Character guide
Fredrik Egerman
from A Little Night Music
Fredrik Egerman is a middle aged lawyer torn between his young, unconsummated marriage and his former lover Desiree in A Little Night Music, Stephen Sondheim's 1973 musical.
- Show
- A Little Night Music
- Broadway premiere
- 1973
- Role
- Lead
- Music by
- Stephen Sondheim
Fredrik Egerman on stage vs screen
Broadway compared with the 1977 film and Bergman's 1955 film
Len Cariou originated Fredrik on Broadway in 1973 and repeated the role in Harold Prince's 1977 film, which moved the story to Austria and spelled his name Frederich, opposite Elizabeth Taylor as Desiree. Lesley-Anne Down played his young wife, Anne, and the film also renamed his son, Henrik on stage, as Erich.
In Ingmar Bergman's 1955 source film, Smiles of a Summer Night, Gunnar Bjornstrand played Fredrik Egerman. On stage Fredrik's marriage troubles play out in Now and in You Must Meet My Wife, his duet with Desiree.
Who is Fredrik Egerman?
Fredrik married a much younger woman, Anne, but eleven months into the marriage it remains unconsummated, leaving him frustrated and self-deprecating about his own situation. That frustration draws him back toward Desiree Armfeldt, the actress he loved before his second marriage.
Gentle, wry, and quietly desperate, Fredrik spends much of the show caught between two women and two very different versions of love, one comfortable and familiar, one passionate and complicated, and the country weekend forces him to finally choose.
Fredrik's role in A Little Night Music
Fredrik is a lead role, anchoring much of the show's romantic comedy, including the interwoven trio Now, in which his internal monologue about his stalled marriage plays out in real time. The part rewards dry wit and a performer comfortable balancing comedy with real vulnerability.
The role was originated by Len Cariou in the 1973 Broadway production, opposite Glynis Johns as Desiree, and the pairing's chemistry helped make the central romance of A Little Night Music one of the more tender relationships in the Sondheim catalog.
Fredrik Egerman: frequently asked questions
What show is Fredrik Egerman from?
Fredrik Egerman is a lead character in A Little Night Music, which opened on Broadway in 1973.
Is Fredrik Egerman a lead or supporting role?
Fredrik is a lead role and the show's central man.
Who wrote the music for A Little Night Music?
Stephen Sondheim composed the music and lyrics for A Little Night Music.
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