Posted in: Live Music by Cygne Akrou on December 31st, 2008 | 0 Comments
A brief description (without a plot summary) of the musical by Stephen Sondheim and George Furth.
Merrily We Roll Along is a musical introduced to Broadway in 1981 with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by George Furth. It is based on the play (also called Merrily We Roll Along) written in 1934 by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. What makes Merrily unique is its scenes are presented in backward chronological order – the first of which takes place in 1976 and the last of which takes place in 1957. The main characters are therefore shown in the beginning of the show immersed in the consequences of their decisions, and the rest of the show is a demonstration of how they got to that point (ergo, the oft-repeated lyric, “How did you get to be here?”).
Merrily was not successful in its initial run, having only played 16 Broadway performances before being closed. However, after some series re-writes and alterations by the composers, the show is now considered by many to be among the best musicals of its time, especially for its innovative and ambitious score, its unique storytelling structure, and for its genuine approach to the difficulties of friendship, love and success.
Plans for a revival of Merrily to be produced by the Roundabout Theatre Company were announced in May of 2008. Roundabout hopes to have it up by 2010.
