A Little Night Music

Set in Sweden in around 1900, this musical is based on a 1950’s film starring Ingmar Bergman called Smiles of a Summer Night. A Little Night Music is rarely performed professionally or by amateurs so it was a bold choice for this group, but a wonderful opportunity to experience what many regard as Sondheim’s most witty and sophisticated musical.   

The Leibslieder Singers opened the show with a very well-rehearsed Overture. This group of six were all very competent singers/actors and worked extremely well both individually and as an ensemble. They handled the tricky harmonies with ease and led us from scene to scene, singing and then taking up seated positions in the front row of the audience to observe the unfolding drama. This was hugely effective and their continuous presence helped the pace and flow of the production.

Desiree Armfeldt is the ‘self-obsessed, once successful actress’, and to an extent we saw these qualities in the portrayal but I felt the role needed a little more flamboyance and vitality. She has the most famous number in the show ‘Send in the Clowns’, a song originally written for Glynis Johns, but it didn’t have the usual impact in this production, which was a shame.

Fredrika Armfeldt is Desiree’s 13-year-old daughter and was charmingly played. She interacted well with her grandmother, Madame Armfeldt. In all Madame Armfeldt’s appearances she delivered her lines well and captured the dry humour of the former courtesan.

Fredrik Egerman had some nice moments with his young wife, Anne Egerman, and his former lover, Desiree and gave a confident performance as the lawyer. Anne Egerman was delightfully flighty and naïve and also sang well and kept in character throughout.

Fredrik’s son, Henrik Egerman, is a complicated character and was thoughtfully played. His frustration at not being able to be with Anne, whilst being laughed at by her for studying to be a priest was well executed.

Petra, Anne’s maid, was one of the standout performances of the production. Her rendition of ‘The Millers Son’ was outstanding from beginning to end. A superb actress, she fully committed to the role and was excellent vocally too. Her scenes with Frid, Madame Armfeldt’s man servant, were particularly strong.

The other standout performances came from Count Carl-Magnus Malcolm and his wife, Countess Charlotte Malcolm.  The Count had excellent stage presence and impressed with his clear diction and precise vocals.  Likewise, his wife, the Countess was deliciously flamboyant and also had a superb singing voice. This was an extremely well-matched pairing who provided many of the production’s comedy moments.

This production worked well in the round and the team of costumed stage crew should be commended for their slick, well drilled handling of the numerous scene changes.  I particularly liked the innovative use of the plastic storage tubs to create the bed required in several scenes.

The music, composed almost entirely in waltz time, was handled with growing confidence by the band of 9 musicians, placed behind a screen in the alcove. The Musical Director, projected onto a TV monitor for the actors, also played the keyboard, which must have made it very difficult for him to keep everyone together.  There were a few balance issues in the early musical numbers resulting in some actors’ words being lost but overall, the singers were well-rehearsed and handled Sondheim’s complex rhythms and harmonies very well, most notably in the finale of Act 1 - ‘A Weekend in the Country’.

Costumes, hair and makeup were very good and the props added flavour to the period setting. There was also some beautiful lighting, most notably the pools of coloured light on the singers.

All in all, this was a hugely enjoyable and accomplished performance. Congratulations to all involved.

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