Hot Swedish Nights

Frederik and his much younger trophy wife, Anne, have some problems. Henrik, Frederik's son, is a frustrated and embittered young man, perhaps because he's slightly older than his new stepmother, and perhaps because he feels too strongly about her. But his son's happiness bothers Frederik less than his own, and he's none too happy since he and Anne have been married almost a year and have yet to consummate their relationship. When famed actress Desiree Armfeldt, an old flame, rekindles their dormant relationship, Frederik is more responsive than he should be. Desiree's current fling, Count Carl-Magnus, himself a married man, catches the new-old lovers together and becomes insanely jealous — to the point of planning to kill Frederik in a duel. All of these crazy mixed-up lovers and would-be lovers are searching for the same thing, but they'll be damned if they know what it is. Love makes people do crazy things, especially when you don't know (or have forgotten) you're in love. Opera Theatre of Saint Louis pulls out all the stops for its first-ever production of Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music. Isaac Mizrahi (yes, that Isaac Mizrahi) designs and directs the show, which features Amy Irving as Desiree and Siân Phillips as her mother, Madame Armfeldt. A Little Night Music is performed at 7 p.m. Sunday, June 6, at the Loretto Hilton Center on Webster University's campus (130 East Lockwood Avenue; 314-961-0644 or www.experienceopera.org), and five more times in repertory through Saturday, June 19. Tickets are $25 to $117.
Wed., June 9; Fri., June 11; Tue., June 15; Thu., June 17; Sat., June 19, 2010