Review: Merrily We Roll Along

Review: Merrily We Roll Along| Vintage Theatre | Aurora, CO | Curtain Up! | Eric Fitzgerald | September 16, 2025

Forty-four years in the making, and now—finally—it’s here. Stephen Sondheim’s most underrated theatrical gem, Merrily We Roll Along, has arrived right in our own backyard: Vintage Theatre in Aurora. Under the skillful direction of Vintage Artistic Director Bernie Cardell, this long-awaited production offers a rare chance to experience the show firsthand in a staging that offers a resounding reply to the show’s central question: Can we ever truly rewrite the past—or only replay it?

Sondheim and George Furth (Book) don’t let us get away easily. Merrily doesn’t just roll – it unravels. The reverse structure isn’t a gimmick; it’s a ghost light flickering backward through ambition, compromise, and the erosion of idealism. Each scene peels away the layers of success to reveal the raw, unvarnished yearning underneath.

From the opening moments in Bel Air, CA (1976), we become emotionally invested in the lives of Franklin Shepard (Patric Case), Charley Kringas (Jason Rexx), and Mary Flynn (Kara Morrissey). The story unfolds in reverse, tracing their journey backward over two decades—from disillusioned adulthood to the hopeful beginnings of their artistic partnership. As the years pass, we witness the unraveling of friendships, the compromises of ambition, and the bittersweet cost of success, all set against the backdrop of a showbiz world that promises everything but delivers selectively.

Sondheim is at his finest. Merrily We Roll Along, considered one of his best scores, does not disappoint. The music pumps blood into the well-crafted characters, bringing them to life. Although many of Sondheim’s scores are considered unhummable, he has crafted several songs in Merrily that continue to play back long after leaving the theatre. “Old Friends” and “Not a Day Goes By” are two examples of Sondheim meeting the audience halfway with rich lyrics that expose brutal emotional resonance.

The song “Franklin Shepard, Inc.” is classic Sondheim—dense, dazzling, and emotionally loaded. What begins as a rapid-fire tirade becomes a full-blown musical nervous breakdown, stitched together with total sarcasm and abandon. In a score already rich with regret and reflection, this song adds another dimension—rage, betrayal, and the ache of artistic divorce.

Director Cardell has assembled a remarkable cast. The three leads, Case, Rexx, and Morrissey, have all latched onto an opportunity to explore their intricate characters and their relationships as we see them withering away on the vine. As Franklin, Case’s performance delivers a mighty blow as his need for success overcomes him, and the promises made to his friends fall by the wayside. Morrissey, as Mary Flynn, who has become a very messy drunk, delivers a gut-punch performance from beginning to end. Rexx is superlative as the often-misconstrued Charley. His performance emanates from his inner being and shines in his interpretation of the song “Franklin Shepard, Inc.” A showstopper.

There are others in the cast that must be mentioned. As Franklin’s paramour and artistic temptation, Miranda Byers as Gussie Carnegie is nothing short of magnetic. Her over-the-top showbiz diva-like character is both endearing and scheming. Evan Marquez as Joe Josephson and Madison Falkenstein as Beth Spencer are the long-suffering spouses, caught in the undertow of ambition, betrayal, and artistic reinvention. Each embodies their characters with the right amount of self-awareness and pathos, marking them as targets in the downward spiral of show business.

The nine-person ensemble delivers a cohesive, vocally dynamic performance that elevates every scene they touch. Seamlessly shifting between roles and decades, they bring clarity and energy to the show’s complex structure, while maintaining tight musical precision throughout. Their harmonies land with impact, their character work adds texture, and their presence reinforces the emotional weight of the story without ever taking focus away.

Under Bernie Cardell’s direction, Merrily We Roll Along sheds its reputation as a structurally tricky musical and emerges as a profound human story of fractured ambition and enduring hope. Cardell doesn’t overplay the reverse chronology; instead, he lets it quietly accumulate emotional weight, allowing each scene to feel like a memory reexamined rather than a gimmick. His staging favors intimacy and emotional precision, drawing out the quiet devastations between friends and lovers with a director’s eye attuned to nuance.

Musical director Brandon Bill brings a finely tuned ear and emotional intelligence to Merrily We Roll Along, coaxing out performances that feel vocally rich and dramatically lived in. His work ensures that each voice serves the story’s emotional arc, not just its musical demands. Adrianne Hampton’s choreography adds a kinetic layer to the production, threading movement through time with inventive transitions and character-driven physicality that never feels ornamental. Meanwhile, Susan Rahmsdorff-Terry’s decade-specific costumes anchor the reverse chronology with visual clarity, as the years roll backward.

Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Along runs through October 19, and it’s a gift to have this production staged right here in Aurora. After decades of reappraisal, revision, and rediscovery, the chance to experience its winding emotional journey—live and local—is nothing short of remarkable. This is a show that’s traveled far to find its footing, and we’re lucky to be part of its latest chapter.