Photos by Christopher Mueller
Old friendships are like a thermal blanket—cozy and comforting, if occasionally also suffocating. Signature Theatre’s Merrily We Roll Along explores all of the blanket, with an emphasis on the tangly and strangle-y bits. Working backwards through 20 years of the lives of three interconnected friends, the show explores how ambition, lust, money, and time can test the limits of even the strongest bonds.
The show opens with film producer, Frank (played by Jason Gotay), contemplating choices that have led to both his professional success and a rift with his two best friends: Mary (Melanie Field)—a witty and often brash author who is unafraid to express anything except her true feelings for Frank, and Charley (Jake Loewenthal)—Frank’s idealist and affable former lyricist with whom Frank is no longer speaking.
As the show takes the audience back in time, the believability of the rapport between the anchoring three-way friendship is paramount, and Signature’s trio nails it. Every time the friends do their hallmark “here’s to us” toast (complete with pinkie shake) you can feel their affinity for one another. It’s what makes the pregnant pause Frank takes as he considers choosing a lover over his friends so agonizing and what makes the friends patching up a fight in “Old Friends” so sweet and relatable. By the end of that latter scene, the joy is so palpable and the playfulness so inviting that it’s reminiscent of
the classic “Good Morning” scene in “Singing in the Rain,” featuring another charismatic trio of friends. Alas, no one breaks out tap shoes at Signature. (As Charley and Frank would likely interject here, “Oh sure, I know; it’s not that kind of show.”)
Standout performances in Merrily include Jake Loewenthal’s rendition of the very difficult “Franklin Shepard, Inc.,” which had the audience roaring with laughter long after the number concluded. That song was as comical as “Not a Day Goes By” (sung by Frank’s ex-wife, Beth, who is played by Kerstin Anderson) is somber. Anderson sings it with a kind of quiet rage that seethes but never bubbles over—like someone who is accustomed to but does not accept the indignities in the life she has chosen. It’s a real shame that there is no pause for applause built in as this song ends. Frank’s present-day wife, Gussie (Maria Rizzo), is equally memorable. Rizzo methodically unpacks her shadowy Norma Desmond-esque star of yesteryear, revealing her as a formerly self- possessed and scheming starlette who is ultimately worn down—if not totally consumed—by the bloblike mass of consumers and critics of art she herself fueled. Gussie’s transformation from Act I to Act II of the show is perhaps the starkest of any character.
While the orchestra (conducted by longtime Signature staple, Jon Kalbfleisch) is exceptional and reason enough to see this show, there are very occasional moments where it drowns outspoken or sung lines, particularly in ensemble numbers. That is, no doubt, largely a product of the many abrupt and rapid-fire lines, a Stephen Sondheim (who wrote the music and lyrics) show staple. And while the costumes and set in this show aren’t as flashy as some other memorable Signature productions (as mentioned,
“it’s not that kind of a show”), they are beautiful in their own right, and they add to the immense enjoyment of the final product. Once again, Signature has outdone itself with its latest production.
FINAL GRADE: A
Merrily We Roll Along runs through November 1st at Signature Theatre – MAX Theatre in Arlington, VA. Running time is 2 Hours and 30 minutes with a 15-minute intermission. Children under 6 are not admitted.
To purchase tickets, click on SigTheatre.org.
About The Author
