Review: MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG at SDSU

If time could run backward—and in Merrily We Roll Along, it does—we might watch our artistic dreams untangle into something simpler, purer, and full of promise. The concert version of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s bittersweet musical at San Diego State University offered just that: a sharp, soulful rewind through friendship, ambition, and the cost of success.

Spanning nearly twenty years (in reverse), Merrily begins in 1976 with composer Franklin Shepard (Nole Jones) at the height of his Hollywood fame but the low point of his personal life. His longtime collaborators—playwright Charley Kringas (Robert Bednar) and writer-critic Mary Flynn (Courtney Corey)—are fractured remnants of a once-glorious trio. Scene by scene, the story moves backward to the rooftop of their youth in 1957, where they first dreamed of changing the world through art. The reversed timeline means we hear echoes before the cause—motifs and reprises that only reveal their heartbreak later, such as the haunting “Not a Day Goes By.”

Co-directed by Amy Schwartzreich and Stephen Brotebeck, this concert version pacing was crisp, the staging fluid, and the emotional through-lines clear. At my performance, I sat among many students who seemed puzzled by Franklin’s friends' scorn for his success in Hollywood. After all, today’s artists are expected to conquer every medium, from the stage to the big screen to the small screens in our pockets. But Merrily captures a different cultural moment, when “selling out” felt sharper and more personal. Schwartzreich and Brotebeck’s direction honors that generational divide while still making the story universal: not just about lost ideals, but about how one person’s ambition can wound the very people who helped them get there. 

Jones’ Franklin teetered between integrity and ambition, never quite seeing the price of his success, both personally and to others. Bednar’s Charley practically vibrated with frustration, his “Franklin Shepard, Inc.” a burst of manic humor. Corey’s Mary carried the trio’s heartbreak with biting wit and her heart on her sleeve.  Ajay Junious gleamed as Gussie Carnegie, the glamorous Broadway star whose allure symbolizes Frank’s drift from authenticity. At the same time, Gabby Ocampo’s Beth illustrated the quiet devastation of a marriage failing in “Not a Day Goes By.”

Musical direction by Robert Meffe was excellent and fulfilled his goal of uniting SDSU’s musical theatre and live orchestral performance on one stage—this marked his first collaboration with the SDSU Jazz Ensemble, led by Karl Soukup. Instead of hiding in a pit, the musicians performed onstage, fully integrated with the actors, their energy pulsing through Sondheim’s famously complex score. The musicians include Jack Holden on piano; Sophia Simmons, Julie Dawson, Mark Margolies, and Kat Merringer on reeds; Nate Christlieb, Henry Aufmann, Savannah Frost, and Maxwell Friedl on trombones; Ezri Martinez-Mata on synthesizer; Chase Bentley on drums; and Isaiah Lightfoot on bass. The sound is particularly thrilling near the end of Act I, when the horns ring out and the audience can feel the music envelop the room.

Jocelyn Tamayo’s costumes neatly traced the decades, Sukritha’s modular scenic design and Stephanie Ma‘alona’s lighting maintained focus and mood. Blake McCarty’s projections and Paul Peterson’s sound design knit everything together with clarity and style.

At the matinee I attended, the house was full of students, families, and theatre lovers, all swept into Sondheim’s looping reflection on art, friendship, and success. SDSU’s production proves that excellence isn’t confined to Broadway; it flourishes wherever artists chase the next story together.  So, merrily we all roll along, backward, forward, and always toward the next curtain call.

SDSU Theatre next has a production of ‘Twelfth Night” December 3 - 7th on the Prebys Stage.  For ticket and showtime information, go to https://ttf.sdsu.edu/

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