A Little Night Music

Musical (1973)
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Book by Hugh Wheeler
Inspired by Ingmar Bergman’s 1955 film Smiles of a Summer Night
Director: Hunter Foster
Music Director: Jeffrey Campos
Ogunquit Playhouse
Ogunquit, ME
July 18 – August 17, 2024

Orchestrations: Jonathan Tunick; Choreography: Shannon Lewis; Scenic Design: Riw Rakkulchon; Lighting Design: Richard Latta; Sound Design: Daniel Lundberg; Costume Design: Hunter Kaczorowski; Wig Design: Roxanne De Luna

With Jennifer Allen (Madame Armfeldt), Julia Murney (Desirée Armfeldt), Lora Lee Gayer (Countess Charlotte), Mike McGowan (Fredrik Egerman), Lauren Maria Medina (Anne Egerman), Lily Philbrook (Fredrika Armfeldt), Mike Schwitter (Frid), Steven Telsey (Henrik Egerman), Nik Walker (Count Carl-Magnus), Whitney Daniels (Petra), Francesca Mehrotra (Mrs. Segstrom), Colin Anderson (Mr. Erlanson), Lianne Marie Dobbs (Mrs. Anderssen), Michael Halling (Mr. Lindquist), Lillie Langston (Mrs. Nordstrom)

Middle-aged Fredrik Egerman (Mike McGowan) has been married for a year to eighteen year old Anne (Lauren Maria Medina) and is still waiting for her to agree to consummate the marriage. Fredrick’s morose son, Henrik (Steven Telsey), of a similar age to Anne, is a cleric in training but not very happy about anything. Desirée Armfeldt (Julia Murney), an actress and an old lover of Fredrik’s, is coming to town and Fredrik and Anne go to see her perform. Though Anne does not know they had been lovers, she suspects something is afoot. Fredrik and Desirée meet, unbeknownst to Anne, with a rekindling of interest, which leads to Desirée concocting a weekend at her mother’s country house for Fredrick, Anne, and a number of others. Her mother, Madame Armfeldt (Jennifer Allen), a wry and funny sourpuss, issues the invitations, which somehow get commandeered by Count Carl-Magnus Malcolm (Nik Walker), Desirée’s current lover, who decides to come with his all-knowing and long-suffering wife Countess Charlotte Malcolm (Lora Lee Gayer). Needless to say, things get quite confused in a delightful way, leading to multiple expected, and some quite unexpected, realignments.

This musical, one of Sondheim’s real greats, has a whimsical and wistful quality, full of humor and poignancy. It is taken from Ingmar Bergman’s great 1955 film, Smiles of a Summer Night, but also clearly pays homage through its title to Mozart. Though Mozart’s Eine Kleine Nachtmusik (A Little Night Music) (1787) is not specifically tied to a narrative, one might well expect that Sondheim took significant inspiration from Mozart’s two comedic operas (with brilliant libretti by Lorenzo da Ponte) about misaligned and disappointed love, Le Nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro) (1786) and Così fan Tutte (1790). Both of these operas have the tone of comedic irony conveyed later on by Sondheim’s great musical A Little Night Music.

Some have argued that A Little Night Music‘s musical sophistication lends it considerably more operatic weight than might be considered for more run-of-the-mill Broadway musical fare, and, indeed, there are many places in which the musical arrangements and vocal expertise required are high enough to merit that distinction. One might, as well, consider the possibility that Sondheim, in some of this musical’s settings, was thinking very particularly of those in Così fan Tutte. The quintet in the terrific first act closer A Weekend in the Country calls forth, albeit quite broadly, the spirited Act 1 finale in Così fan Tutte.

This often beautifully staged production of A Little Night Music has some truly wonderful performances.

The supporting choral cast is outstanding in its various manifestations, with vocal demands of these roles often exceeding those of the actors in the main roles. Their ensemble is spirited and precise, lending a highly tuned and professional quality throughout.

The choreography also is thoughtful and imaginative, demonstrating, in at least one quite complicated circular arrangement, a quite challenging and visually stimulating scene. (As part of the staging and choreography a rotating stage platform is used intelligently at various points.)

The production is good in many ways, including some vivid and very funny portrayals.

As Count Carl-Magnus Malcolm, Nik Walker is truly hysterical. His acting is totally over-the-top and perfect for his histrionic role. As his wife, Countess Charlotte Malcolm, Lara Lee Gayer is equally good, with a dry-as-dust sense of humor that comes forth very nicely, and is particularly effective in her dealings with the young and very inexperienced Anne Egerman who confides in her. Whitney Daniels who fills in as Petra, one of the servants, is also terrific, and, in addition to giving an outsized and very funny performance, belts it out with gusto in her magnificent combination piece The Miller’s Son, a ballad of longing interleaved with a robust patter song, one of Sondheim’s real specialties. [For another great of this very sort, check out (Not) Getting Married from Company (1970).]

In addition to these, there are some very good voices throughout. As Fredrik, Mike McGowan is tonally evocative and articulate, and as Henrik, Steven Telsey holds his long high notes for so long and with such consistency that it calls out cheers from the audience. As Anne, Lauren Maria Medina particularly shines in that wonderful quintet A Weekend In the Country.

Filling in for the well-known movie star Kathleen Turner, who regularly plays Madame Armfeldt throughout the run, Jennifer Allen offers, in addition to her dry and wry presence – a bit reminiscent of Judi Dench’s evocation of Queen Elizabeth in the great film Shakespeare in Love (1998) – a solid rendition of her character’s big number about all of her royal romances, Liaisons.

As Desirée, Julia Murney brings home the dryness and wryness as well, and is particularly effective in the repartee comments in Fredrik’s and her number You Must Meet My Wife. Of course, the most famous number from the show Send in the Clowns always brings a tear and a sad smile but in this production it’s bit more like a whimsical breath rather than a show-stopper. Though the attraction between Desiree and Fredrik comes through, it is a bit more sedately appreciative than electric, which makes their collective performance more quaintly personable rather than simmeringly erotic. Nonetheless, Fredrik’s and Count Malcolm’s duet The Woman Was Perfection does have a buzz to it and conveys their considerable chemistry together.

Again, one must remark on the high musical and vocal quality of so much of the production, with special kudos to the excellent supporting cast, several of whom, like Francesca Mehrotra as Mrs. Segstrom, was filling in.

The multitiered set is elegant and beautiful, the lighting is done expertly, the costumes are fantastic and sometimes call out real hoots from the audience, and the musicians do a fine job throughout.

– BADMan (aka Charles Munitz)