A cool evening breeze saunters through the sky as the sun gradually sets. Slowly, the moon rises, accenting the profile of everyone in its view.

The blowing trees whisper through the thick night air, gossiping about the evening’s predicted chain of events. Most predictions are unsupported; however, one thing is for certain — it’s a perfect night for a romance.

Every moment holds speculation and anticipation. Around every corner, a new relationship is forming, a new crush developing. And what better way to compliment these treasured moments than with a little night music.

Night music in the style of the waltz, accompanied by a 40-piece orchestra, to be exact.

For the next two weekends, Iowa State’s Fisher Theater will be the setting for the ISU Theater and ISU Music collaboration of Stephen Sondheim’s Tony award-winning dramatic comedy, “A Little Night Music.”

In keeping with Sondheim’s wishes, most of the show centers around love relationships between the main cast members. But most of the relationships don’t involve just two people.

Part of Sondheim’s strategy for “A Little Night Music” was to plan every aspect of the show in threes. Most of the relationships in the production involve the conflict of a third party, which creates the intriguing phenomenon of the love triangle, and much of the music is written in 3/4 (or 6/8) time.

Because there are so many relationships that occur throughout the show, Jane Cox, director of the show and associate professor of theater, said the audience is given a look at young love, middle-age love and older-adult love, among others.

“There is a wide-ranging look at love,” Cox said. “The triangles and allegiances change. There is love, romance and sex, but not necessarily in that order.”

Many different relationships occur throughout the show. However, the main love story involves Frederick Egerman, played by music performance major Ryan Schweers, and Desiree Armfeldt, played by performing arts and theater major Carrie Johnson.

Despite Egerman’s marriage to Anne Egerman, a woman over 20 years younger than he, he finds that after attending one of Desiree’s theater performances, he still has feelings for Desiree.

“In the beginning, you see the main characters in relationships with the wrong mate,” Schweers said.

Throughout the course of the show, the plot twists and turns, showcasing relationships between various characters, providing conflict and sometimes even a little resolve.

“As the plot unfolds, you see which characters are meant to be together,” Schweers said. “The ways they eventually get together are oftentimes comical.”

But as every good theater pro knows, it takes more than an intriguing plot to pull off a good show.

Jared Lesse, the designer who designed the costumes for last year’s Stars Over Veishea production, “The Music Man,” returned to ISU to design the costumes for “A Little Night Music.” Cox said many of the costumes Lesse created reflect the style of “turn of the century European clothing.”

“[The costumes] look absolutely gorgeous,” Cox said. “It’s a gorgeous period anyway.”

Many of the male characters wear suits and tuxedos, and the girls wear long decorative dresses that skirt out at the waist.

Tom Kapaska, sophomore in music education, said his character, Count Carl-Magnus Malcom, has to wear a military costume during most of the show.

“[My costume] is very classy,” Kapaska said. “It’s tailored exactly to fit my body.”

Schweers said the tuxedos that most of the other men wear are representative of the early 1900s, complete with tails.

Though Kapaska said he’s not sure of the exact details of the women’s costumes, he knows one thing for sure.

“The girls have to wear corsets,” Kapaska said. “I know that because they’re always complaining.”

Accenting the characters in their authentic garb, mobile scenery was created, adding to the fanciful atmosphere of the show.

Cox said there are seven units of trees that move in different patterns at different times across the stage. She predicted that during the show, the trees move into about 20 different configurations.

“To the audience, it will seem relatively simple,” Cox said.

But according to Schweers, the tree maneuver isn’t simple at all.

“Someone off stage uses a pulley system to pull [the trees] across the stage,” Schweers said. “The trees are like transitions. They’re like the fades and zoom outs you see on TV and movies.”

Most of the work that has been done to prepare for the performances will be visible to the audience during the show. However, one of the key elements to making the night successful will be hidden backstage.

In the back of the scenery, behind a thick gray curtain, a 40-piece Iowa State Symphony will accompany the singers throughout the entire show.

Cox said one of the reasons the orchestra was seated backstage was to make it easier for the audience to hear the singers.

Because there isn’t an orchestra in front of the singers, there is also extra space closer to the audience where the orchestra would have sat. Cox said with this space, “the singers can get closer to the audience.”

But a closer proximity wasn’t the only thing music director Janet Alcorn was worried about when she was helping the singers with their parts.

“I prepared [the singers] to work with the orchestra,” Alcorn said.

In addition to teaching others how to sing their parts, Alcorn also had a part to learn herself. Alcorn said when Cox and former orchestra conductor Kirk Smith approached her about being the music director, they also asked her to play the role of Madame Armfeldt, Desiree’s mother. So far, Alcorn has loved the chance to be on stage.

“I’ve got the best lines in the play,” Alcorn said. “I’ve got the best exit lines.”

Another professor who agreed to help out with the production was assistant professor of dance Janice Baker. Cox said Baker came to practice one night to teach the cast how to do the elegant Viennese waltz. Kapaska described the dance as very smooth and not that difficult.

“It doesn’t take a lot of energy,” Kapaska said. “It kind of just flows with the music. It took everyone only about two hours to learn all the moves.”

Cox said the cast enjoys the dance so much, she sometimes catches them practicing even when they don’t have to.

“They seem to stand in the wings and waltz sometimes,” Cox said.

Even though “A Little Night Music” may have a few more obstacles to overcome and details to work out than other musicals ISU has performed in the past, Schweers said practicing for the show has been educational as well as enjoyable.

“This is a very complex show,” Alcorn said. “But we wouldn’t have undertaken it if we didn’t think we could rise to the challenge.”

The ISU Theater/ISU Music collaboration of “A Little Night Music” will open its performance Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Fisher Theater. Additional performances will take place Nov. 7, 13 and 14 at 7:30 p.m., and on Nov. 8 and 15 at 2 p.m.

Tickets are $6.50 for students and can be purchased at the Iowa State Center Box Office and all Ticketmaster outlets.