Mike McGowan as Fredrik Egerman and Nik Walker as Count Carl-Magnus Malcolm in “A Little Night Music.” Photo by Nile Scott Studios “A Little Night Music” waltzed onto the Ogunquit Playhouse’s stage Saturday, captivating the audience opening night with Stephen Sondheim’s operatic score in 3/4 time and a witty libretto by Hugh Wheeler that’s infused with smart, sardonic humor. WHAT: “A Little Night Music” WHERE: Ogunquit Playhouse, 10 Main St.
, Ogunquit REVIEWED: July 20; runs through Aug. 17 TICKETS: $58-$160 CONTACT: 207-646-5511; ogunquitplayhouse.org The musical is based on the 1955 Ingmar Bergman film “Smiles of a Summer Night,” with an idyllic setting in the Swedish countryside in 1900.
Told from the point of view of 13-year-old Fredrika Armfeldt (Lily Philbrook), the musical is a whimsical window into the love lives of three aristocratic families, with Fredrika’s aptly named mother, Desirée Armfeldt (Julia Murney) acting as the intertwining thread between Fredrik Egerman (Mike McGowan) and Count Carl-Magnus Malcolm (Nik Walker). Hunter Foster directs a who’s who of stage and film stars, with iconic actress Kathleen Turner guest starring as Desirée’s wheelchair-bound mother, Madame Armfeldt. Along with critically acclaimed roles in such films as “Romancing the Stone” and “Prizzi’s Honor,” Turner has appeared on Broadway in productions that include “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” and “The Graduate.
” She’s a treat to see in “A L.