Take it from the bottom...
TheatreWork's Merrily We Roll Along 
** (out of *****)
Mark S.P. Turvin
(w) 965-1021  (h) 894-5443
I can be reached for comment via e-mail at: mspt@asu.edu

	As Frank Rich wrote in his now famous review about the 
opening of Stephen Sondheim's show Merrily We Roll Along in 1981, 
"To be a Sondheim fan is to periodically have your heart 
broken..." The show, one of Sondheim's most famous flops (and he's 
had a few of those) ended his famous collaboration with Harold 
Prince, confused and confounded audiences, and has since joined 
shows such as Carrie as the most memorable turkey's that Broadway 
has ever produced.
	But, Merrily is the show that refuses to die. Two major 
revisions have followed that disastrous first production, each 
less bitter and confusing than the previous. Because of its 
wonderful Sondheim score (with a few songs equal to those in his 
best shows; Sondheim at his worst is still better than other 
contemporaries at their zenith) and its haunting images 
juxtaposing cynicism and idealism, producers, directors, and even 
Sondheim himself have tinkered with the show in an attempt to make 
it work. TheatreWork's production, directed by Gregory Jaye, is 
based on the recent London revival, and is certainly alot less 
confusing, but still retains the fatal flaws that make this show 
so heartbreaking on so many different levels. 
	Based on a now obscure Kaufman and Hart play about three 
friends who start with hopes of changing the world, but wind up 
losing their dreams, each other, and even themselves through the 
next 25 years, it uses the same intriguing though confusing 
technique of starting with the end of their friendship, then 
running backwards in time until their first meeting 25 years 
earlier. The result is an ironic ending, full of hope and energy, 
that makes a statement about what they've lost later in their 
lives (that is, earlier in the play). With Sondheim's usual 
cleverness, he has composed a score that runs in reverse with the 
situation. Reprises of songs precede the actual songs, and musical 
themes are brought in before their situation is first established. 
	We see three talented friends, composer Frank, lyricist 
Charley, and writer Mary, at the end of their successes and 
friendship, and gradually watch them achieve their heights, then 
struggle to become famous and finally begin their dreaming in the 
first place. This production makes Frank less of the bad guy than 
the original, and adds a few songs, characters and plot techniques 
that make the show easier to follow, but the first act is still a 
relative mish-mosh, and textually, it isn't until the second act, 
in other words, while the three friends are still struggling to 
achieve their success, that the show becomes interesting and 
intelligible. 
	As Frank, D. Scott Withers delivers a fine performance of the 
embittered man whose fall and rise is the center of the show. As 
Charley, Frank's arch-enemy/former best friend, Stephen Goodfriend 
is a brooding, unenergetic sourpuss in the first act, but visibly 
lights up during the second. The real joy of the production, 
though, is Susie Schuld as Frank's lovelorn, unnoticed other 
friend, Mary. She has a wonderful singing voice, and while the 
attention of the other members of the company wandered, she 
remained focused from plump, drunken beginning to cute, clever 
end. She alone made this show watchable.
	Unfortunately, after these three, the rest of the company 
ranges from acceptable to downright horrendous. Solid performances 
come from Kim Haveman as the evil diva and Frank's second wife, 
Gussie Carnegie and Martha Magee as Frank's first wife, Beth. From 
there, the chorus was collectively wretched. There is no excuse 
that ten people singing in unison on that small stage can not be 
heard, or that they are visibly counting measures during dance 
sequences. It was painfully obvious that the chorus was not 
confident enough with the difficult lyrics to sing above a 
tentative whisper. During the first half of the show, the chorus 
has the energy of lackadaisical zombies. It is only with the 
hilarious "Laugh-In" send-up of "Now You Know" that ends the first 
act that the energy bumps up and the show becomes tolerable. 
	Wholehearted congratulations go to Costume Designer Margret 
Emerson for her perfect period costumes, which became visual jokes 
incorporated into the show, and to Set Designer Gregory Jaye, 
whose set actually helped explain the time-movement of the show, 
and offered many interesting levels and playing spaces. Kudos are 
also in order for David Wo's light design, which was spectacular 
for such a difficult space. 
	Mr. Wo's infatuation with Sondheim has given the valley many 
great productions that other, bigger cities can only dream of, and 
for that, we are lucky. It is only a shame that this production, 
with its' textual pitfalls and its' unimpressive chorus is not up 
to the level of TheatreWorks' other past achievements. 

Production Details:
Merrily We Roll Along by Stephen Sondheim and George Furth
TheatreWorks, Peoria
815-7930
May 3-May 26, 1996

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