A MERRILY MARVELOUS REVIVAL

Sondheim’s famously backward musical
moves splendidly forward in Signature Theatre’s hands

Jason Gotay, Melanie Field, and Jake Loewenthal

How do three talented, idealistic friends end up bitter, estranged from one another and far from the dreams of their youth? The reverse-chronology musical Merrily We Roll Along at Signature Theatre answers that question through glorious songs and electrifying performances. First produced at Signature nearly 20 years ago, the company brings it back to life with an outstanding cast, design team, and orchestra.

James Whalen, Kerstin Anderson, Jason Gotay, Melanie Field, and Jake Loewenthal (Daniel Rader)

The beginning is the end at the start of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s once-unsuccessful musical, based on the play of the same name by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. It centers on three friends: Charley Kringas, a playwright; Mary Flynn, a writer; and Franklin Shepard, a musician. All three have noble dreams and high hopes for their chosen professions, along with that youthful kind of friendship one believes will last a lifetime, as the story moves backward from 1976 to 1957.

Maria Rizzo and cast

Signature’s Merrily opens on Wilson Chin’s set grounded in the 1970s, with polka-dotted scenery stretching across the top mezzanine, where the orchestra plays. Two spiral staircases bookend the stage, while six doors allow the ensemble to handle the many scene changes seamlessly. Cory Pattak’s period hanging globe lights, along with various floor and table lamps, enhance the mood and changing eras.

Merrily We Roll Along (Daniel Rader)

Oh, and that orchestra! The overture and first number—the title song—are spectacular. I had a center view of conductor and music director Jon Kalbfleisch, handling the score with both delicate and soul-crushing force. This is Kalbfleisch’s 37th year at Signature, and his knowledge of Sondheim’s nuanced music is evident in each number.

Jake Loewenthal, Jason Gotay, and Melanie Field

A rotating piano occupies center stage throughout, reminding the audience—and, not often enough, the main characters—of what is important to them and of the power of the music.

Jake Loewenthal and Jason Gotay

A gifted ensemble of eight actors plays multiple roles. Their ability to move as one and then slip into the individual characters they inhabit is pure magic under director and choreographer Matthew Gardiner. His use of the ensemble as a kind of Greek chorus is particularly effective in numbers like “Merrily We Roll Along,” “That Frank,” and “The Blob,” where Sondheim’s layered voices and movement come together to tell the story with remarkable clarity.

Maria Rizzo

Our central tragic figure, Frank Shepard, is played tenderly by Jason Gotay. Frank is flawed, talented and successful—but at what cost? Gotay reveals how he got there in a very moving performance. He seems to have been born to play the role.

Jake Loewenthal and Jason Gotay

Mary Flynn, a disillusioned, once-successful writer still holding out for Frank’s love, is played brilliantly by Melanie Field. From the opening number, she is a standout. Her delivery, voice and expressions draw you to her throughout the show, while heartbreak and a sharp wit make her a fine foil for the male leads. I was especially moved by her numbers “Like It Was,” “Now You Know” and her gut-wrenching reprise of “Not a Day Goes By.”

Merrily We Roll Along (Daniel Rader)

When the third central character, Charley Kringas, finally appears, Jake Loewenthal plays him with understatement and heart, and the friendship among the three comes sharply into focus. But Charley fractures that friendship in the powerful and intense “Franklin Shepard, Inc.” I was on the edge of my seat as he sang it.

Jason Gotay (Daniel Rader)

Two other women give standout performances. The powerhouse Maria Rizzo as Gussie and the delightfully nuanced Kerstin Anderson as Beth are not to be missed. James Whalen gives a heartbreaking performance as Joe as well.

Jake Loewenthal, Jason Gotay, and Melanie Field

Whether you know every note of Sondheim or are coming to Merrily for the first time, Signature gives you plenty of reason to fall for it. Productions like this are why I feel so fortunate to have this theater in my own backyard.

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photos by Christopher Mueller, unless noted

Merrily We Roll Along
Signature Theatre
MAX Theatre, 4200 Campbell Avenue in Arlington, VA
Tues.–Fri. at 7:30; Sat. at 2 and 7:30; Sun. at 2
2 hours and 30 minutes, including intermission
ends on November 1, 2026
for tickets, call 703.820.9771 or visit Signature Theatre

for more shows, visit Theatre in DC
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