‘Merrily We Roll Along’ Is a Palpable Hit!
Merrily We Roll Along feels like opening a row of bottled memories. With each bottle opened, we travel further into the past, back to a time when people were more ambitious and more hopeful. The story progresses, not forwards, but backwards, revealing just how strong the bonds of love and friendship can be when nurtured, and how easily they can go awry when dreams take priority.
When the musical (lyrics and music by Stephen Sondheim, and book by George Furth) opens, we meet the wealthy, successful, and highly praised composer Franklin Shepherd, played by Rowan Engen, entertaining guests at a glamorous party. He seems to have it all, but the anchoring presence of one estranged friend, best-selling novelist Mary Flynn (Maddy Thaller), and the absence of another, playwright Charley Kringas (Linden Imeson Jorna), starts to dissolve the facade. As Franklin’s wife (Sarah McDonald) grows more irritated with Mary at the party, the audience is left wondering why Mary and Charley are so bitter about Franklin’s success.
The narrative then begins to peel back its layers, revealing a twenty-year backstory about a trio of friends, unfolding in reverse—an unusual but uniquely powerful choice. In most plays, conflict arises and gradually snowballs, but in Merrily We Roll Along, each scene begins with frayed relationships and developed conflicts. The audience is left to speculate on what went wrong before the prior years are revealed to them in the next scene. This reversed narration creates the feeling of looking back on one’s life, feeling the consequences of past decisions, how they happened, and what could have been done to change them. The play closes with the three friends meeting for the first time. It’s a hopeful yet bittersweet and nostalgic ending, knowing the future these characters will inevitably face.
“When I want to remember a moment, I close my eyes tight and swallow like I’m trying to take a picture,” says Franklin. Engen portrays his character perfectly, capturing his younger self’s passion, friendliness, and evolution into an emotionally distant business man who puts his friendships on the back burner to prioritize fame and money. Similarly, Thaller plays Mary with both grace and precision. Her steady determination to share her writing with the world, despite the fear of rejection and vulnerability, felt deeply relatable. She captures Mary’s internal conflict with nuance and her infatuation with Franklin is subtle yet present. She encourages him to follow his dreams, but shows her quiet disappointment in his value changes.
Though each scene takes place in a different time and setting, it’s the music that connects them all. The live band, positioned at the back of the stage, provides all the instrumentals for the musical numbers. Between every time shift, they repeat the same theme song, giving the play’s timeline cohesiveness. A particularly memorable performance that is enhanced by the music is the number “Franklin Shepherd, Inc.,” in which Charley finally releases years of pent-up frustration with Franklin on live television. As his monologue escalates into a frantic rant, he starts gesturing wildly, and the band begins to increase their tempo, mirroring his exasperation and amplifying the feeling of catharsis that follows.
In addition to the live music, lighting designers Mya Steenbakkers and Levi Martins take the performance to the next level. Whether it’s a single spotlight highlighting one character, multiple spotlights chaotically darting across the stage, or the gentle pink glow during romantic scenes, the lighting consistently enhances the mood. For instance, following an argument between Franklin and his wife, solid dark blue lights pointing straight down from the ceiling menacingly cast the singers in silhouettes, conveying the stillness and coldness between the couple.
If your memories could be bottled, would you ever open them? And if you did, what would you do with what you found inside? Merrily We Roll Along doesn’t just remind us to reflect on the past, but to be present and in the moment. It reminds us of how far we’ve come and that it’s never too late to rekindle what you may think is lost.
Directed by Dylan Chenier and produced by Blue Canoe Productions, ‘Merrily We Roll Along’ runs until August 9, 2025 at Domino Theatre. More information about the program and tickets can be found here.
