A Little Night Music

A Little Night Music opens at the Royal Exchange Theatre on 5 December 2026 and runs through to 30 January 2027. It's Stephen Sondheim's Tony Award-winning musical comedy, with music and lyrics by Sondheim and a book by Hugh Wheeler. The story is set in turn-of-the-century Sweden and follows a group of mismatched couples waltzing through a series of self-delusions in search of a happy ending. It contains the composer's bittersweet masterpiece 'Send in the Clowns' alongside 'Night Waltz'.

Selina Cartmell directs, with Michelle Gomez as Desiree Armfeldt and Michael D. Xavier as Fredrik Egerman. Both are making their Royal Exchange debuts. The show is staged in the theatre's immersive in-the-round space, and it's the penultimate production in the venue's 50th anniversary season, 'A Homecoming'.

There are a few local connections to the creative team. Manchester-born choreographer Arlene Phillips makes her Royal Exchange debut here, and Matthew Malone returns as music supervisor, music director and orchestrator, following his work on Fun Home. The musical itself was inspired by an Ingmar Bergman film and originally produced and directed on Broadway by Harold Prince.

Standard tickets start from £15, with a £2.00 booking fee on top. The age guidance is 14+.