On how to correct your
Mistakes.
(Overlapping)
What shall I wear?
Where is my parasol?
Do I compare?
Would she dare?
Have I missed it?
Will I ever?
MADAME ARMFELDT: I have no time ...
OTHERS (All overlapping, gradually fading):
Why did she smile? Will she remember?
Why are we laughing? What will he want?
Are you ever? Do you ever?
When will I learn?
Am I too late?
Why did I say that? Is there time? Am I too late?
Have I the right? What are the chances?
Where is my parasol? ...
“The Glamorous Life”
In the stage version of Night Music, “The Glamorous Life” is a song about Desirée’s life as an actress on the road, with three different points of view — Fredrika’s, Desirée’s and Madame Armfeldt’s — but it was felt that this would be too convoluted and confusing for the film version, and the song was rewritten preserving only the verse of the number (with new lyrics) and employing only one point of view, Fredericka’s.
FREDERICKA:
Ordinary mothers lead ordinary lives,
Mop the floors and chop the parsley,
Mend the clothes and tend the children.
Ordinary mothers, like ordinary wives,
Make the beds and bake the pies
And wither on the vine —
Not mine.
Dying by inches
Every night,
What a glamorous life!
Pulled on by winches
To recite —
What a glamorous life!
Ordinary mothers never get the flowers
And ordinary mothers never know the joys,
But ordinary mothers couldn’t cough for hours,
Maintaining their poise.
Sandwiches only,
But she eats
What she wants when she wants.
Sometimes it’s lonely,
But she meets
Many handsome gallants.
Ordinary mothers don’t live out of cases
But ordinary mothers don’t go different places,
Which ordinary mothers can’t do,
Being mothers all day.
Mine’s away in a play
And she’s realer than they ...
What if her brooch is only glass
And her costumes unravel?
What if her coach is second class?
She at least gets to travel.
And some time this summer,
Meaning soon,
She’ll be travelling to me!
Some time this summer —
Maybe June —
I’m the new place she’ll see!
Ordinary daughters may think life is better
With ordinary mothers near them when they choose,
But ordinary daughters seldom get a letter
Enclosing reviews!
Gay and resilient,
With applause —
What a glamorous life!
Speeches are brilliant —
When they’re Shaw’s —
What a glamorous life!
Ordinary mothers needn’t meet committees,
But ordinary mothers don’t get keys to cities.
No, ordinary mothers merely see their children all year —
Which is lovely, I hear,
But it does interfere
With the glamorous ...
I am the princess, guarded by dragons
Snorting and grumbling and rumbling in wagons.
She’s in her kingdom, wearing disguises,
Living a life that is full of surprises,
And some time this summer
She’ll come galloping over the green!
Some time this summer,
To my rescue, my mother the queen!
Ordinary mothers thrive on being private,
But ordinary mothers somehow can survive it,
And ordinary mothers never know they’re just standing
still,
With the kettles to fill,
While they’re missing the thrill
Of the glamorous life!
“Send in the Clowns”
For Barbra Streisand’s recording of this song on her Broadway Album, the lyrics were slightly revised, and a new lyric written for a second release.
Isn’t it rich?
Are we a pair?
Me here at last on the ground,
You in mid-air.
Send in the clowns.
Isn’t it bliss?
Don’t you approve?
One who keeps tearing around,
One who can’t move.
Where are the clowns?
Send in the clowns.
Just when I’d stopped
Opening doors,
Finally knowing
The one that I wanted was yours,
Making my entrance again
With my usual flair,
Sure of my lines,
No one is there.
Don’t you love farce?
My fault, I fear.
I thought that you’d want what I want —
Sorry, my dear.
But where are the clowns?
There ought to be clowns.
Quick, send in the clowns.
What a surprise!
Who could foresee
I’d come to feel about you
What you felt about me?
Why only now when I see
That you’ve drifted away?
What a surprise ...
What a cliché ...
Isn’t it rich?
Isn’t it queer?
Losing my timing this late
In my career?
And where are the clowns?
Quick, send in the clowns!
Don’t bother, they’re here.
MAJOR PRODUCTIONS
A Little Night Music was first presented by Harold Prince, in association with Ruth Mitchell, at the Sam S. Shubert Theatre, New York City, on February 25, 1973, with the following cast:
(in order of appearance)
MR. LINDQUIST Benjamin Rayson
MRS. NORDSTROM Teri Ralston
MRS. ANDERSSEN Barbara Lang
MR. ERLANSON Gene Varrone
MRS. SEGSTROM Beth Fowler
FREDRIKA ARMFELDT Judy Kahan
MADAME ARMFELDT Hermione Gingold
FRID, her butler George Lee Andrews
HENRIK EGERMAN Mark Lambert
ANNE EGERMAN Victoria Mallory
FREDRIK EGERMAN Len Cariou
PETRA D. Jamin-Bartlett
DESIRÉE ARMFELDT Glynis Johns
MALLA, her maid Despo
BERTRAND, a page Will Sharpe Marshall
COUNT CARL-MAGNUS MALCOLM Laurence Guittard
COUNTESS CHARLOTTE MALCOLM Patricia Elliott
OSA Sherry Mathis
Production Directed by Harold Prince
Choreography by Patricia Birch
Scenic Production Designed by Boris Aronson
Costumes Designed by Florence Klotz
Lighting Designed by Tharon Musser
Orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick
Musical Direction by Harold Hastings
The following songs were cut prior to the New York opening: “Silly People,” “Two Fairy Tales,” “My Husband the Pig,” and “Bang!”
A Little Night Music gave its first performance at the Colonial Theatre in Boston, opening on January 23, 1973 and closing on February 10th after 23 performances. Previews began in New York City on February 14, 1973, and the show opened on February 25th and closed on August 3, 1974 after 601 performances and 12 previews.
AWARDS
New York Drama Critics Circle Award — Best Musical
Tony Awards: Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical (Hugh Wheeler), Best Music and
Lyrics (Stephen Sondheim), Best Actress in a Musical (Glynis Johns), Best Supporting Actress in a Musical (Patricia Elliott), Best Costume Design (Florence Klotz). Also received Tony nominations for Best Direction of a Musical (Harold Prince), Best Actor in a Musical (Len Cariou), Best Supporting Actor in a Musical (Laurence Guittard), Best Supporting Actress in a Musical (Hermione Gingold), Best Scenic Design (Boris Aronson) and Best Lighting Design (Tharon Musser).
A Little Night Music was first presented in London by Ruth Mitchell, Frank Milton, Eddie Kulukundis and Richard Pilbow, in association with Bernard Delfont, at the Adelphi Theatre on April 15, 1975 for 406 performances, with the following cast:
(in order of appearance)
MR. LINDQUIST John J. Moore
MRS. NORDSTROM Chris Melville
MR. ERLANSON David Bexon
MRS. SEGSTROM Jacquey Chappell
FREDRIKA ARMFELDT Christine McKenna
MADAME ARMFELDT Hermione Gingold
FRID, her butler Michael Harbour
HENRIK EGERMAN Terry Mitchell
ANNE EGERMAN Veronica Page
FREDRIK EGERMAN Joss Ackland
PETRA Diane Langton
DESIRÉE ARMFELDT Jean Simmons
BERTRAND, a page Christopher Beeching
COUNT CARL-MAGNUS MALCOLM David Kernan
COUNTESS CHARLOTTE MALCOLM Maria Aitken
OSA Penelope Potter
Production Directed by Harold Prince
Choreography by Patricia Birch
Production Supervised by George Martin
Scenic Production Designed by Boris Aronson
Costumes Designed by Florence Klotz
Lighting Designed by Tharon Musser
Orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick
Musical Direction by Ray Cook
Sound by David Collison
AWARD: London Standard Drama Award for Best Musical
A Little Night Music was revived in London by H. M. Tennent Ltd., by arrangement with the Chichester Festival Theatre, John Gale, Executive Producer, at the Piccadilly Theatre, October 6, 1989–February 17, 1990 for 144 performances, with the following cast:
MADAME ARMFELDT Lila Kedrova
DESIRÉE ARMFELDT, her daughter Dorothy Tutin
FREDRIKA ARMFELDT, her granddaughter Debra Beaumont
FRID, her manservant David Hitchen
FREDRIK EGERMAN, a lawyer Peter McEnery
HENRIK EGERMAN, his son Alexander Hanson
ANNE EGERMAN, his second wife Deborah Poplett
PETRA, their maid Sara Weymouth
COUNT CARL-MAGNUS MALCOLM Eric Flynn
COUNTESS CHARLOTTE MALCOLM, his wife Susan Hampshire
MALLA Mandi Martin
OSA Susan Paule
The Liebeslieder Singers
MRS. NORDSTROM Dinah Harris
MRS. ANDERSSEN Hilary Western
MRS. SEGSTROM Susan Flannery
MR. ERLANSON Michael Bulman
MR. LINDQUIST Martin Nelson
Directed by Ian Judge
Designed by Mark Thompson
Choreography by Anthony Van Laast
Lighting by Nick Chelton
Sound by Matthew Gale
Music Supervised by John Owen Edwards
Musical Director, Roger Ward
A Little Night Music was presented by the New York City Opera (Christopher Keene, General Director) at the New York State Theatre, New York City, August 3, 1990, with the following cast:
MR. LINDQUIST Ron Baker
MRS. NORDSTROM Lisa Saffer
MRS. ANDERSSEN Barbara Shirvis
MR. ERLANSON Michael Rees Davis
MRS. SEGSTROM Susanne Marsee
FREDRIKA ARMFELDT Danielle Ferland
MADAME ARMFELDT Regina Resnik
FRID, her butler David Comstock
HENRIK EGERMAN Kevin Anderson
ANNE EGERMAN Beverly Lambert
FREDRIK EGERMAN George Lee Andrews
PETRA Susan Terry
DESIRÉE ARMFELDT Sally Ann Howes
MALLA, her maid Raven Wilkinson
BERTRAND, a page Michael Rees Davis
COUNT CARL-MAGNUS MALCOLM Michael Maguire
COUNTESS CHARLOTTE MALCOLM Maureen Moore
OSA Judith Jarosz
SERVANTS: Michael Cornell, Ernest Foederer, Kent A. Heacock, Ronald Kelley, Brian Michaels, Brian Quirk, Christopher Shepherd, John Henry Thomas.
Conducted by Paul Gemignani
Directed by Scott Ellis
Orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick
Scenery Designed by Michael Anania
Costumes Designed by Lindsay W. Davis
Lighting Designed by Dawn Chiang
Choreography by Susan Stroman
Sound Designed by Abe Jacob
The motion picture of A Little Night Music was produced by New World/Sascha-Wien Films, in association with Elliott Kastner, and released in March of 1978, with the following cast:
DESIRÉE ARMFELDT Elizabeth Taylor
CHARLOTTE MITTELHEIM Diana Rigg
FREDERICK EGERMAN Len Cariou
ANNE EGERMAN Lesley-Anne Down
MME. ARMFELDT Hermione Gingold
CARL-MAGNUS MITTELHEIM Laurence Guittard
FREDERICKA ARMFELDT Chloe Franks
KURT Heins Marecek
PETRA Lesley Dunlop
CONDUCTOR Jonathan Tunick
FRANZ Herbert Tscheppe
BAND CONDUCTOR Rudolph Schrympf
THE MAYOR Franz Schussler
THE MAYORESS Johanna Schussler
BOX OFFICE LADYIN THEATRE Jean Sincere
FIRST LADY Dagmar Koller
SECOND LADY Ruth Brinkman
CONCIERGE Anna Veigl
UNIFORMED SARGEANT Stefan Paryla
FIRST WHORE Eva Dvorska
SECOND WHORE Lisa De Cohen
MAJOR DOMO Kurt Martynow
COOK Gerty Barek
FOOTMAN James De Groat
(Note: For the film the locale was changed from Sweden to Vienna, and some of the character names were Germanized.)
Directed by Harold Prince
Screenplay by Hugh Wheeler
Edited by John Jympson
Photographed by Arthur Ibbetson, B.S.C.
Costumes Designed by Florence Klotz
Choreography by Patricia Birch
Music Scored and Supervised by Jonathan Tunick
Musical Direction by Paul Gemignani
Executive Producer, Heinz Lazek
Presented by Roger Corman — A New World Picture
MUSICAL NUMBERS
“Overture”/“Night Waltz” (“Love Takes Time”) Company
“The Glamorous Life” Chloe Franks
“Now”/“Soon”/“Later” Len Cariou, Lesley-Anne Down, Christopher Guard
“You Must Meet My Wife” Len Cariou, Elizabeth Taylor
“Every Day a Little Death” Diana Rigg
Night Waltz Instrumental
“A Weekend in the Country” Company
“Send in the Clowns” Elizabeth Taylor
“It Would Have Been Wonderful” Len Cariou, Laurence Guittard
Finale: “Send in the Clowns”/“Night Waltz” Len Cariou, Elizabeth Taylor, Company
The motion picture is available on video cassette: Embassy Home Entertainment 00103.
SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY
* Original Broadway Cast Recording (1973)
Columbia Records
LP KS (S)/SQ (Q)-32265
Cassette ST 32265
(Also included in Time-Life Records “American Musicals” series: Stephen Sondheim. LP STL-AM12, Cassette 4TL-AM12)
(Although recorded for the original cast album, “Night Waltz II” was not included on the final original cast recording)
+ Original London Cast Recording (1975)
RCA Records
LP LRL1-5090 (S)
Cassette CRK1-5090; reissue 50
90-4-RG
Motion Picture Soundtrack Recording (1978)
Columbia Records
LP JS 35333 (S)
Cassette JST 35333
A Little Night Music (studio cast recording, 1990)
That’s Entertainment Records (England)
Cassette ZCTER 1179
(Includes “Night Waltz II”)
Sondheim: A Musical Tribute (1973)
Warner Bros. Records
LP 2WS 2705 (S); 2 record set
RCA Records (1990 reissue)
Cassette 60515-4
Includes: “Silly People”—George Lee Andrews; “Two Fairy Tales”—Mark Lambert, Victoria Mallory
* Winner of the Grammy Award for Best Original Cast Show Album
+ Nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Original Cast Show Album
Note: “Send in the Clowns” won the 1975 Grammy for Song of the Year, with the award going to Mr. Sondheim as the composer/lyricist.
Side by Side by Sondheim/Millicent Martin, Julia McKenzie and David Kernan (1976)
RCA Records
LP CBL2–1851 (S); 2 record set
Cassette CBK2–1851; reissue 1851-4-RG
Includes: “You Must Meet My Wife”—David Kernan, Millicent Martin; “Send in the Clowns”—Millicent Martin
Songs of Sondheim (original Irish cast recording of Side by Side by Sondheim, 1977)
RAM Records
LP RMLP 1026
Includes: “Send in the Clowns”—Gemma Craven
Side by Side by Sondheim (original Australian cast recording, 1977)
RCA Red Seal (Australia)
LP VRL2–0156; 2 record set
Cassette VRK2–0156; 2 tape set
Includes: “You Must Meet My Wife”—Bartholomew John, Jill Perryman; “Send in the Clowns”—Jill Perryman