set in Sweden around 1900, A Little Night Music unfolds over a weekend at a country estate, where love and folly dance in triple time. Fredrik Egerman, a middle-aged lawyer, has married the youthful Anne, who remains a virgin 11 months into their union. Fredrik’s son, Henrik, a brooding seminarian, pines for Anne, his stepmother. Enter Desirée Armfeldt, a glamorous actress and Fredrik’s former flame, who reignites their old spark during a performance in town. Desirée’s current lover, Count Carl-Magnus Malcolm, a pompous dragoon, and his wry wife, Charlotte, complicate matters with jealousy and schemes.
The action peaks when Desirée invites the Egermans to her mother Madame Armfeldt’s estate, where the tangled relationships unravel under a midsummer moon. Aided by the servant Petra and a chorus of Liebeslieder singers, the characters confront their desires culminating in Fredrik and Desirée’s reunion, Henrik and Anne’s elopement, and a bittersweet reflection on love’s fleeting nature from Madame Armfeldt, who dies mid-reminiscence.
Sondheim’s Waltzing Score
Sondheim’s music for A Little Night Music is a marvel of craft, with nearly every song in 3/4 time, reflecting the characters’ circular emotional dance. The overture, sung by the Liebeslieder quintet, sets an operatic tone, while “Night Waltz” evokes the enchantment of the Swedish summer. “Now / Later / Soon,” a trio for Fredrik, Henrik, and Anne, showcases Sondheim’s knack for overlapping perspectives, and “The Glamorous Life” captures Desirée’s theatrical bravado.
The show’s crown jewel, “Send in the Clowns,” sung by Desirée, is a haunting lament of missed chances that became Sondheim’s most famous song. Other gems like “Every Day a Little Death” (Charlotte’s sardonic duet with Anne) and “A Weekend in the Country” (a bustling ensemble piece) blend humor and heartache. The West End productions, with their lush orchestrations, brought out the score’s intimacy and grandeur, filling the Adelphi and later venues with its hypnotic sway.
The West End Journey
The 1975 West End premiere ran for 406 performances, earning praise for its stellar cast and sophisticated charm. Jean Simmons’s Desirée was a luminous centerpiece, her warmth contrasting Gingold’s acerbic Madame Armfeldt. The production’s minimalist set swirling trees and a grand piano mirrored the waltz motif, while Florence Klotz’s costumes draped the cast in Edwardian elegance.
The musical returned in 1989 at the Piccadilly Theatre, directed by Ian Judge, with Dorothy Tutin as Desirée and Peter McEnery as Fredrik, running for 144 performances. A 1995 revival at the National Theatre, directed by Sean Mathias with Judi Dench as Desirée, offered a darker, more introspective take, later transferring to the Albery Theatre in 1996. The most recent major West End outing came in 2009 at the Garrick Theatre, a transfer of the Menier Chocolate Factory’s intimate staging, starring Hannah Waddingham and Alexander Hanson, which ran for 186 performances and earned three Olivier Awards.
A Timeless Appeal
A Little Night Music resonates on the West End for its blend of sophistication and universality. Its characters flawed, funny, and achingly human navigate love’s absurdities with a grace that transcends its period setting. The waltz structure, both musically and thematically, mirrors life’s cycles, a concept that struck a chord with London audiences accustomed to theater’s emotional depth. Each revival has tailored the tone Prince’s lush romance, Mathias’s brooding melancholy, or the Menier’s stripped-down intensity proving its versatility.
The show’s humor, from Charlotte’s deadpan quips to Madame Armfeldt’s worldly cynicism, pairs seamlessly with its tender moments, making it a rare musical that balances laughter and tears. For the West End, it’s a jewel that rewards repeat visits, revealing new layers with every spin of its waltzing heart.
A Lasting Legacy
A Little Night Music has left an indelible mark on the West End, its multiple runs showcasing Sondheim’s genius and the theater district’s appetite for cerebral yet accessible fare. It paved the way for his later works like Sweeney Todd and Into the Woods, proving musicals could be both artful and entertaining. “Send in the Clowns” alone has become a cultural touchstone, covered by countless artists and etched into theater lore.
For London audiences, the show is a perennial midsummer dream a chance to waltz through love’s complexities with a knowing smile. From the Adelphi to the Garrick, its West End incarnations have affirmed its status as a “little night music” with big impact, a testament to Sondheim’s enduring magic in the heart of theaterland.
A Dance Worth Joining
In the West End’s vast repertoire, A Little Night Music stands apart a delicate, dazzling exploration of romance that invites audiences to laugh, sigh, and sway along. Whether it’s Dench’s poignant Desirée or Waddingham’s soaring rendition of “Clowns,” the show’s legacy is one of elegance and emotion. For those seeking a night of theater that lingers like a summer twilight, this Sondheim treasure remains an invitation to step into the dance and never let go.