A Little Night Music resumes with new leading ladies

Bernadette Peters		Elaine Stritch

The Broadway revival of Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler's A Little Night Music, directed by Trevor Nunn, resumes performances on 13 Jul 2010 at the Walter Kerr Theatre, starring two new leading ladies.

Tony, Grammy & Golden Globe Award winner Bernadette Peters assumes the role of 'Desirée Armfeldt' from Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Tony and Emmy Award winner Elaine Stritch the role of 'Madame Armfeldt' from Angela Lansbury.

Peters and Stritch join original cast members Alexander Hanson (Fredrik Egerman), Aaron Lazar (Count Carl Magnus Malcolm), Erin Davie (Countess Charlotte Malcolm), Leigh Ann Larkin (Petra), Hunter Ryan Herdlicka (Henrik Egerman), Ramona Mallory (Anne Egerman) and Keaton Whittaker (Fredrika Armfeldt).

A Little Night Music temporarily went dark from 20 Jun - 12 Jul 2010, to allow Peters and Stritch to rehearse for their new Broadway roles.

Two-time Tony Award-winner Bernadette Peters ('Song and Dance,' 'Annie Get Your Gun') originated the roles of 'Dot' and 'Marie' in the Broadway premiere of Sondheim's 'Sunday in the Park with George' for which she was nominated for a Tony, and the role of 'Witch' in Sondheim's 'Into the Woods.' Her last appearance on Broadway was in Sondheim's 'Gypsy,' playing the starring role of 'Rose' for which she was also nominated for a Tony Award.

Elaine Stritch originated the role of 'Joanne' in the Broadway premiere of Sondheim's 'Company,' for which she was nominated for a Tony Award, and recently performed two engagements of her cabaret show 'Singin' Sondheim…One Song at a Time' at the Cafe Carlyle. Stricht last appeared on Broadway in her show 'Elaine Stritch At Liberty,' which won a Tony Award for Best Special Theatrical Event.

Directed by Trevor Nunn and choreographed by Lynne Page, A Little Night Music opened at the Walter Kerr Theatre on 13 Dec 2009, following previews from 24 Nov 2010.

The musical opened to mixed reviews: Isn't particularly subtle or graceful (NY Post); Beautiful and deeply resonant (NY1); Only Lansbury can be said to triumph (Bloomsbury); Mostly tiresome revival (The Record).

A Little Night Music - Music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, book by Hugh Wheeler - is set in turn-of-the-century Sweden where affairs of the heart are uppermost in everyone's thoughts. The story centres on the passionate liaisons between four couples over a midsummer weekend.

The Sondheim score features one of the composer's best-known songs, 'Send in the Clowns,' as well as 'Every Day a Little Death,' 'The Miller's Son' and 'A Weekend in the Country.'

The creative team for A Little Night Music includes Caroline Humphris (Musical Supervision), David Farley (Set & Costume Design), Hartley T A Kemp (Lighting Design), Dan Moses Shreier and Gareth Owen (Sound Design), Paul Huntley (Wig Design), Jason Carr (Orchestrations) and Tom Murray (Musical Direction).

A Little Night Music is produced on Broadway by Tom Viertel, Steven Baruch, Marc Routh, Richard Frankel, the Menier Chocolate Factory, Roger Berlind, David Babani, Andrew Fell and Sonia Friedman Productions.

Trevour Nunn's production of A Little Night Music had its premiere at London's 180 seat Menier Chocolate Factory Theatre from 22 Nov 2008 to 8 March 2009, before transferring to the West End's Garrick Theatre, opening 7 April 2009, following previews from 28 March 2009, where it played through to 25 Jul 2009.

A Little Night Music – originally opened in 1973 at Broadway's Shubert Theatre and ran for 601 performances. That production was directed by Harold Prince, choreographed by Patricia Birch, and featured Hermione Gingold as 'Madame Armfeldt' and Glynis Johns as 'Desiree.'