View source for A Little Night Music

{{Short description|1973 musical}}
{{About||the Mozart serenade|Eine kleine Nachtmusik|the film adaptation of this play|A Little Night Music (film)|other uses|A Little Night Music (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox musical
| name        = A Little Night Music
| image       = Pnight.jpeg
| caption     = Original Broadway windowcard
| music       = [[Stephen Sondheim]]
| lyrics      = [[Stephen Sondheim]]
| book        = [[Hugh Wheeler]]
| basis       = ''[[Smiles of a Summer Night]]'' <br /> by [[Ingmar Bergman]]
| productions = 1973 [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]]<br />1974 [[North America]]n Tour<br />1975 [[West End theatre|West End]]<br />1977 [[A Little Night Music (film)|Film]]<br />1989 [[West End theatre|West End]] [[revival (theatre)|revival]]<br />1990 [[New York City Opera]]<br />1995 [[Royal National Theatre]] <br /> 2000 Barcelona <br />2002 [[John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts]]<br />2003 NYCO revival<br />2008 Off-West End Revival<br />2009 West End Revival<br />2009 Broadway revival<br />2024 Lincoln Center<br />International productions<!-- Please do not include production-specific (acting, directing, etc.) awards -->
| awards      = [[Tony Award for Best Musical]]<br />[[Tony Award for Best Book]] <br /> Tony Award for Best Original Score 
}}

'''''A Little Night Music''''' is a [[Musical theatre|musical]] with music and lyrics by  [[Stephen Sondheim]] and book by [[Hugh Wheeler]]. Inspired by the 1955 [[Ingmar Bergman]] film ''[[Smiles of a Summer Night]]'', it involves the romantic lives of several couples. Its title is a literal English translation of the German name for [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]]'s Serenade No. 13, [[Köchel catalogue|K.]] 525, ''[[Eine kleine Nachtmusik]]''. The musical includes the popular song "[[Send In the Clowns]]", written for [[Glynis Johns]].

Since its original 1973 [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] production, the musical has enjoyed professional productions in the [[West End theatre|West End]], by opera companies, in a 2009 Broadway revival, and elsewhere, and it is a popular choice for regional groups. It was [[A Little Night Music (film)|adapted for film in 1977]], with [[Harold Prince]] directing and [[Elizabeth Taylor]], [[Len Cariou]], [[Lesley-Anne Down]], and [[Diana Rigg]] starring.

==Synopsis==
===Act One===
The setting is [[Sweden]], around the turn of the 20th century. One by one, the Quintet – five singers who comment like a [[Greek chorus]] throughout the show – enter, tuning up. Gradually, their vocalizing becomes an overture blending fragments of "Remember," "Soon," and "The Glamorous Life." The other characters enter [[waltz]]ing, each uncomfortable with their partner ("Night Waltz"). After they drift back off, the aging and sardonic Madame Armfeldt, a wealthy former [[courtesan]], and her solemn granddaughter, Fredrika, enter. Madame Armfeldt tells the child that the summer night "smiles" three times: first on the young, second on fools, and third on the old. Fredrika vows to watch the smiles occur.

Middle-aged, successful lawyer Fredrik Egerman has recently married an 18-year-old [[trophy wife]], Anne, a naive girl who loves Fredrik but is not attracted to him. The two have been married for eleven months, and Anne still protects her [[virginity]]. Upon coming home from work, Fredrik surprises Anne with tickets to a play, starring Desiree Armfeldt, a glamorous actress whom Anne greatly admires. Anne giddily fantasizes about what it would be like to be as beautiful and beloved as Desiree, and starts talking at Fredrik about her day. Fredrik, distracted by his lust, considers various ways he might [[seduce]] his wife but ultimately rules each one out and elects to take a nap instead ("Now"). Meanwhile, his son Henrik, a [[seminary]] student a year older than his stepmother, is frustrated and ignored ("Later"). Anne promises her husband that shortly she will consent to have sex even though she can't help recoiling at his touch ("Soon"), and all three of them lament at once. The number concludes with Fredrik sighing Desiree's name in his sleep, which Anne overhears. Anne's [[maidservant]] Petra, an experienced and forthright girl, slightly older than the teen herself, offers her worldly but crass advice.

Desiree Armfeldt, although once prominent, is now a fading flower clinging onto what's left of her past fame. Desiree tours in small, obscure towns with her theatre troupe. Madam Armfeldt, Desiree's mother, has taken over the care of Desiree's daughter Fredrika. Fredrika misses her mother, but Desiree continually delays seeing her, preferring, somewhat ironically, her life on tour ("The Glamorous Life"). As Fredrik and Anne take their seats at Desiree's play, Anne's previous excitement quickly devolves into anxiety, suspicious that Fredrik and Desiree have a romantic history that he never disclosed to her. The play begins and Desiree immediately notices Fredrik in the audience, and the Quintet reveals their shared memories and passionate relationship ("Remember"). Desiree, ironically playing a sexually irresistible countess, exchanges amorous glances with Fredrik and delivers her lines in an overtly suggestive tone, confirming Anne's suspicions as true. Anne, upset and overwhelmed, demands that Fredrik take her home. Meanwhile, Petra tries to seduce a nervous and petulant Henrik.

That night, as Fredrik remembers his past with Desiree, he sneaks out to see her. The two have a happy but strained reunion, reflecting on their new lives. Desiree sarcastically boasts of her own adultery, as she has been seeing the married [[dragoon]], Count Carl-Magnus Malcolm. Following, Fredrik tries to explain how much he loves Anne, fending off Desiree's interjecting quips, but he ultimately reveals his sexual frustration ("You Must Meet My Wife"). Upon learning that Fredrik has gone for eleven months without sex, she agrees to accommodate him as a favor for an old friend.

Madam Armfeldt offers advice to young Fredrika. The elderly woman reflects poignantly on her own checkered past and wonders what happened to prior refined styles of living ("Liaisons"). In Desiree's apartment, Count Carl-Magnus Malcolm proclaims his unannounced arrival in his usual booming tones. Fredrik and Desiree fool the Count with an innocent explanation for their disheveled appearance, but he is still suspicious. He boasts of his many duels and the various wounds he has suffered before demonstrating his skills in knife-throwing. Fredrik responds sarcastically, causing the dragoon to dislike him immediately. Carl-Magnus returns to his wife, Countess Charlotte. Charlotte knows of her husband's infidelity, but Carl-Magnus is too absorbed in his suspicions of Desiree to talk to her ("In Praise of Women"). When she persuades him to blurt out the whole story, a twist is revealed&mdash;Charlotte's little sister is a schoolfriend of Anne's.

Charlotte visits Anne and describes Fredrik's tryst with Desiree. Anne is shocked and saddened, but Charlotte explains that such is the lot of a wife, and love brings pain ("Every Day a Little Death"). Meanwhile, Desiree asks Madam Armfeldt to host a party for Fredrik, Anne, and Henrik. Madam Armfeldt reluctantly agrees and sends out a personal invitation; its receipt sends Anne into a frenzy, imagining Desiree further seducing Fredrik at the estate. Anne does not want to accept the invitation, but Charlotte convinces her to do so to heighten the contrast between the older Desiree and the young and beautiful teenager. Charlotte relates this to the Count, who (much to her chagrin) decides to visit the Armfeldts, uninvited, as well. Carl-Magnus plans to challenge Fredrik to a [[duel]], while Charlotte hopes to seduce the lawyer to make her husband jealous and end his philandering. The act ends as all characters head to Madam Armfeldt's estate ("A Weekend in the Country").

===Act Two===
Madam Armfeldt's country estate is bathed in the golden glow of perpetual summer sunset at this high latitude ("Night Waltz One and Two"). Everyone arrives, each with their own amorous purposes and desires—even Petra, who catches the eye of Armfeldt's fetching [[manservant]], Frid. The women begin to quarrel with one another. Fredrik is astonished to learn the name of Desiree's daughter. Henrik meets Fredrika, and confesses to her he deeply loves Anne. Meanwhile, in the garden, Fredrik and Carl-Magnus reflect on the difficulty of being annoyed with Desiree, contrasting her immoral actions with her physical beauty ("It Would Have Been Wonderful"). Dinner is served, and the female Quintet singers comment on the characters’ suspense regarding the coming meal ("Perpetual Anticipation").

At dinner, Charlotte attempts to flirt with Fredrik and trades insults with Desiree. Soon, everyone is shouting and scolding everyone else, except for Henrik, who finally speaks up. He accuses the whole company of being [[amorality|amoral]], and flees the scene. Stunned, everyone reflects on the situation and wanders away. Fredrika tells Anne of Henrik's secret love and the two dash off searching for him. Meanwhile, Desiree meets Fredrik and asks if he still wants to be "rescued" from his life. Fredrik answers honestly that he loves Desiree but cannot bring himself to hurt Anne. Regretful and hurt, Desiree can only reflect on the nature of her life and relationship with Fredrik ("[[Send In the Clowns]]"). Anne finds Henrik, who is attempting to commit suicide. The clumsy boy cannot complete the task, and Anne tells him she loves him, too. The pair begins to kiss, which leads to Anne's first sexual encounter. Meanwhile, not far away, Frid sleeps in Petra's lap. The maid imagines advantageous marriages but concludes that in the meantime, "a girl ought to celebrate what passes by" ("The Miller's Son"). Charlotte confesses her plan to Fredrik, and both watch Henrik and Anne, happy together, run away to start their new life. The two commiserate on a bench. Carl-Magnus, preparing to sleep with Desiree, sees this and jealously challenges Fredrik to [[Russian Roulette]]; Fredrik nervously misfires and merely grazes his own ear. Feeling victorious, Carl-Magnus reaffirms his love for Charlotte, finally granting her wish.

After the Count and Countess leave, Fredrika and Madam Armfeldt discuss the recent chaotic turns of events. The elderly woman asks Fredrika a surprising question: "What is it all for?" Fredrika thinks about this and decides that love, for all of its frustrations, "must be worth it." Madam Armfeldt is surprised, ruefully noting that she rejected love for material wealth at Fredrika's age. She praises her granddaughter and remembers true love's fleeting nature.

Fredrik finally confesses his love for Desiree, acknowledging that Fredrika is his daughter, and the two promise to start a new life together ("Send in the Clowns" (Reprise)). Madam Armfeldt sits alone with Fredrika, who tells her grandmother that she has watched carefully but still has not seen the night smile. Madam Armfeldt laughs and points out that the night has indeed smiled twice: first on Henrik and Anne, the young, and second on Desiree and Fredrik, the fools. As the two wait for the "third smile... on the old", it occurs: Madam Armfeldt closes her eyes and dies peacefully with Fredrika beside her ("Last Waltz").

== Musical numbers ==
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
; Act I
* Overture – Mr. Lindquist, Mrs. Nordstrom, Mrs. Anderssen, Mr. Erlanson and Mrs. Segstrom (the "Quintet")
* "Night Waltz" – Company
* "Now" – Fredrik Egerman
* "Later" – Henrik Egerman
* "Soon" – Anne Egerman
* "Soon/Later/Now" – Anne, Henrik and Fredrik
* "The Glamorous Life" – Fredrika Armfeldt, Desiree Armfeldt, Madam Armfeldt and Quintet
* "Remember?" – Quintet
* "You Must Meet My Wife" – Desiree and Fredrik
* "Liaisons" – Madam Armfeldt
* "In Praise of Women" – Count Carl-Magnus Malcolm
* "Every Day a Little Death" – Countess Charlotte Malcolm and Anne
* "A Weekend in the Country" – Company
{{col-2}}
; Act II
* Entr'acte – Orchestra
* "Night Waltz I (The Sun Won't Set)" – Quintet
* "Night Waltz II (The Sun Sits Low)" – Quintet
* "It Would Have Been Wonderful" – Fredrik and Carl-Magnus
* "Perpetual Anticipation" – Mrs. Nordstrom, Mrs. Segstrom and Mrs. Anderssen
* "Dinner Table Scene" – Orchestra
* "[[Send In the Clowns]]" – Desiree
* "The Miller's Son" – Petra
* "The World Won't End/Every Day a Little Death (reprise)" – Desiree and Charlotte
* Reprises <small>("Soon", "You Must Meet My Wife", "A Weekend in the Country" and "Every Day a Little Death")</small> – Quintet
* "Send in the Clowns" (Reprise) – Desiree and Fredrik
* "Last Waltz" – Orchestra
{{col-end}}

; Additional musical numbers
'''Stage:'''
* "Two Fairy Tales" – Henrik and Anne <small>(cut in rehearsals when the tone of the musical changed)</small>
* "Silly People" – Frid <small>(cut for time when "The Miller's Son" was added in Boston)</small>
* "Bang!" – Carl-Magnus <small>(replaced by "In Praise of Women")</small>
* "My Husband the Pig" – Charlotte <small>(replaced by the second half of "In Praise of Women")</small>

'''Screen:'''
* "Love Takes Time" – Company <small>(lyrics added to Night Waltz)</small>
* "The Glamorous Life" – Fredrika <small>(solo version; later used combined with the original in the RNT revival)</small>
* A new introductory verse to "Every Day a Little Death" 
* Additional lyrics for "A Weekend in the Country", including a short section for Mme. Armfeldt

==Characters==
* '''Fredrik Egerman''': A successful widowed middle-aged lawyer. He is married to the 18-year-old Anne and has one son, Henrik, from his previous marriage. In the past, he and Desiree were lovers. [[Bass-Baritone]] A<sub>2</sub>–E<sub>4</sub><ref>[https://stageagent.com/characters/119/a-little-night-music/fredrik-egerman "Key information: Fredrik Egerman"], stageagent.com</ref>
*'''Anne Egerman''': Fredrik's new, naive wife, who is still a virgin after 11 months of marriage. [[Soprano]] G{{music|#}}<sub>3</sub>–A<sub>5</sub>
*'''Henrik Egerman''': Fredrik's son, 20 years old and Anne's stepson. He is serious but confused; he reads the works of philosophers and theologians whilst studying for the [[Lutheran church|Lutheran]] priesthood. His sexual repression is a great cause of his turmoil, as he lusts after Anne and attempts to have a sexual encounter with Petra. [[Tenor]] G<sub>2</sub>–B<sub>4</sub>
*'''Petra''': Anne's maid and closest confidante, brash, bold and flirtatious. She has relations with Henrik. [[Mezzo-soprano]] F{{music|#}}<sub>3</sub>–F<sub>5</sub>
*'''Desiree Armfeldt''': Self-absorbed, once-successful actress, now touring the countryside in what is clearly not the "glamorous life". Harboured love for Fredrik for years since their affair. Mezzo-soprano F{{music|#}}<sub>3</sub>–E<sub>5</sub><ref>[https://stageagent.com/characters/118/a-little-night-music/desiree-armfeldt "Key information: Desiree Armfeldt"], stageagent.com</ref>
*'''Fredrika Armfeldt''': Desiree's thirteen-year-old daughter, who may or may not be the product (unbeknownst to Fredrik) of the actress's and Fredrik's affair. Soprano C<sub>4</sub>–E<sub>5</sub>
*'''Madame Armfeldt''': Desiree's mother, a former courtesan who has had "liaisons" with royalty. [[Contralto]] C<sub>3</sub>–F{{music|#}}<sub>4</sub>
*'''Count Carl-Magnus Malcolm''': A military dragoon who is Desiree's latest lover. Hypocritically places value on fidelity, being hugely possessive when it comes to both his wife and mistress. Comedic role. Operatic Baritone G<sub>2</sub>–F{{music|#}}<sub>4</sub>
*'''Countess Charlotte Malcolm''': Carl-Magnus' wife, to whom he flaunts his infidelities. She despises her husband for his behaviour, but obeys his orders due to her hopeless love for him. Self-loathing and borderline alcoholic, yet the more intelligent half of the Malcolm couple. Mezzo-soprano G<sub>3</sub>–F<sub>5</sub>
*'''Frid''': Madame Armfeldt's manservant. Has a tryst with Petra.
*'''The Quintet''': Mr. Lindquist, Mrs. Nordstrom, Mrs. Anderssen, Mr. Erlanson and Mrs. Segstrom. A group of five singers that act as a [[Greek chorus]]. Sometimes referred to as the Liebeslieder Singers (love song singers) although Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler did not script them to have that title, using Quintet instead. The first usage of Liebes[[lied]]er for the Quintet came during the 1990 [[New York City Opera]] production. Prince said that these characters represent "people in the show who aren't wasting time ... the play is about wasting time."<ref>{{cite news|last=Gussow|first=Mel|author-link=Mel Gussow|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1973/03/27/archives/prince-revels-in-a-little-night-music-setting-off-sparks-untrying.html|title=Prince Revels in ''A Little Night Music''|page=54|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=March 27, 1973|access-date=May 15, 2019}}</ref>
*'''Malla''': Desiree's maid, who is with her constantly. Silent part
*'''Osa''': Maid at Madame Armfeldt's manse. Silent part
*'''Bertrand''': Page at Madame Armfeldt's manse. Silent part

==Casts and characters==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! rowspan="2" style="width:10%;" | Character
! style="width:10%;" | Broadway 
! style="width:10%;" | US National Tour 
! style="width:10%;" | West End
!First West End Revival<ref>{{Cite web |title=A Little Night Music (London Revival, 1989) {{!}} Ovrtur |url=https://ovrtur.com/production/2883452 |access-date=2024-02-01 |website=ovrtur.com}}</ref>
!Second West End Revival<ref>{{Cite web |title=A Little Night Music (London Revival, 1995) {{!}} Ovrtur |url=https://ovrtur.com/production/2892176 |access-date=2025-06-30 |website=ovrtur.com}}</ref>
!Off-West End Revival<ref>{{Cite web |title=A Little Night Music (Menier Chocolate Factory Revival, 2008) {{!}} Ovrtur |url=https://ovrtur.com/production/2886474 |access-date=2024-02-01 |website=ovrtur.com}}</ref>
!Third West End Revival<ref>{{Cite web |title=Credits for A Little Night Music (London Revival, 2009) {{!}} Ovrtur |url=https://ovrtur.com/production/2900442/credits |access-date=2024-02-01 |website=ovrtur.com}}</ref>
! style="width:10%;" | First Broadway Revival 
! Lincoln Center Concert
|-
!<small>1973</small>
!<small>1974</small>
!<small>1975</small>
!<small>1989</small>
!<small>1995</small>
!<small>2008</small>
! colspan="2" |<small>2009</small>
!<small>2024</small>
|-
! Desiree Armfeldt
| style="text-align:center;" | [[Glynis Johns]]
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | [[Jean Simmons]]
| style="text-align:center;" | [[Dorothy Tutin]]
| style="text-align:center;" | [[Judi Dench]]
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | [[Hannah Waddingham]]
| style="text-align:center;" | [[Catherine Zeta-Jones]]
| style="text-align:center;" | [[Susan Graham]]
|-
! Fredrik Egerman
| style="text-align:center;" | [[Len Cariou]]
| style="text-align:center;" | [[George Lee Andrews]]
| style="text-align:center;" | [[Joss Ackland]]
| style="text-align:center;" | [[Laurence Guittard]]
| style="text-align:center;" | [[Peter McEnery]]
| colspan="3" style="text-align:center;" | [[Alexander Hanson (actor)|Alexander Hanson]]
| style="text-align:center;" | [[Ron Raines]]
|-
! Madame Armfeldt
| style="text-align:center;" | [[Hermione Gingold]]
| style="text-align:center;" | [[Margaret Hamilton (actress)|Margaret Hamilton]]
| style="text-align:center;" | [[Hermione Gingold]]
| style="text-align:center;" | [[Lila Kedrova]]
| style="text-align:center;" | [[Siân Phillips]]
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | [[Maureen Lipman]]
| style="text-align:center;" | [[Angela Lansbury]]
| style="text-align:center;" | [[Marsha Mason]]
|-
! Fredrika Armfeldt
| style="text-align:center;" | [[Judy Kahan]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Marti Morris
| style="text-align:center;" | Christine McKenna-Tirella
| style="text-align:center;" | Debra Beaumont
| style="text-align:center;" | [[Claire Cox]]
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | Holly Hallam<hr />Grace Link
| style="text-align:center;" | Katherine Leigh Doherty<hr />Keaton Whittaker
| style="text-align:center;" | Addie Harrington
|-
! Petra
| style="text-align:center;" | [[D'Jamin Bartlett]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Mary Ann Chinn
| style="text-align:center;" | [[Diane Langton]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Sara Weymouth
| style="text-align:center;" | [[Issy van Randwyck]]
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | Kaisa Hammarlund
| style="text-align:center;" | [[Leigh Ann Larkin]]
| style="text-align:center;" | [[Cynthia Erivo]]
|-
! Henrik Egerman
| style="text-align:center;" | [[Mark Lambert (American actor)|Mark Lambert]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Stephen Lehew
| style="text-align:center;" | Terry Mitchell 
| style="text-align:center;" | [[Alexander Hanson (actor)|Alexander Hanson]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Brendan O'Hea
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | Gabriel Vick
| style="text-align:center;" | Hunter Ryan Herdlicka
| style="text-align:center;" | Jason Gotay
|-
! Anne Egerman
| style="text-align:center;" | [[Victoria Mallory]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Virgina Pulos
| style="text-align:center;" | Veronica Page
| style="text-align:center;" | Deborah Poplett
| style="text-align:center;" | [[Joanna Riding]]
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | [[Jessie Buckley]]
| style="text-align:center;" | Ramona Mallory
| style="text-align:center;" | [[Kerstin Anderson]]
|-
! Frid
| style="text-align:center;" | [[George Lee Andrews]]
| style="text-align:center;" | [[Jonathan Banks]]
| style="text-align:center;" | [[Michael N. Harbour]]
| style="text-align:center;" | David Hitchen
| style="text-align:center;" | Paul Kynman
| style="text-align:center;" | Jeremy Finch
| style="text-align:center;" | Andy Morton
| style="text-align:center;" | [[Bradley Dean]]
| style="text-align:center;" | [[Jin Ha]]
|-
! Countess Charlotte Malcolm
| style="text-align:center;" | [[Patricia Elliott]]
| style="text-align:center;" | [[Andra Akers]]
| style="text-align:center;" | [[Maria Aitken]]
| style="text-align:center;" | [[Susan Hampshire]]
| style="text-align:center;" | [[Patricia Hodge]]
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | Kelly Price
| style="text-align:center;" | [[Erin Davie]]
| style="text-align:center;" | [[Ruthie Ann Miles]]
|-
! Count Carl-Magnus Malcolm
| style="text-align:center;" | [[Laurence Guittard]]
| style="text-align:center;" | [[Ed Evanko]]
| style="text-align:center;" | [[David Kernan]]
| style="text-align:center;" | [[Eric Flynn]]
| style="text-align:center;" | [[Lambert Wilson]]
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | Alistair Robins
| style="text-align:center;" | [[Aaron Lazar]]
| style="text-align:center;" | [[Shuler Hensley]]
|}

=== Notable replacements ===
;Broadway (1973–74)
*'''Fredrik Egerman:''' [[William Daniels]]

;West End (1975)
*'''Desiree Armfeldt:''' [[Virginia McKenna]]
*'''Madame Armfeldt:''' [[Angela Baddeley]]
*'''Count Carl-Magnus:''' [[Michael N. Harbour]]

;Broadway Revival (2009–11)
*'''Desiree Armfeldt:''' [[Bernadette Peters]]
*'''Madame Armfeldt:''' [[Elaine Stritch]]
*'''Fredrika Armfeldt:''' [[Katherine McNamara]]
*'''Frid:''' [[Ron Bohmer]]
*'''Count Carl-Magnus:''' [[Bradley Dean]]

==Productions==
===Original Broadway production===
Subsequent to its January 23-February 10 [[tryout (theatre)|tryout engagement]] at the [[Colonial Theatre (Boston)]],<ref>''Boston Globe'' January 19, 1973 "What's Happening - Jan. 19 to Jan. 26" p.39</ref>''A Little Night Music'' opened on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] at the [[Shubert Theatre (Broadway)|Shubert Theatre]] on February 25, 1973. It played there until September 15, 1973, then moved to the [[Majestic Theatre (Broadway)|Majestic Theatre]], on September 17, and closed there on August 3, 1974, after 601 performances and 12 previews. It was directed by [[Harold Prince]] with choreography by [[Patricia Birch]] and design by [[Boris Aronson]]. The cast included [[Glynis Johns]] (Desiree Armfeldt), [[Len Cariou]] (Fredrik Egerman), [[Hermione Gingold]] (Madame Armfeldt), [[Victoria Mallory]] (Anne Egerman), [[Judith Kahan]] (Fredrika Armfeldt), [[Mark Lambert (American actor)|Mark Lambert]] (Henrik Egerman), [[Laurence Guittard]] (Carl-Magnus Malcolm), [[Patricia Elliott]] (Charlotte Malcolm), [[George Lee Andrews]] (Frid), and [[D'Jamin Bartlett]] (Petra). It won the [[New York Drama Critics' Circle]] Award and the [[Tony Award]] for [[Tony Award for Best Musical|Best Musical]].

=== Australian premiere ===
The first international production opened at [[Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney|Her Majesty's Theatre]] in Sydney, Australia in November 1973, with a cast including [[Taina Elg]], [[Bruce Barry (actor)|Bruce Barry]], [[Jill Perryman]], [[Doris Fitton]], [[Anna Russell]] and [[Geraldine Turner]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ausstage.edu.au/pages/event/14910|title=''A Little Night Music''|website=ausstage.edu.au|access-date=2017-09-21|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170921144227/https://ausstage.edu.au/pages/event/14910|archive-date=2017-09-21}}</ref> Australian revivals have been presented by the [[Sydney Theatre Company]] (featuring Geraldine Turner , John Waters, Michael Smith, Di Smith, Bettina Welch , Pippa Grandison,Rachael Beck and a young [[Toni Collette]]) in 1990, [[Melbourne Theatre Company]] (featuring [[Helen Morse]] and [[John O'May]]) in 1997, [[Opera Australia]] (featuring [[Sigrid Thornton]] and [[Anthony Warlow]] as Fredrik Egerman) in 2009, and [[Victorian Opera (Melbourne)|Victorian Opera]] (featuring [[Ali McGregor]], [[Simon Gleeson]] and [[Verity Hunt-Ballard]]) in 2019.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.sydneytheatre.com.au/magazine/posts/2017/may/archive-STC-musicals|title=Archive: STC Musicals|date=2017-05-09|work=Sydney Theatre Company|access-date=2017-09-21|language=en|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170921095541/https://www.sydneytheatre.com.au/magazine/posts/2017/may/archive-STC-musicals|archive-date=2017-09-21}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/entertainment/arts/send-in-the-clones/2009/05/12/1241893977900.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1|title=Send in the clones|date=2009-05-13|website=www.theage.com.au|language=en|access-date=2017-09-21|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170921095632/http://www.theage.com.au/news/entertainment/arts/send-in-the-clones/2009/05/12/1241893977900.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1|archive-date=2017-09-21}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/entertainment/arts/complicated-take-on-elusive-desire/2009/05/15/1242335879397.html|title=Complicated take on elusive desire|last=Slavin|first=John|date=2009-05-16|work=[[The Age]]|access-date=2017-09-21|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170921100729/http://www.theage.com.au/news/entertainment/arts/complicated-take-on-elusive-desire/2009/05/15/1242335879397.html|archive-date=2017-09-21}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.limelightmagazine.com.au/reviews/a-little-night-music-victorian-opera/|title=A Little Night Music (Victorian Opera)|last=Maunder|first=Patricia|date=June 28, 2019|work=[[Limelight (magazine)|Limelight]]|access-date=February 19, 2020}}</ref>

===United States tour===
A US national tour began on February 26, 1974, at the Forrest Theatre, Philadelphia, and ended on February 13, 1975, at the Shubert Theatre, Boston. [[Jean Simmons]] as Desiree Armfeldt, [[George Lee Andrews]] as Fredrik Egerman and [[Margaret Hamilton (actress)|Margaret Hamilton]] as Madame Armfeldt headed the cast.<ref>[http://www.sondheimguide.com/night.html#BWP "'A Little Night Music' tour, 1974"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170513233106/http://www.sondheimguide.com/night.html |date=2017-05-13 }} sondheimguide.com, accessed March 13, 2011</ref>

===West End premiere===
The musical premiered in the [[West End theatre|West End]] at the [[Adelphi Theatre]] on April 15, 1975, and starred Jean Simmons, [[Joss Ackland]], David Kernan, [[Liz Robertson]], and [[Diane Langton]], with Hermione Gingold reprising her role as Madame Armfeldt. It ran for 406 performances. During the run, [[Angela Baddeley]] replaced Gingold, and [[Virginia McKenna]] replaced Simmons.

===1989 West End revival===
A revival opened in the West End on October 6, 1989, at the [[Piccadilly Theatre]], directed by Ian Judge, designed by Mark Thompson, and choreographed by [[Anthony Van Laast]]. It starred [[Lila Kedrova]] as Madame Armfeldt, [[Dorothy Tutin]] as Desiree Armfeldt, [[Peter McEnery]] as Fredrik, and [[Susan Hampshire]]. The production ran for 144 performances, closing on February 17, 1990.

===1995 London revival===
A revival by the [[Royal National Theatre]] opened at the Olivier Theatre on September 26, 1995. It was directed by [[Sean Mathias]], with set design by Stephen Brimson Lewis, costumes by [[Nicky Gillibrand]], lighting by [[Mark Henderson (lighting designer)|Mark Henderson]] and choreography by [[Wayne McGregor]]. It starred [[Judi Dench]] (Desiree), [[Siân Phillips]] (Madame Armfeldt), [[Joanna Riding]] (Anne Egerman), [[Laurence Guittard]] (Fredrik Egerman), [[Patricia Hodge]] (Countess Charlotte) and [[Issy van Randwyck]] (Petra). The production closed on August 31, 1996. Dench received the [[Olivier Award]] for Best Actress in a Musical.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.officiallondontheatre.co.uk/olivier_awards/past_winners/view/item98530/Olivier-Winners-1996/ |title=Olivier Winners 1996 |access-date=2011-06-29 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120213150059/http://www.officiallondontheatre.co.uk/olivier_awards/past_winners/view/item98530/Olivier-Winners-1996/ |archive-date=February 13, 2012 }}, OfficialLondonTheatre.com</ref>

===2008 London revival===
The third London revival ran at the [[Menier Chocolate Factory]] from November 22, 2008, until March 8, 2009. The production was directed by [[Trevor Nunn]], with musical supervision by Caroline Humphris, choreography by Lynne Page, sets and costumes by David Farley and new orchestrations by Jason Carr. The cast included [[Hannah Waddingham]] as Desiree, [[Alexander Hanson (actor)|Alexander Hanson]] as Frederik, [[Jessie Buckley]] (Anne), [[Maureen Lipman]] (Madame Armfeldt), Alistair Robins (the Count), Gabriel Vick (Henrik), Grace Link (Fredrika) and Kasia Hammarlund (Petra).<ref>Benedict, David.[https://variety.com/2008/legit/news/waddingham-to-star-in-night-music-1117993701/ "Waddingham to star in 'Night Music'"], ''Variety'', October 10, 2008</ref> This critically acclaimed<ref>[http://www.nightmusiclondon.com/news_and_reviews/] nightmusiclondon.com {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120307175938/http://www.nightmusiclondon.com/news_and_reviews/|date=March 7, 2012}}</ref><ref name="night">Nightingale, Benedict.[http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/stage/theatre/article5289255.ece "'A Little Night Music' at the Menier Chocolate Factory, London SE1"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615110124/http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/stage/theatre/article5289255.ece |date=2011-06-15 }} December 5, 2008</ref><ref name="telegraph">Spencer, Charles.[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/drama/3687085/A-Little-Night-Music-at-the-Menier-Chocolate-Factory.html "'A Little Night Music' at the Menier Chocolate Factory"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091209015031/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/drama/3687085/A-Little-Night-Music-at-the-Menier-Chocolate-Factory.html |date=2009-12-09 }}''The Telegraph'', December 4, 2008</ref> production transferred to the [[Garrick Theatre]] in the West End for a limited season, opening on March 28, 2009, and running until July 25, 2009.<ref>Shenton, Mark.[http://www.playbill.com/news/article/127812.html "Isn't It Rich?: Menier 'A Little Night Music' Arrives in the West End March 28"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090501044015/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/127812.html |date=2009-05-01 }},  playbill.com, March 28, 2009</ref> The production then transferred to Broadway with a new cast.

===2009 Broadway revival===
The 2008 [[Menier Chocolate Factory]] production opened on Broadway at the [[Walter Kerr Theatre]] in previews on November 24, 2009, and officially on December 13, 2009, with the same creative team. The cast was led by [[Angela Lansbury]] as Madame Armfeldt and, in her Broadway debut, [[Catherine Zeta-Jones]] as Desiree. Also featured were Alexander Hanson as Frederik,<ref>Hernandez, Ernio and Gans, Andrew. [http://www.playbill.com/news/article/134767-A-Little-Night-Music-With-Zeta-Jones-and-Lansbury-Begins-on-Broadway "A Little Night Music, With Zeta-Jones and Lansbury, Begins on Broadway"]. Playbill.com, November 24, 2009 {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140305060514/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/134767-A-Little-Night-Music-With-Zeta-Jones-and-Lansbury-Begins-on-Broadway |date=March 5, 2014 }}</ref> Ramona Mallory (the daughter of original Broadway cast members [[Victoria Mallory]] and [[Mark Lambert (American actor)|Mark Lambert]]) as Anne, Hunter Ryan Herdlicka as Henrik, [[Leigh Ann Larkin]] as Petra, [[Erin Davie]] as the Countess, [[Aaron Lazar]] as the Count, and [[Bradley Dean]] as Frid. Zeta-Jones received the award for [[Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical|Best Leading Actress in a Musical]] at the [[64th Tony Awards]].<ref name="tony1">{{cite web |url=http://www.tonyawards.com/en_US/nominees/index.html |title=Tony Award nominees, 2009–2010 |access-date=May 13, 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100507080412/http://www.tonyawards.com/en_US/nominees/index.html |archive-date=May 7, 2010 }}</ref>

Originally, [[Katherine Doherty]] and Keaton Whittaker played Fredrika in alternating performances, beginning with the November 2009 previews.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.playbill.com/production/a-little-night-music-walter-kerr-theatre-vault-0000010031|title = A Little Night Music Broadway @ Walter Kerr Theatre - Tickets and Discounts}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bothell-reporter.com/life/bothells-keaton-whittaker-to-hit-the-broadway-stage-in-a-little-night-music/|title=Bothell's Keaton Whittaker to hit the Broadway stage in 'A Little Night Music'|date=13 November 2009}}</ref>  The official show album, which was recorded in January 2010, features both Doherty and Whittaker as Fredrika (on different songs).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.playbill.com/article/a-little-night-music-cast-album-gets-recorded-jan-4-com-164619|title = A Little Night Music Cast Album Gets Recorded Jan. 4|date = 4 January 2010}}</ref>  However, [[Katherine McNamara]] replaced Doherty in February 2010.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://playbill.com/person/katherine-mcnamara-vault-0000047916|title=Katherine McNamara (Performer)|website=Playbill}}</ref>  McNamara and Whittaker stayed with the production until it ended in January 2011.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.playbill.com/article/broadways-little-night-music-with-bernadette-peters-and-elaine-stritch-ends-run-jan-9-com-174998|title = Broadway's Little Night Music, with Bernadette Peters and Elaine Stritch, Ends Run Jan. 9|date = 9 January 2011}}</ref>

When the contracts of Zeta-Jones and Lansbury ended, the production closed temporarily on June 20, 2010, and resumed on July 13, with new stars [[Bernadette Peters]] as Desiree Armfeldt and [[Elaine Stritch]] as Madame Armfeldt.<ref>Gans, Andrew. [http://www.playbill.com/news/article/141676-Isnt-It-Bliss-Bernadette-Peters-and-Elaine-Stritch-Open-in-Night-Music-Revival-Aug-1 "'Isn't It Bliss?' Bernadette Peters and Elaine Stritch Open in Night Music Revival Aug. 1] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100802083112/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/141676-Isnt-It-Bliss-Bernadette-Peters-and-Elaine-Stritch-Open-in-Night-Music-Revival-Aug-1 |date=2010-08-02 }}. Playbill, August 1, 2010</ref><ref>McBride, Walter.[http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Photo_Coverage_Bernadette_Peters_and_Elaine_Stritch_Open_in_A_LITTLE_NIGHT_MUSIC_20100714 "Photo Coverage: Bernadette Peters and Elaine Stritch Open in 'A Little Night Music'"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100716042246/http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Photo_Coverage_Bernadette_Peters_and_Elaine_Stritch_Open_in_A_LITTLE_NIGHT_MUSIC_20100714 |date=2010-07-16 }}. Broadwayworld.com, July 14, 2010</ref> In an interview, Peters said that Sondheim had "proposed the idea to her this spring and urged the producers of the revival to cast her."<ref>Healy, Patrick. [http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/07/peters-stritch-to-join-night-music-cast/ "Peters, Stritch to Join ''Night Music'' Cast"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100610205306/http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/07/peters-stritch-to-join-night-music-cast/ |date=2010-06-10}}. ''[[The New York Times]]'', June 7, 2010</ref> Trevor Nunn directed rehearsals with the two new stars, and the rest of the original cast remained.<ref>Rizzo, Frank. [http://www.courant.com/features/hc-rizzo-ticker-0610-20100610,0,1197922.column "Elaine Stritch: She's Still Here – in West Hartford"]. ''[[Hartford Courant]]'', June 10, 2010  {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100819221901/http://www.courant.com/features/hc-rizzo-ticker-0610-20100610%2C0%2C1197922.column |date=August 19, 2010 }}</ref><ref>[http://www.broadway.com/shows/little-night-music/buzz/153809/a-little-night-music-sets-closing-date-peters-and-stritch-extend/ "A Little Night Music Sets Closing Date; Peters and Stritch Extend"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101018021912/http://www.broadway.com/shows/little-night-music/buzz/153809/a-little-night-music-sets-closing-date-peters-and-stritch-extend/ |date=2010-10-18 }}. Broadway.com</ref> Peters and Stritch extended their contracts until January 9, 2011, when the production closed with 20 previews and 425 regular performances.<ref>Gans, Andrew. [http://www.playbill.com/news/article/143644-Bernadette-Peters-and-Elaine-Stritch-Extend-Run-in-Broadways-A-Little-Night-Music "Bernadette Peters and Elaine Stritch Extend Run in Broadway's A Little Night Music"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101008055545/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/143644-Bernadette-Peters-and-Elaine-Stritch-Extend-Run-in-Broadways-A-Little-Night-Music |date=2010-10-08 }}. Playbill.com, October 5, 2010</ref> Before the production closed, it recouped its initial investment.<ref>Gans, Andrew.  [http://www.playbill.com/news/article/146428-Broadways-A-Little-Night-Music-with-Bernadette-Peters-and-Elaine-Stritch-Recoups Broadway's A Little Night Music, with Bernadette Peters and Elaine Stritch, Recoups"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110109165320/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/146428-Broadways-A-Little-Night-Music-with-Bernadette-Peters-and-Elaine-Stritch-Recoups |date=2011-01-09 }}. Playbill, January 6, 2011</ref>

===Europe===
[[Zarah Leander]] played Madame Armfeldt in the original Austrian staging (in 1975) as well as in the original Swedish staging in [[Stockholm]] in 1978 (here with [[Jan Malmsjö]] as Fredrik Egerman). The successful Stockholm staging was directed by [[Stig Olin]]. In 2010 the musical was scheduled to return to Stockholm and the Stockholm Stadsteater. The cast included [[Pia Johansson]], [[Dan Ekborg]], [[Yvonne Lombard]] and Thérese Andersson.{{citation needed|date=January 2013}}

The [[Théâtre du Châtelet]], Paris production ran from February 15, 2010, through February 20, 2010. Lee Blakeley directed and Andrew George was the choreographer.<ref>Gans, Andrew and Jones, Kenneth.[http://www.playbill.com/news/article/130840-Kristin_Scott_Thomas_and_Leslie_Caron_to_Star_in_A_Little_Night_Music_in_France "Kristin Scott Thomas and Leslie Caron to Star in 'A Little Night Music' in France"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090709035032/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/130840-Kristin_Scott_Thomas_and_Leslie_Caron_to_Star_in_A_Little_Night_Music_in_France |date=July 9, 2009 }} playbill.com, July 6, 2009</ref> Italian-born actress [[Greta Scacchi]] played Désirée, and [[Leslie Caron]] played Madame Armfeldt.<ref>Hetrick, Adam.[http://www.playbill.com/news/article/136884-Scacchi-and-Caron-Sing-A-Little-Night-Music-in-Paris-Beginning-Feb-15 "Scacchi and Caron Sing 'A Little Night Music' in Paris Beginning Feb. 15"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100329042148/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/136884-Scacchi-and-Caron-Sing-A-Little-Night-Music-in-Paris-Beginning-Feb-15 |date=March 29, 2010 }} playbill.com, February 15, 2010</ref>

The [[Turku City Theatre]] staged the musical in 2011 with {{ill|Kirsi Tarvainen|fi}} in the role as Désirée. {{ill|Tuomas Parkkinen|fi}} directed and Jussi Vahvaselkä was musical director.

In 2019, the [[Dutch Touring Opera|Nederlands Reisopera]] staged a version directed by Zack Winokur, with Susan Rigvava-Dumas playing Désirée.

===Opera companies and concerts===
The musical has also become part of the repertoire of a few opera companies. [[Michigan Opera Theatre]] was the first major American opera company to present the work in 1983, and again in November 2009. [[Light Opera Works]] (Evanston, Illinois) produced the work in August 1983. [[New York City Opera]] staged it in 1990, 1991 and 2003, the [[Houston Grand Opera]] in 1999, the [[Los Angeles Opera]] in 2004, and Hartford Opera Theater in 2014. New York City Opera's production in August 1990 and July 1991 (a total of 18 performances) won the 1990 [[Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival]] and was telecast on the [[PBS]] show ''Live at Lincoln Center'' on November 7, 1990.{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}} The cast included both stage performers: [[Sally Ann Howes]] and [[George Lee Andrews]] as Desiree and Frederik and opera regular [[Regina Resnik]] as Madame Armfeldt (in 1991).<ref>[http://www.sondheimguide.com/night.html#1990NYCO 1990 New York City Opera Production] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170513233106/http://www.sondheimguide.com/night.html |date=2017-05-13 }} sondheimguide.com, accessed October 21, 2012</ref> The 2003 production featured a young [[Anna Kendrick]] as Fredrika Armfeldt, alongside [[Jeremy Irons]] as Frederik, [[Juliet Stevenson]] as Desiree, [[Claire Bloom]] as Madame Armfeldt, [[Danny Gurwin]] as Henrik, [[Michele Pawk]] as Charlotte, Jessiva Boevers as Petra, Kristin Huxhold as Anne and [[Marc Kudisch]] as Carl-Magnus.<ref>[http://www.sondheimguide.com/night.html#2003NYCO 2003 New York City Opera Production] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170513233106/http://www.sondheimguide.com/night.html |date=2017-05-13 }} sondheimguide.com, accessed October 21, 2012</ref> The 2003 production was revived at Los Angeles Opera in July 2004. Kudish, Pawk, Gurwin and Boevers returned alongside [[Judith Ivey]] as Desiree, [[Zoe Caldwell]] as Madame Armfeldt, [[Victor Garber]] as Frederik, [[Laura Benanti]] as Anne and [[Kristen Bell]] as Fredrika.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.sondheimguide.com/night.html#2003NYCO | title=Sondheim Guide / A Little Night Music }}</ref>

[[Opera Australia]] presented the piece in Melbourne in May 2009, starring [[Sigrid Thornton]] as Desiree Armfeldt and [[Nancye Hayes]] as Madame Armfeldt. The production returned in 2010 at the [[Sydney Opera House]] with [[Anthony Warlow]] taking on the role of Fredrik Egerman. The production was directed by [[Stuart Maunder]], designed by [[Roger Kirk (designer)|Roger Kirk]], and conducted by Andrew Greene.<ref>[http://www.opera-australia.org.au/scripts/nc.dll?OPRA:PRODUCTION:0:pc=PC_90107 ''A Little Night Music''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120303061205/http://www.opera-australia.org.au/scripts/nc.dll?OPRA:PRODUCTION:0:pc=PC_90107 |date=2012-03-03 }}, [[Opera Australia]]</ref> [[Opera Theatre of Saint Louis]] performed the musical in June 2010. Designer [[Isaac Mizrahi]] directed and designed the production, with a cast that included [[Amy Irving]], [[Siân Phillips]], and [[Ron Raines]] as Fredrik Egerman.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Hetrick|first=Adam|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100609094448/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/140075-Mizrahi-Helmed-Night-Music-with-Irving-Phillips-and-Raines-Opens-in-St-Louis|url=http://www.playbill.com/news/article/140075-Mizrahi-Helmed-Night-Music-with-Irving-Phillips-and-Raines-Opens-in-St-Louis|title=Mizrahi-Helmed ''Night Music'', with Irving, Phillips and Raines, Opens in St. Louis|date=June 9, 2010|magazine=[[Playbill]]|archive-date=June 9, 2010}}</ref>

The piece has also become a popular choice for amateur musical theatre and light opera companies. In 2017, the musical was performed by students at The [[Royal Academy of Dramatic Art]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/life/2023/11/14/a-little-night-music-msu-opera-theatre/71583274007/ | title='A Little Night Music' on tap for MSU Opera Theatre }}</ref>

In June 2024, there was a concert presentation at [[David Geffen Hall]] in [[Lincoln Center]]. The production starred star [[Susan Graham]] (Desiree Armfeldt), [[Cynthia Erivo]] (Petra), [[Ron Raines]] (Fredrik Egerman), [[Kerstin Anderson]] (Anne Egerman), Jonathan Christopher (Mr. Erlanson), Jason Gotay (Henrik Egerman), Ellie Fishman (Mrs. Nordstrom), [[Jin Ha]] (Frid), Addie Harrington (Fredrika Armfeldt), [[Shuler Hensley]] (Count Carl Magnus), [[Samantha Hill (actress)|Samantha Hill]] (Mrs. Segstrom), Andrea Jones-Sojola (Mrs. Anderson), Ross Lekites (Mr. Lindquist), [[Marsha Mason]] (Madam Armfeldt), and [[Ruthie Ann Miles]] (Countess Charlotte). The concert was produced by Jeff Berger, in association with
Doug and Stacey Meyer, David and Ryan Belenzon, and Michael Lamon.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://broadwaydirect.com/star-studded-a-little-night-music-concert-to-play-david-geffen-hall/|title=Star-Studded A Little Night Music Concert to Play David Geffen Hall &#124; Broadway Direct|date=25 March 2024 }}</ref>

==Film==
{{Main|A Little Night Music (film)}}
A [[film adaptation]] of ''A Little Night Music'' was released in 1977, with Cariou, Gingold, and Guittard reprising their broadway roles, alongside [[Elizabeth Taylor]] as Desiree, [[Lesley-Anne Down]] as Anne, and [[Diana Rigg]] as Charlotte. The setting was moved from Sweden to Austria. Sondheim wrote lyrics for the "Night Waltz" theme ("Love Takes Time") and an entirely new version of "The Glamorous Life", which has been incorporated into several subsequent productions of the stage musical. However, other songs, including "In Praise of Women", "The Miller's Son" and "Liaisons", were cut and remain heard only as background orchestrations.

The film marked Prince's second (and final) time as a motion picture director, following ''[[Something for Everyone]]''. Critical reaction was mostly negative, with much being made of Taylor's wildly fluctuating weight from scene to scene.<ref>{{cite news|last=Canby|first=Vincent|author-link=Vincent Canby|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1978/03/08/archives/film-a-little-night-musicbergmaninspired.html|title=Film: ''A Little Night Music'': Bergman-Inspired|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=March 8, 1978}}</ref> Some critics responded more positively, with ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' calling it "an elegant looking, period romantic charade".<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://variety.com/1976/film/reviews/a-little-night-music-4-1200424049/|title=A Little Night Music|magazine=Variety|access-date=May 15, 2019}}</ref> There was praise for Rigg, and orchestrator [[Jonathan Tunick]] received an [[Academy Awards|Oscar]] for his [[Academy Award for Best Original Score|work on the score]]. A soundtrack recording was released on LP, and a DVD release was issued in 2007.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://stpl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S129C264481 |title=A little night music |date=2007 |publisher=Hen's Tooth Video |editor-last=Prince |editor-first=Harold |location=United States |oclc=123960514 |editor-last2=Kastner |editor-first2=Elliott |editor-last3=Wheeler |editor-first3=Hugh |editor-last4=Taylor |editor-first4=Elizabeth |editor-last5=Rigg |editor-first5=Diana |editor-last6=Cariou |editor-first6=Len |editor-last7=Down |editor-first7=Lesley-Anne |editor-last8=Gingold |editor-first8=Hermione |editor-last9=Guittard |editor-first9=Laurence}}</ref>

==Music analysis==
The score for ''A Little Night Music'' presents performance challenges more often seen in operetta or light opera pieces than in standard musical comedy. The demands made on the singing cast are considerable; although the vocal demands of the role of Desiree are rather small, most of the other singing roles require strong, legitimately trained voices with fairly wide ranges. Sondheim's liberal use of counterpoint extends to the vocal parts, including a free-structured round (the trio "Perpetual Anticipation") as well as songs in which characters engage in interior monologues or even overt dialogue simultaneously ("Now/Later/Soon", "A Weekend in the Country"). Critic [[Rex Reed]] noted that "The score of 'Night Music' ...contains patter songs, contrapuntal duets and trios, a quartet, and even a dramatic double quintet to puzzle through. All this has been gorgeously orchestrated by Jonathan Tunick; there is no rhythm section, only strings and woodwinds to carry the melodies and harmonies aloft."<ref>Deutsch, Didier C.[http://www.masterworksbroadway.com/music/a-little-night-music "'A Little Night Music' Liner Notes, Song List and Synopsis"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110105094459/http://www.masterworksbroadway.com/music/a-little-night-music |date=2011-01-05 }} masterworksbroadway.com, retrieved June 9, 2010</ref>

Sondheim's engagement with threes extends to his lyrics. He organizes trios with the singers separated, while his duets are sung together, about a third person.<ref name="tunick" />

The work is performed as an [[operetta]] in many professional opera companies. For example, it was added to the [[New York City Opera]] Company repertoire in 1990.<ref>Green, Kay. "Broadway Musicals, Show By Show" (1996). Hal Leonard Corporation. {{ISBN|0-7935-7750-0}}, p. 237</ref>

==={{music|time|3|4}} time===
Most of the music in the show is written in [[waltz]] meter ([[Triple time|{{music|time|3|4}} time]]). Some parts adopt [[Compound meter (music)|compound meter]], with a [[time signature]] such as {{music|time|12|8}}.<ref name="tunick">
{{cite book
 |url         = https://books.google.com/books?id=90jK8A_nzqUC&q=A+Little+Night+Music
 |title       = A Little Night Music (Libretto)
 |last1       = Sondheim
 |first1      = Stephen
 |last2       = Prince
 |first2      = Hal
 |last3       = Tunick
 |first3      = Neal
 |date        = November 30, 1973
 |publisher = Applause Theater Book Publishers
 |access-date  = 15 December 2009
 |url-status     = live
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20180209025532/https://books.google.com/books?id=90jK8A_nzqUC&dq=A+Little+Night+Music&printsec=frontcover
 |archive-date = 9 February 2018
|isbn       = 9781557830708
 }}</ref> Passages in "Overture", "Glamorous Life", "Liaisons", "Every Day A Little Death", and "The Miller's Son" are in [[duple meter]].{{sfn|Citron|2001|p=204}}

===Counterpoint and polyphony===
At several points, Sondheim has multiple performers each sing a different song simultaneously. This use of [[counterpoint]] maintains coherence even as it extends the notion of a [[round (music)|round]], familiar in songs such as the traditional "[[Frère Jacques]]", into something more complex. Sondheim said: "As for the three songs ... going together well, I might as well confess. In those days I was just getting into contrapuntal and choral writing...and I wanted to develop my technique by writing a trio. What I didn't want to do is the [[quodlibet]] method...wouldn't it be nice to have three songs you don't think are going to go together, and they do go together ... The trick was the little [[vamp (music)|vamp]] on "Soon" which has five-and six-note chords."<ref name="swayne">Swayne, Steve. ''How Sondheim Found His Sound'', University of Michigan Press, 2007, {{ISBN|0-472-03229-1}}, p. 251</ref> Steve Swayne comments that the "contrapuntal episodes in the extended ensembles ... stand as testament to his interest in Counterpoint."<ref name="swayne" />

==="Send In The Clowns"===
The show's best-known and Sondheim's biggest hit song was almost an afterthought, written several days before the start of out-of-town tryouts.{{sfn|Citron|2001|p=207}} Sondheim initially conceived Desiree as a role for a more or less non-singing actress. When he discovered that the original Desiree, [[Glynis Johns]], was able to sing (she had a "small, silvery voice")<ref name="secrest">Secrest, Meryle. "Stephen Sondheim: A Life" (1998). Dell Publishing. {{ISBN|0-385-33412-5}}, pp. 251–252</ref> but could not "sustain a phrase", he devised the song "[[Send in the Clowns]]" for her in a way that would work around her vocal weakness, e.g., by ending lines with consonants that made for a short cut-off.<ref name="secrest" /> "It is written in short phrases in order to be acted rather than sung ... tailor-made for Glynis Johns, who lacks the vocal power to sustain long phrases."<ref>Sondheim, S., Shevelove, B., Gelbart, L., Wheeler, H., and Lapine, J.  "Four by Sondheim, Wheeler, Lapine, Shevelove and Gelbart" (2000). Hal Leonard Corporation. {{ISBN|1-55783-407-5}}, p. 170</ref>

In analyzing the text of the song, [[Max Cryer]] wrote that it "is not intended to be sung by the young in love, but by a mature performer who has seen it all before. The song remains an anthem to regret for unwise decisions in the past and recognition that there's no need to send in the clowns – they're already here."<ref>Cryer, Max. ''Love Me Tender: The Stories Behind the World's Best-loved Songs''. Frances Lincoln Ltd, 2008, {{ISBN|0-7112-2911-2}}, p. 171</ref>

Graham Wolfe has argued, "What Desirée is referring to in the famous song is a conventional device to cover over a moment when something has gone wrong on stage. Midway through the second Act she has deviated from her usual script by suggesting to Fredrik the possibility of being together seriously and permanently, and, having been rejected, she falters ''as'' a show-person, finds herself bereft of the capacity to improvise and wittily cover. If Desirée could perform at this moment – revert to the innuendos, one-liners and blithe self-referential humour that constitutes her normal character – all would be well. She cannot, and what follows is an exemplary manifestation of Sondheim’s musico-dramatic complexity, his inclination to write music that performs drama. That is, what needs to be covered over (by the clowns sung about in the song) is the very intensity, ragged emotion and utter vulnerability that comes forward through the music and singing itself, a display protracted to six minutes, wrought with exposed silences, a shocked Fredrik sitting so uncomfortably before Desirée while something much too real emerges in a realm where he – and his audience – felt assured of performance."{{sfn|Wolfe|2014}}

===Influences===
There is a [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]] reference in the title&mdash;''A Little Night Music'' is an occasionally used English translation of ''[[Eine kleine Nachtmusik]]'', the nickname of Mozart's Serenade No. 13, [[Köchel catalogue|K.]] 525. The elegant, [[harmony|harmonically]]-advanced music in this musical pays indirect homage to the compositions of [[Maurice Ravel]], especially his ''[[Valses nobles et sentimentales (Ravel)|Valses nobles et sentimentales]]''{{sfn|Citron|2001|pp=200, 203}} (whose opening chord is borrowed for the opening chord of the song "Liaisons"); part of this effect stems from the style of orchestration that [[Jonathan Tunick]] used. There is also a direct quotation in "A Weekend in the Country" of Octavian's horn theme from [[Richard Strauss]]'s ''[[Der Rosenkavalier]]'', another comedy of manners with partner-swapping at its heart.

=== Orchestration ===
The original Broadway pit consisted of a 25-piece orchestra.

* [[String section|Strings]]: 6 [[violin]]s 2 [[viola]], 2 [[cello]], 1 [[Double bass|bass]], 1 [[harp]]
* [[Brass instrument|Brass]]: 2 [[trumpet]]s, 3 [[Horn (instrument)|horns]], 1 [[trombone]]
* [[Keyboard instrument|Keyboards]]: 1 [[piano]]/[[celesta]]
* [[Woodwinds]]:
** Reed 1: [[alto flute]], [[flute]], [[piccolo]]
** Reed 2: [[clarinet]], [[flute]]
** Reed 3: [[bass clarinet]], [[clarinet]]
** Reed 4: [[English Horn|English horn]], [[oboe]]
** Reed 5: [[bassoon]], [[clarinet]]
* [[Percussion]]: (1 player) [[bell]]s, [[crotales]], [[snare drum]], [[Triangle (musical instrument)|triangle]], [[tympani]], [[xylophone]]

The 2008 revival of the show modified the orchestrations to an 8-piece pit, re-orchestrated by Jason Carr.<ref>{{Cite web |title=A Little Night Music (Broadway, Walter Kerr Theatre, 2009) |url=https://playbill.com/production/a-little-night-music-walter-kerr-theatre-vault-0000010031 |access-date=2022-03-16 |website=Playbill |language=en}}</ref>

* [[String section|Strings]]: 1 [[violin]] 1 [[viola]], 1 [[cello]], 1 [[Double bass|bass]], 1 [[harp]]
* [[Keyboard instrument|Keyboards]]: 1 [[piano]]/[[synthesizer]]
* [[Woodwinds]]: 1 player 
** [[Bassoon]]: 1 player

==Cast recordings==
[[File:A Little Night Music (1995 cast recording - cover art).jpg|thumb|Cast recording of 1995 National Theatre revival starring Judi Dench]]
In addition to the original Broadway and London cast recordings, and the motion picture soundtrack (no longer available), 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]].<ref>[http://www.sondheimguide.com/nightrecs.html "Recordings, 'A Little Night Music'"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100223163515/http://www.sondheimguide.com/nightrecs.html |date=2010-02-23 }} sondheimguide.com, retrieved June 8, 2010</ref>

The 2009 Broadway revival with Catherine Zeta-Jones and Angela Lansbury recorded a cast album on January 4, 2010, which was released on April 6.<ref>Hetrick, Adam and Jones, Kenneth.[http://www.playbill.com/news/article/138450-A-Little-Night-Music-CD-Released-April-6-Sondheim-and-Co-Host-Signing "'A Little Night Music' CD Released April 6; Sondheim and Co. Host Signing"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100611201228/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/138450-A-Little-Night-Music-CD-Released-April-6-Sondheim-and-Co-Host-Signing |date=June 11, 2010 }} playbill.com, April 6, 2010</ref>

==Critical response==
In his review of the original 1973 Broadway production, [[Clive Barnes]] in ''[[The New York Times]]'' called the musical "heady, civilized, sophisticated and enchanting." He noted that "the real triumph belongs to Stephen Sondheim...the music is a celebration of 3/4 time, an orgy of plaintively memorable waltzes, all talking of past loves and lost worlds...There is a peasant touch here." He commented that the lyrics are "breathtaking".<ref>[[Clive Barnes|Barnes, Clive]], "The Theater: ''A Little Night Music''", ''[[The New York Times]]'', February 26, 1973, p. 26</ref>

In its review of the 1989 London revival, the reviewer for ''[[The Guardian]]'' wrote that the "production also strikes me as infinitely superior to Harold Prince's 1975 version at the Adelphi. Mr Judge's great innovation is to transform the Liebeslieder Singers from the evening-dressed, after-dinner line-up into 18th century ghosts weaving in and out of the action...But Mr Judge's other great realisation is that, in Sondheim, the lyrics are not an adornment to a song but their very essence: understand them and the show will flow. Thus Dorothy Tutin as Desiree, the touring thesp eventually reunited with her quondam lover, is not the melting romantic of previous productions but a working mother with the sharpness of a hat-pin."<ref>[[Michael Billington (critic)|Billington, Michael]]. "Arts: Night of the short memories - ''A Little Night Music''", ''[[The Guardian]]'' (London). October 23, 1989{{page needed|date=May 2021}}</ref>

The ''[[The Independent|Independent]]'' review of the 1995 National Theatre revival praised the production, writing "For three hours of gloriously barbed bliss and bewitchment, Sean Mathias's production establishes the show as a minor miracle of astringent worldly wisdom and one that is haunted by less earthy intimations." The review went on to state that "The heart of the production, in both senses, is Judi Dench's superb Desiree Armfeldt...Her husky-voiced rendering of "Send in the Clowns" is the most moving I've ever heard."<ref>Taylor, Paul and Seckerson, Edward.[https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/double-take-reviews-a-little-night-music-1603205.html "Double Take: Reviews: 'A Little Night Music'"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170116184311/http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/double-take-reviews-a-little-night-music-1603205.html |date=2017-01-16 }}''Independent'', September 1995</ref>

In reviewing the 2008 Menier Chocolate Factory production, the ''[[The Daily Telegraph|Telegraph]]'' reviewer wrote that "Sondheim's lyrics are often superbly witty, his music here, mostly in haunting waltz-time, far more accessible than is sometimes the case. The score positively throbs with love, regret and desire." But of the specific production, the reviewer went on to note: "But Nunn's production, on one of those hermetic sets largely consisting of doors and tarnished mirrors that have become such a cliché in recent years, never penetrates the work's subtly erotic heart. And as is often the case with this director's work, the pace is so slow and the mood so reverent, that initial enchantment gives way to bored fidgeting."<ref name="telegraph" />

In his ''New York Times'' review of the 2009 Broadway production, [[Ben Brantley]] noted that "the expression that hovers over Trevor Nunn's revival...feels dangerously close to a smirk...It is a smirk shrouded in shadows. An elegiac darkness infuses this production." The production is "sparing on furniture and heavy on shadows", with "a scaled-down orchestra at lugubriously slowed-down tempos..." He goes on to write that "this somber, less-is-more approach could be effective were the ensemble plugged into the same rueful sensibility. But there is only one moment in this production when all its elements cohere perfectly. That moment, halfway through the first act, belongs to Ms. Lansbury, who has hitherto been perfectly entertaining, playing Madame Armfeldt with the overripe aristocratic condescension of a Lady Bracknell. Then comes her one solo, "Liaisons", in which her character thinks back on the art of love as a profession in a gilded age, when sex 'was but a pleasurable means to a measurable end.' Her face, with its glamour-gorgon makeup, softens, as Madame Armfeldt seems to melt into memory itself, and the wan stage light briefly appears to borrow radiance from her. It's a lovely example of the past reaching out to the present..."<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/14/theater/reviews/14little.html|title=A Weekend in the Country With Eros and Thanatos|last=Brantley|first=Ben|author-link=Ben Brantley|date=2009-12-14|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=2017-07-14|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170313085109/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/14/theater/reviews/14little.html|archive-date=2017-03-13}}</ref>

Steven Suskin, reviewing the new Broadway cast for ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'', wrote "What a difference a diva makes. Bernadette Peters steps into the six-month-old revival of ''A Little Night Music'' with a transfixing performance, playing it as if she realizes her character's onstage billing -- "the one and only Desiree Armfeldt"—is clichéd hyperbole. By figuratively rolling her eyes at the hype, Peters gives us a rich, warm and comedically human Desiree, which reaches full impact when she pierces the façade with a nakedly honest, tears-on-cheek 'Send in the Clowns.'"<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://variety.com/2010/legit/news/a-little-night-music-1117943265/|title=Review: 'A Little Night Music'|last=Suskin|first=Steven|date=2010-08-02|work=Variety|access-date=2017-07-14|language=en-US|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180209025532/https://variety.com/2010/legit/news/a-little-night-music-1117943265/|archive-date=2018-02-09}}</ref>

== Awards and nominations ==
===Original Broadway production===
{| class="wikitable" style="width:95%;"
|-
! style="width:5%;"| Year
! style="width:20%;"| Award Ceremony
! style="width:45%;"| Category
! style="width:20%;"| Nominee
! style="width:10%;"| Result
|-
| rowspan="24" style="text-align:center;"| 1973
| rowspan="12"| [[Tony Award]]
| colspan="2"| [[Tony Award for Best Musical|Best Musical]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical|Best Book of a Musical]]
| [[Hugh Wheeler]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Tony Award for Best Original Score|Best Original Score]]
| [[Stephen Sondheim]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical|Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical]]
| [[Len Cariou]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical|Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical]]
| [[Glynis Johns]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical|Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical]]
| [[Laurence Guittard]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="2"| [[Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical|Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical]]
| [[Patricia Elliott]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Hermione Gingold]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Tony Award for Best Costume Design|Best Costume Design]]
| [[Florence Klotz]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Tony Award for Best Scenic Design|Best Scenic Design]]
| [[Boris Aronson]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Tony Award for Best Lighting Design|Best Lighting Design]]
| [[Tharon Musser]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical|Best Direction of a Musical]]
| [[Harold Prince]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="7"| [[Drama Desk Award]]
| [[Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Book of a Musical|Outstanding Book of a Musical]]
| [[Hugh Wheeler]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music|Outstanding Music]]
| rowspan="2"| [[Stephen Sondheim]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lyrics|Outstanding Lyrics]]
| {{won}}
|-
| rowspan="2"| [[Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical|Outstanding Actress in a Musical]]
| [[Glynis Johns]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Patricia Elliott]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director|Outstanding Director]]
| [[Harold Prince]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Drama Desk Award|Most Promising Performer]]
| [[D'Jamin Bartlett]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Grammy Award]]
| colspan="2"| [[Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album|Best Musical Show Album]]
| {{won}}
|-
| rowspan="3" colspan="2"| [[Theatre World Award]]
| [[Laurence Guittard]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Patricia Elliott]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[D'Jamin Bartlett]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[New York Drama Critics' Circle|New York Drama Critics' Circle Award]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=New York Drama Critics' Circle Awards Past Winners|url=https://www.dramacritics.org/dc_pastawards.html |access-date=31 January 2025 |website=New York Drama Critics' Circle|language=en}}</ref>
| Best Musical
| Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler
| {{won}}
|}

===1995 London revival===
{| class="wikitable" style="width:95%;"
|-
! style="width:5%;"| Year
! style="width:20%;"| Award Ceremony
! style="width:45%;"| Category
! style="width:20%;"| Nominee
! style="width:10%;"| Result
|-
| rowspan="4" style="text-align:center;"| 1995
| rowspan="4"| [[Laurence Olivier Award]]
| [[Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical|Best Actress in a Musical]]
| [[Judi Dench]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Laurence Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical|Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical]]
| [[Siân Phillips]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Laurence Olivier Award for Best Theatre Choreographer|Best Theatre Choreographer]]
| [[Wayne McGregor]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Laurence Olivier Award for Best Costume Design|Best Costume Design]]
| [[Nicky Gillibrand]]
| {{nom}}
|}

=== 2009 London Revival ===
{| class="wikitable" width="95%"
! width="5%"| Year
! width="20%"| Award Ceremony
! width="45%"| Category
! width="20%"| Nominee
! width="10%"| Result
|-
| rowspan="5" |2010
| rowspan="5" |[[Laurence Olivier Award]]
| colspan="2" |[[Laurence Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival|Best Revival of a Musical]]
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical|Best Actress in a Musical]]
|[[Hannah Waddingham]]
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical|Best Actor in a Musical]]
|[[Alexander Hanson (actor)|Alexander Hanson]]
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[Laurence Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical|Best Performance in a Supporting role in a Musical]]
|[[Maureen Lipman]]
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[Laurence Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical|Best Performance in a Supporting role in a Musical]]
|Kelly Price
|{{nom}}
|}

===2009 Broadway revival===
{| class="wikitable" style="width:95%;"
|-
! style="width:5%;"| Year
! style="width:20%;"| Award Ceremony
! style="width:45%;"| Category
! style="width:20%;"| Nominee
! style="width:10%;"| Result
|-
| rowspan="10" style="text-align:center;"| 2010
| rowspan="4"| [[Tony Award]]
| colspan="2"| [[Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical|Best Revival of a Musical]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical|Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical]]
| [[Catherine Zeta-Jones]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical|Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical]]
| [[Angela Lansbury]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Tony Award for Best Sound Design|Best Sound Design]]
| [[Dan Moses Schreier]] and [[Gareth Owen (sound designer)|Gareth Owen]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="3"| [[Drama Desk Award]]
| colspan="2"| [[Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival of a Musical|Outstanding Revival of a Musical]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical|Outstanding Actress in a Musical]]
| [[Catherine Zeta-Jones]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical|Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical]]
| [[Angela Lansbury]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="3"| [[Outer Critics Circle Award]]
| colspan="2"| Outstanding Revival of a Musical
| {{nom}}
|-
| Outstanding Actress in a Musical
| [[Catherine Zeta-Jones]]
| {{won}}
|-
| Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical
| [[Angela Lansbury]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2011
| [[Grammy Award]]<ref>Gans, Andrew.[http://www.playbill.com/news/article/145450-Idiot-Fela-Night-Music-Promises-and-Sondheim-Are-Grammy-Nominated "Idiot, Fela!, Night Music, Promises and Sondheim Are Grammy-Nominated"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101206000113/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/145450-Idiot-Fela-Night-Music-Promises-and-Sondheim-Are-Grammy-Nominated |date=2010-12-06 }} playbill.com, December 1, 2010</ref>
| colspan="2"| [[Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album|Best Musical Show Album]]
| {{nom}}
|}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

=== General and cited sources ===
* {{Cite book |last=Citron |first=Stephen |author-link=Stephen Citron |year=2001 |title=Sondheim and Lloyd-Webber: The New Musical |series=The Great Songwriters |publisher=Oxford University Press US |isbn=0-19-509601-0}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Wolfe |first=Graham |date=June 2014 |title=Sondheim's ''A Little Night Music'': Reconciling the Comic and the Sublime |journal=Studies in Musical Theatre |volume=8 |number=2 |pages=143–157 |doi=10.1386/smt.8.2.143_1}}

==External links==
* {{ibdb show|1162}}
*[https://www.sondheimdatabase.com/shows/a-little-night-music ''A Little Night Music''] at the Sondheim Database
* [http://www.sondheimguide.com/night.html ''A Little Night Music'' on The Stephen Sondheim Reference Guide]
* [http://www.mtishows.com/show_detail.asp?showid=000048 ''A Little Night Music''] at the Music Theatre International website
* [https://stageagent.com/shows/musical/203/a-little-night-music "Show Information], plot summary and character descriptions, stageagent.com ([https://web.archive.org/web/20080122081621/http://stageagent.com/Shows/View/735 January 2008 archive])
* [http://www.nightmusiconbroadway.com/ ''A Little Night Music''], Broadway revival

{{Smiles of a Summer Night}}
{{Navboxes
| title = Awards for ''A Little Night Music''
| list =
{{Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album}}
{{TonyAward Musical}}
{{TonyAward MusicalBook}}
{{TonyAward MusicalScore}}
}}
{{Stephen Sondheim}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Little Night Music, A}}
[[Category:1973 musicals]]
[[Category:Broadway musicals]]
[[Category:West End musicals]]
[[Category:Musicals based on films]]
[[Category:Musicals by Hugh Wheeler]]
[[Category:Musicals by Stephen Sondheim]]
[[Category:Adaptations of works by Ingmar Bergman]]
[[Category:American plays adapted into films]]
[[Category:Tony Award for Best Musical]]
[[Category:Tony Award–winning musicals]]
[[Category:Musicals set in Sweden]]
[[Category:Musicals set in the 1900s]]