Merrily We Roll Along
Reviewed by Julia Stier
The Fable Theatre at The Whitefire Theatre
Through April 30th
RECOMMENDED
Under the direction of Conchita Belisle Newman and music direction of Richard Berent, The Fable Theatre is presenting their inaugural production, Merrily We Roll Along – with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by George Furth – at The Whitefire Theatre.
Structurally, Merrily We Roll Along feels like the musical theatrer grandfather of Jason Robert Brown’s The Last Five Years. Told in reverse chronological order, Merrily follows the personal and professional milestones (both positive and negative) of Broadway-composer-turned-Hollywood-producer Franklin Shepard (Nick Giedris), his writing partner Charley Kringas (Philip McBride), and their longtime friend Mary Flynn (Conchita Belisle Newman). In addition to Merrily and Last Five Years’ use of a reverse timeline, both shows also explore the price of artistic success.
Giedris is a delightfully charismatic as Franklin. McBride as Charley Kringus gives a show-stopping performance early on with his rendition of “Franklin Shepard, Inc,.” Newman plays a sweet and earnest Mary. And when you put the three of them together? Harmonic perfection.
Jennifer Knox, as Franklin’s ex-wife, Beth, doesn’t make an appearance until the final scene of the first act, but delivers such a heart-wrenching version of “Not a Day Goes By,” that she immediately has the audience on her side. Katy Jane Harvey gets her moment to shine with a jaw-dropping performance of “Act II Opening” — and that dress!: what an accomplishment by costume designer Paige Elizabeth Newman. Rounding out the core cast is Scott Weintraub as Joe, a surprisingly lovable Broadway producer who gives Franklin and Charley their big break.
It was interesting watching this particular show in Los Angeles-adjacent Sherman Oaks, as the musical actively looks down on the denizens of the City of Angels as second-class artists compared to those in New York City. LA is painted as a cesspool of sycophants and airheads, and strangely enough, this endears me to Franklin and his plight. Apart from his serial cheating habit, I feel for Franklin, for his desire for commercial success. It’s a credit to Furth’s bookwriting as well that Franklin doesn’t feel like a two-dimensional villain. He is an artist who finally caught a break. His pain and frustration certainly resonated with me, and I’m sure it did for many others in the audience as well.
The Fable Theatre at The Whitefire Theatre; 13500 Ventura Blvd, Sherman Oaks; Sat., 8 pm; Sun., 7:30 pm; thru April 30; https://thefabletheatre.com; Running time: Approx. 2.5 hours with a 15-minute intermission.
