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A Little Night Music

2005-08-29T22:39:19Z

Zephyrprince: wikify

'''''A Little Night Music''''' is a [[musical]] with music and lyrics by [[Stephen Sondheim]] and book by [[Hugh Wheeler]]. Based on the [[Ingmar Bergman]] film ''[[Smiles of a Summer Night]]'', it tells the story of a lawyer, Fredrik Egerman, who is married to a very young wife, Anne, who, despite the fact that they have been married almost a year, is still a virgin. He sees an old flame, Desiree Armfeldt, who is appearing in a popular play, and his romantic interest in her is rekindled. However, she is having an affair with a jealous, and married, military man, Count Carl-Magnus Malcolm. Complicating matters is Egerman's son, Henrik, a divinity student who is in love with his stepmother. The play culminates in a weekend at the country estate of Desiree's mother, Madame Armfeldt, who is looking after Desiree's daughter, Fredrika, while Desiree is on tour.

Much of the music in the show is written in [[waltz]] (3/4) [[time signature|time]] (and all of it is in triple [[metre (music)|metre]]), and the work is often considered an [[operetta]] rather than standard [[musical comedy]]. Despite the oblique Mozart reference in the title (see below), the elegant, [[harmony|harmonically]]-advanced music in this show pays indirect homage to the compositions of [[Maurice Ravel]], especially his ''[[Valses nobles et sentimentales]]''. The score contains Sondheim's best-known song, "[[Send in the Clowns]]", as well as such songs as "The Glamorous Life," "You Must Meet My Wife," "Every Day a Little Death," "Liaisons," "In Praise of Women," "A Weekend in the Country," and "The Miller's Son." The score makes heavy demands on performers, with heavy use of [[counterpoint]] and most singing parts written with an operatic range.

''A Little Night Music'' opened on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] at the [[Shubert Theatre]] on [[February 25]], [[1973]], with a cast which included [[Glynis Johns]], [[Len Cariou]], [[Hermione Gingold]], [[Victoria Mallory]], [[Mark Lambert]], [[Laurence Guittard]], [[Patricia Elliott]], and [[D. Jamin-Bartlett]]. It won the [[New York Drama Critics Circle Award]] and the [[Tony Award]] for [[Tony Award for Best Musical|Best Musical]].

The subsequent London production in 1974 starred [[Jean Simmons]], [[Joss Ackland]], [[David Kernan]], [[Diane Langton]], and [[Hermione Gingold]] reprising her role as Madame Armfeldt.

In 1978, a film version of '''A Little Night Music''' was made, starring [[Elizabeth Taylor]], [[Lesley-Ann Down]], and [[Diana Rigg]], with [[Len Cariou]], [[Hermione Gingold]], and [[Laurence Guittard]] reprising their Broadway roles. The setting for the film was moved from Sweden to Austria, and was filmed on location. Much of the score was cut, and many of the performers, including Taylor, were dubbed by other singers. [[Stephen Sondheim]] wrote lyrics for the "Night Waltz" theme ("Love Takes Time") and wrote an entirely new version of "The Glamerous Life" which has been incorporated into several subsequent productions of the stage musical. The film marked legendary Broadway director [[Hal Prince]]'s first time as a motion picture director.

In addition to the original Broadway and London cast recordings, and the motion picture soundtrack (now out of print), there are recordings of the 1990 studio cast, the 1995 [[Royal National Theatre]] revival (starring [[Judi Dench]]), and the 2001 Barcelona cast recording sung in [[Catalan language|Catalan]]. In 1997 an all-jazz version of the score was recorded by [[Terry Trotter]].

== Musical Numbers ==
*Overture
*Night Waltz
*Now
*Later
*Soon
*Glamorous Life
*Remember?
*You Must Meet My Wife
*Liaisons
*In Praise of Women
*Every Day a Little Death
*Weekend in the Country
*Night Waltz I/The Sun Won't Set
*Night Waltz II (Liebeslieders)
*It Would Have Been Wonderful
*Perpetual Anticipation
*Send in the Clowns
*Miller's Son
*Send in the Clowns Reprise
*Last Waltz (orchestral)

== Awards ==
In [[1973]], the original [[Broadway]] production was nominated for eleven [[Tony Awards]]. It won in the following catagories:
*Best Musical ([[Harold Prince, producer]])
*Best Book of a Musical ([[Hugh Wheeler]])
*Best Original Score ([[Stephen Sondheim]])
*Best Actress in a Musical ([[Glynis Johns]])
*Best Featured Actress in a Musical ([[Patricia Elliott]])
*Best Costume Design ([[Florence Klotz]])

The following were the other nominations. In the Best Featured Actress catagory, both [[Hermione Gingold]] and [[Patricia Elliott]] were nominated against one another for their work on the same show.
*Best Actor in a Musical ([[Len Cariou]])
*Best Featured Actor in a Musical ([[Laurence Guittard]])
*Best Featured Actress in a Musical ([[Hermione Gingold]])
*Best Scenic Design ([[Boris Aronson]])
*Best Lighting Design ([[Tharon Musser]])
*Best Direction of a Musical ([[Harold Prince]])

Additionaly in [[1973]], [[D'Jamin Bartlett]], [[Patricia Elliott]], and [[Laurence Guittard]] were honored with [[Theatre World Award]]s for their work on the show.

[[Category:Musicals|Little Night Music,A]]

----

''A Little Night Music'' is also an occasionally used translation of ''[[Eine Kleine Nachtmusik]]'', the nickname of [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]]'s Serenade No. 13 for strings in G major, K. 525.

A Little Night Music

2005-08-29T22:36:21Z

Zephyrprince: Awards and musical numbers added

'''''A Little Night Music''''' is a [[musical]] with music and lyrics by [[Stephen Sondheim]] and book by [[Hugh Wheeler]]. Based on the [[Ingmar Bergman]] film ''[[Smiles of a Summer Night]]'', it tells the story of a lawyer, Fredrik Egerman, who is married to a very young wife, Anne, who, despite the fact that they have been married almost a year, is still a virgin. He sees an old flame, Desiree Armfeldt, who is appearing in a popular play, and his romantic interest in her is rekindled. However, she is having an affair with a jealous, and married, military man, Count Carl-Magnus Malcolm. Complicating matters is Egerman's son, Henrik, a divinity student who is in love with his stepmother. The play culminates in a weekend at the country estate of Desiree's mother, Madame Armfeldt, who is looking after Desiree's daughter, Fredrika, while Desiree is on tour.

Much of the music in the show is written in [[waltz]] (3/4) [[time signature|time]] (and all of it is in triple [[metre (music)|metre]]), and the work is often considered an [[operetta]] rather than standard [[musical comedy]]. Despite the oblique Mozart reference in the title (see below), the elegant, [[harmony|harmonically]]-advanced music in this show pays indirect homage to the compositions of [[Maurice Ravel]], especially his ''[[Valses nobles et sentimentales]]''. The score contains Sondheim's best-known song, "[[Send in the Clowns]]", as well as such songs as "The Glamorous Life," "You Must Meet My Wife," "Every Day a Little Death," "Liaisons," "In Praise of Women," "A Weekend in the Country," and "The Miller's Son." The score makes heavy demands on performers, with heavy use of [[counterpoint]] and most singing parts written with an operatic range.

''A Little Night Music'' opened on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] at the [[Shubert Theatre]] on [[February 25]], [[1973]], with a cast which included [[Glynis Johns]], [[Len Cariou]], [[Hermione Gingold]], [[Victoria Mallory]], [[Mark Lambert]], [[Laurence Guittard]], [[Patricia Elliott]], and [[D. Jamin-Bartlett]]. It won the [[New York Drama Critics Circle Award]] and the [[Tony Award]] for [[Tony Award for Best Musical|Best Musical]].

The subsequent London production in 1974 starred [[Jean Simmons]], [[Joss Ackland]], [[David Kernan]], [[Diane Langton]], and [[Hermione Gingold]] reprising her role as Madame Armfeldt.

In 1978, a film version of '''A Little Night Music''' was made, starring [[Elizabeth Taylor]], [[Lesley-Ann Down]], and [[Diana Rigg]], with [[Len Cariou]], [[Hermione Gingold]], and [[Laurence Guittard]] reprising their Broadway roles. The setting for the film was moved from Sweden to Austria, and was filmed on location. Much of the score was cut, and many of the performers, including Taylor, were dubbed by other singers. [[Stephen Sondheim]] wrote lyrics for the "Night Waltz" theme ("Love Takes Time") and wrote an entirely new version of "The Glamerous Life" which has been incorporated into several subsequent productions of the stage musical. The film marked legendary Broadway director [[Hal Prince]]'s first time as a motion picture director.

In addition to the original Broadway and London cast recordings, and the motion picture soundtrack (now out of print), there are recordings of the 1990 studio cast, the 1995 [[Royal National Theatre]] revival (starring [[Judi Dench]]), and the 2001 Barcelona cast recording sung in [[Catalan language|Catalan]]. In 1997 an all-jazz version of the score was recorded by [[Terry Trotter]].

== Musical Numbers ==
*Overture
*Night Waltz
*Now
*Later
*Soon
*Glamorous Life
*Remember?
*You Must Meet My Wife
*Liaisons
*In Praise of Women
*Every Day a Little Death
*Weekend in the Country
*Night Waltz I/The Sun Won't Set
*Night Waltz II (Liebeslieders)
*It Would Have Been Wonderful
*Perpetual Anticipation
*Send in the Clowns
*Miller's Son
*Send in the Clowns Reprise
*Last Waltz (orchestral)

== Awards ==
In [[1973]], the original [[Broadway]] production was nominated for eleven [[Tony Awards]]. It won in the following catagories:
*Best Musical ([[Harold Prince, producer]])
*Best Book of a Musical ([[Hugh Wheeler]])
*Best Original Score ([[Stephen Sondheim]])
*Best Actress in a Musical ([[Glynis Johns]])
*Best Featured Actress in a Musical ([[Patricia Elliott]])
*Best Costume Design ([[Florence Klotz]])

The following were the other nominations. In the Best Featured Actress catagory, both Hermione Gingold and Patricia Elliott were nominated against one another for their work on the same show.
*Best Actor in a Musical ([[Len Cariou]])
*Best Featured Actor in a Musical ([[Laurence Guittard]])
*Best Featured Actress in a Musical ([[Hermione Gingold]])
*Best Scenic Design ([[Boris Aronson]])
*Best Lighting Design ([[Tharon Musser]])
*Best Direction of a Musical ([[Harold Prince]])

Additionaly in [[1973]], [[D'Jamin Bartlett]], [[Patricia Elliott]], and [[Laurence Guittard]] were honored with [[Theatre World Award]]s for their work on the show.

[[Category:Musicals|Little Night Music,A]]

----

''A Little Night Music'' is also an occasionally used translation of ''[[Eine Kleine Nachtmusik]]'', the nickname of [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]]'s Serenade No. 13 for strings in G major, K. 525.