The latest revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Tony Award-winning musical “A Little Night Music” opened Sunday, December 13, at the Walter Kerr Theatre on Broadway. The production is directed by Tony Award-winner Trevor Nunn with book by Hugh Wheeler.

Following the trend of casting film stars in Broadway productions, “Night Music” features Catherine Zeta-Jones in her Broadway debut. The silver screen star plays opposite five-time Tony Award-winner Angela Lansbury, along with Olivier Award nominee Alexander Hanson.

Based on Ingmar Bergman’s film “Smiles of a Summer Night,” this production is the first revival of the 1973 hit musical to be launched on Broadway. It follows a sensational 2008 London revival. Zeta-Jones plays Swedish actress Desiree Armfelt to Lansbury’s portrayal of her mother, Madam Armfelt. Driving home the point of her character’s sensuality, Zeta-Jones wears a fiery red wig onstage. She also sings one of Sondheim’s best-known pieces, “Send in the Clowns,” featured among the other musical gems by the composer.

Previews of the production began November 30, with attendance running about 97 percent of capacity during those 30 performances. Tickets ranged from $50 to $135, and average paid admission was $126 with gross ticket sales of $789,409 for the week ending December 6, according to numbers from the Broadway League.

TFL and ATBS for ticketing professionals

Performances run Tuesday at 7 p.m., and Wednesday through Saturday at 8 p.m. Matinees run on Wednesday and Saturday at 2 p.m., and Sunday at 3 p.m. Due to the holidays, performances will be halted on December 24 and 31, though additional stagings are scheduled for December 27 at 2 and 7 p.m., and also December 28 at 8 p.m.

The 931-seat Walter Kerr Theatre is located at 219 W. 48th Street. Performances run two hours and 40 minutes with one intermission. Further scheduling and ticketing details are available on the production’s official Web site.

Opening Night: ‘A Little Night Music’

Publication Critic Review
Variety David Rooney “…director Trevor Nunn brings a blunt, heavy hand where a glissando touch is required, but the wit and sophistication of the material are sufficient to withstand even this phlegmatic staging.”
New York Times Ben Brantley “But the behavior of the characters…has the exaggerated gusto of second-tier boulevard farce, of people trying a little too hard for worldliness.”
The Washington Post Peter Marks “Angela Lansbury…offers a marvelous, blunt-force comic performance, redolent of professional polish and a keen understanding of how to entertain.”
USA Today Elysa Gardner “…’Music’ demands a capacity for both broad comedy and pathos, and the director and cast mine and juggle these qualities rigorously and, for the most part, skillfully.”
Talkin’ Broadway Matthew Murray “…Zeta-Jones and Lansbury pierce right through the nonsense of the reinterpretation to find the heart of fizzy intoxication still beating at this show’s center.”
The Hollywood Reporter Frank Scheck “…this intimate version does a wonderful job of accentuating the emotional complexities and endlessly witty dialogue of Hugh Wheeler’s book, even if some of the overly broad performances by the supporting players threaten to overwhelm it.”
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