What a year - Hair,
West Side Story and now Stephen Sondheim’s
Merrily We Roll Along. From the 300
seat Geoff Gibbs Theatre to the 1100 seater at the Regal to the intimate
confines of the Roundhouse (fast becoming my favourite theatre venue) WAAPA’s
third year musical theatre students have been outstanding. In the words of
Sondheim himself, “Here’s to us. Who’s like us? Damn few.”
Indeed, the story of three talented friends who rise from
humble beginnings to achieve their artistic dreams on Broadway, in publishing, and
beyond is an apt one. This graduating class is in the early phase of realising
their own dreams and the talent on display bodes well for the future. But Merrily We Roll Along posts
warning signs along the way about how ambition and expediency can erode
artistic integrity and, perhaps more importantly, alienate those who matter
most - the friends, loved ones and collaborators who helped make the journey
possible.
The dramatic conceit here is that the story is told in
reverse chronological order. We see these characters at their worst at the
beginning of the musical before exploring how they arrived at such an
emotionally barren place. When the show first opened on Broadway in 1981 it was
a flop. It’s almost hard to believe as the score is excellent, the lyrics witty
and perceptive, and there’s surely a resonance for anyone who has harboured an
artistic dream of some sort. The structure is complex but not prohibitively so
as we move backwards from 1976 to eventually land in 1957 (a year I should have
realised the significance of) where the final scene is beautifully constructed and
thematically perfect. It signals a time where anything was possible, where
ideas could change the world, where artists could make the papers and musicals
were popular and could raise important themes. A time when three people meet
who will become friends, collaborators, and take the world by storm... but at
what cost?
This is why the reverse timeline works – there is such
idealism and hope in the final sequences of the production that we largely
forgive where these characters ended up. That they fail in life by becoming so
successful in their chosen professions is also down to the sort of human
frailties we can easily identify with.
The three friends, Composer (and subsequent Hollywood
producer) Franklin Shepard, lyricist Charley Kringas, and writer/critic Mary
Flynn are played by Jack Van Staveren, Ben Adams, and Rebecca Hetherington
respectively. Van Staveren is excellent as the one who craves success and fame
as he chases first Broadway then Hollywood. Along the way he loses his wife Beth
(Sophie Cheeseman) and ends up marrying Broadway star Gussie Carnegie (Chloe
Wilson) who was enamoured of his musical talent. I have to admit it’s such a
likeable performance that I never really felt he was the ‘villain’ in the early
going. Adams is the perfect foil and has a highlight moment during Franklin Shepard, Inc. as Charley
expresses his disappointment and anger at how Franklin has sold out for the
money thus ending their friendship. The two are convincing as friends and
long-time collaborative partners which makes their falling out
(retrospectively) more potent.
But the standout for me is Hetherington who gets to play the
faithful friend in love with Franklin and who wears her heart on her sleeve
even trashing the opening sequence party in his honour with some harsh home
truths. Not only is her acting impressive but vocally she shines, particularly
during Not A Day Goes By (Reprise) as Mary comes to terms with the fact she will never be with
Franklin as he marries Beth.
Of the supporting cast, Chloe Wilson plays the diva Gussie
with great confidence and sass. There was a moment in the opening sequence
where she slipped (on strewn lettuce) and fell hard to the audible gasps of the
audience but didn’t miss a beat as she picked herself up, blood nose and all,
and confronted the newest object of her husband’s affections, Meg (Miranda
Macpherson). If anything, it added to the drama of the moment.
Sophie Cheeseman plays Beth with a southern accent and trusting
innocence that is charming but always destined for tears and she is great with
the young child performer Sebastian Coe who plays Frank Junior. Nick Eynaud
comes into his own as Gussie’s husband Joe Josephson the further we go back in
time. He has an amusing moment telling Franklin and Charley they need to write
more hummable tunes, the reason Sondheim wrote Merrily in the first place in response to critics of his work. The
rest of the cast is, as is to be expected, strong vocally and look terrific in
an assortment of costumes appropriate to the different time periods.
After the big, elaborate musicals of the last few days over
in Melbourne this show was a pleasant reminder that a stripped back production
such as this in an intimate setting with talented performers and musicians can
be just as entertaining and memorable. And yes, Mister Sondheim, I was tapping
my feet more than once!
Directed by Jason Langley, Musical Director David King, Music
and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim with a Book by George Furth, Merrily We Roll Along
stars WAAPA's third year musical theatre students and has six more shows until 30 August at The Roundhouse Theatre.
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