A Little Night Music
Concept
Throughout the beginning scenes in the musical, characters cannot truly express how they feel. Henrik loves Anne, but cannot come clean because she is married to his father. Desiree and Fredrik secretly long to be together, but due to marital obligations cannot be. Charlotte just wants a normal marriage to Carl-Magnus, but he's sleeping with Desiree. All of these characters are concealing something behind a mask of conformity. During the show, the masks come off.
At the beginning of the show, lighting comes from artificial sources, such as lamps, chandeliers. Very little natural light is used.
However, as the character's masks beging to come off, the lighting gradually fades from artificial sources to natural light that also coveys location through texture.
In addition to a shift taking place on stage, focus to character and sculpting of the surrounding environment will enhance the mood. When the characters have reached an emotional climax, the lighting will have arrived at a look that accentuates the mood of the show, contributing to the story in a coherent fashion.
