Pasadena Playhouse's 50th anniversary revival of Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler's A Little Night Music officially opens April 30 at the California venue after beginning previews April 25. Already extended, the run is scheduled to continue through May 28.
Leading the cast are Merle Dandridge (The Last of Us, Once on this Island) as Desirée Armfeldt, Michael Hayden (Murder One, Carousel) as Fredrik Egerman, Jodi Long (Dash & Lily, Flower Drum Song) as Madame Armfeldt, Sarah Uriarte Berry (Les Misérables) as Countess Charlotte Malcolm, Chase Del Rey (King Richard) as Henrik Egerman, Adam James King (In the Heights) as Frid, Ruby Lewis (Cirque du Soleil Paramour) as Petra, Ryan Silverman (Side Show) as Count Carl-Magnus Malcolm, and Kaley Ann Voorhees (Prince of Broadway) as Anne Egerman. The cast also includes Georgia Belmont as Mrs. Nordstrom, Jared Bybee as Mr. Lindquist, Kim Dawson as Mrs. Segstrom, Oriana Falla as Mrs. Anderssen, Arnold Geis as Mr. Erlanson, Brandon Borkowsky as Bertrand, Mikaela Celeste as Osa, Danny Cron as Ingmar, Audrey Williams as Mala, and Christanna Rowader as a standby for Countess Charlotte Malcolm and Desiree Armfeldt.
The production is directed by David Lee and features choreography by Mark Esposito and music supervision by Darryl Archibald. The creative team also includes scenic designer Wilson Chin, costume designer Kate Bergh, lighting designer Jared A. Sayeg, sound designers Danny Erdberg and Ursula Kwong-Brown, and wig designer Christopher Enlow. Jill Gold is stage manager with Dylan Elhai as assistant stage manager. Casting is by JZ Casting's Geoff Josselson and Katja Zarolinski.
Adapted from the 1955 Ingmar Bergman film Smiles of a Summer Night, the work follows actor Desirée Armfeldt, the affairs she is entangled in, and the men who love her. When everyone gathers at the country estate of Desirée's mother, new romances and second chances bloom in surprising ways. The Sondheim score is most noted for introducing the standard "Send in the Clowns."
The production is presented as part of the theatre's six-month celebration of the work and impact of the late, Pulitzer Prize-winning composer-lyricist Stephen Sondheim during its 2022-2023 season. Launched in January with a production of Sondheim and James Lapine's Into the Woods, the celebration recently presented Sondheim and James Lapine's Pulitzer Prize-winning Sunday in the Park With George, which completed its run March 19.
