Theater review: ‘Merrily We Roll Along’ at Actors Co-op
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Time has been kinder to “Merrily We Roll Along†than to its three disillusioned main characters, whose youthful idealism, creative aspirations and longtime friendship get not-so-merrily steamrollered during two pivotal decades of the last century. Making the most of modest resources, a heartfelt, committed revival from Actors Co-op shows why this under-appreciated Stephen Sondheim-George Furth musical has steadily risen in stature since its initial commercial failure in 1981.
The production brings admirable clarity to the show’s story-told-in-reverse concept, beginning in 1976 and moving backward to 1957 (the most daunting aspect of Furth’s book, adapted from an obscure, similarly structured 1934 George S. Kaufman-Moss Hart nonmusical drama). At the center of this cautionary showbiz tale, Brent Schindele’s solid performance, strong singing voice and boyish looks straddle the narrative decades as once-gifted Broadway composer-turned-movie producer Franklin Shepard faces a midlife spiritual dead-end and final estrangement from the two friends who mattered most — his high-minded, uncompromising lyricist, Charley (Matt Bauer, who sprints brilliantly through savage condemnation of crass commercialism in “Franklin Shepard, Inc.â€), and writer Mary Flynn (Leslie Spencer, who anchors the conscience of the piece as she leads the reprises of “Old Friendsâ€).
Director Richard Israel knows this show in his bones, and his no-frills staging priorities are in the right places. The live six-piece orchestra is essential to the tonalities in Sondheim’s brass and woodwind-heavy score, and if the decision not to mike the singers was budget-driven, it forces them to give the numbers everything they’ve got. The 14-member ensemble may not hit every musical note but they nail all the emotional ones: Retracing life’s pivotal missteps that in hindsight could have been avoided is loaded with both fatalism and poignancy. As the three friends launch their careers beaming with fresh-faced optimism, the “Our Time†finale is truly a heartbreaker.
-– Philip Brandes
“Merrily We Roll Along.†Crossley Terrace Theatre at the First Presbyterian Church, 1760 N. Gower St., Hollywood. 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2:30 p.m. Sundays. Ends Oct. 24. $34. (323) 462-8460 or www.ActorsCo-op.org. Running time: 2 hours, 35 minutes.