'A Little Night Music' Coming To Lakeland Community College

From Lakeland Community College: Lakeland Community College and Lakeland Theatre is delighted to present Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler’s beautiful and wistful Tony Award-winning play “A Little Night Music” at Lakeland Community College's Rodehurst Performing ArtsCenter. The musical runs for 12 performances September 7 through September 28, 2018. Inspired by the Ingmar Bergman film Smiles of a Summer Night, its title is a literal English translation of the German name for Mozart’s Serenade No. 13 for Strings in G major, Eine kleine Nachtmusik. The Sondheim/Wheeler production, directed by Harold Prince, opened in New York City in February, 1973 and ran for over 600 performances. and won 6 Tony Awards including Best musical, book and music and lyrics. There was a major revival on Broadway in late 2009 with Catherine Zeta-Jones and Angela Lansbury in major roles.

Lakeland’s production of “A Little Night Music” features the tenth collaboration between musical director Jordan Cooper and director Martin Friedman, the set designs of Aaron Benson, lighting by Adam Ditzel, costume design by Kelsey Tomlinson and sound by Eric Simna. Well-known local actors include Trinadad Snider, Rob Albrecht, Eric Fancher, Neely Gevaart, Ian Atwood and Mary Jane Nottage. Ms. Nottage will once again play the role of Madame Armfeldt, a role she played in Lakeland’s production of “A Little Night Music” in the summer of 2000.

This production continues director Dr. Martin Friedman’s examination of Stephen Sondheim’s musicals, and follows the popular and critically lauded production of “Merrily We Roll Along” in February, 2018. He has directed eleven different titles of Sondheim over the years.

“A Little Night Music” is Friedman’s 50th production at Lakeland. The story focuses on unrequited love, beautiful melodies and a total lack of misunderstanding amongst all the characters. Based on the Ingmar Bergman film Smiles of a Summer Night, this musical, with a book by Hugh Wheeler, concerns three mismatched couples. Desiree Armfeldt, an actress, is seeing Count Carl-Magnus Malcolm who is married to Charlotte Malcolm. Frederik Eggerman, Desiree's past lover, is married to the still-virginal Anne, who is half his age. Henrik Eggerman, Frederik's son who is also a divinity student, loves his stepmother Anne, who is a year younger than him. Petra, Frederik and Anne's maid, Madame Armfeldt, Desiree's mother, and Frederika, Desiree's daughter round out the action which occurs in town and at "A Weekend in the Country" at Madame Armfeldt's house in the land of the midnightsun. The musical features a lieder quintet as a Greek chorus.

“A Little Night Music” opens on Friday, September 7 at 7:30 p.m. and runs for a total of four weekends, through September 28.

Tickets are $15 for adults and $13 for seniors and $7 for students and can be ordered on-line at www.lakelandcc.edu/arts. You can also call 440.525.7526 for ticket reservations and/or information about group rates.

For production information, call 440.525.7034 or e-mailmartinfriedman98@gmail.com.

Image via Shuttershock