“How did you get to be here? What was the moment?” This question asked in the title song of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s Merrily We Roll Along gets answered not once, but several times over the course of this captivating musical. A stellar score and fantastic performers makes Shifting Ground Collective’s production of Merrily, directed by Joshua Kilimnik, a delight. You certainly won’t want to miss this vibrant, poignant piece.

Merrily We Roll Along tells the story of three friends, their rise to fame, and their fall from grace. What makes Merrily unique, is that we start at the end of their story and work our way back to the beginning, allowing us to understand the choices and moments which have made these people who are they are. Frank Shepherd is a composer, and his lyricist is his long-time best friend Charley Kringas. They meet Mary Flynn, who is a journalist, novelist, and later theatre critic! Searching for fame and fortune in New York City comes with a price, as all three of them find out in their own unique way. A story about friendship, love, loyalty, and pursuing your dreams, it comes as no surprise to me that Merrily speaks to a modern audience more than its original viewers.

Merrily has a fascinating history on Broadway, with its original cast eventually having to move to costumes of sweaters with their characters names on them just so the audience could keep track of who’s who. I found no such issue with this production. Each actor still plays the same character, just at different phases of their life, there’s nothing particularly complicated about that! It’s actually a brilliant way to tell a story; let us see who they’ve become and THEN show us how they got there. Especially with the title being Merrily We Roll Along, implying forward motion, and then the story is actually told by looking backwards! I don’t know if as a modern audience we’ve become more accustomed to non-linear story telling in our media, or if maybe the events of the play were too close in time to the premiere, either way, this production of Merrily We Roll Along totally surpassed any expectations I had about this musical.

This production certainly makes great use of the Annex Theatre space! With the band situated on the second level of the space, the cast was able to use the full floor and stairs for the performance. Sarah Yuen’s set and prop design along with Pasha Bardell’s costume design exemplify the time period of the scene with fabulous flair. I was very impressed with Shannon Murtagh’s choreography, as they didn’t have a ton of space to work with, and yet we got all of the razzle-dazzle of a proper Broadway musical.

The cast of Merrily We Roll Along is impressive; this show was written with a young cast in mind but doesn’t hold back from difficult topics and Sondheim’s demanding scores, yet this cast deftly handles it all. Duncan Lang, Jameson Mosher and Colette Richardson star as Franklin, Charley, and Mary. Their chemistry with one another is electric, and that powers the performance forward. Mosher’s performance of the song “Franklin Shepard, Inc” brings down the house, while Richardson’s emotional performance of “Not a Day Goes By – Reprise” brought a tear to my eye. Lang gives a heart wrenching performance throughout the play, hardly spending more than a few moments off-stage. Azaria Shams and Evan Sokolowski shine as Gussie and Joe, the starlet and her producer husband; they are truly a delight to watch. Sydney Gauvin gives such a moving rendition of “Not a Day Goes By” I thought my heart would burst; she’s got a powerhouse voice inside that petite frame! The ensemble is compromised of Ian Kowalski, Dallas Brinkman, Jessica Rosales, Randy (Lei) Chang, Flynn Cuthbert, Jada Rifkin, Mona Hillis, and Oliver Daniel. As the “it crowd” that Franklin eventually belongs to, along with several other interesting personalities he meets along the way, they tackle the tight choreography with grace and bring unique qualities to each of their characters.

Whether Merrily We Roll Along is your favourite Sondheim or you’ve never seen it before (like me!) you’re definitely going to want to check out Shifting Ground Collective’s production. The name for their company comes from the lyrics in this piece, and I now totally see why. This musical speaks to the dreamer in all of us, and while it acts more like a cautionary tale, it proves that we’re all just a decision away from our dreams. Only running until March 2nd, you’ll want to make sure to get your tickets ASAP! For more information and tickets, visit: https://shiftinggroundcollective.com

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Cover Photo: From L-R: (in foreground) Colette Richardson, Duncan Lang, Jameson Mosher (in background) Mona Hillis, Jessica Rosales, Ian Kowalski. Set and prop design by Sarah Yuen, Costume Design by Pasha Bardell; Lighting Design by Jadyn Buchanan; Photo by Taylor Long.

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