About the Show
Music and Lyrics Stephen Sondheim
Book by Hugh Wheeler
Directed by Ricky Graham
Choreographed by Jaune Buisson
July 30th – August 2nd
This season’s line-up ends with the beauty, genius, and perfection of Stephen Sondheim’s A Little Night Music, which premiered in 1973. Pivotal to the story is the cathartic masterpiece, “Send in the Clowns,” providing a razzling-dazzling, spectacularly farcical circus as metaphor for complicated and ill-fated relationships. There is not a misplaced note or syllable in this flawless score, making it unsurprising that this musical has been produced by opera companies, as well.
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Meet the Director
Ricky Graham has appeared in Summer Lyric Theatre’s productions of The Pirates of Penzance, The Mikado, Candide, Chicago, and Little Me. Ricky also directed Once Upon a Mattress for SLT. First production with SLT in 1970.
Meet the Musical Director/Conductor
Jose C. Simbulan returns to Dixon Hall after serving as music director for last summer’s productions of A Chorus Line and Company. Jose has worked at Barrington Stage Company, Arena Stage, and Milwaukee Rep. His Broadway pit debut was Lestat, and he played regularly for the revival of A Chorus Line. He is an audition pianist for UPTA, SETC, CAP Uniteds, and Disney Live Entertainment, and serves as the lead Musical Theatre instructor at NOCCA. First production with SLT in 2025.
Meet the Choreographer
Jauné Buisson directed and choreographed A Chorus Line at Summer Lyric Theatre, where her choreography credits include Anything Goes, Ragtime, Hairspray, Hello, Dolly!, and Fiddler on the Roof. Onstage at SLT, she appeared as Cassie in A Chorus Line, Tessie Tura in Gypsy, Lois in Kiss Me, Kate, and Fastrada in Pippin. She also directed and choreographed Jersey Boys, Beautiful, and Guys and Dolls at Le Petit Théâtre. She is the Artistic Director of Metropolitan Dance Theatre of New Orleans. First production with SLT in 2001.
Meet The Artistic Director
C. Leonard Raybon is Artistic Director of Summer Lyric Theatre, Associate Professor of Music, and Director of Choirs at Tulane University. Raybon is the founder of Sacred Nine Project, where he engages with music, texts, and events from an earlier America in order to help shape a future one. Sacred Nine events take the form of what he calls “Amerimusicals,” for which he writes the music and much of the libretto. Most recently, he created a cantata for Swarthmore College, inspired by Murder in a Mill Town, by Bruce Dorsey, and in June will provide non-traditional salon at Pittsburgh’s The Woods House, frequented by Stephen Foster. The presentation grapples with the troubled legacy of Foster in the American theatre scene. Raybon’s “The Busy Bee” is published by Santa Barbara, and he has a piece upcoming with GIA Publications this fall. Raybon also hosts the Sacred Nine Project Podcast. First production with SLT was in 1996.
Meet the Designers & Cast
Meet the designers and cast for Summer Lyric Theatre’s 2026 productions.
History & Fun Facts
- Inspired by a classic film: The musical is based on Ingmar Bergman’s 1955 Swedish film Smiles of a Summer Night, adapted for the stage by Hugh Wheeler.
- A famous operetta-style score: Stephen Sondheim wrote the entire score in triple meter (3/4 time or variants), echoing the style of Viennese operettas and waltzes.
- Home of “Send in the Clowns”: The show features “Send in the Clowns,” one of Sondheim’s most famous and frequently covered songs, written specifically to suit Glynis Johns’ limited vocal range.
- Tony Award success: A Little Night Music premiered on Broadway in 1973 and won six Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Book of a Musical.
- Age and romance as central themes: Unlike many musicals, the story focuses largely on middle-aged and older characters, exploring love, regret, and second chances with wit and emotional depth.
