Set in 1900 Sweden, the story unfolds with a blend of romance, humor, and intrigue as it explores the tangled web of affairs centered around actress, Desirée Armfeldt, and the men who love her: a lawyer by the name of Fredrik Egerman and the Count Carl-Magnus Malcom.
When the traveling actress performs in Fredrik’s town, the estranged lovers’ passion rekindles. This strikes a flurry of jealousy and suspicion between Desirée; Fredrik; Fredrik’s wife, Anne; Desirée’s current lover, the Count; and the Count’s wife, Charlotte. Both men – as well as their jealous wives – agree to join Desirée and her family for a weekend in the country at the estate of Desirée’s mother (Madame Armfeldt). In the perpetual twilight of the Nordic summer, lovers pass in and out of each other’s lives and arms during a weekend romp in the country filled with possibility, second chances, and endless surprises.
A key theme introduced early in the musical by the aging courtesan Madame
Armfeldt, is stages of romantic understanding, "the smiles of the summer night"—"First for the young who know nothing, then for the fools who know too little and third for the old, who know too much.”
Cast
Michael Lawrence — Fredrik Egerman
Mikayla Barratt — Anne Egerman
Fiona Kennedy — Desiree Armfeldt
Bailey O’Mara — Henrik Egerman
Elizabeth Masu — Petra
Bethanie Walsh — Fredrika Armfeldt
Susan Glosko — Madame Armfeldt
Kellie Wilson — Countess Charlotte Malcolm
Michael Lewis — Count Carl-Magnus Malcolm
David Hibbard — Mr. Lindquist
Anita Parakh-Morgan — Mrs. Nordstrom
Claire Arnold — Mrs. Anderssen
Alex Andujar — Mr. Erlanson
Krystie French — Mrs. Segstrom
Massimo Masu — Frid