Review (PDF) A Little Night Music (Applause Musical Library)
Book by Hugh Wheeler Introduction by Jonathan Tunick "Throwing caution to the winds, I assert that A Little Night Music comes as close as possible to being the perfect romantic comedy musical." - Brendan Gill, The New Yorker * "A jewelled music box of a show: lovely to look at, delightful to listen to." - T.E. Kalem, Time * "Heady, civilized, sophisticated and enchanting. Good God! An adult musical." - Clive Barnes, The New York Times
Series: Applause Musical Library
Hardcover: 238 pages
Publisher: Applause Books; 1St Edition edition (February 1, 2000)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 155783069X
ISBN-13: 978-1557830692
Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #1,544,558 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #58 in Books > Humor & Entertainment > Sheet Music & Scores > Composers > Sondheim #223 in Books > Humor & Entertainment > Sheet Music & Scores > Forms & Genres > Musicals #223 in Books > Humor & Entertainment > Sheet Music & Scores > Historical Period > Modern Popular
I've recently been cast in a local production of this show, but wanted to get a head-start on my lines before the rehearsal materials came in. After comparing this with the licensed materials that came from MTI, they scripts are identical (save a few words here and there). No major changes have been made to the script. The best part about owning my own copy is that I can high light and mark it up without having to worry about sending it back after the show is over. There are also some black and white pictures from multiple productions of the show, as well as lists of major productions and available soundtracks included in this book. An amazing show, and a great souvenir for those who have seen it or taken part in a production.
This is the paperback libretto of Stephen Sondheim's A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC (1973), authored by the late Hugh Wheeler. (It is not to be confused with the piano score or vocal score of the musical, available separately, some of whose reviews have, unfortunately, wound up at this site). I need hardly say that A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC is a marvelous play based on Ingmar Bergman's 1955 film SMILES OF A SUMMER NIGHT. This book contains the text of Sondheim's songs as they occur within the play, and dovetails nicely with the cast album (Little Night Music). Numeous bells and whistles make this book not only appropriate but downright enjoyable, including a vintage Hirschfeld reproduction of most of the Broadway show's principals (among them Len Cariou, Glynis Johns and Hermione Gingold), costume sketches for the women, cast listings for the Broadway, London, operatic and film versions, capsule bios of Wheeler, Sondheim and Jonathan Tunick (orchestrator, who also wrote an admirable introduction to this volume), and a discography current to about 1990. At this price you can't go wrong!
I recently saw an excellent professional production of “A Little Night Music” so I decided to read it, because I knew the libretto and Sondheim’s lyrics would be worth reexamining. I was correct in that assumption. Reading it made me appreciate the performance I had seen even more.The libretto (book) by Hugh Wheeler is one of the best I have encountered in a musical. Good characterization, a nice flow from scene to scene, and unlike the book of many musicals, the story feels complete with the songs, not merely a tool for them.Something that I noticed in reading “A Little Night Music” that I did not catch fully in performance is the juxtaposition of the two scenes, which follow one another that contain the songs “Send in the Clowns” and “The Miler’s Son.” It is brilliant. The former scene/song explores the idea of not taking what you need/want when it is presented to you and being passed by and made a fool (or clown). The scene/song “The Miler’s Son” is just the opposite. Life will make a fool of you from time to time, so you have to jump at any chance and happiness that you can get when presented. This thematic device is simply presented in very effective dialogue, and in the two most profound lyrics/songs of the piece.Read “A Little Night Music” and then see a good production. It’s worth the effort.
What I did to thoroughly enjoy reading Sondheim's "A Little Night Music" is read the play while listening to the music. This work contains some of his best songs -- including the "Soon," "Later," "Now" pieces that stay with a reader and a listener long after they finish.
I'm not sure why there are review for the book and the movie, or why someone comments that this isn't the full score. I ordered it, and they sent me the full piano/vocal conductor's score.
Great quality, well printed. This is the libretto + play to accompany the revised vocal score. If you're doing the show, you'll need both the revised vocal score and this libretto.
One of my favorite Sondheim plays, this copy is closer to the 1990s score than the original Broadway recording from the 1970s. Nice photos.
These full Broadway scores are typically $75 to $100. This is the cheapest I've seen anywhere for new. I'm going to look for more!
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