I've snuck (sneaked?) into the BU Theatre a couple of times this week to see how the CFA production of Merrily We Roll Along is going. This morning they had a student matinee and I got out of the office enough to enjoy several good chunks of the show.
Jim Petosa, Director of the BU School of Theatre, helms the production on the BU Theatre Mainstage assisted by a team of faculty, staff, and guest artists. The show features a talented cast drawn from the entire BU student body, intriguing design by BFA and MFA candidates, and a great pit band comprised of 8 local musicians.
This show contains several of my favorite Sondheim numbers including "Our Time", "Not a Day Goes By", "Good Thing Going" and "Old Friends". “To teach from this piece is fantastic,” Petosa says. “The quality of the score and lyrics is undeniable, but it also has a problematic book that’s tough to interpret.” This musical about friendship has a storied and divided history with not so happy themes, and while this production probably doesn't break any new ground, it is a must see for any Sondheim (or SOT) fans like me.
I think the following (from Wikipedia) sums it up:
"In his New York Times review on November 17, 1981, Frank Rich said of the production, "As we all should probably have learned by now, to be a Stephen Sondheim fan is to have one's heart broken at regular intervals."[2] Clive Barnes wrote, "Whatever you may have heard about it – go and see it for yourselves. It is far too good a musical to be judged by those twin kangaroo courts of word of mouth and critical consensus."[3]"
The production runs tonight through Sunday, May 2 at the Boston University Theatre, 264 Huntington Ave Boston MA 02115, and tickets are available online, and at our box office locations. The proceeds from ticket sales for the Friday 4/30 8:00pm production will be donated to the Huntington's annual fund in order to help us reach our fund raising goals for this season. Thanks to Jim Petosa and Walt Meisner for this generous gesture!
- contributed by Todd Williams
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