Character guide
Madame Armfeldt
from A Little Night Music
Madame Armfeldt is Desiree's worldly, wheelchair bound mother in A Little Night Music, Stephen Sondheim's 1973 musical, a retired courtesan hosting the pivotal country weekend.
- Show
- A Little Night Music
- Broadway premiere
- 1973
- Role
- Supporting
- Music by
- Stephen Sondheim
Madame Armfeldt on stage vs screen
Broadway compared with the 1977 film and Bergman's 1955 film
Hermione Gingold originated Madame Armfeldt on Broadway in 1973 and reprised the role in Harold Prince's 1977 film, one of three Broadway principals to carry their roles to the screen, along with Len Cariou and Laurence Guittard. The film moved her country estate, and the whole story, from Sweden to Austria.
In Ingmar Bergman's 1955 source film, Smiles of a Summer Night, the character was Mrs. Armfeldt, played by Naima Wifstrand. On stage her signature number is Liaisons, her reflective solo about her past.
Who is Madame Armfeldt?
Madame Armfeldt spent her youth collecting fortunes and admirers across the courts of Europe, and she now watches her daughter and the younger generation's romantic entanglements with dry, world weary amusement from the sidelines. Her country estate becomes the setting where the show's various couples converge.
Acerbic and unsentimental, she offers a sharp contrast to the younger characters' romantic confusion, having long ago settled her own accounts with love, even as she quietly acknowledges what has been lost along the way.
Madame Armfeldt's role in A Little Night Music
Madame Armfeldt is a supporting role, delivering the number Liaisons, a wry reflection on how romance and courtship have been cheapened since her own glamorous heyday. The part is a plum character role written for an older actress with strong comic and dramatic instincts.
The role was originated by Hermione Gingold in the 1973 Broadway production, and it has since attracted celebrated stage actresses drawn to its combination of sardonic wit and underlying melancholy.
Madame Armfeldt: frequently asked questions
What show is Madame Armfeldt from?
Madame Armfeldt is a supporting character in A Little Night Music, which opened on Broadway in 1973.
Is Madame Armfeldt a lead or supporting role?
Madame Armfeldt is a supporting role, best known for the number Liaisons.
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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