Customer Reviews

Merrily We Roll Along (1981 Original Broadway Cast)

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I remember sitting in the Alvin theatre (now the Neil Simon) one Saturday night on October of 1981 watching a preview of the "new Sondheim-Prince musical" with very mixed emotions. Mixed because even though the show as a whole wasn't working, I thought then (and still think) that this was one terrific score! But others in the audience were clearly less impressed... they kept walking out all through the show. A few years later I interviewed Hal Prince and he kept apologizing for the show, sayiing it was his fault that it failed, that he was never able to get a good idea as to what the show shoudl look like, and that he felt he let Sondheim and Furth down.

Mr Prince can stop apologizing. True, the show as a whole did not work on stage. The sets were ugly, the costumes were tacky, and the cast was more "raw" than Broadway audiences are accustomed to paying top dollar for. (The cast, by the way, includede Jason Alexander, Jim Walton and Lonny Price - all of whom have gone on to bigger and better shows!) But many scenes were very touching and effective, and the score was an enjoyable change from the more operatic Sondheim shows that both preceeded and followed MERRILY. The backwards moving story was hard to follow at times, but the score.. those wonderful songs all cleverly interconnected... ranks among the best Broadway had to offer in the 1980s.

This original cast album was taped by RCA the day AFTER the show's 16th and final Broadway performance. Many RCA execs were "deeply troubled" that so much money was being wasted on a flop show. Today it is still amongst RCA's best-selling cast albums. So There!

One slight caution: RCA issued this originally as an audiophile Lp using 1/2 speed mastering. Every copy I bought had an annoying whistle in teh background all across side one. The whistle is gone on the CD but the sound is not as bright. The CD was one of the first released by RCA back in 1986, so maybe its time to be remastered. Maybe there is even more material recorded but no used..like the dropped songs "Honey" and "The Blob!" But no complaints about what isn't on the disc..what IS here is all sublime.

NOTE: Sony/BMG is re-releasing this CD in a re-mastered edition containing some bonus tracks. If you are considering purchasing this title now, you might want to wait for the remastered version which (hopefully) will have better sound!

Merrily We Roll Along is kind of an enigma. It opened in 1981 to mostly bad reviews, and closed only a few weeks later, despite the fact that the majority of audience members that actually SAW it really enjoyed it. Everyone blamed something -- the backwards plot was too confusing for the general public, the strange costumes didn't make any sense, or the book was weak. Nobody, however, blamed Stephen Sondheim's music. The score is passionate, melodic, jazzy at times, and very accessible. The show has gone through some major revisions, which can be heard on the other two recordings (1993 Leicester and 1994 Off-Broadway), but it is my opinion that the Original Broadway Cast is by far the best. The passion and exuberance of the youthful performers (and a stellar orchestra) gives this show the energy and LIFE it needs (something that is sorely lacking in the 94 recording), especially in songs like "Opening Doors". Also the song "Hills of Tomorrow", which was cut in the revisions, provides a brilliant framing device, one that makes the show complete, and makes this recording the best, narrowly beating out the Leicester.

I adored this recording when I first heard it on vinyl. OK, I admit, I'm a big Sondheim fan, but even so, I don't understand the criticism this show has received over the years. It's fresh, tuneful, and the story is audicious and, in the end, heartbreaking. I love the fact that the story is told backwards. The show works on CD (and thank goodness It's a Hit is finally included), but it wasn't until I saw a production of the show that I really fell in love with it. On stage, this show REALLY works. The cast in this recording is so good, especially Ann Morrison. Why isn't she a huge Broadway star?

This soundtrack is simply phenomenal. The tunes are wonderful and the lyrics are clever as well as moving. "Our Time" brings tears to my eyes no matter how many times I listen to it. "Good Thing Going" and "Not a Day Goes By" are beautifully haunting melodies. And "Old Friends" which is repeated throughout the recording is an exuberant and witty anthem to friendship. I never saw the play but after listening to this CD over and over I cannot understand why it flopped. The soundtrack is extraordinary.

Maybe. I could think of a couple of contenders - "Cabaret," "My Fair Lady." But not many. There are fourteen tracks on this recording; it lasts close to an hour, and as its story unfolds in reverse order, the listener is transported into a world that gradually sheds the cynicism of its opening. Every number is more hopeful than the last; it's downright painful when you get to "Our Time" and you want all that youthful optimism to be true next time...

The cast is youthful and energetic, bursting at the seams; the chorus is thrilling, and the leads - Jim Walton, Ann Morrison, and Lonny Price - seem very much to inhabit the spaces of their characters. Price stands out in "Franklin Shepard, Inc," and the leads all have repeated chances to shine. Be on the lookout for a VERY fun early turn by Seinfeld's Jason Alexander as producer Joe Josephson - hey, he can sing! The ensemble is dead on to a one.

Personal favorite tracks from the album include "Old Friends" (both the pre-prise and the full trio song), "Franklin Shepard, Inc," "Not a Day Goes By," "It's a Hit!," "Good Thing Going," "Opening Doors," and "Our Time." Really, I can't get enough of the album. It takes some getting used to the story, but you'll eventually be glad you bothered.

One note: even though this was produced by the masterful Thomas Z. Shepard, protege of Goddard Lieberson (the greatest cast album producer of all time), the CD's dynamics are terrible. It's worth listening to anyway, but the buyer should beware that this is an entry in the Red Seal line and not one of RCA Victor's usual quality cast recordings. Still...the other choices just aren't a replacement for this cast.

A great musical of the early 80's, "Merrily" ran on Broadway for only one week! The response of critics was scathing for the most part, but audiences were standing on the seats screaming at the performance I saw. While there were certain flaws in production, the score,as this recording shows, is truly great Sondheim, more in the "pop" style, than the usual classical, intellectual Sondheim style. Several beautiful ballads are contrasted with the usual "patter" songs. The ingenious compositional technique, mirrors the story, which starts in the present, and gradually moves backwards through time, clarifying the genesis of each character and their complicated relationships. The musical motives, complicated at the beginning of the show, gradually simplify as the story progresses ( or is it de-gresses?) This recording, the original cast, has a rich orchestration, and features a still-unknown Jason Alexander, of "Seinfeld" fame. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

This is a fine recording of a profoundly moving show BUT the remastered version is presented very poorly when compared to the initial RCA release.

No libretto, a few black and white photos (as compared to the original colour ones, and a superficial essay - not even a summary of the show's plot. Ridiculous.

The bonus tracks are of minimal interest, so if you own the original, keep it. You are much better off.

"Merrily We Roll Along" is the infamous 16 performance flop that ended the Sondheim-Prince collaboration and almost drove the composer to abadon the theatre altogether. Having not seen a production of the show, I can only guess why the show did so poorly with critics and audiences during its premiere. However, from listening to this cast album I can testify that it is an AMAZING score.

The show tells the story of successful songwriter/producer Franklin Shepard and his not so successful relationships with friends Charley and Mary. It tells this story in reverse order, beginning in 1980 and ending around 1960, using deceptively upbeat songs to explore themes of lost dreams and bitter resentment (although it also has its share of beautifully melacholy songs, as well). It is a lot to wrap your head around, and may have been the reason for the show's quick failure.

But the depth, both emotionally and musically, of this score makes it well worth the extra brain power needed to fully comprehend the show. Sondheim expertly plays with musical motifs and themes, gradually developing them in increasingly sophisticated and thought provoking ways. Many early songs contain snippets of melodies that will become the basis for full songs later in the show, such as the few phrases of "Our Time" (the second to last number in the show) buried within "Rich and Happy" (part of the opening). His lyrics are as outstanding as always, seemingly effortless in their complex rhyme schemes and revelatory turns of phrase.

Sondheim has often been aided by longtime collaborator Jonathan Tunick, but the orchestrator's work deserves special recognition here. His brassy and full orchestrations provide the disc with a life and energy virtually unrivaled in the musical theatre. The horn blasts that proceed each iteration of the title song are one of many thrilling orchestral sections, which include some ingenious transitions and gorgeous musical swells during the more emotional numbers. Much enjoyment could be had just from listening the orchestra, without the voices (even though the voices are uniformly excellent).

Highlights include the labyrithine opening number, which seemlessly seques between three very distinct songs while setting up the show's main question, "How did you get here from there, Mr. Shepard?" Anyone who thinks Sondheim incapable of writing catchy music should just try and get the melodic hook of "Old Friends" out of their heads. "Franklin Shepard, Inc." is absolutely brilliant, the bright, bouncy music masking the growing cracks in Charley's facade before exploding in a torrent of rage and bitterness. And "Good Thing Going" is one of the most heartbreakingly beautiful songs Sondheim has ever written.

My only complaint with this release is the anemic CD booklet, which lacks a plot synopsis or any written lyrics. Both should be mandatory in any Sondheim release, as his songs are best understood in context and every word is essential to a song's meaning; they are especially needed on a release such as this, which is not one of his most popular or well known works.

But the score is absolutely amazing, one of the greatest Sondheim has every written, and deserves to be enjoyed by musical theatre enthusiast everywhere. Buy this disc now.

Several years ago I saw a college production of MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG. At the time, I knew the musical had been a flop in its original run on Broadway; I went to see the production only because two friends of mine were playing the leading roles of Frank and Charlie. But while watching the show I realized that MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG has a great score -- probably one of the greatest of any unsuccessful musical. "Like It Was," "Not a Day Goes By," and "Good Thing Going" are all haunting ballads, unusually emotional for Sondheim, while "Now You Know" and (especially) "Franklin Shepard, Inc." are patter songs in Sondheim's typical, brilliant style. Even the school "commencement song," "The Hills of Tomorrow," is memorable, as are the ensemble numbers "Rich and Happy" and "Merrily We Roll Along," not to mention the moving anthem "Our Time." Both the title song and "Old Friends" are woven through this backwards-told tale of disillusionment, recurring several times as commentary on the action.
Another original idea was to have all the roles played by very young actors -- teenagers, in fact. (Sondheim and director Harold Prince must have thought that a story about broken youthful ideals would be even more affecting if the cast itself was youthful.) Fortunately, Jim Walton, Lonny Price, and Ann Morrison as the three "old friends" INHABIT their roles to a degree that few mature actors could hope to match, while singing with confidence; Walton's "Not a Day Goes By" in particular is beautifully sung. At times, it is truly hard to believe that these performers are little more than children, so thoroughly assured do they sound. And the choral work is stunning; the chorus, in fact, may be the real star of the recording. Those unfamiliar with MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG and this original Broadway cast recording don't know what they are missing!

I've been a big fan of Sondheim's work for more than 45 years and somehow I missed this OC album until now. I was so pleased to find that this is one of the best things he ever wrote. Great cast amd great music and lyrics. I've listened to it almost everyday since it arrrived.