Review: MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG, Southwark Playhouse Elephant

Based on a 1934 play by George S Kaufman and Moss Hart, Stephen Sondheim's semi-autobiographical musical Merrily We Roll Along (premiered in 1981) starts at the end of the story and moves through to the beginning, two decades earlier, as we follow the fortunes of three friends, Franklin Shepard, Charley Kringas, and Mary Flynn.

Staged in the new Elephant space at Southwark Playhouse, this musical showcases a number of songs which have since taken on a life of their own in concert, notably the torch song "Not a Day Goes By" and the closing number "Our Time", which is often used to introduce new talent and celebrate the start of potentially promising careers.

With the National Youth Music Theatre's company here ranging in age from 12 (Matilda Penna as Frankie jr) to 23, it is interesting to watch performers who we may see in the future tackling the big, famous roles in musical theatre. Madeleine Morgan is a particular standout as Mary, whose complex trajectory includes being friend-zoned and battling addiction.

Elsewhere there are moments which are quietly affecting from an acting standpoint: Sam Sayan's producer Joe's joy at attaining a big stage hit, and struggling with his wife's indifference; Matilda Shapland's Beth displaying a sense of maturity alongside her sweet innocence in two renditions of the same song.

As the main characters of the composer and lyricist who want to change the world with their project Take a Left, Toby Owers and Thomas Oxley do well with the backwards trajectory in which they have to moved from middle age back to idealistic youngsters. Owers is slightly more believable as the young Franklin, but a lot of that is down to George Furth's book which is less assured in the early scenes and on stronger ground in act two.

Director Katherine Hare has chosen to stage Merrily We Roll Along on the flat floor of the Elephant's basement while staging some moments on a balcony and on the steps reaching there. It means some awkward blocking and some sound issues from the side seats, which were particularly noticeable in scenes where most of the cast were present for a number, such as the opening of act one.

This version of Merrily We Roll Along doesn't quite have the emotional heft of a production which understands regret and lost opportunity, which makes it a little static at times. Still, the choreography by Julia Cave is fun in the act two opening and in Gussie's (a convincingly awful Sophie Lagden) sharply nasty "The Blob".

In this musical, Franklin Shepard's pursuit of fame and money unbalances his personal and professional life, and those around him. No one is happy in this harsh expose of the backstage reality behind "putting on a show", which makes "Our Time" the most devastating moment of the production.

Merrily We Roll Along is at Southwark Playhouse Elephant until 26 August.

Photo credit: Konrad Bartelski

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