Merrily We Roll Along

When Stephen Sondheim rewrote a 1934 stage play as his new musical Merrily We Roll Along for the 1400-seat Neil Simon (Alvin) Theatre on Broadway, I’m sure he would not have thought that an outstanding performance of his musical would be 40 years in the future in a small 40-seat black box theatre in Brisbane! But I am sure that, wherever he is, the late, great Mr Sondheim would be nodding his approval at the superb cast in Ad Astra’s production. For a start, the smaller setting suits the New York apartment backdrop. You feel as if you are in the room and on the street with the cast of characters, theatrical writers and musicians, willing them on as they journey from post-war optimistic dreams to 1970s comedown. The American Dream on the Great White Way is the backstory, but the importance of friendships and fidelity is lit to the fore – and this relies on great performances by warm and engaging actors – oh, who can also sing magnificently!

Well, this cast ticks all the boxes!  As the self-confident and ambitious musical writer, Franklin Shepard, Stephen Hirst is a brilliant and charismatic leading man. After enduring military service, you can understand Franklin’s eagerness to get his stage career on track. But will he make the right decisions along the way? Helping him stay true to himself are his two loyal friends: Mary Flynn, a wannabe writer, played by Natasha Veselinovic with heartbreaking emotional eloquence; and Franklin’s best friend and lyric writer, Charley Kringas, played by Alex Watson, who balances his straight-as-a-die honesty with quick humour and speed in the signature Sondheim ‘patter song’.

These three performers are the heart of the show, and the reverse-order story framing is heart-breaking because you grow to really love these three friends. Fortunately, in the Ad Astra constellation, the supporting characters are all played by stars too. Heidi Enchelmaier is Franklin’s long-suffering wife, Beth, performed with a strength that shows her leading lady potential. Jordan Twigg revels in Gussie Carnegie’s story arc from lowly producer’s secretary to Broadway superstar! Chris Kellett is an outstanding comic talent as mega-watt producer, Joe Josephson. And I’m still chuckling at Chelsea Burton and Liam O’Byrne as star-worshipping, post-show theatre party groupies, snipping in song at the latest stage offering (they also play a range of press reporters and other characters).

Grounding the story in the reality of fame and success is Franklin’s son, played in alternate productions by Milo White and Edward Hill. Judging by their mature post-show Q&A responses, these two young men are future stars for sure!

Adding to the energy, on stage for the duration of the show, are Musical Director, Ben Murray, and Lucas D Lynch on keyboards, and Peter Lavrencic on drums. The music is great and you’ll swear you have heard an orchestra backing the action. They are right at home creating the NYC club atmosphere too. Choreography by Tess Hill is spot on for the 1950s/60s era. And the team are backed by support from Associate Director, James Shaw, Stage Manager, Caitlin Scott, Assistant Stage Manager, Loretta Melit, and Production Assistant, Libby Harrison.

The post-show Q&A revealed some interesting thoughts on performing this musical today – especially considering it was a bit of a flop when it premiered on Broadway in 1981, but has had a hugely successful revival, earning seven Tony Award nominations for the 2023/24 production starring Jonathan Groff, Lindsay Mendez and Daniel Radcliffe. The Ad Astra cast were excited by the smaller space, where they could enjoy performing Sondheim’s songs in a more filmic way, being closer to the audience. Directing in a small venue must also be a challenge for director Tim Hill (Mamma Mia!, Rent) who has recently worked on Cinderella at the gorgeous Empire Theatre in Toowoomba. But this was a slick and pacey production with no hesitation in bold direction due to the intimate staging. Tim said that he felt the success of this production is due to the talent of his performers. And I totally agree. With their wealth of combined experience, and training (many studied Musical Theatre at Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University or Ballarat University) you could not find a better cast. And I think that, even audiences who think they don’t like stage musicals will enjoy this production!

Beth Keehn

Find out more: adastracreativity.com/productions/merrily-we-roll-along

Photos: @creativestreetphoto