There are two things every good musical needs in order to be successful: a talented cast and a dedicated director. Musical theater group Torn Ticket II's upcoming production of "Merrily We Roll Along," directed by senior Elizabeth Sharpe−Levine, has both of these elements and more.
Before extolling the virtues of the cast, it's necessary to say a few words about the show's music. "Merrily We Roll Along" was written by Stephen Sondheim, who composed some of the most notoriously complicated and confusing musical theater of our age.
"I love Sondheim and I walked into this show knowing music because I've listened to all his shows for years, just for fun," Sharpe said. "I cannot possibly imagine what it must be like to have to learn a Sondheim score that you've never heard before. So the fact that they pulled it together is stunning."
With 12 cast members, this show is larger than a typical student−run performance. The cast includes six fresh faces to the Tufts theater scene, including four freshmen.
"Some shows here, it'll be 10 people who've done six shows together before, which can be great because you have a working relationship," Sharpe−Levine said. "You don't always get this chance to have a group of people where you're building from scratch, so that's been really fun and unexpected."
However, "Merrily We Roll Along" is unique in more than just its music. The show opens at the end of a rocky relationship between three professionals and proceeds backward in time, revealing the characters' stories and how each one got to the point at which we meet them. Depending on how you interpret the musical, it can be either heartwarming or heartbreaking.
Focusing for a minute on the student director, Sharpe−Levine chose "Merrily We Roll Along" herself and went into production after being approved by the voting members of Torn Ticket II.
"Stephen Sondheim is my personal god," Sharpe−Levine told the Daily. In order to direct a production in Balch Arena Theater, students must have taken at least two semesters of directing through the Department of Drama and Dance. "Since [the department is] really protective of this space, which they have the right to be, they want to make sure that people are not in over their heads when they get here," she said.
One of the most challenging aspects of a production in Balch is staging for a theater in the round. Sharpe−Levine said, "It's interesting, because there are all these concerns you have when you're in the round. It's been frustrating. You're supposed to be thinking, ‘What do you get to see?' But I also have this other level in my brain that thinks, if I have someone sitting in one section, what are they not seeing?"
But Sharpe−Levine explained that it's also liberating to have 360 degrees of stage to work with. She said, "Now it's almost impossible to imagine [the performance] restricted to just one direction. One of the greatest things about in the round is that you don't have to cheat out [an acting term referring to always facing towards the audience]; you're always facing someone. But, then, the downside is that you always have your back to someone."
"Merrily We Roll Along" runs Thursday, Dec. 1 through Saturday, Dec. 3 at 8 p.m. each night. Tickets are free, and can be picked up at the Balch Arena Box Office.
