Merrily We Roll Along was written in 1934, but first opened on Broadway
in 1981. It stars Franklin Shepard who, having once been a talented composer of
Broadway musicals, has now abandoned his friends and his songwriting career to
become a producer of Hollywood movies. Like the play, the musical begins at the
height of his Hollywood fame and moves backwards in time, showing snapshots of
the most important moments in Frank's life that shaped the man that he is
today. The musical utilizes a chorus that sings reprises of the title song to
transition the scenes.
Act I
Franklin Shepard
is a rich, famous, and influential songwriter and film producer ("Merrily
We Roll Along"). As the years roll back over 20 years of his life, we see
how he went from penniless composer to wealthy producer, and what he gave up to
get there.
In Frank's swank
Los Angeles pad in 1976, after the premiere of his latest film, a party is in
full swing. Frank's Hollywood peers are there, and bestow lavish praise on him
("That Frank"). His oldest friend, theatre critic Mary Flynn is also
at the party. She is disgusted by the shallow people Frank has chosen to
associate with and by his abandonment of music - the one thing he was truly
good at - for the world of commercial film producing. Frank seems happy, but
tenses up when a guest mentions a Pulitzer-winning play by Charles Kringas,
Frank's former best friend and lyricist. Frank and Mary get a moment alone
together, and she chides him for missing his son's graduation. Frank admits to
Mary that his new film is just a formula picture, but he promises: just wait
for the next film! But Mary has given up waiting, and becomes progressively
more inebriated. She gives a drunken toast, castigating Frank and insulting his
guests, and storms out of the party (and Frank's life) in a drunken rage.
Frank's wife Gussie arrives and they start to argue. She is angry that the
leading role in Frank's movie, which she had planned to star in, went to a
younger actress, Meg. He has been stung by Mary's rant, and confesses that he
has concentrated so completely on being a "success" that everything
and everyone he most valued at the beginning of his career has gone. The
evening ends traumatically when Gussie confronts Frank with knowledge of his
infidelity with Meg, the leading actress in his movie. He ends their marriage,
and she viciously attacks Meg.
The years roll
back to 1973 ("Merrily We Roll Along – First Transition"). Frank and
Charley Kringas are about to be interviewed in a New York TV studio. Mary
greets Charley backstage, and Charley tells her that Frank never has time to
write shows anymore with him. Mary, whose drinking is steadily worsening,
confesses that she has set up the interview to force Frank to publicly commit
to writing the show he and Charley have been trying to write for years, but
Charley is frustrated and bitter. Mary wonders plaintively why their collective
friendship cannot be "like it was" ("Old Friends (Part I) Like
It Was"), and Charley realizes that Mary, after 20 years, is still in love
with Frank. When Frank finally arrives, his new wife Gussie in tow, tensions are
clearly running high. Gussie is trying to avoid her ex-husband, Broadway
producer Joe Josephson, who is hitting her up for money, and Frank is fretting
over how to tell Charley that he has signed a three-picture deal.
Unfortunately, just before the interview begins, the host lets the news slip,
infuriating Charley. As they go live on air, an increasingly angry and nervous
Charley launches into a furious rant on the way his composer has transformed
himself into "Franklin Shepard Inc.", pleading with Frank to return
to doing what he does best. After the cameras are shut off, Charley is
remorseful, but the damage is done. Frank disowns Charley and walks out - their
friendship is over.
It's 1968, and
Mary, Charley and Frank are in Frank's new apartment on Central Park West
("Merrily We Roll Along – Second Transition"), welcoming Frank back
from a cruise. Charley has brought along Frank's young son, Frankie, whom he
has not seen since his divorce. Frank has brought a gift for each of his
friends: a copy of Mary's best-selling novel in Spanish, and a contract for a
film option on his and Charley's show, Musical Husbands. Charley
refuses, and an argument is sparked. Frank wants to option the film version for
the money, which he needs after a contentious divorce, but Charley says that it
will get in the way of writing anything new. Mary calms them down, reminding
them about the importance of their friendship ("Old Friends"), but it
is clear that nothing is that simple anymore. Frank's producer Joe and his wife
Gussie arrive. Gussie has brought champagne, which the teetotaler Mary refuses.
It becomes clear that Frank and Gussie are having an affair, and Charley, Mary
and Joe are all aware of it. Mary, who has been in love with Frank for years,
is devastated by his irresponsibility and takes a generous gulp of champagne to
prove a point. When everyone leaves, Charley lingers and advises Frank to end
the affair, encouraging him to join him and Mary for a get together at the club
where they got their start. After he leaves, Frank plays through an old song
and attempts to make sense of his choices. He seems to be on the verge of
composing a new piece but is interrupted when Gussie returns, announcing that
she intends to live with him and divorce Joe. ("Growing Up").
On to 1966
("Merrily We Roll Along – Third Transition"). Frank is being divorced
by his wife Beth, and they fight over the custody of their young son in a
courthouse. Reporters flock around the scene, anxious to catch gossip since
Gussie has been subpoenaed. Frank confronts Beth, who confesses that she still
loves him, but that she cannot live with him knowing he was unfaithful to her
with Gussie ("Not a Day Goes By"). She drags their son away, heading
to Houston to live with her father. Frank collapses in despair but is consoled
by Mary, Charley and his other remaining friends. His pals convince him to take
a cruise, forget and start anew, stating that this was the "best thing
that ever could have happened" ("Now You Know").
Act II
In 1964, Gussie
appears to be singing about Frank's infatuation with her, but as the scene
transforms, and we see that Gussie is performing the song on-stage, as the star
of Musical Husbands, on the opening night of Frank and Charley's first
Broadway show. The curtain comes down on the show and as the audience applauds,
Charley and Frank, who are backstage with Joe, Mary and Beth, realize they have
a hit on their hands ("It's a Hit!"). Charley's wife Evelyn is in
labor and he and Beth rush to the hospital. Mary asks Beth to stay behind and
make sure Frank is not left alone with Gussie, but Beth chooses to trust her
husband and leaves Frank on his own, listening to the sound of the audience
applauding.
In 1962
("Merrily We Roll Along – Fourth Transition"): Frank, Beth, Charley
and Mary have been invited to a party in Gussie and Joe's elegant Sutton Place
apartment, where they stand star-struck by the glamor and the influential
crowd. ("The Blob"). Deliberately spilling wine on Beth's dress,
Gussie pulls Frank away from the party-goers, confiding her unhappiness to him,
and convinces him to write the commercial show Joe is producing, "Musical
Husbands", rather than the political satire he and Charley are trying to
get produced. ("Growing Up" (Reprise)). Returning to her guests,
Gussie invites the songwriters to perform their latest song, "Good Thing
Going". The guests love it and Gussie implores them to do an encore.
Charley urges Frank not to, but Frank agrees. They play the song again, but the
guests quickly lose interest and resume their noisy cocktail chatter ("The
Blob" (Reprise)). Charley storms out, as Mary looks on worriedly.
Time turns back
to 1960 ("Merrily We Roll Along – Fifth Transition"). Charley, Frank
and Beth are performing at a small nightclub in Greenwich Village, with a supportive
Mary lending a hand. Trying to appear bright and sophisticated, they perform a
song celebrating America's new First Family ("Bobby and Jackie and
Jack"). Joe is in the tiny audience and he's quite impressed, as is his
new fiancée (and former secretary) Gussie, who is strongly attracted to Frank
at this first meeting. After the show, Frank explains to them that he and Beth
are marrying. It becomes clear that the wedding is due to her pregnancy, but
Frank professes his happiness anyway. With Mary, Charley and Beth's
disapproving parents looking on, the happy couple exchanges vows, as a lovelorn
Mary tries to swallow her feelings for Frank ("Not a Day Goes By"
(Reprise)).
In 1959
("Merrily We Roll Along – Sixth Transition") Frank, Charley, and Mary
are busy in New York, working their way up the career ladder ("Opening
Doors"), taking any job they can and working feverishly at their
respective songs, plays and novels. (Sondheim claims this is the "only
autobiographical song [he's] ever written... It's about all of us [writers] in
the 50s knocking on the doors of producers and trying to get heard."). The
men audition for Joe, but he wants more "hummable" tunes, and
instructs them to leave their name with his secretary. So they decide to do
their own show and in an ensuing musical montage, end up auditioning and hiring
Beth and forming a cabaret show together.
Finally, it is
October 1957 ("Merrily We Roll Along – Seventh Transition"). Early in
the morning, Frank and Charley are on the roof of an old apartment house on New
York City's 110th Street, waiting for the first-ever earth-orbiting satellite.
Frank, who is about to be released from the Army, tells Charley how much he
likes Charley's plays, and proposes that they turn one, a political satire,
into a musical. Mary, their neighbor, arrives to view the satellite, and meets
the boys for the first time. She has heard Frank's piano from her apartment,
and she tells him how much she admires his music. He speaks eloquently on how
much composing means to him. Suddenly, Sputnik is there in the sky, and now,
for the young friends, anything is possible ("Our Time").
http://articles.mcall.com/1998-10-09/features/3230961_1_horton-credits-musical-show
