Love rekindles in ‘A Little Night Music’

Desiree Armfeldt said she loves loving men but does not mind losing lovers, either. Such affairs are common for the lead character in the Department of Theatre and Drama’s final production of the season, “A Little Night Music.”

The show, written by Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler, opens at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Ruth N. Halls Theatre. Regular tickets are $20 and student tickets are $15.
Desiree is an actress mostly interested in pursuing the glamorous life, with no time for family and much less for deep and meaningful relationships.

But when an old flame from years before attends one of her shows, she has to reconsider exactly what role love plays in her charmed life.

“Night Music” is a show of threes. There are three couples, many songs are grouped into threes and all of the songs are in waltz time — three beats in a measure.

“A lot of times you don’t realize you’re in waltz time,” said George Pinney, professor of theater and drama and director of the show. “And it’s really the brilliance of Sondheim that he can write a complete score doing that. And you never, ever tire of it. His creativity, mixing things up, is true genius.”

In addition to the distinctive sheet music, the show also stands apart in how the songs are presented, Pinney said. There is very little dancing, but sophomore actress Jamie Anderson said the music itself is more organic.

“It’s more like a play that has music that heightens the dialogue,” Anderson said. “It just kind of transitions within the plot of the show as opposed to a big song and dance number. Everything is very natural, and most of the songs are much like dialogue.”

Pinney said rehearsals have been going well and that he thinks audience members will enjoy what he called his favorite musical.

“They’re going to take away a delightful evening that they’re going to find themselves chuckling over probably throughout the night, and the visual impact will be ingrained in many a brain,” Pinney said. “I think it’s an absolutely terrific evening of theatre.”