Angela Lansbury hasn’t wasted any time getting back into the Broadway scene. Mere months after finishing her run in “Blithe Spirit,” she is already in rehearsals for a revival of Stephen Sondheim’s 1973 musical “A Little Night Music,” this time in the role of Madame Armfeldt (originally played by Hermione Gingold in the original Broadway production).
In an interview with Broadway.com (brought to my attention by SarahB - thanks, Sarah!), Ms. Lansbury summarized the plot of the musical thusly: “It’s the story of a house party, a group of people who know each other (some of them know each other illicitly). It’s a story about romance. It’s a story about all of the qualities that people find very fascinating and interesting. And I guess it’s about love, and the various kinds of love.”
And since it’s Sondheim, it’s a can’t miss. “Steven Sondheim is like Shakespeare,” Aaron Lazar (playing Carl-Magnus Malcolm) says. “It’s all there, as I’m just beginning to explore. So it’s like we get to make some magic. I think we really get to show people a little night music in a way they’ve never seen it before.” The production’s director, Trevor Nunn, adds, “It’s complex, yet it’s extraordinarily uplifting, and nothing about it is out of place, and everything in it is necessary.” 
“A Little Night Music” will be greatly enhanced by Ms. Lansbury’s participation. As Mr. Lazar comments, “Angela is theatrical royalty as far as I’m concerned.” It also gives her an opportunity to sing in a musical again. “For me to start to sing again is very exciting,” she says in the interview. “You know, I haven’t sung for almost thirty years. So I’ve been singing along in the shower. We’ve got some lovely young singers and actors and actresses in our production today. We’re rehearsing, we’re getting ready, we’re going to be opening in December. It’s a thrilling opportunity for them to be working a Sondheim musical, singing this lovely music, this breathtaking music.”
The Walter Kerr Theatre will play host to “A Little Night Music,” which is set to begin previews on November 24th and officially open on December 13th.
