“Merrily” will explore art, fame and failure

Sarah Rebell Staff Writer

“Merrily We Roll Along,” the drama department’s spring musical, takes place from the 1970s to the 1950s. That’s right, the show goes backward in time. Written by renowned composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim, the show depicts a series of scenes that are told in reverse chronological order and span 20 years.

“Merrily” is a character study of a group of friends inspired by theater. Their friendships disintegrate over time as artistic values clash with commercial success. Because the show unfolds in reverse order, the audience first encounters the characters as jaded, bitter adults. Their ultimate accomplishments and failures are therefore no surprise. But the show focuses more on the characters than the plot, highlighting pivotal moments in the characters’ lives in an exploration of how they became the way they are.

“Sondheim is a genius,” said Director of Theater and “Merrily We Roll Along” Director Christopher Grabowski, who directed another Sondheim show, “Into the Woods,” last year. “Sondheim saved the musical from being obsolete,” Grabowski continued. “He reinvented it.”

Sondheim’s plays tend to carry more depth than a stereotypical musical. Initially, “Merrily We Roll Along” was not well received on Broadway. Due to the characters’ misery in the opening scenes, the show was often misinterpreted as more negative than intended. Grabowski enjoyed the challenge of presenting a play sometimes considered flawed.

Assistant Director Amanda Culp ’09 worked closely with Grabowski, whom she calls “an incredible mentor.” “He has been fully supportive of my ideas and thoughts throughout the entire process,” said Culp.

“There is a line in the second act that I think really sums up this play and why we are doing it: ‘Someday just began,’” said Culp. “As college students, it is easy to project ‘someday’ into the future. It is important to remember that right now, you and I and everyone else in our shoes, are actively living, and that mythical ‘someday’ is going to grow out of the choices we make today.”

Ultimately, the play is about the choices that help the characters to “get to be here,” as they sing in the opening number. The actors placed a lot of thought into the effect that their characters’ choices have in the show.

“All these characters have enormous professional success,” said cast member Aly French ’08. “What this play makes you realize is on what terms you’re willing to have that. It makes you think about the endless possibilities there area.”

Nick Trotta ’11 plays Charlie, a playwright who, as Trotta said, “just wants to be heard.” Trotta has found working on a Sondheim musical fascinating.

“What I’ve discovered is that a musical doesn’t communicate principally through dialogue like a straight play,” said Trotta. “Sondheim has perfected communication through songs. He can write music and lyrics as one would say them, intonation, speech speed, etc. It helps the actor a lot.”

Unlike the original production, the Vassar production of the play opens with a dance sequence.
“To clarify [the reverse chronological order], we have staged an opening sequence in which dancers briefly tell the story of the show in chronological order,” said Charlie O’Malley ’11, a dancer in the sequence. “We hope that this will help to clear up some of the inevitable confusion in the audience.” The dance also introduces physical motifs that occur throughout the show.

Lidiya Yankovskaya ’08 is the musical director for the show. “My responsibility is to oversee everything musical happening in this show, from teaching the songs to preparing and directing the orchestra,” said Yankovskaya. “It’s amazing that, as a student, I have had the opportunity to work on a production of this magnitude. The most interesting thing has been to work with the fantastic team that is putting this show together—bouncing ideas, listening, respecting one another’s work and now finally putting all of the pieces together.”

The students are thrilled to work on such a rich and powerful piece, and had nothing but praise for their cast and crew. “To watch the whole thing come together has been like magic,” said cast member Gwen Ellis ’08.

Grabowski is already thinking of more musicals to put on at Vassar in the next few years. Upcoming possibilities include Bertolt Brecht’s “Threepenny Opera” and Adam Guettel’s “Floyd Collins,” as well as the smash Broadway hit “Rent.”