Present Company

On its opening night in 1972, Clive Barnes for the New York Times wrote: 'At last a new operetta... Good God! – an adult musical!'. Described as heady, intoxicating, civilised and enchanting, A Little Night Music was a triumph for Stephen Sondheim.

The middle-aged Frederik Egerman is yet to consummate his marriage with his young bride Anna. Frustrated, he decides to visit an old flame, the actress Desiree Armfeldt. She soon sets her eyes on Egerman and gets her mother to invite the newlyweds to her country estate where events quickly get out of hand as multiple lives and loves cross.

In a score made famous by Send In The Clowns, the musical was inspired by Ingmar Bergman’s Smiles Of A Summer Night. Its story is full of nostalgia and the memories of youth with dialogue that’s sophisticated, urbane and witty.