ROLL MERRILY ALONG WE

 

Reconstructing Sondheim & Furth's "problem piece" using current cinematic non-linear storytelling techniques.
By David Davila (playwright/song-writer)

Next Tuesday, July 10th, we will finally get what we’ve been waiting years for, a complete cast recording of Stephen Sondheim’s under-appreciated gem, MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG with full orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick, and some of George Furth’s dialogue included.

The show is about three best friends in show business who’s friendship is ruined by success, and is told backwards so you can see how it happens step by step. Anyone who has a copy of the original cast recording knows how frustrating it is to only get a taste of a show that everyone always condemns as a “problem piece.”

The show was a giant flop in its original production, and they’ve tried for twenty years to fix it and revise it. Most of the show's fans (myself included) were hoping that the Encores production, which brings us this cast album, would also bring us a big Broadway revival that would finally make this little lemon a hit. However that just didn’t happen. As you read this there are producers here in New York and London trying to figure out a way to bring one of the three high-profile revivals to Broadway somehow.

Will it be this Encore’s production, the Menier Chocholate Factory’s production with its long history of successful transfers, or the John Doyle production that recently garnered critical praise in Cincinatti?

(John Doyle's critically acclaimed production of MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG)

 

If I had my wish, I would ask for a fourth production that took the best aspects of all three and put them together along with my idea to mix things up a bit…

 

I know Sondheim would probably staple my eye-lids open if he heard me say this (your next round at Junior's is on me), but it’s true, the only actual problem with Merrily We Along, is that the story is told backwards.

Don’t get me wrong, I am DEFINITELY not suggesting that they tell the backwards story forwards. I’m only suggesting that they shouldn’t strictly stick to the backwards conceit, and consider shuffling several key scenes around to create a structure that tells a satisfying story.

When the original play opened, and even the musical version, stories told backwards was a novel idea. Then Pulp Fiction hit the theatres, and storytelling was flipped on its side. Christopher Nolan and Charlie Kaufman have proven that you can tell these types of stories with great affect in movies like The Prestige, Memento, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

I did want to see THE PRESTIGE again as soon as it was over, and I did. I took my best friend to see it the next day, then another friend, then another. I saw it four times in the theatre and to this day I'm completely blown away by Christopher Nolan's storytelling ability. 

 

The key to making these backwards, and out-of-order stories work is by keeping secrets from the audience until the very moment when the information should be received. This is how most stories work actually; the hero finds out information that forwards along the plot. When stories are told out of order or backwards the information is given in the form of flashbacks.

However, in Merrily We Roll Along the biggest secret is given away in the second scene. You find out why the two main characters are no longer friends, and then you have to sit and watch them be friends for the rest of the show, knowing why they aren't anymore. 

If the audience was left wondering what happened until the end of the play, the structure of the story could be more effective, because the audience would look for clues in every scene to help them understand. I suggest switching “Opening Doors” and “Franklin Sheppard Inc” in the show, and re-arranging the order of a few other scenes to hold back information from the audience till it is absolutely needed. 

 
(The very talented Raul Esparza singing FRANKLIN SHEPARD INC.)

 
(Original Broadway Cast bootleg of OPENING DOORS)

The only reason I’ve come to this conclusion about the structure of Merrily We Roll Along, is because I’m obsessed with it. Like everyone else who has ever tried to revive or produce the show, I’m obsessed with the characters and with Sondheim’s brilliant score. Sondheim swears that the production is frozen now that George Furth has died, but I still hope that one day I’ll get to see a production of this “problem play” that isn’t so problematic.

Meanwhile I’ll just load my ipod with this complete cast recording and obsess, and obsess, and obsess.

 ... and now for the 90's jam of the week:

 

DAVID DAVILA is half of the song-writing duo Havrilla & Davila, author of the Tex-Mex plays, and founder of Lone Star Theatre Co. Wanna talk about it? www.daviddavila.net
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Comments

[Miles Mandwelle]

Your title is PERFECT for this article! Thanks, it was a fun read :)

[John Daniel]

Please tell me you've sent this to him or his assistant.

[Lindsey]

Can you also tell him about assassins? That show has major structural problems.

[Sean Michael Havrilla]

I LOVE how Assassins works! :/ lol

[David Davila]

Thanks Miles! .... And sorry y'all Sondheim comes into my restaurant a lot but I don't want him to spit on me.... So I might just have to keep my mouth shut on this one lol.