In 1981 the Stephen Sondheim/George Furth musical MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG lasted for 52 (!) previews and a staggeringly short 16 regular performances before its closure on Broadway. Met with some of Sondheim's harshest criticisms (a rarity within his top-notch career full of well-received hits), the musical play told in reverse (time-wise, that is) is quite a challenging piece to take in. As Chance Theater's current production (performing through March 7 in Anaheim Hills), theater co-founder and director Oanh Nguyen certainly lived up to his theater's name and took a respectable chance on mounting a musical that may not be everyone's cup of tea.
The musical centers around the life of Frank Shepard (played by Jeremy Fillinger), a successful Hollywood producer who (we progressively discover) used to be a pretty great composer of musicals, before being lured away by the money, fame, and the bigger, brighter lights of film studios. His former creative partner—and soon, we also learn, his former best friend—is Charley Kringas (Rylan Dodge), an amicable fellow with big ideas and big dreams. The two form a friendly trio with Mary Flynn (Amie Bjorklund), a writer. When the show begins, the year is 1976 and we find ourselves in Bel Air, California where Frank is throwing a swell party, filled to the brim with Frank's so-called industry "friends"...shallow, urbane yes-men (and -women) that grovel at his feet and praise his latest blockbuster. Mary is conspicuously ill-fitting here, even more so because she's rather loud, rather honest, and rather, well, drunk. Frank's life then goes to complete shambles as his friendship with Mary crumbles and his marriage implodes after his wife Gussie (Laura M. Hathaway) attacks his long-suspected mistress.
The cast sings... "How did we get there from here?" Well, by telling its story chronologically backwards, that's how. Much like the original play written by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart, the show is told in reverse (up to all the way back to 1957, when Sputnik raced across the night sky). We learn via the show's contemporary "greek chorus" (and some nifty supertitles that project the year we're in on the wall!) that Frank, as years roll by, became more concerned with selling out than immersing himself in creative inspiration—a trait that significantly affected his relationships with the people that cared about him the most. There are certainly thematic ghosts of past Sondheim shows Follies and Company bubbling on the surface.
This peculiar, almost gimmicky narrative decision to go backwards—while not totally off-putting—makes for, yes, some interesting narrative discoveries and staging. But, unfortunately, it also presents the audience with this show's most aggravating aspect. Unlike, for instance, Jason Robert Brown's The Last Five Years, which uses a somewhat similar method of going backwards, MERRILY's execution of the structure seems a bit choppy and labored.
Though some themes in the show (choosing success over friendship, choosing easy fame over creative fulfillment, choosing guilty pleasures over loyalty and love, abandoning idealism in favor of cynicism) can be universally amalgamated, it's harder—by the very virtue of going in reverse—to root for or develop much emotional attachment to the characters, especially when we know from the get go what people they end up becoming. When we slowly see what shapes Frank's future, we can see his pattern of self-destructiveness that will affect everyone around him...and as observers, audiences may get detached from investing much in that. It's a shame, actually, because at the start of Act 2, as the trio of friends celebrate their success in the mounting of their big musical, they all seem like such wonderful, charismatic people, still abundant with hope and idealism.
But as complex and as somewhat frustrating the story structure can be, Sondheim's memorable score—enhanced here by the wonderful movements conceived by resident choreographer Kelly Todd—is a melodic, lyrically-rich treasure that unfold as the years tick back. Much like all of Sondheim's more widely-known efforts, what saves this show is his wonderful set of songs—performed in this particular production by a very enthusiastic, talented ensemble cast. As Frank Shepard, Fillinger is great in the lead role and performs some admirable singing work. His excellent acting rapport with both Bjorklund and Dodge are showcased well, and the latter two actors are also vocally commendable. Also worth mentioning is the musical solo moments delivered by impressively-voiced cast member Liz Holt. Collectively, though, the ensemble does some incredible work both in fine solos and all together in harmoniously beautiful choral moments. Not hampered by a small space (kudos also goes to the bare bones, yet cleverly constructed sets and projections), the cast is brisk and lively as they move about the stage—which is a treat that transcends the show's flaws.
Though MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG (the source material) seems like it merrily trudges along, Chance Theater's production is buoyed by a collective creative enthusiasm that's wonderfully palpable and exuberantly infectious all throughout the show's performance.
